When things in your life seem, Almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students, If the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.
He then asked The students again
If the jar was full.. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand
And poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
With an unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced Two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents Into the jar, effectively
Filling the Empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, As the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that This jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost
And only they remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter Like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --
The small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
'there is no room for The pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time And energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for The things that are
Important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things That are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time
To clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for A couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Alexander the Great
The great Greek king, Alexander after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and he was bedridden for months. With death drawing close, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no use.
He called his generals and said “ I will depart from this world soon. But I have three wishes. Please fulfill my wishes without fail. With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king’s last wishes.
“My first desire is that,” said Alexander “my physicians alone must carry my coffin.” “Secondly when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard should be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury. My third and last wish is that both my hands should be kept dangling out of my coffin.” The people who had gathered there wondered at the king’s strange wishes. But no one dared to question. Alexander’s favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?”.
At this Alexander took a deep breath and said, “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.
The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold can be taken by me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.
And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world.”
Alexander’s last words :
“Bury my body, do not build any monument, keep my hands outside so that the world knows the person who won the world had nothing in his hands when dying.”
He called his generals and said “ I will depart from this world soon. But I have three wishes. Please fulfill my wishes without fail. With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king’s last wishes.
“My first desire is that,” said Alexander “my physicians alone must carry my coffin.” “Secondly when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard should be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury. My third and last wish is that both my hands should be kept dangling out of my coffin.” The people who had gathered there wondered at the king’s strange wishes. But no one dared to question. Alexander’s favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?”.
At this Alexander took a deep breath and said, “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.
The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold can be taken by me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.
And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world.”
Alexander’s last words :
“Bury my body, do not build any monument, keep my hands outside so that the world knows the person who won the world had nothing in his hands when dying.”
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
ATTITUDE
How our inner Ego sometimes misjudges a Person
A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.
The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Harvard.
"We want to see the President" the man said softly.
"He'll be busy all day "the secretary snapped.
"We'll wait" the lady replied.
For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.
They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president.
"Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave" she said to him.
The President, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady told him "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."
The president wasn't touched....He was shocked. "Madam" he said, gruffly, " we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."
"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The president rolled his eyes.
He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard."
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.
The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university ? Why don't we just start our own?"
Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, travelling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name. Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance, which can be misleading..
And in this impression, we tend to treat people badly by thinking they can do nothing for us.
Thus we tend to lose our potential good friends, employees or customers.
Remember
In our Life, we seldom get people with whom we want to share & grow our thought process. But because of our inner EGO we miss them forever.
It is you who have to decide with whom you are getting associated in day to day life.
I end this beautiful story with a note:
Small people talk about others,
Average people talk about things,
Great people talk about ideas.
A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.
The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Harvard.
"We want to see the President" the man said softly.
"He'll be busy all day "the secretary snapped.
"We'll wait" the lady replied.
For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.
They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president.
"Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave" she said to him.
The President, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady told him "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."
The president wasn't touched....He was shocked. "Madam" he said, gruffly, " we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."
"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The president rolled his eyes.
He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard."
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.
The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university ? Why don't we just start our own?"
Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, travelling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name. Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance, which can be misleading..
And in this impression, we tend to treat people badly by thinking they can do nothing for us.
Thus we tend to lose our potential good friends, employees or customers.
Remember
In our Life, we seldom get people with whom we want to share & grow our thought process. But because of our inner EGO we miss them forever.
It is you who have to decide with whom you are getting associated in day to day life.
I end this beautiful story with a note:
Small people talk about others,
Average people talk about things,
Great people talk about ideas.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Musings for the New Year
1) If you can't find happiness along the way, you will not find it at the end of the road.
2) Don't be scared to take big steps - you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.
- David Lioyd Geroge
3)Live as if you were living a second time and as though you had acted wrongly the first time.
4) The meaning of life is not an unquestionable answer, it is an unanswerable question.
5)If you fill yr heart with regrets of yesterday.......... and the worries of
tomorrow.........., you have no today to be thankful for.......
6) When u have a reason 2 like some1,it means ur MIND likes it. When u have no reason 4 liking some1,it means ur HEART likes it.
7) Good judgements always come from experiences........... & most often experiences come from bad judgements!
8) Successful people use their past Experiences,
And therefore, do not experiment.
9) Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.
10)Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living.
2) Don't be scared to take big steps - you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.
- David Lioyd Geroge
3)Live as if you were living a second time and as though you had acted wrongly the first time.
4) The meaning of life is not an unquestionable answer, it is an unanswerable question.
5)If you fill yr heart with regrets of yesterday.......... and the worries of
tomorrow.........., you have no today to be thankful for.......
6) When u have a reason 2 like some1,it means ur MIND likes it. When u have no reason 4 liking some1,it means ur HEART likes it.
7) Good judgements always come from experiences........... & most often experiences come from bad judgements!
8) Successful people use their past Experiences,
And therefore, do not experiment.
9) Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.
10)Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you its going to be a butterfly
There's nothing in a caterpillar that tells you that its going to be a butterfly.
- Buckminister Fuller
I had recently attended a workshop for children, in which they stressed the need for 'Value education'. While the academic education we pursue, fill our minds with knowledge, value education helps mould the inner personality of a person. While the outward dress does create the first impression, to 'hold' the attention it requires the strength of character.
A nice story was narrated, as to in a school, there was a class of very naughty and rowdy children. A person visited the class and observing the behaviour of the children said that the kids are going to grow up to be gangsters and wastrels. A few years later, as the person inquired he was surprised to see the same class students had turned out to be doctors, lawyers, accountants etc. He approached many of them to know the reason for their transformation and they attributed it to one particular teacher. He located the teacher, who by that time had grown quite old, and asked her 'what did you teach the students that there was so much of a transformation in them'. The teacher had difficulty remembering the class, and finally recollected and said, 'that class students... Oh I loved them'.
During the first 5-7 years the children are very impressionable and it is possible to mould them into good human beings. Like during the making of a chappati/ bread, it is possible to mould and make changes in the dough; if we add more water the chappati/bread will be soggy and if we add less water it will dry. It is only through experience that we know how much water is to be added; but once the chappati/bread is made/ baked we cannot change it. It is only during the dough stage that moulding and changing is possible. So this stage is very important. The basic idea of good habit forming must be done in this age. Old habits are hard to break and the further personality of the person is built on the values imbibed during child hood; not just by the parents, but also by the teachers and students in whose company the child is. Also the values taught by the teacher in the school must be compatible with the values taught at home. For eg if in the school the teacher tells a student that you must not tell lies, don't ignore his harmless lies at home.
If you take a container and fill it with marbles, you will see that it is 'full'. There is not any space for more. Try adding some semolina, it will slip into the gaps of the marbles and fit in smugly. Now the container is really full, or is it? Try adding some water. And yes, it will seep in it too. The marbles are the 'duties', the semolina is the daily 'routine tasks' that have to be done with and the water is 'play and fun activities'. So the most essential thing in life is to prioritize your important activities. If you fill the container with semolina first, there will be no space for marbles. So encourage your child to fit in all activities in a day, by prioritizing the important and the not so important ones.
And finally,
What you hear...... you forget
What you see....... you can recollect
What you do........ you never forget.
It is better to teach a children showing pictures and giving real life examples where possible, where it is imprinted in the memory of the child. If you can make your child do something himself, there's nothing like it. As the brain can recollect better in pictures, than simply giving a dry lecture which is easily forgotten. And remember value education begins from birth. So start now..
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Why do people love me so much...
Why do people love me so much; that they get so obssessive and possessive about me, wondered I...
Maybe I am sounding a bit pompous and self centered, but many a times in our lives we are surrounded with people who love us so much, that we are overwhelmed. Our parents, spouse, kids and close friends and relatives. Sometimes, the love may be a bit too possessive, especially when it comes to your child who'd love to be around you 24*7 and hates the thought of anyone else talking to you and taking you away from him.
I guess the protective love from our parents is the most purest form of Love. Its simply giving without expecting anything back in return. Sometimes looking back I feel guilty for taking their Love for granted. Today, having matured with age, I have learnt to give back love to them. I look at my son and I see history repeating itself.
To my thinking, the love in friendship is the most easy going one. Most of the time its mutual among close friends and they are the people we always confide in the thoughts and feelings that we cannot tell anyone else. They say blood is thicker than water, but down the walk of life I have forged some really close relationships with some non- blood relatives, so much that I consider them my soulmates. They are my life line and I lean back on them as they can give me some unbiased advice when I need it.
Finally, I guess if you are lucky enough (I am, touchwood!!) the love of a spouse is what completes the circle of your Love. Here's a nice poem summing the love (by Laura Veronica Merodio)
A stranger you were once.
Then, with a gentle look you took my hand.
As our lives engaged,
you lit my life and I held both your hands.
Now that decades have passed,
ours souls have indeed become one.
How fortunate we are
that we have found the love so true
that everyone dreams about.
Finally summing up, as F.P Jones has said, 'Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.'
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Beautiful thoughts
1) Don't aim for success if you want it;
just do what you love and believe in,
and it will come naturally
2) You may get delayed to reach your targets.
But every step you take towards your targets is equal to victory.
3) "An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding,
and it is not to be found in
foreign lands, but in the heart itself."- Robert Louis
4 Today well lived makes every
yesterday - a dream of happiness
and tomorrow - a vision of hope
5) The summit of happiness is reached
when a person is ready to be what he is.
6) In between goals is a thing called life,
that has to be lived and enjoyed.
7)"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking
that they can do things.
When they belive in themselves they have the first secret of success."
8)If you find stumbling blocks in your path,
use them as stepping stones to move close to the good in life.
9) All changes are difficult and sometimes costly,
but if they're good changes,
in the long run they pay off.
10) Life Consists not in Holding Good Cards
but in Playing Well Those You Hold.
11)Every king was once a helpless baby,
every oak once an corn,
every mighty ocean swell once a ripple,
and every great structure once a blueprint.
It's not where you are today,
but where you are going that counts.
12) Without your involvement you can't succeed.
With your involvement you can't fail.
13) Happiness is a perfume
you cannot spread on others without getting a few drops on you yourself.
so always be happy to make other happy!
14) 'Challenges'
are what makes life interesting
'Overcoming'
them is what makes life meaningful.
15) The toughest part of getting to the top of the ladder,
is getting through the ground at the bottom.
just do what you love and believe in,
and it will come naturally
2) You may get delayed to reach your targets.
But every step you take towards your targets is equal to victory.
3) "An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding,
and it is not to be found in
foreign lands, but in the heart itself."- Robert Louis
4 Today well lived makes every
yesterday - a dream of happiness
and tomorrow - a vision of hope
5) The summit of happiness is reached
when a person is ready to be what he is.
6) In between goals is a thing called life,
that has to be lived and enjoyed.
7)"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking
that they can do things.
When they belive in themselves they have the first secret of success."
8)If you find stumbling blocks in your path,
use them as stepping stones to move close to the good in life.
9) All changes are difficult and sometimes costly,
but if they're good changes,
in the long run they pay off.
10) Life Consists not in Holding Good Cards
but in Playing Well Those You Hold.
11)Every king was once a helpless baby,
every oak once an corn,
every mighty ocean swell once a ripple,
and every great structure once a blueprint.
It's not where you are today,
but where you are going that counts.
12) Without your involvement you can't succeed.
With your involvement you can't fail.
13) Happiness is a perfume
you cannot spread on others without getting a few drops on you yourself.
so always be happy to make other happy!
14) 'Challenges'
are what makes life interesting
'Overcoming'
them is what makes life meaningful.
15) The toughest part of getting to the top of the ladder,
is getting through the ground at the bottom.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
MEANING OF LIFE...
On the first day, God created the dog and said:
'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'
The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'
So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the monkey and said:
'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'
The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'
And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said:
'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'
The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'
And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created humans and said:
'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'
But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'
'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family.. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren.. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'
The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'
So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the monkey and said:
'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'
The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'
And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said:
'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'
The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'
And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created humans and said:
'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'
But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'
'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family.. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren.. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)