Tree's Dream

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Build Wisely

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked!

What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, helps build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build wisely!

Shoe Box

There was once a man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted doilies and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "My grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doily." The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious doilies were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the doilies, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?" "Oh," she said, "That’s the money I made from selling the doilies."
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Pencil = Human Beings !

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One:
You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two:
You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three:
You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four:
The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five:
On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.


Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.



Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

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LOVE !

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,
"Richness, can you take me with you?"
Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"
"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."
"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

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Where to cut costs?

Spending right is also about slashing costs at the right places. Here are simple strategies to help trim monthly expenses without compromising on your lifestyle.

FOOD & BEVERAGES
Share of consumption: 2008 - 40%, 2009 - 30%

Strategies:
1.Buy at discount stores.
2.Buy staples in bulk.
3.Eat less meat, more veg.
4.Cut out on junk food.
5.Substitute expensive ingredients.
Can help cut cost by 20%

TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATION
Share of consumption: 2008 - 12%, 2009 - 13%
Strategies:
1.Combine trips for shopping and entertainment.
2.Consider car-pooling.
3.Bundle phone, cable, Net services with one operator.
4.Shift to lower rate plan if you don’t use a service fully.
5.Consider prepaid plans for cell phones if usage is low.
Can help cut cost by 15%

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Share of consumption: 2008 - 3%, 2009 - 3%
Strategies:
1.Buy durables during sales.
2.Shop online for gadgets.
3.Hold on to upgrades.
4.Consider used furniture.
5.Mix and match home furnishings across brands.
Can help cut cost by 15%

HOUSING & UTILITIES
Share of consumption: 2008 - 12%, 2009 - 13%
Strategies:
1.Shift to a lower interest rate home loan, cut EMI.
2.Move to a less expensive location, save on rent.
3.Use energy-efficient appliances to cut power bill.
4.Insulate to reduce AC and heating costs.
Can help cut cost by 10%

EDUCATION & HEALTH
Share of consumption: 2008 - 9%, 2009 - 11%
Strategies:
1.Switch to per-day gym package if not a regular.
2.Switch to generic medicines wherever possible.
3.Club routine doctor visits.
4.Explore online study aids.
Can help cut cost by 5%

APPAREL & FOOTWEAR
Share of consumption: 2008 - 5%, 2009 - 5%
Strategies:
1.Switch to private labels and in-house brands.
2.Buy at factory outlets.
3.Consider semi-formals.
4.Stock up during offseason discount sales.
Can help cut cost by 20%

PERSONAL PRODUCTS
Share of consumption: 2008 - 11%, 2009 - 9%
Strategies:
1.Consider using grooming products instead of visits to beauty parlours.
2.Buy smaller packs of products that are not used frequently.
3.Cut down on costly cosmetic treatments.
Can help cut cost by 25%

ENTERTAINMENT
Share of consumption: 2008 - 7%, 2009 - 8%
Strategies:
1.Shift from a restaurant to a budget eatery.
2.Explore weekend getaways for short vacations.
3.Move to morning shows, weekday movie tickets which are cheaper.
4.Cut down on expenses on parties and weddings.
5.Download music.
Can help cut cost by 30%

Potential savings estimates based on prices in metros; consumption share figures for 2009 are estimates; source for consumption patterns: McKinsey, Technopak, Indicus Analytics.

SPENDING TRENDS IN INDIA
1.Consumers are substituting highcost pepper with chilli.
2.Fast-food joints like McDonalds have not seen a drop in sales.
3.Sales of high-end accessories like branded bags, belts have been hit.
4.Kirana stores benefit by offering products on credit.
5.Sale of private labels compared to standalone brands is picking up.
6.Gyms are launching per-day packages to lure customers.
7.Package tours are being preferred by out-bound Indian tourists.
8.Advance bookings for air tickets and hotel rooms are going up.
9.Weekend getaways from bigger cities is seeing a spurt in demand.
10.Last-minute bargains are increasing.
11.Upgrades for gadgets, cars and televisions are taking a hit.
12.Mp3 players sell more than iPods, illegal music downloads on the rise.
13.Big-ticket spending as on property and renovation is on decline.
14.Cosmetic sales have seen only a marginal decline of less than 10%.
15.Education spending has not been impacted at all.
16.25% increase in sale of milk cartons
17.30% decrease in average travel budgets

GLOBAL TRENDS
1.High-cost white pepper is being replaced by black pepper.
2.Sale of meal ingredients is growing faster than ready-to-eat meals.
3.Sale of in-store labels has gone up by 25% compared with brands.
4.Discount stores like Wal-Mart have seen a spurt in footfalls and sales.
5.Demand for carbonated beverages and storage products has dipped by 20%.
6.The number of US consumers who are buying music CDs has fallen by 17 million in a year.
7.Holiday sales have dipped by more than a fourth across Europe and the US.
8.Students priced out of four-year colleges migrate to two-year ones.
9.There is a 27% increase in number of local customers (within a km) in Britain.
10.Chocolate sales in the US, UK growing despite a 10% price increase last year.
11.Tobacco sales increased by 9% and alcohol sales by 6% in the UK last year.
12.Lipstick sales in the US have increased by 11% in the past year.
13.Average ticket sales at soccer matches in the US have risen 18% in one year.
14.Spy gadget sales have seen a 15% increase in sales in Europe.
15.Cable TV sales have not been affected by slowdown in the US and Europe.
16.20% increase in chocolate sales in the US and UK
17.23% increase in payments for music downloads

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Make Up Your Mind to Succeed

A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent is genetic--you're a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it's entitled to success without much effort and regards failure as a personal affront. When things get tough, it's quick to blame, withdraw, lie, and even avoid future challenge or risk.

Conversely, a growth mind-set assumes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego isn't on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as opportunity rather than insult. When challenged, it's quick to reassess, adjust, and try again. In fact, it relishes this process.

We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to survive in the world.) But parents, coaches, and teachers often push us into fixed mind-sets by rewarding certain behaviors and misdirecting praise.

FOR KIDS
In school
Never compliment a child by saying "You're so smart" or "You picked that up so quickly." Instead, praise effort or strategy by saying "That was clever of you to take that approach" or "I'm proud of your persistence." Listen for similar remarks from teachers and correct them.

In sports
Instead of "You're a natural," say "Practice is really making you better." Instead of inquiring "Did you win?" ask "Did you give your best effort?, "Talent isn't passed down in the genes; it's passed down in the mind-set."

At the dinner table
Instead of the standard "How was your day?" (Which everyone dreads anyway), ask "What did you learn today?" or "What mistakes did you make that taught you something?" Describe with zeal something you're struggling with. "Instill a passion for learning,"

In making plans for the future
Don't just ask about goals; ask about the plan for reaching those goals.

In frustration
Don't permit children to refer to themselves as losers, failures, stupid, or clumsy. "Never let failure progress from an action to an identity, don't label your kids. Don't say this one is the artist, and this one is the computer geek. Anyone can be anything.

In doubt
If you encounter skepticism, ask the child to think of areas in which she once had low ability and now excels, or to recall a time when she saw someone learn something or improve in ways not thought possible.

FOR YOU
At work
Instead of letting salary, benefits, and status define job satisfaction, ask yourself if you're still learning. If the answer is yes, then you're fortunate to have a job that encourages a growth mind-set. View its challenges as opportunities rather than stress. If you've stopped learning, then consider looking either for new avenues of growth or for another job.

In relationships
Blame never resolves anything. It's merely the fixed mind-set insisting that you're right. The next time you're tempted to blame, remember that "the whole point of marriage is to encourage each other's development."

When feeling down
People who are depressed tend to believe that's just the way they are. Instead of viewing yourself as a failed end product, think of yourself as a temporarily derailed work in progress. "We usually think of personality as something very stable,", "but we're finding that even core parts of it can be changed by shifting mind-sets."

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Blind MAN

A blind man had been waiting a while at a busy road for someone to offer to guide him across, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Excuse me," said the tapper, "I'm blind - would you mind guiding me across the road?"
The first blind man took the arm of the second blind man, and they both crossed the road.
Apparently this is a true story. The first blind man was the jazz pianist George Shearing. He is quoted (in Bartlett's Anecdotes) as saying after the event, "What could I do? I took him across and it was the biggest thrill of my life."
There are times when we think we cannot do something and so do not stretch or take a risk. Being forced to stretch and take a risk can often help us to reduce our dependencies (on others, or our own personal safety mechanisms), and to discover new excitement and capabilities.

What would you do if you had nothing to do?

What would you be doing tomorrow if you retired today?

Let’s say you had a blank day staring at you. You didn’t have to work. You could do anything at all (although money is still a limiting factor). What would your perfect day be like?

These questions are more than just hypothetical questions to ask for fun or idleness. It’s an exercise meant to get you thinking about designing your life.
How do you design your life? Well, let’s assume that your life is under your control. Sure, not everything is under your control, but let’s assume that much of your life is yours to do with as you please. Even if that’s so, many of us go through life doing what we do because a series of events have made our life what it is today. We continue to do what we do without giving it much thought, because it’s easier that way.

Designing your life isn’t easy. You first have to dare to ask yourself these questions. You then have to dare to imagine that it can come true. And then comes the difficult task of changing your life so that it is what you want it to be.

Perhaps your life is already just how you like it — if that’s the case, you are to be congratulated. But I submit that many of us, while generally happy, have a life not of our own design — at least not a conscious design.

So today let’s take a look at one way to consciously design your life. It’s not the only way, but it’s a path to happiness.

1. What’s important?
Ask yourself what is most important to you. But that’s because any process should start with this, whether it’s a process of simplifying, of productivity, of frugality, or of becoming happier. What do you love doing? Who do you love spending time with? Make a short list of 4-5 things.

2. What is your passion?
What do you love doing the most? Can it be a way you make your living? If you can make a career out of doing something you love, you will love your day. Dare to imagine that this could come true.

3. Design your day.
Start with a blank slate, and design your perfect day. Incorporate the short list of 4-5 most important things above, to ensure that you are spending your day doing what’s most important to you. Also include time spent working at your passion (from item #2). Include an ideal routine, including a morning and evening routine, and everything in between. What time would you wake up and go to bed?

4. Figure out how to get there.
What changes would you need to make in your life to make that perfect day a reality? Be willing to consider drastic changes if necessary. Come up with a plan to get there. It might be a plan that will take 6 months, a year, two years or 5, but you can get there eventually, if you want it enough. Dare to make it a reality.

5. Start making some changes immediately.
Some of the changes can be done right away, especially if the changes are under your direct control. The time you wake up and go to bed, for example, are probably under your control. Your morning and evening routines are another example of things you can probably change immediately. Spending time doing the 4-5 important things on your list might also be an immediate possibility. Notice the things you normally do that aren’t on the list of 4-5 important things — consider eliminating or minimizing the time you spend on the non-important things to make room for the important things.

6. Start making long-term changes now.
Longer-term changes might include things like doing your passion for a living, or where you live, or getting out of big commitments that don’t contribute to your happiness or are not on your short list of 4-5 things. But while these kinds of changes might take longer, they can still be done. Start on them today, set them in motion, and dare to believe that you can change these things. Make a plan, and set it in motion.

7. Keep the end in mind.
Print out your perfect day, and keep that in mind as you begin to make changes. This is the life you designed, rather than the one you’ve fallen into. You are in control of your life, and you can have that life, if you want it enough.

The Art of Listening

Research shows we learn 85% of what we know through listening, but most of us absorb just 25% of what we hear. Get people to share more, and hear more of what they share:
Let speakers finish Interrupting is the most common listening offence, says Melissa Beall, a communications professor. Finishing someone’s thoughts or asking too many questions bugs the speaker—and can make her clam up.

Don’t multitask You miss info if you read or type during a chat, and you may offend the speaker. If busy, ask if you can talk later and set a time to do so. Follow up If you don’t let people know the outcome of their ideas, they feel they weren’t heard and that they didn’t offer something of value. People offer more ideas if they feel sure they’ll hear back.

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Coaching for Improved Performance

Looking for a step-by-step coaching approach you can use to help an employee improve his work performance? This approach avoids the need for discipline and produces great results.

1.Life gives us "gifts" in the form of opportunities to have EXPERIENCES.

2.Coaching provides the opportunity to get FEEDBACK from these experiences - this is achieved by questioning and clarifying.

3.Further probing and questioning creates insights and common themes which lead to the learner REFLECTING on the experiences, the action that was taken and the consequences of this action.

4.From these insights and personal discoveries, CONCLUSIONS are drawn that, if sufficiently powerful, can relate back to other current or past situations.

5.The valuable lessons learned from this exercise are then applied to future situations in the form of EXPERIMENTS.

6.From these experiments, EXPERIENCES are provided as well as further opportunities to learn more and the cycle goes around again.

Build a Mentoring Culture - Then see the Magic !

The people in your organizations train for years and go into debt for college. People work late nights and weekends. People spend the entire day taking phone calls when they’re supposed to be on vacation. And people generate ideas and create the solutions that your organizations need.

People do these things. The people you have working for you today and the people you may hire tomorrow. And, the people who may resign because no one has recognized their abilities.

Yet, clearly, organizations do not do a good enough job developing and promoting their most important resource – their people.

What does it take to develop your people?

It takes more than writing “equal opportunity” into your organization’s mission statement. It takes more than sending someone to a training class. It takes more than hard work on the part of your employees. What development takes is people – from the CEO’s office to the mail room – people who are willing to listen and to help their colleagues. Development takes coaches; it takes guide; it takes advocates. Development depends on mentors.

Time after time, successful people I talk to say that one of the most important keys to their success is having a mentor. It is hard to make it without a mentor and it takes too much time without a mentor.

But often there is no mentor around when you need one and especially when you face “particular challenges.” What do I mean when I talk about the “particular challenges" that people in organizations face?

Challenges That Need Mentoring
Let me give you a few examples of some challenges we working people all deal with. Imagine that you are facing these situations. How would you react?

First scenario. You’ve been working in a staff job and a line job opens up in another city. It would be a perfect career move for you but the company fills the job without even asking if you’re interested. They don’t ask because they assume your spouse wouldn’t want to leave his or her job to relocate. What would you do?

Or imagine this. You’re in a meeting. It’s your opportunity to shine in front of upper management. You’ve got an important point to make and you start to talk. Someone cuts you off. What would you do?

Or let’s say you make that important point—and no one says a word about it. But five minutes later, a guy at the other end of the table says the same thing you did. This time it’s a brilliant idea, and he gets all the credit. What would you do?

You’re in another meeting — there’s always another meeting - and one of your bosses tells a demeaning joke about the Pope - you are Catholic, and everyone knows it. What would you do?

Or a joke about gays — which you are, and maybe no one knows it. Or a joke about women — which you’re not, but some of your colleagues sitting right next to you are. What would you do?

My point is not so much whether you or I know how to react in each of these situations.

My point is really that we need to recognize that there are people in every organization — whether they’re men or women, minorities, or people who grew up without any business role-models in their lives — who don’t know how to react in these situations.

And it’s our responsibility to teach them.

Organizations are only as successful as the men and women who make them work.
So, if we care about our organizations and our people, we have to share our knowledge of the organizational culture; we have to share our wisdom; we have to mentor.

Mentoring Best Practices
If you want to establish a mentoring culture within your organization, here are some mentoring best practices.

•Set organizational goals. Don’t establish a mentoring program just because it is a good business practice. Develop a mentoring program based on solid business goals such as increasing diversity or making your organization a better place to work.

•Find out why the talented employees you wanted to keep left you.

•McKinsey and Co. asked top people what they look for when deciding which company to join and stay with. The answer: a great company and a great job. Talented employees want exciting challenges and great development opportunities. They leave because they are bored. Mentoring is a key to attracting and retaining talented employees.

•Develop people to their fullest potential. In order to develop your people, provide training opportunities, challenging projects and assignments, feedback, coaching and mentoring. In one study with people who had experienced real mentors, half of them said the mentoring experience “changed my life.” Those are powerful words.

•Foster mentoring for women and minorities. Mentoring helped move women into the ranks of vice president, senior vice president and division president.

•Point to the money. Losing talented employees and wasting talent costs companies money.

And remember, whatever programs you design; they won’t be effective unless there is commitment from the top. Visible, daily commitment.

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Be Alway's Positive

This is nice - finding positive out of every negative - which we don't always manage to do.

I am thankful...

1. For the husband who snores all night, because he is at home asleep with me and not with someone else.

2. For my teenage daughter who is complaining about doing dishes, because that means she is at home & not on the streets.

3. For the taxes that I pay because it means that I am employed.
4. For the mess to clean after a party because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

5. For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

6. For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.

7. For a floor that needs mopping, and windows that need cleaning because it means I have a home.

8. For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means that we have freedom of speech.

9. For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.

10. For the noise I have to bear from my neighbours because it means that I can hear.

11. For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.

12. For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.

13. For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I am still alive.

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Love

"The key to love is understanding ...
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
but those unspoken gestures,
the little things that say so much by themselves.

The key to love is forgiveness ....
to accept each others faults and pardon mistakes,
without forgetting, but with remembering
what you learn from them.

The key to love is sharing ...
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
both conquering problems, forever searching for ways
to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving ...
without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.

The key to love is respect ...
realizing that you are two separate people, with different ideas;
that you don't belong to each other,
that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all ...
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients
that will take you to its threshold;
it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work ...
but the rewards are more than worth the effort ...
and that is the key to love."

Recession

This Story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs. He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more. He recruited few more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from College, joined his father.

Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colorful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic.

He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly, same is the profit.
The father said to his son, "Son, you were right". "We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of The Story: Its all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think

Life's Lesson

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about..
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make
you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age
to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ' In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw
everyone else's, we'd grab ours back..
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Last But not Least JAI HO!

Promise

Make a promise to yourself and keep it. There's something
That you've always desired, and now is the time to make it
Real.

You are fully capable of reaching whatever you decide to
Reach. Promise yourself something wonderful, and then do
What it takes to fulfill that promise.

Stop groaning about how unfair life is. Start making life
Into something grand and joyful.

Every problem is an opportunity to make an improvement. Pick
A particularly vexing problem and promise yourself that
You'll get triumphantly beyond it.

Find a dream that positively inspires you and promise
Yourself that you'll reach it. Make a serious commitment to
The richness of your own life, and follow through on that
Commitment.

You can do it if you'll simply choose to do it. Make a
Promise to yourself, and make it happen.

Extra Effort

A little extra effort will go a long, long way. When you've
Already done what must be done, go ahead and do just a
Little bit more.

Once you've established some good, solid momentum, make full
Use of it. When you're in the mode of accomplishment, keep
On cranking out those accomplishments.

Beyond your original goal is the opportunity to raise your
Performance to a higher level. With a little extra effort
You can get a lot of extra rewards.

Just an extra one percent can make the difference between
Being the best and being the same as all the rest. So every
Time you get the opportunity, give that extra one percent.

Persistent effort will get you almost there, and a little
Extra effort will carry you over the top. Once you think
You've done all you can, find a way to do a little more.

Rather than focusing on how little you can get away with,
Give your attention to how much you can accomplish. Build on
Top of what you've already created and the results will be
Spectacular.

Think & Do

A new vacuum cleaner salesman knocked on the door on the
first house of the street. A tall lady answered the door.

Before she could speak, the enthusiastic salesman barged
into the living room and opened a big black plastic bag and
poured all the cow droppings onto the carpet.

"Madam, if I could not clean this up with the use of
this new powerful Vacuum cleaner, I will EAT all this
dung!" exclaimed the eager salesman .

"Do you need chilly sauce or ketchup with that"
asked the lady.

The bewildered salesman asked, "Why, madam?"

"There's no electricity in the house..." said
the lady

MORAL: Gather all resources before working on any project
and committing to the client...!!!

START

Start where you stand and never mind the past,
The past won't help you in beginning new,
If you have left it all behind at last,
Why, that's enough, you're done with it, you're through.

This is another chapter in the book,
This is another race that you have planned,
Don't give the vanished days a backward look,
Start where you stand.

The world won't care about your old defeats
If you can start anew and win success,
The future is your time, and time is fleet
And there is much of work and strain and stress.

Forget the buried woes and dead despairs,
Here is a brand new trial right at hand,
The future is for him who does and dares,
Start where you stand.

Old failures will not halt, old triumphs aid,
Today's the thing, tomorrow soon will be;
Get in the fight and face it unafraid,
And leave the past to ancient history.

What has been, has been; yesterday is dead
And by it you are neither blessed nor banned,
Take courage, man, be brave and drive ahead,
Start where you stand.