Somebody is proud of you -author unknow

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a
very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the
bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a
game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he
entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but
also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he
didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang
in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and
perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high
school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a bench.
His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of
encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the
football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make
the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster
because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at
the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle
they badly needed.

The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he
rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared
his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.
This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four
years at college, but he never got to play in the game. It was the end
of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice
field shortly before the big play off game, the coach met him with a
telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly
silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this
morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his
arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week
off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.

In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent
young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his
football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players
were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. "Coach,
please let me play. I've just go to play today," said the young man.
The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his
worst player in this close. Feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave
in. "All right," he said. "You can go in." Before long, the coach, the
players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This
little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything
right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed,
blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score
was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid
intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The
fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such
cheering you've never heard! Finally, after the stands had emptied and
the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that
the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach
came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic!
Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?" He looked at the coach,
with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did
you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and
forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first
time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

A wonderful motivational story for any age…..

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and
challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood
up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old.
Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of
course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married,
have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to
be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting
one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and share a
chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next
three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was
always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her
wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily
made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled
in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was
living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football
banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and
stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech,
she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a
little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said,
"I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is
killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not stop
playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There
are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving
success. "You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to
have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many
people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If
you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't
do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am
eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do
anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That
doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always
finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we
did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear
death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She
challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our
daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had
begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to
the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to
be all you can possibly be.

Lessons:

1. You are never too old to learn.

2. Laugh and find humor everyday .

3. Don't let change overwhelm you, let change help you find
opportunities you may have never seen!

Read this, and let it really sink in... Then, choose how you start your day tomorrow...

Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood
and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him
how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be
twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had
followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.

The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He
was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry
was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the
situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to
Jerry and asked him, I don't get it! You can't be a positive person
all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I
wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can
choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can
choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to
learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can
choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive
side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jerry
said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk,
every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations.
You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a
good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live
life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant
industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought
about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never
supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open
one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While
trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped
off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry
was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was
released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his
body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how
he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my
scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone
through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went
through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry
replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two
choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to
live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry
continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was
going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the
expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really
scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.'

I knew I needed to take action." " What did you do?" I asked. "Well,
there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry.
"She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The
doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took
a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them,
'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of
his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the
choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Positive thinking the the first step towards a happy life.

Attitude is everything

If everyone applies just these, the whole world will live in happiness.

What Do We Want From Life?

Once upon time there was a poor peasant in Russia. He was very
contended whatever he had. He was managing his family's affairs with
whatever he was earning. But his elder brother was richer than him.
One day, as his mind wandered, he thought that his brother was getting
richer and richer, day after day. He thought he could also be richer,
and provide with more facilities to his family. So he started saving
some money to buy more land. Once he had enough money, he started
shopping for land.

He noticed that on the adjacent land, there were some nomads living
there. He bought some gifts and went to their Chief. He presented the
gifts to him (the chief) and told the purpose of his visit. The Chief
welcomed him, accepted the gift and fulfilled his request to acquire
the land. He told him that he could have the land without giving him
anything. He can take as much land as he could cover by walking
through the land before sunset. He should start in the morning and
whatever distance he could cover during the day, he could have it.

The peasant got very happy to hear this offer. Now he could have lots
of land without paying anything. He came in the morning and started
running, not walking, so that he could cover the largest area. In the
desire to cover the maximum area, he neither took his food, nor drank
water, or took any rest. He just continued running. Without eating, or
drinking, or resting he just got damn tired when he came back in the
evening, and as he came back to the Chief, he got exhausted and died
right on the spot.

Sadly people made the arrangements for his funeral and buried him in a
6′x4′ land – that is what everybody needs.

Lesson: Don't be greedy, you may loss everything in the process.
Remember you will one day loss everything you own and leave this earth
for good.

Source: Russian Folktale, Uknown

Story about Self-Confidence:

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He
sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save
his company from bankruptcy..

Suddenly an old man appeared before him.

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help
you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand
saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today,
and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by
John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But
instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe.
Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a
way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms
of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was
out of debt and making money once again.Exactly one year later, he
returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time,
the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back
the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and
grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been
bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling
people he's John D.Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm. The astonished executive just
stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been
wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a
million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that
had turned his life around. It was his new found self-confidence that
gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

" Life may give 10000 reasons to CRY, but its upto you to find a
reason to SMILE "

Article: The Myths of Forgiveness - By Corey Sondrup ***

It seems like every self-help book, seminar, and workshop addresses
the concept of forgiveness. Forgiveness has become the "buzz word" of
the new millennium. Forgiveness cannot be emphasized enough,
especially when it comes to optimal healing. Unfortunately, most
people--patients and physicians included--have a distorted and
inaccurate idea of what forgiveness truly is. Webster's Dictionary
defines forgiveness as "1) to excuse for a fault or offense; pardon.
2) to renounce anger or resentment against."

The definition of forgiveness is not enough; we must apply the
principles of forgiveness. Before we can apply forgiveness to our
everyday lives, we must have an understanding of what forgiveness is
and what it is not. There are many myths surrounding forgiveness that
should be addressed and eliminated before true forgiveness can be
incorporated in one's life.

Myth #1: To truly forgive one has to forget. Unless you suffered a
traumatic brain injury or was the victim at an early age, there is a
high probability that you will remember a particular trauma or event.
It is virtually impossible to forget a broken heart, cheating spouse,
or abusive parent. The experience is forever recorded within your
subconscious and your energy field. The event itself does not define
who you are. It is merely an experience on your journey.

You can still remember an unpleasant situation or person and still
forgive. You will probably not forget the experience, but you can put
it behind you as you move forward in life. But the memory of the
experience is still there. If the memory of the unpleasant person or
experience causes discomfort, grief, or anger, then there is still a
"charge" to you energy field and you have not completely forgiven the
person, situation or experience. When you can honestly recall the
unpleasant experience or person and there is no "tugging-of-your
heartstrings," the emotional charge is gone. Then you are in a state
of forgiveness.

Myth #2: When you forgive a person, you must trust them! This is one
of the biggest misconceptions of forgiveness. If trust has been
broken, it takes time to rebuild and earn trust. Trust cannot be
forced on someone. Trust has to be earned. If trust is repeatedly
broken, then the intelligent thing to do is never trust them again.
Once again, you can forgive someone. But, trust is completely
different.

Myth #3: You must respect the person(s) that you have forgiven. Again,
respect and forgiveness are two separate entities. Respect, like
trust, is earned; it cannot be forced upon or demanded. If someone is
not worthy of your respect then he or she is not worthy of respect
(even if they are family).

Myth #4: When you forgive someone, you must totally and completely
accept them. When you forgive someone or something, the forgiveness is
for yourself. You choose to take your power back so that someone or
something no longer controls your life. This is where healthy
boundaries are important. If a friend or loved one has hurt or
betrayed you and you have forgiven him or her, you can accept them for
who they are (to an extent). But, if they do not earn your trust and
respect and you know their integrity is lacking, move forward in life
and seek people that unconditionally love and uplift you. You can
accept people for who they are even if they lack respect, honor,
trust, and integrity. But, it is up to you to realize that you're not
going to allow that type of person into your life. This can be
particularly difficult with close family members. We can still love
them. But, if they lack honor, integrity, and they continue to bring
you down, move on. Life is too short.

To all the guys who read this…..please read fully and understand…………..

This is a beautiful article: The woman in your life...very well expressed...

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with

these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are; Who is earning

almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as

human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or

your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a

system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary

achievements.

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost

as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people

who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your

family, name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while

you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances,

environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and

cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are,

maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant,

a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning

just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and

sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too

demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even

men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and

yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your

irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent

insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't,

simply Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just

like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most

important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you

just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she

knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your

sensitivities and most importantly - your uderstanding, or love, if

you may call it.

But not many guys understand this......

Please appreciate "HER"

I hope you will do....

Why did he cry? (A True Story)

A true story that happened in China. A bus full of passengers was

traveling on hilly road. Midway through the journey, 3-armed thugs

were eyening the pretty woman bus driver. They forced the bus to stop

and wanted to have fun with the driver! The woman driver naturally

shouted for help, but all the rest of the passengers just kept quiet.

Then a weakly looking middle-aged man came forth to ask the 3 men to

stop; but he was instead beaten up.

The man was very angry and appealed loudly to the other passengers to

stop this uncivilized act but nobody responded. And the 3 men dragged

the driver to the bushes nearby. An hour later, the 3 thugs and the

ruffled driver came back to the bus and the driver is ready to drive

off again.... "Hey you, get down the bus!" the woman driver shouted to

the man who tried to assist her earlier on. The man was bewildered and

said: "What's wrong with you? I was trying to save you just now and

was I wrong in doing so?" "You save me? What have you done to save

me?"

The driver retorted, and a few of the passengers were quietly laughing

away. The man was really angry. Even though he did not have the

ability to save her, he should not be given this treatment at all. He

refused to get down the bus and said; "I paid for the trip and I have

the right to remain." The driver put on a grim face and said: "If you

don't get down, the bus will not move on." What was unexpected was

that the passengers, who were oblivious to the barbaric act of the

thugs just now, suddenly woke up and in a concerted effort asked the

man to get down the bus saying:
"You might as well get off the bus, we have things to attend to and

cannot afford anymore delays!"

A few stronger passengers were indeed trying to drag the man down the

bus. The 3 thugs were smiling knowingly at each other and commented:

"We must have done a great job to the lady!" After much ado, the man's

luggage was thrown out the bus window and he was ousted out of the

bus. The bus started on its journey again. The driver straightened up

her hair and turned the radio to full volume. The bus was reaching the

hilltop and will go downhill after a turn. The right side of the bus

was facing an unfathomable cliff. The speed of the bus increased

gradually. The driver's face was very calm with both hands on the

steering wheel. Tears started to swell in her eyes. One of the thugs

realized something amiss and said to the driver: "Drive slowly, what

are you trying to do?" The driver said nothing, but the bus traveled

faster and faster. The thug tried to grap hold of the steering wheel,

but the bus shoot towards the cliff like an arrow leaving the bow.

The next day, the local paper reported a tragic accident at the 'Tiger

Taming Hill' region. A medium sized bus fell through the cliff and the

driver and the 13 passengers were all killed. The man who was chased

down the bus saw the paper and cried. Nobody knew what was he crying

about and why he cried!

You know why he cried?If you were in the bus, would you stand up like the man did?

We need people like him to create and sustain a normal society!

When we treat others with our hearts; we will receive warmth and love

from people!

It is a very tragic story. What will you do if you are the bus driver?

Life driven by anger is no life.

Little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.
The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter,
'Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river.'
The little girl said, 'No, Dad. You hold my hand.'
'What's the difference?' Asked the puzzled father.
'There's a big difference,' replied the little girl.

'If I hold your hand and something happens to me,
chances are that I may let your hand go.
But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens,
you will never let my hand go.'

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond.

So hold the hand of the person who loves you rather than expecting
them to hold yours...

THESE SETS OF THREE LITTLE WORDS CAN MAKE A LOT OF DIFFERENCE IN ONE'S LIFE

There are many things that we can do to perk up and strengthen our
interpersonal relationships. Yet the most effective involves the
saying of just three words. When spoken or conveyed, these statements
have the power to forge new friendships, deepen old ones and restore
relationships that have cooled. The following three-word phrases can
enrich every relationship.

I'll Be There: If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of
the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has
broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to
hear the phrase "I'll be there." Being there for another person is the
greatest gift we can give when we are truly present for other people,
important things
happen to them and us. We are renewed in love and friendship. We are
restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core
of civility.

I Miss You: Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if
couples simply and sincerely said to each other "I miss you." This
powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired
and loved. Consider how ecstatic you would feel, if you received an
unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your workday,
just
to say "I miss you".

I Respect You: Respect is another way of showing love. Respect conveys
the feeling that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your
children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and
become close friends. This applies to all inter-personal
relationships.

Maybe You're Right: This phrase is highly effective in diffusing an
argument and restoring frayed emotions. The flip side to "Maybe you're
right" is the humility of admitting, "Maybe I'm wrong". Let's face it,
when you have a heated argument with someone, all you do is cement the
other person's point of view. They, or you, will not change their/your
stance and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship
between you. Saying "Maybe you're right" can open the door to further
explore the subject, in which you may then have the opportunity to get
your view across in a more rational manner.

Please Forgive Me: Many broken relationships could be restored and
healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should
never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is
saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

I Thank You: Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who
enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't
take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their
friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand,
people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not
have the attitude of
gratitude.

Count On Me: A friend is one who walks in, when others walk out.
Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship; it is the
emotional glue that bonds people. Those who are rich in their
relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come,
a good friend is there indicating you can "count on me."

Let Me Help: The best of friends see a need and try to fill it. When
they spot a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being
asked, they pitch in and help.

I Understand You: People become closer and enjoy each other more if
they feel the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your
spouse know in so many little ways that you understand her/him, is one
of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. This applies
to any relationship.

I Love You: Perhaps the most important three words that you can say.
Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person's deepest
emotional needs; the need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be
wanted. Your family, your friends and you, all need to hear those
three little words. "I love you."

The least we can do as individuals is to motivate and inspire another
human being!

A candle loses nothing by lighting another

Why does a women need to cry

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a
woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And
you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry
for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked,
"God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said:

"When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,

yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection
that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else
gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue
without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all
circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and
fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife,
but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him
unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to
use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the
clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs
her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the
doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."