A NICE LESSON !!!!

Once a boy went to a shop with his mother.The shop keeper looked at the small cute child and showed him abottle with sweets and said,'Dear Child, u can take the sweets.'But the child didnt take.The shop keeper was surprised.. he is such a small child he and why ishe not taking the sweets from the bottle.Again he said to take the sweets....

Now the mother also heard that and said, 'Take the sweets dear.'Yet he didnt take...The shopkeeper seeing the child not taking the sweets, he himself tookthesweets and gave it to the child.

The child was happy to get two hands full of sweetsWhile returning home the Mother asked the child,'Why didnt you take the sweets when the shop keeper told you totake?'

Can you guess the response:The child replies, 'Mom, my hands are very small, and if I take thesweets, I can only take few. But, now you see - when uncle gave withhis big hands.... how many more sweets I got ???'

Moral:When we take we may get little;but, when God - The Almighty gives,He gives us more beyond our expectations....more than what we can hold..!!

From waiter to an IAS Officer

If you don't succeed the first time, try, try and try again

K Jayaganesh's story is similar. He failed the civil service examination six times but never lost heart. The seventh time -- his last chance -- he passed with a rank of 156 and has been selected for the Indian Administrative Service.

Jayaganesh's story is inspiring not because he did not lose heart but also because he comes from a very poor background in a village in Tamil Nadu, and though he studied to be an engineer, he worked at odd jobs, even as a waiter for a short while, to realise his dream of becoming an IAS officer.

Read on for Jayaganesh's inspiring achievement, in his own words:

Childhood in a remote village

I was born and brought up in a small village called Vinavamangalam in Vellore district. My father Krishnan, who had studied up to the tenth standard, worked as a supervisor in a leather factory. My mother was a housewife. I am the eldest in the family and have two sisters and a brother. I studied up to the 8th standard in the village school and completed my schooling in a nearby town.

I was quite good at studies and always stood first. Coming from a poor family, I had only one ambition in life -- to get a job as fast as I could and help my father in running the family. My father got Rs 4,500 as salary and he had to take care of the education of four children and run the family, which you know is very difficult.

So, after my 10th standard, I joined a polytechnic college because I was told I would get a job the moment I passed out from there. When I passed out with 91 per cent, there was a chance for me to get entry to a government engineering college on merit. So I decided to join the Thanthai Periyar Government Engineering College to study mechanical engineering. My father supported my desire to study further.

Even while doing engineering, my ambition was still to get a job. If you look at my background, you will understand why I didn't have any big ambitions. Most of my friends in the village had studied only up to the 10th standard, and many did not even complete school. They worked as auto drivers or coolies or masons. I was the only one among my friends who went to college.

I understood the importance of education because of my parents. My father was the only one in his family to have completed school, so he knew the value of education. My parents saw to it that we children studied well.

In search of a job

Four days after I completed my engineering in 2000, I went to Bangalore in search of a job and I one without much difficulty. My salary was Rs 2,500 at a company that reconditioned tools.

It was in Bangalore that I started thinking about my village and my friends. I wondered sadly why none of them studied and worked in good companies. Because they had no education, they always remained poor. There was not enough money to buy even proper food. There was no opportunity there; the only place they could work was the tannery in the nearby town. If they didn't get work at the tannery, they worked as auto drivers or coolies. In short, there was no one in my village to guide the young generation.

I thought would I be able to help my villagers in any way?

Getting interested in the civil service examination

Till then, I had not even heard of something called the civil services examination. It was only after I went to Bangalore and saw the world that I was exposed to many things. I came to know that a collector in a small place could do a lot. At that moment, I decided that I wanted to be an IAS officer.

I resigned and went home to prepare for the examination. I never thought resigning was risky because I had the confidence and knew I would do well.

My father also supported me wholeheartedly. He had just got a bonus of Rs 6,500 and he gave me that money to buy study material. I sat in my village and studied from the notes I received by post from Chennai.

Failed attempts

In my first two attempts, I could not even clear the preliminary examination. I had no idea how to prepare for the exam, what subjects to opt for and how to study. There was nobody to guide me.

I had taken mechanical engineering as my main subject. That's when I met Uma Surya in Vellore. He was also preparing for the examination. He told me that if I took sociology as an option, it would be easy.

Even with sociology as the main subject, I failed in the third attempt. But I was not disappointed. I knew why I was failing. I didn't have proper guidance. I started reading newspapers only after I started preparing for the examination! So you can imagine from what kind of background I came from.

To Chennai for coaching

When I came to know about the government coaching centre (external link) in Chennai, I wrote the entrance examination and was selected. We were given accommodation and training.

Because I got tips from those who passed out, I passed the preliminary in my fourth attempt. We were given free accommodation and food only till we wrote the main examination. After that, we had to move out. I didn't want to go back to the village but staying in Chennai also was expensive.

I tried to get a job as an engineer but my efforts turned futile. I then decided to look for a part time job so that I would have time to study.

Working as a waiter in Chennai

I got a job as a billing clerk for computer billing in the canteen at Sathyam Cinemas. I also worked as the server during the interval. It never bothered me that I, a mechanical engineer, preparing for the civil services, had to work as a server. I had only one aim -- to stay on in Chennai to pass the examination.

Attending the interview in Delhi

After I got the job at the Sathyam Cinemas, I was called for the interview. As counselling was my hobby, a lot of questions were asked about counselling. I was not very fluent in English but I managed to convey whatever I wanted to. Perhaps I did not articulate well. I failed in the interview.

Preliminary again, the 5th time

Once again, I started from the beginning. Surprisingly, I failed in the preliminary itself. On analysis, I felt I did not concentrate on studies as I was working at Sathyam Cinemas.

I quit the job and joined a private firm to teach sociology to those preparing for the UPSC examinations. While I learnt the other subjects there, I taught sociology. Many friends of mine in Chennai helped me both financially and otherwise while I prepared for the examination.

Sixth attempt

I passed both the preliminary and the main in the sixth attempt but failed at the interview stage.

While preparing for the interview, I had written an examination to be an officer with the Intelligence Bureau and I was selected. I was in a dilemma whether to accept the job. I felt if I joined the IB, once again, my preparation to be an IAS officer would get affected. So, I decided not to join and started preparing for one last time.

Last attempt

I had to give the last preliminary just a few days after the previous interview. I was confused and scared. Finally, I decided to take the last chance and write the examination. Like I had hoped, I passed both the preliminary and the main.

The interview was in April, 2008 at Delhi. I was asked about Tamil Nadu, Kamaraj, Periyar, Tamil as a classical language, the link between politics and Tamil cinema etc. I was upset since I did not wish the interviewers at the start and they did not respond when I said thanks at the end. Both the incidents went on playing in my mind. I just prayed to God and walked back.

The day the results were out

I was extremely tense that day. I would know whether my dreams would be realised or not. I used to tell God, please let me pass if you feel I am worthy of it.

I went to a playground and sat there meditating for a while. Then, I started thinking what I should do if I passed and what I should do if I didn't.

I had only one dream for the last seven years and that was to be an IAS officer.

156th rank

Finally when the results came, I couldn't believe myself. I had secured the 156th rank out of more than 700 selected candidates. It's a top rank and I am sure to get into the IAS.

I felt like I had a won a war that had been going on for many years. I felt free and relieved.

The first thing I did was call my friends in Chennai and then my parents to convey the good news.

Warm welcome in the village

The reception I got in my village was unbelievable. All my friends, and the entire village, were waiting for me when I alighted from the bus. They garlanded me, burst crackers, played music and took me around the village on their shoulders. The entire village came to my house to wish me. That was when I saw unity among my villagers. It was a defining moment for me.

What I want to do

I worked really hard without losing faith in myself to realise my dream. My real work starts now. I want to try hard to eradicate poverty and spread the message of education to all people. Education is the best tool to eradicate poverty. I want Tamil Nadu.

1) not to lose hope- After failing five times he still sat for the exam the sixth time.

2) Tremendous self belief- Any ordinary person would have grabbed the chance to become become the IB offcier after the 5th attempt but Jayaganesh wanted to be a civil servant.

3) Passion- Jayaganesh did not hesitate to work as a waiter inspie of being a mech. engineer in his quest for the final goal.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD!

Hoping to paint "the most beautiful thing in the world" an artist asked three people what they thought it might be…

"FAITH" replied the clergyman, "you will find it at every altar"

"LOVE" said a young bride. "LOVE Builds poverty into riches, it sweetens tears; makes much of little. Without it there is no beauty.

"PEACE" is the most beautiful thing in the world," answered a weary soldier, "War is ugly. Wherever you find peace, you find beauty".

"FAITH, LOVE PEACE! How can I paint them! "Wondered the artist.

Entering his home he saw faith in the eyes of his children and love in the eyes of his wife. And in his home, he saw the peace that love and faith had built.

So he painted "The most beautiful thing in the world". And he called it "Home".

Home is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength of a father, the warmth of loving hearts, light from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, and comradeship.

Home is the first school and the first temple for the young. Here they learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind.

Home is where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick. where joy is shared and sorrow eased, where father's and mother's are respected and loved, where children are wanted and treasured, where money is not as important as loving kindness, where even the tea-kettle sings for happiness…

That is The place called HOME!

By the grace of God let us have Homes where peace prevails, rather than having flats, houses, where all these wonderful things are absent

The Mountain of Truth

A king once ruled over a nation of unhappy people. Wanting to help his subjects, the king asked a wise man, “Is there a way to relieve my people of their sorrows?”

“Yes, there is,” replied the wise man. “As you know, just outside of town there is a height known as the Mountain of Truth. Ask everyone to leave their troubles at the base of the mountain. That is all they need do.”

The King issued a joyous proclamation. Everyone was invited to bring his problems to the Mountain of Truth at once. Every kind of difficulty could be left there, including Sorrow, Conflict, Fear, Tension, Worry and Hostility.

At the end of twenty-four hours, the king was stunned. Out of his thousands of subjects, only ten had left their miseries at the mountain. 

“This is incredible,” he told the wise man. “I don’t understand. Everyone assured me he wanted to get rid of unhappiness.”

The wise man nodded. “I knew this would happen, but also knew you would never believe me until you saw for yourself. You see, most people secretly love their suffering. Conflict and hostility provide excitement, a false feeling of life. Our first task is to show them the difference between artificial life and true life.”

A king once ruled over a nation of unhappy people. Wanting to help his subjects, the king asked a wise man, “Is there a way to relieve my people of their sorrows?

SHARPEN UR AXE

I found this one while reading Stephen r coveys "7 habits of highly effective people".


Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter ask for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The paid was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees

"Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!"

Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter try harder the next day, but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he try even harder, but he only could bring 10 trees.Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

"I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

"When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked.

"Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees..."

there is always need to sharpen your skills, sharpen your efforts, sharpen your techniques to become successful in life

Do not judge quickly

There was once a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said “the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.” The second son said “no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise.” The third son disagreed; he said “it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing I have ever seen.” The last son disagreed with all of them; he said “it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.”

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. “If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment of your fall.” 

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time later.

Is It Worth Doing?

One day I decided to quit. I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.
I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me. "Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo ?"
"Yes", I replied.

" When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.

And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four. Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. "

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you."

"Don't compare yourself to others." He said.
"The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high. '
"How high should I rise ?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise ?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can ?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said, " Give me glory by rising as high as you can. "

I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me.
And He will never give up on you too.

Never regret a day in your life.

“What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean, but if we didn't do it, the ocean would be one drop less.- Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life.”

Four candles

The Four Candles burned slowly.


Their ambiance was so soft you could hear them speak...


The first candle said, "I Am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep me lit."


Then Peace's flame slowly diminished and went out completely.


The second candle said, "I Am Faith, but these days, I am no longer indispensable."


Then Faith's flame slowly diminished and went out completely.


Sadly the third candle spoke, "I Am Love and I haven't the strength to stay lit any longer."


"People put me aside and don't understand my importance.


They even forget to love those who are nearest to them."


And waiting no longer, Love went out completely.


Suddenly...


A child entered the room and saw the three candles no longer burning.


The child began to cry, "Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end."


Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the little boy, "Don't be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles."


With shining eyes, the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other three candles.


Never let the Flame of Hope go out.


With Hope in your life, no matter how bad things may be,


Peace, Faith and Love may shine brightly once again.

The Trouble Tree

I hired a carpenter to help me restore an old farmhouse. He had a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pick-up truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of some branches with both hands. As he opened the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

After ward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.

So, I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again." Then he smiled and said, "Funny thing is, when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

Trouble Tree, full of words of wisdom. A story we all could use to remember and implement when we think of our worries. I hope you will find wisdom in the message of the story.

Broken Wing - Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

By Jim Hullihan

Some people are just doomed to be failures. That's the way some adults look at troubled kids. Maybe you've heard the saying, "A bird with a broken wing will never fly as high." I'm sure that T. J. Ware was made to feel this way almost every day in school.

By high school, T. J. was the most celebrated troublemaker in his town. Teachers literally cringed when they saw his name posted on their classroom lists for the next semester. He wasn't very talkative, didn't answer questions and got into lots of fights. He had flunked almost every class by the time he entered his senior year, yet was being passed on each year to a higher grade level. Teachers didn't want to have him again the following year. T. J. was moving on, but definitely not moving up.

I met T. J. for the first time at a weekend leadership retreat. All the students at school had been invited to sign up for ACE training, a program designed to have students become more involved in their communities. T. J. was one of 405 students who signed up. When I showed up to lead their first retreat, the community leaders gave me this overview of the attending students: "We have a total spectrum represented today, from the student body president to T. J. Ware, the boy with the longest arrest record in the history of town." Somehow, I knew that I wasn't the first to hear about T. J.'s darker side as the first words of introduction.

At the start of the retreat, T. J. was literally standing outside the circle of students, against the back wall, with that "go ahead, impress me" look on his face. He didn't readily join the discussion groups, didn't seem to have much to say. But slowly, the interactive games drew him in. The ice really melted when the groups started building a list of positive and negative things that had occurred at school that year. T. J. had some definite thoughts on those situations. The other students in T. J.'s group welcomed his comments. All of a sudden T. J. felt like a part of the group, and before long he was being treated like a leader. He was saying things that made a lot of sense, and everyone was listening. T. J. was a smart guy, and he had some great ideas.

The next day, T. J. was very active in all the sessions. By the end of the retreat, he had joined the Homeless Project team. He knew something about poverty, hunger and hopelessness. The other students on the team were impressed with his passionate concern and ideas. They elected T. J. co-chairman of the team. The student council president would be taking his instruction from T. J. Ware.

When T. J. showed up at school on Monday morning, he arrived to a firestorm. A group of teachers were protesting to the school principal about his being elected co-chairman. The very first communitywide service project was to be a giant food drive, organized by the Homeless Project team. These teachers couldn't believe that the principal would allow this crucial beginning to a prestigious, three-year action plan to stay in the incapable hands of T. J. Ware.

They reminded the principal, "He has an arrest record as long as your arm. He'll probably steal half the food." Mr. Coggshall reminded them that the purpose of the ACE program was to uncover any positive passion that a student had and reinforce its practice until true change can take place. The teachers left the meeting shaking their heads in disgust, firmly convinced that failure was imminent.

Two weeks later, T. J. and his friends led a group of 70 students in a drive to collect food. They collected a school record: 2,854 cans of food in just two hours. It was enough to fill the empty shelves in two neighborhood centers, and the food took care of needy families in the area for 75 days. The local newspaper covered the event with a full-page article the next day. That newspaper story was posted on the main bulletin board at school, where everyone could see it. T. J.'s picture was up there for doing something great, for leading a record-setting food drive. Every day he was reminded about what he did. He was being acknowledged as leadership material.

T. J. started showing up at school every day and answered questions from teachers for the first time. He led a second project, collecting 300 blankets and 1,000 pairs of shoes for the homeless shelter. The event he started now yields 9,000 cans of food in one day, taking care of 70 percent of the need for food for one year. T. J. reminds us that a bird with a broken wing only needs mending. But once it has healed, it can fly higher than the rest. T. J. got a job. He became productive. He is flying quite nicely these days.

The Touch Of The Master's Hand

Myra B. Welch

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who'll start the bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar, then, two! Only two?

Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three . . ." 

But no,

From the room, far back, a grey-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low, said: 

"What am I bid for the old violin?"

And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?

"Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

"Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;

And going and gone."said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand, what changed its worth?" 

Swift came the reply:

"The Touch Of The Master's Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A 'mess of potage,' a glass of wine;

A game - and he travels on.

He is 'going' once, and 'going' twice,

He's 'going' and almost 'gone'.

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought

By the touch of the Master's Hand.

You must not be scared of dying

There was once an old wise man who live on top of a mountain. (I don’t know why the wise men always like to stay on top of mountains.)

Whenever the villagers had a problem, they would climb up the mountain and ask the old man for advice.

“Wise man,” he asked, “What makes a man truly great?”

One day a young man decided to climb up and ask the old man a question.

The old man looked at him and said, “Do you sincerely want to know?”

“Yes, yes!” the young man replied the wise man.

“Well,” the wise old man said to him, “Let me tell you in the form of a story”

There was once a Greek man who suffered from a deadly disease. Knowing that he will die soon, he was the first to join the army when his country was in a battle with the enemy.

Hoping to die in battle, he would fight in the front line, exposing himself without any worry for his life. Eventually they won the battle and he was still alive. His general was so impressed with his bravery which contributed much to the victory.

The general decided to promote him and award him with medals of bravery and honor. On the day of presentation, he was looking very down and sad. Curiously, the general asked him the reason why and was told of his deadly disease. “How could I let such a brave soldier die?”, the general thought.

So the general hired the best physician and finally cured the soldier. But from that day onwards, the once valiant soldier was no longer seen at the front. He would always avoid danger and tries his best to avoid danger and protect his life.

“Young man”, he wise man said, “if you want to be truly great, you must not be scared of dying, you must be daring.

How to explain God (written by an 8 year old)

How to Explain God was written by Danny Dutton, age8, from Chula Vista, California, for his third grade homework assignment"Explain God".


"One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.


"God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off. "God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have." Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church."


Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.


"His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did.


And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.


"You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.


"You should always go to Church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God.


Don't skip prayer to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.


"If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids."


But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.And that's why I believe in God.

Failure is behind every success

All success stories are stories of great failures.  The only difference is that every time they failed, they bounced back.  This is called failing forward, rather than backward.  You learn and move forward.  Learn from your failure and keep going.

Henry Ford forgot to put the reverse gear in the first car he made.  Do you consider these people failures?  They succeeded in spite of problems, not in the absence of them.  But to the outside world, it appears as though they just got lucky.

In 1914, Thomas Edison, at age 67, lost his factory, which was worth a few million dollars, to fire.  It had very little insurance.  No longer a young man, Edison watched his lifetime effort go up in smoke and said, "There is great value in disaster.  All our mistakes are burnt up.  Thank God we can start a new."  In spite of disaster, three weeks later, he invented the phonograph.

What an attitude!

can we convert all the failures as stepping stones for success? if yes, then i am sure this tip has played a vital role in your life

GOD'S WAY OF GRANTING GRACE

There was an illustrious devotee in Guruvayur (a famous Krishna temple in Kerala, South India) by name Poonthanam, who lived in the 16th century. He was so devoted to the Lord that Lord Guruvayurappan would converse with him everyday.

In the same town, there was a man who was afflicted with a grave disease. No medicine gave him relief and he became quite depressed. One day, when the man could bear his affliction no longer, he approached Poonthanam and told him about his ill health. He requested Poonthanam to ask Sri Guruvayurappan if he would ever be cured of his disease.

That night, when Poonthanam spoke to Lord Guruvayurappan, he asked the Lord if the patient would ever be relieved from his pathetic condition. The Lord told Poonthanam that the disease cannot be cured.

The next day, Poonthanam met the ailing man and communicated the Lord’s message. No sooner did he hear of the Lord's word than the sufferer burst into tears. He cried all day lamenting that even the Lord had forsaken him.

That was when he met Kururamma, a humble devotee of the Lord who hailed from a very poor family. Although she did not have any preeminent status in the society, she possessed a special place in Sri Guruvayurappan’s heart. The Lord would talk to her as regularly as He spoke to Poonthanam.

Kururamma heard the patient’s story and assured him that she will take his case to the Lord. The very next morning, Kururamma came down to greet the sick man. She said enthusiastically, "The Lord spoke to me. When I asked Him about you, He said you should chant the Divine Names, 'Achyuta Anantha Govinda' continuously, and your disease shall be cured!”

At these kind words, the man’s joy knew no bounds. He implicitly followed the Lord's instructions, chanting the Names of the Lord with complete faith. As the Lord had predicted, the man was cured eventually.

Later on, the man went to Poonthanam’s residence and told him what had happened. He felt aggrieved that Poonthanam had advised him wrongly in such an important personal matter. ”You lied to me!” he incriminated. “Lord Guruvayurappan has indeed cured my disease!”

Though happy that the man had been cured by his Lord, Poonthanam could not bear the allegation that he had spoken untruth. He wept to the Lord, “Oh! Guruvayurappa! Was it not You who told me that the man would not be cured? Today, I am being blamed for uttering lies. Did I really speak a falsehood? Is this fair?” Poonthanam kept sobbing at the feet of the Lord.

That night, Sri Guruvayurappan spoke to Poonthanam and pacified him. He said, "Do not doubt Me, or even yourself, my son. It was indeed I who told you that the patient will not be cured. This is the truth! You had come to me and bluntly posed a question whether that ailing person will be cured or not, and I replied to you appropriately.

“But what did Kururamma do? She beseeched me, 'Oh Guruvayurappa! Today a devotee came and asked me if his disease would be cured. Lord! With Your grace, is there anything that is impossible in this world? Pray tell me what he should do to be cured!' and I told her the way!"

God undoubtedly listens to each one of us and answers our wishes when we pray to Him sincerely. So, whenever we chant the Divine Names of the Lord and say our prayers, we should be careful to ask the right thing of the Lord. There is nothing impossible for the Lord, and for us too, when we rely on His Name and His grace. Faith can indeed move mountains.

the Burning Desire

A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning.

They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water.

The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue.

Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air.

Socrates asked, 'What did you want the most when you were there?"

The boy replied, "Air." 

Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When youwant success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret.


A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment.

Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results...

perfection

A gentleman was once visiting a temple under construction. In the temple premises, he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he saw, just a few meters away, another identical idol was lying. Surprised he asked the sculptor, do you need two statutes of the same idol. No said the sculptor. We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage.

The gentleman examined the statue. No apparent damage was visible. Where the damage is asked the gentleman. There is a scratch on the nose of the idol. Where are you going to keep the idol? The sculptor replied that it will be installed on a pillar 20 feet high. When the idol will be 20 feet away from the eyes of the beholder, who is going to know that there is scratch on the nose? The gentleman asked. The sculptor looked at the gentleman, smiled and said, “The God knows it and I know it ”.

The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. Excellence is a drive from Inside not Outside.

THE MIDAS TOUCH

We all know the story of the greedy king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and the more he had the more he wanted. He stored all the gold in his vaults and used to spend time every day counting it.


One day while he was counting a stranger came from nowhere and said he would grant him a wish. The king was delighted and said, "I would like everything I touch to turn to gold." The stranger asked the king, Are you sure?" The king replied, "Yes." So the stranger said, "Starting tomorrow morning with the sun rays you will get the golden touch." The king thought he must be dreaming, this couldn't be true. But the next day when he woke up, he touched the bed, his clothes, and everything turned to gold. He looked out of the window and saw his daughter playing in the garden. He decided to give her a surprise and thought she would be happy. But before he went to the garden he decided to read a book. The moment he touched it, it turned into gold and he couldn't read it. Then he sat to have breakfast and the moment he touched the fruit and the glass of water, they turned to gold. He was getting hungry and he said to himself, "I can't eat and drink gold." Just about that time his daughter came running and he hugged her and she turned into a gold statue. There were no more smiles left.


The king bowed his head and started crying. The stranger who gave the wish came again and asked the king if he was happy with his golden touch. The king said he was the most miserable man. The stranger asked, "What would you rather have, your food and loving daughter or lumps of gold and her golden statue?" The king cried and asked for forgiveness. He said, "I will give up all my gold. Please give me my daughter back because without her I have lost everything wo rth having." The stranger said to the king, "You have become wiser than before" and he reversed the spell. He got his daughter back in his arms and the king learned a lesson that he never forget for the rest of his life.

What is the moral of the story?
1. Distorted values lead to tragedy. 

2. Sometimes getting what you want may be a bigger tragedy than not getting what you want.
3. Unlike the game of soccer where players can be substituted, the game of life allows no substitutions or replays. We may not get a second chance to reverse our tragedies, as the king did.

Life is like a coin

Life is like a coin.  You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.

For many, life is like a coin that we can toss and then tell ourselves Heads you win, Tails I lose. With an attitude like that, whatever the outcome thereafter, life will be a burden for one has reconciled to a fate of misery. Pause for a moment and see each day as a gift of a coin given by fate with no strings attached and we are free to use it any which way we want; suddenly life becomes more meaningful and delightful. Just as we can use the coin to buy an ice-cream, put it in a mite box, get a gift for a friend or family member or simply save it, life too offers us ample choices and it for us to make the best use of it.

For the average person, the 24 hours that we are gifted each day, can be broadly utilized in 3 different ways, each of approximately 8 hours each; sleep, work, personal time. It is not just we utilize the time that matters but also how and why we chose to utilize our time that has  major bearing on making that ONE precious coin we have called LIFE,  count. Just to explain further, at this point I have a choice to enjoy a favorite TV show or choose to write this blog. While I have chosen to write the blog, I am sure I would have no regrets about watching my favorite TV show, but then my blog would not get updated and that is something I may regret.

Managing our life has always posed a problem for 3 reasons. We do not know what we want from it, we are not prepared to pay a price for the things we sometimes know we want and there are too many distractions that compel us to abandon our well planned intentions. Obviously if we can try and come to grips with these 3 problems, there is a very high probability that we would find life exciting and exhilarating.

The bigger problem still remains, that of reconciling to paying a price for whatever we want from life. It is essential to remember that barring some really blessed people, the overwhelming majority of people have to always choose between two equally pleasurable alternatives or equally damning alternatives and the moment they choose they have paid a price of wondering if they have let go of the better alternative. Many a student can identify with this when an exciting live match clashes with the study time for an important exam. There is a simple rule to decide on what is the price one pays and that is choose the alternative that in the long run you will never regret. Failing an exam for example, could set you back by a year and that is something that you may regret lifelong but missing o ut on the match of a century would be a regret that you can overcome partly by seeing replays and partly by the realization that the price you paid was worth it when you do well in the exams. Remember that was the rule that I applied when writing this blog and each of the blogs during 2010 when I wrote almost every day. Yes I sacrificed a lot of my time that I could have enjoyed but then I would not have had so many posts uploaded.

If you re-read the first line of the first para, you would notice that there is a also a significant factor that influences how we lead our life and that is our attitude. If we can simply rewrite the first line to read ‘For many, life is like a coin that we can toss and then tell ourselves Heads I win, Tails I don't  lose’ every day will be a series of small and big victories, victories nevertheless.

Try this:

Remember: I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day.  

1. Make a list of the 5 things you have done that you regret the most. If you can, also analyze why you regret those actions and how you would have handled the situation differently.
2. Outline 2 social service causes that you are very interested in. How have you got involved in it? What more can you do to contribute to that cause? Do you think you are giving enough of your time and talent to the cause?
3. How would you decide on and what alternative would you choose, in the following situations.

• You have not prepared too well for your exam. However you are confident of getting reasonable marks in the exam. On attempting the paper you realize that there is a very real possibility of failing unless you can answer at least one of the mathematical questions correctly. The person sitting near you is a good friend and a class topper and there is a good chance of copying from his paper. What will you do?
• You are invited by your best friend for his bachelor’s party. You realize that on the same date and time, you have to attend your boss’s sons wedding in another city. What will you do?

My mothers eight lies

1. This story begins when i was a child. I was born the son of a poor family. We often lacked enough food. When it  was time eat, mother often gave me her share. saying "Eat this rice, son. I am not hungry" 

That was Mother’s First Lie

2. When I was growing up, my persistent mother would fish in a river near our home.  She hoped to catch fish that would give me more nutrition than rice. She would make fish soup from those she caught.  I always had an appetite for it.  While I was eating my soup, mother would sit by my side and nibble on the small pieces of fish remaining on the bones.  My heart was touched.  When I tried to give her some of my fish, she would refuse, saying “Eat the fish, son.  I really don’t like them.”

 That was Mother’s Second Lie.

3. Then, when I was in Junior High School, to pay for my school costs, Mother would find small jobs to earn money to pay for them, and to provide for our needs.  When winter came, and I would go to bed earlier, I’d waken from my sleep to see my Mother still working on the small projects that earned the money we needed.  I’d say, “Mother, go to sleep.  It’s late. Tomorrow morning you still must go for more work.  You need to rest.”  Mother would smile and say, “Go to sleep, dear.  I’m not tired.”

 That was Mother’s Third Lie.

4. At the time of my final term in school, Mother asked for a leave from her work in order to accompany me when I took my final tests. She stood in the heat of the sun, patient as always, waiting for the bell to ring signalling that the tests were over.  Mother immediately welcomed me, pouring me a cold glass of tea that she had prepared the evening before. I would say, though, that the tea wasn’t as sweet as my Mother’s love.  Seeing her covered with persperation, I’d offer her my tea to drink.  She’d say, “Drink, son; I am not thirsty!”

 That was Mother’s Fourth Lie.

5. After my father died because of a long illness, my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent. By holding onto her only job, she paid for our needs alone. Father”s death made our life more complicated. There were no times when we had no problems.  There was a nice uncle who lived nearby who helped when he could.  Our neighbors saw that our family’s life was miserable, and suggested that mother remarry.  But she was stubbofrn and said, “I don’t need love.”

 That was Mother’s Fifth Lie.

 6. After I had finished my study and got a job, it was time for my mother to retire. But she didn’t want to.  She was persistent to go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetable to fulfill our needs. I, who worked in the other city, often sent her some money to help; but she was stubborn and wouldn’t accept the money. She even sent it back to me. She said, “I have enough money.”

 That was Mother’s Sixth Lie.

  7. After I graduated from university with my Bachelor Degree, I continued my studies to earn my Master Degree. My studies were funded by a company that had a scholarship program. The degree was from a famous university in America. After my degree, I began working for that company, receiving quite a large salary.  I intended to bring my mother to enjoy her remaining life in America . But my lovely mother didn’t want to bother her son.  She said to me. “I am not used to change. Thank you, no!”

 That was Mother’s Seventh Lie.

8. After entering old age, Mother got cancer and had to be hospitalized. Though I was miles and an ocean away, I returned home to be with my Mother.  She had an operation that left her weak. She looked so old and tired.  Even though she was, she tried to smile and show her love for me. It was clear to me that even smiling was difficult because of the pain. Her body was so ravaged by the cancer.  She was weak and thin.  I looked at my Mother with tears streaming down my cheeks.  My heart was so broken seeing her in her sad condition. But my dearest Mother, despite her impossible condition said so lovingly to me, “Don’t cry, my dear.  I am not in pain.”

 That was Mother’s Eighth Lie. 

Ocean of your mind

Swamiananda, and his disciple Ranga, were strolling on the beach by the ocean. It was a cold day and the wind was blowing strongly over the ocean, raising very high waves. After walking for some time, Swamiananda stopped, looked at his disciple and asked:  "What does the choppy ocean remind you?"

"It reminds me of my mind. Of my rushing and restless thoughts", answered Ranga.

"Yes, the stormy ocean is like the mind, and the waves are the thoughts. The mind is neutral like the water. It is neither good, nor bad. The wind is causing the waves, as desires and fears produce thoughts", said Swamiananda.

"I wouldn't want to be on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, in a storm like this", said Ranga.

"You are there all the time." Responded Swamiananda and continued, "Most people are on a rudderless boat in the middle of a choppy ocean, even if they do not realize it. The mind of most people is very restless. Thoughts of all kinds come and go incessantly, agitating the mind like the ocean's waves."

"Yes", Ranga interrupted him, "You don't have to tell me. This is the reason I am with you. I want to calm down the waves of my mind."

Swamiananda looked at Ranga for a while, smiled and said:

"You don't calm the ocean by holding the water and not letting it move. What is necessary is to stop the wind. The wind is made of your thoughts, desires and fears. Don't let them rule your life. Learn to control them by controlling your attention, and then the ocean of your mind becomes calm."

"And how do I do that?"

"Suppose it is possible for the ocean to disregard the wind, what would happen then?" asked Swamiananda.

"The waves would cease. However, no one can stop the wind."

Swamiananda looked at him with a mysterious smile and said:

"Why not? The wind, the ocean, and thoughts are all within the mind. When you can control the mind, you can control everything within it. But first you have to control your mind, which means you have to control your attention."

"Yes master", said Ranga, " this is what I am trying to do. You say whoever controls his mind can also control the wind. Can you do that?"

"First learn to calm down the ocean of your mind, and then find out if you can calm down the ocean. It is better to learn to control the mind, than enjoying mental tricks. When you calm your mind, you can calm down everything."