Lessons of Life.

There was 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 that 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 he had 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, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral:

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 sometime or later.

ACHIEVING HAPPINESS WITH SELFISHNESS

There is this story of a man who had a dream one night. He dreamed that he died and found himself immediately in a large room. In the room there was a huge banquet table filled with all sorts of delicious foods. Around the table people were seated who were hungry but the chairs were five feet from the edge of the table and people apparently could not get out of the chairs and their arms were not long enough to reach the food. In the dream there was a single large spoon, five feet long. Everyone was fighting, quarreling, and pushing each other, trying to grab hold of that spoon. Finally in that awful scene, one strong bully got hold of the spoon. He reached out, picked up some food, and turned it to feed himself. Only to find out that the spoon was so long that as he held it out he could not touch his mouth. The food fell off. Immediately someone else grabbed the spoon. Again, the person reached far enough to pick up the food, but could not feed himself. In the dream, the man was observing it all said to his guide, “this is hell-to have food and not be able to eat it”.

The guide replied, “Where do u think u are? This is hell. But this is not ur place. Come with me.”

And they went into another room. In this room things were the same as the previous room. People were not able to reach food coz of the same reasons. Yet they had a satisfied, pleasant look on their faces. Only then the visitors see the reason why. Exactly as before, there was only one spoon. It, too, had a handle five feet long. Yet no one was fighting for it. In fact, one man, who held the handle, reached out, picked up the food, and put it into the mouth of someone else, which ate it and was satisfied. That person then took the spoon by the handle, reached for the food from the table, and put it back to the mouth of the man who had just given him something to eat. And the guide said, “This is heaven”.

People who try to achieve happiness with selfishness end up it in a hell on earth. If u live by the laws of God and choose to look for people who have burdens, you might be able to help them. But if u look for ur own happiness, ignoring the needs of those around u, u will lose out altogether.

Live Life to the Fullest...

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” ~ Maya Angelou

We all have our stories, don’t we?

Some stories merely create a ripple in our lives, while others go deeper. So much so that they can change the course of our lives.

Dramatically.

When something unexpected comes your way, take a step back, take a look around at the whole picture, and decide how you’d like to respond.

Choose to lead a purposeful life, one that is enriching and filled with meaning. And take the steps to create that life.

Be brave…

…about discovering who you are. Many of us have our lives totally mapped out—this is how many children I’ll have, this is where I’m going to live, this what work I want to do—to the point where we may not question whether it’s what we truly want.

So when something unexpected happens that changes our life plans, it can shake us to the core. We become vulnerable, unsure of ourselves, and unsure of what to do—and this can feel very uncomfortable. Be brave and ride those feelings out, because you may just discover what it is that you are truly in search of.

Be honest…

…with yourself. Even though life hasn’t turned out the way you had planned, it does not mean that you have failed. There’s no need to make excuses, judge yourself, or shy away from this truth.

And it’s okay to feel angry and hurt; these are natural feelings and are a part of being honest with yourself. But acceptance is necessary. Accept what is. The sooner you realize this, you will be able think clearly and take steps in the right direction with a positive mindset.

Be open…

…to a different life and to new experiences. There’s no point hanging on to what could’ve been, because it can make us bitter and resentful.

With an open heart and mind you can truly let new experiences into your life. You never know what exciting events may come your way, but that’s the beauty of it.

Be gentle and kind…

…with yourself. Whether you believe what’s happened in your life is your fault or not, you must be gentle with and forgive yourself. It serves no one, especially not you, if you don’t “talk” to yourself lovingly.

To create a life of purpose, we must first love ourselves, because only then can our actions come from the heart. And when your actions come from the heart, you see clearly, feel strong, and are sure of your choices.

Be trusting…

…of yourself and the universe. All you can do is your best and go with the flow—and trust that your life is turning out as it should be.

Going with the flow can be challenging, especially if you’re someone who likes to be in control.

So remind yourself constantly that even when you try so hard to create a life that you want, the universe may decide otherwise. And how you choose to respond to it is what matters—that’s really what life’s all about.

Flow with the nature of life and you will have the strength to handle everything that comes your way.

Courage...

Late in the evening I was walking in the park. Suddenly I heard scream coming from behind bushes. I stopped to listen and understood that a woman was being attacked, I heard sounds of fighting and muttering. For several moments I was hesitating, should I get involved? I panicked, I was frightened for my own safety. Maybe it is better to call the police? Then I realized that a woman‘s voice becomes weaker, so I knew I have to act quickly. Can I run away from this? Finally I decided that I have to help this unknown woman even if I am risking my own life. I felt some strange transformation inside, the moral and physical strength, so I ran behind the bushes. I pulled the attacker off the girl, we felt to the ground and grappled for several minutes. Then the assailant jumped up and ran away.  Breathing hard I slowly came up to the girl, who was cowering behind a tree. It was dark, so I could not see her face clearly. I felt, that she is very frightened, so I talked to her from a distance: „You are safe now, it‘s ok, the man had run away.“ After a few moments I heard her words with a great amazement in her voice: „Dad, is that you?“. And then I realized, that the girl was my youngest daughter.

Never Give Up..

Never Never give up....Till you are alive

Have you ever observed the behaviour of birds in the face of adversity?
For days and days they make their nest, sometimes gathering materials brought from far away.

And when they have completed the nest and are ready to lay eggs, the weather or the work of humans, or some animal, destroys it, and it falls to the ground, all that they have done with so much effort.

Do they stop?
Bewildered, and leave their work?
No Way!!
They start over building the nest again and again until they have eggs in the nest again.

Sometimes, and very often before the chicks are hatched, an animal, a child, or a storm destryos the nest once again, but this time with its valuable contents.

It hurts to go back and begin again.....
Even so, the birds do not stop, they continue to sing and build, and keep singing and building.

Do you sometimes get the feeling that your life, your work, your family is not what you had dreamed. Do you sometimes want to say 'ENOUGH', the effort is not worthwhile? It is all too much for me!

Are you tired of it all? Do you feel that the daily struggle is a waste of time, your trust has been betrayed, your goals not reached just as you were about to get them?

Life strikes you down sometimes, but keep moving, say a prayer, put your faith in hope, not darkness? Do not worry Gather yourself together and rebuild your life, so that it runs well again.

No matter what happens......Never give up till you are alive

Helping Others

Once there was a small boy named Shankar. He belonged to a poor family.  One day, he was crossing through the forest carrying some woods. He saw an old man who was very hungry.  Shankar wanted to give him some food, but he did not have food for his own.  So he continued on his way.  On his way he saw a deer who was very thirsty.  He wanted to give him some water, but he did not have water for himself.  So he went on his way ahead.  Then he saw a man who wanted to make a camp but he did not have woods.  Shankar asked his problem and gave some woods to him.  In return, he gave him some food and water.  Now he went back to the old man and gave him some food and gave some water to the deer. The old man and the deer were very happy.  Shankar than happily went on his way.

However, one day Shankar fell down the hill.  He was in pain but he couldn’t move and no one was there to help him.  But, the old man who he had helped before saw him, he quickly came and pulled him up the hill.  He had many wounds on his legs.  The deer whom Shankar had gave water saw his wounds and quickly went to forest and brought some herbs.  After sometime his wounds were covered.  All were very happy that they were able to help each other.

Moral: If you help others, then they will also help you.  

How Can We Be Happy?

Once a group of 50 people was attending a seminar.

Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now these delegates were let in that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon.

Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it.

Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker began— exactly this is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness.

And this is the purpose of human life.

Look For the Gold...

Andrew Caregie came to America form Scotland as a young boy. He started out by doing odd jobs and ended up as a one of the largest steel manufactures in United States. At one time, he had 43 millionaires working for him. A million dollars is a lot of money today, but in the 1920s it was worth much more.

Someone once asked Mr. Carneige how he dealt with the people. Andrew Carneige replied,” Dealing with people is a lot like digging for gold: When you go digging for an ounce of gold you have to move tons of dirt. But when you go digging, you don’t go looking for the dirt, you go looking for the gold.”

Andrew Carneige’s reply has very important message. Though sometimes it may not be apparent there is something positive in every person and every situation. We have to dig deep to look for the positive.  

Always look for the positive in every moment your life that keeps you happy forever. 

Value Of Your Life...

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill? “Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it? “Still the hands were up in the air. “Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. “My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but in WHO WE ARE. You are special - Don’t EVER forget it. "Count your blessings, not your problems. And remember: amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it. 

         NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE.........NEVER FORGET HOW TO DREAM 

STRUGGLE

History has thought that the great winners usually encountered heart-breaking obstacles before they achieved. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.

Trials in life can be tragedies or triumphs, depending on how we handle them. Triumph don’t come without effort.

A biology teacher was teaching his students how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. He told the students that in the next couple of hours, the butterfly would struggle to come out of the cocoon, but no one should help the butterfly. Then he left.

The students were waiting and it happened. The butterfly struggled to get out of the cocoon and against the advice of the teacher, one of the students took pity on it and decided to help the butterfly so it didn’t have to struggle anymore. But, shortly afterwards, the butterfly died.

When the teacher returned, he was told what had happened. He explained to the student that it is a law of nature that the struggle to come out cocoon actually helps develop and strengthen the butterfly’s wings. By helping the butterfly, the boy had deprived the butterfly of its struggle the butterfly died.

So nothing worthwhile in life comes without a struggle. So don't take much care on your loved one thus preventing them to struggle to gain strength.

I Believe...

I believe- 

That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe- 

That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and, you must forgive them for that.

I believe-

That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe- 

That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe- 

That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe- 

That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them 

I believe- 

That you can keep going long after you can't.

I believe- 

That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe- 

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe-

That regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe- 

That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe- 

That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe- 

That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time! 

I believe- 

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe- 

That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe- 

That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to do mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe- 

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe- 

That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe- 

That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe- 

That our background and circumstances may have influenced  who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe- 

That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other, and just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe- 

That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe- 

That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe- 

That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe- 

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe- 

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe- 

That the people you care about most in life are the essence of life. Tell them today how much you love them and what they mean to you.

20 Ways To Overcome Negative Thoughts...

1. Realize that you only hurt yourself with negative thoughts. Don’t let them trick you.

2. Decide that you will live your day with happiness and not let negative thoughts steal it.

3. Look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I’m a positive person. I won’t let negative thoughts control me. I’m a winner in life.”

4. Read positive quotes.

5. Never say negative words in your conversation.

6. Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive. For example, instead of thinking “This problem is too difficult” think “This problem is cool and challenging”.

7. If you think negatively about someone, remember positive things about that person. Shift your attention to the positive side.

8. Smile. It’s more difficult to think negatively when you are smiling.

9. Walk and act confidently. Good body language helps you have good thoughts.

10. Pray or meditate. Spiritual peace and calmness is among the most effective ways to overcome negative thoughts.

11. Gather with positive people. Be careful not to choose the wrong people or the situation will only get worse.

12. Take a nap so that you will wake up with a fresh mind.

13. Read an inspiring book. Spiritual books often do well.

14. Go out and appreciate the beauty of the world around you.

15. Sing a cheerful song.

16. Make yourself comfortable with failure. Failure is the stepping stone to success, so don’t be afraid to fail.

17. Have realistic expectation. Accept the fact that people could make mistakes since nobody is perfect.

18. If you think negatively about a situation, decide that you won’t give up even if the worst happens. Prove yourself to be a tough opponent. You are a winner.

19. Accept yourself and be comfortable in who you are. You can’t be perfect but neither can anyone else.

20. Help someone. Shift the focus away from yourself and do good to others.

Don’t Be Serious, Be Sincere...

Don’t just have career of academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order. There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble.

Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up?

It’s ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, Enjoy with your friends, fall in love, little fights with your loved ones. We are people, not programmed devices.

13 Best Moments In Life.......

1. To fall in love.

2. To clear your last exam.

3. To wake up and realize it’s still possible to Sleep.

4. To get a phone call saying class is cancelled.

5. To feel butterflies every time you see that person.

6. To see an old friend again and to feel that things have not changed.

7. To touch the fingers of newly born child.

8. Speaking to an old friend on Sunday evening.

9. Waiting for a call or message from your loved one when you are alone.

10. Walking alone on a silent road at night and listening to your favorite songs.

11. Riding on a highway while it’s raining.

12. Speaking to the special one on phone while standing in front of the mirror.

Haha... Feels just awesome.. :)

13. And the last one is 'right now'... while reading this there was constant smile 

On your face... Which was one of the best moments I believe..! 

Keep smiling, It really suits u...! :)