Saturday, September 29, 2012

Scars

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother, in the house was looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his
arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic, but, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have God in your life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril – and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins, and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not – and will not – let you go.

Friday, September 28, 2012

A letter written by a Father to his Son.

Following is a letter to his son from a renown Hong Kong TV broadcaster cum Child Psychologist. The words are actually applicable to all of us, young or old, children or parents. I am writing this to you because of 3 reasons:

1. Life, fortune and mishaps are unpredictable, nobody knows how long one lives. Some words are better said early.

2. I am your father, and if I don't tell you these, no one else will.

3. What is written is my own personal bitter experiences that perhaps could save
you a lot of unnecessary heartaches.

Remember the following as you go through life

1. Do not bear grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one has the responsibility of treating you well, except your mother and I.

To those who are good to you, you have to treasure it and be thankful, and ALSO you have to be cautious, because, everyone has a motive for every move. When a person is good to you, it does not mean he really likes you. You have to be careful, don't astily regard him as a real
friend.

2. No one is indispensable, nothing in the world that you must  possess. Once you understand this idea, it would be easier for you to go through life when people around you don't want you anymore, or when you lose what/who you love most.

3. Life is short. When you waste your life today, tomorrow you would find that
life is leaving you. The earlier you treasure your life, the better you enjoy life.

4. Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be patient, time will wash away your aches and sadness.Don't over exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't overexaggerate the sadness of falling out of love.

5. A lot of successful people did not receive a good education, that does not mean that you can be successful by not studying hard! Whatever knowledge you gain is
your weapon in life. One can go from rags to riches, but one has to start from some rags!

6. I do not expect you to financially support me when I am old, neither would I Financially support you whole life. My responsibility as a supporter ends when you are grown up. After that,you decide whether you want to travel in a public transport or in your limousine, whether rich or poor.

7. You honour your words, but don'texpect others to do so. You can be good to people, but don't expect people to be good to you. If you don't understand this, you would end up with unnecessary troubles.

8. I have bought lotteries for umpteen years, but I never strike any prize. That shows if you want to be rich, you have to work hard! There is no free lunch!
9. No matter how much time I have with you, let's treasure the time we have together. We do not know if we would meet again in our next life.

Your Dad.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A short story

A boy 'n a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her.

The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed.

The boy kept the biggest 'n the most beautiful marble aside 'n gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

A story story

"Why We Shout In Anger" A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to
take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in
anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled 'n asked. 'Why
do people shout in anger shout at each other?' Disciples thought for a
while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.' 'But,
why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You
can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the
saint Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other
disciples.

Finally the saint explained, . 'When two people are angry at each
other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must
shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the
stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that
great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each
other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The
distance between them is either nonexistent or very small…' The saint
continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do
not speak, only whisper 'n they get even closer to each other in their
love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other
'n that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each
other.'

He looked at his disciples 'n said. 'So when you argue do not let your
hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or
else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will
not find the path to return.'
Listen to your heart.
If you can't hear what it's saying in this noisy world,
MAKE TIME for yourself.
Enjoy your own company.
Let your mind wander among the stars.

Try. Take Chances.
MAKE MISTAKES.
Life can be messy and confusing at times,
But it's also full of surprises.
The next rock in your path might be a stepping-stone.

Be happy.
When you don't have what you want, want what you have.
MAKE DO.
That's a well-kept secret of contentment.

There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow.
You have to MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.
You need to know where you've been, too.
And if you ever get lost, don't worry.
The people who love you will find you.
Count on it.

Life isn't days and years.
It's what you do with time and with all the goodness and grace that's
inside you.
MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...
The kind of life you deserve.

--- Author Unknown

Saturday, September 22, 2012

15 things that you should give up to be happy.

This is indeed a brilliant article and needs to be read again and again …

The following article was written by one of our very own Mindvalley Team members, Dana, and is a piece from the heart. After receiving an astounding 318,000 shares we felt that it was only fair to share this with you so you too can identify the 15 practices, beliefs and habits that may be preventing you from being happy. The article is a little longer than usual but it is seasoned with powerful insights and peppered with inspirational quotes. Enjoy!

Here is a list of 15 things, which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and you'll feel much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering  and instead of letting them all go and allowing ourselves to be stress-free and happy, we cling on to them.

Well, not anymore. Starting today, we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go!

 1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can't stand the idea of being wrong ì wanting to always be right ì even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain for us and for others. It's just not worth it. Whenever you feel the urgent need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question from Dr. Wayne Dyer: Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind? What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, co-workers, or just strangers you meet on the street just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.
By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning. Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don't have, for what you feel or don't feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don't believe everything that your mind is telling you ì especially if it's negative and self-defeating. You are better than that. The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind.Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, many things people, situations and events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It's not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you're not just to make others like you. It doesn't work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you're not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change ì don't resist it.
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling the things, people or events that you don't understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about. Dr. Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn't exist  you created it. It's all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck and lie to ourselves, using all kind of excuses, excuses that 99.9% of the time, are not even real.

13. Give up the past.I know, I know. This one's hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening. But, you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for  the past that you are now dreaming about  was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all, life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment.This is a concept that, for most of us, is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too (it still is), but it's not impossible. You get better and better at it with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things (and that doesn't mean you give up your love for them  because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another. Attachment comes from a place of fear, while love, well, real love is pure, kind, and selfless; where there is love there can't be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot co-exist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.
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15. Give up living your life to other people's expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them; they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them; to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people's expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need and eventually, they forget about themselves. You have one life  this one right now  you must live it, own it, and especially don't let other people's opinions distract you from your path.