Stay Blessed

A famous writer was in his study room. He picked up his pen and started writing:

**Last year, I had a surgery and my gall bladder was removed. I had to stay stuck to the bed due to this surgery for a long time.

**The same year I reached the age of 60 years and had to give up my favourite job. I had spent 30 years of my life in this publishing company.

**The same year I experienced the sorrow of the death of my father.

**And in the same year my son failed in his medical exam because he had a car accident. He had to stay in bed at hospital with the cast on for several days. The destruction of car was another loss.

At the end he wrote: Alas! It was such bad year!! 

When the writer's wife entered the room, she found he husband looking sad lost in his thoughts. From behind his back she read what was written on the paper. She left the room silently and came back with another paper and placed it on side of her husband's writing.

When the writer saw this paper, he found this written on it:

**Last year I finally got rid of my gall bladder due to which I had spent years in pain.

**I turned 60 with sound health and got retired from my job. Now I can utilize my time to write something better with more focus and peace.

**The same year my father, at the age of 95, without depending on anyone or without any critical condition met his Creator.

**The same year, God blessed my son with a new life. My car was destroyed but my son stayed alive without getting any disability.

At the end she wrote: 

This year was an immense blessing of God and it passed well!

See!

The same incidents but different viewpoints. If we ponder with this viewpoint that what could have happened more, we would truly become thankful to the Almighty.

Moral : In daily lives we must see that its not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us happy.

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

Stay Blessed!

ATTITUDE DECIDES ALTITUDES...

1. SOLDIER: SIR WE ARE SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES BY ENEMIES ,MAJOR: EXCELLENT! WE CAN ATTACK IN ANY DIRECTION.

2. EVERY ONE KNOWS ABOUT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL WHO INVENTED THE TELEPHONE, BUT HE NEVER MADE A CALL TO HIS FAMILY. BECAUSE, HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DEAF. THAT’S LIFE “LIVE FOR OTHERS “. 3. THE WORST IN LIFE IS "ATTACHMENT " IT HURTS WHEN YOU LOSE IT. THE BEST THING IN LIFE IS " LONELINESS " BECAUSE IT TEACHES YOU EVERYTHING AND, WHEN YOU LOSE IT, YOU GET EVERYTHING.

4. LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ACT TRUE TO YOUR FACE ........IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO REMAIN TRUE BEHIND YOUR BACK.
5. IF AN EGG IS BROKEN BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE..A LIFE ENDS. IF AN EGG BREAKS FROM WITHIN.......LIFE BEGINS.GREAT THINGS ALWAYS BEGIN FROM WITHIN.
6. IT’S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR EGO TO THE ONE YOU LOVE. THAN TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE....... BECAUSE OF EGO.

7. A RELATIONSHIP DOESN'T SHINE BY JUST SHAKING HANDS AT THE BEST OF TIMES. BUT IT BLOSSOMS BY HOLDING FIRMLY IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS.

8. HEATED GOLD BECOMES ORNAMENTS. BEATED COPPER BECOMES WIRES.DEPLETED STONE BECOMES STATUE. SO, THE MORE PAIN YOU GET IN YOUR LIFE THE MORE VALUABLE YOU BECOME.

9. WHEN YOU TRUST SOMEONE TRUST HIM COMPLETELY WITHOUT ANY DOUBT... AT THE END YOU WOULD GET ONE OF THE TWO:EITHER A LESSON FOR YOUR LIFE OR A VERY GOOD PERSON .

When you give...

Once Krishna and Arjuna were walking towards a village. Arjuna was pestering Krishna, asking him why Karna should be considered a role model for all Danas (donations) and not himself. Krishna, wanting to teach him a lesson snapped his fingers. The mountains beside the path they were walking on turned into gold. Krishna said "Arjuna, distribute these two mountains of gold among the villagers, but you must donate every last bit of gold". Arjuna went into the village, and proclaimed he was going to donate gold to every villager, and asked them to gather near the mountain. The villagers sang his praises and Arjuna walked towards the mountain with a huffed up chest. For two days and two continuous nights Arjuna shovelled gold from the mountain and donated to each villager. The mountains did not diminish in their slightest.

Most villagers came back and stood in queue within minutes. After a while, Arjuna, started feeling exhausted, but not ready to let go of his ego just yet, told Krishna he couldn't go on any longer without rest. 

Krishna called Karna. "You must donate every last bit of this mountain, Karna" he told him. Karna called two villagers. "You see those two mountains?" Karna asked, "those two mountains of gold are yours to do with as you please" he said,  and walked away.

Arjuna sat dumbfounded. Why hadn't this thought occurred to him? Krishna smiled mischievously and told him "Arjuna, subconsciously,  you yourself were attracted to the gold, you regretfully gave it away to each villager, giving them what you thought was a generous amount. Thus the size of your donation to each villager depended only on your imagination. Karna holds no such reservations. Look at him walking away after giving away a fortune, he doesn't expect people to sing his praises, he doesn't even care if people talk good or bad about him behind his back. That is the sign of a man already on the path of enlightenment".

Conversation between Vivekanand & Ramkrishna

Vivekanand:- I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic.
Ramkrishna :- Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.

Vivekanand:- Why has life become complicated now? 
Ramkrishna :-Stop analyzing life.. It makes it complicated. Just live it. 

Vivekanand:- Why are we then constantly unhappy?
Ramkrishna :-Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.


Vivekanand:-Why do good people always suffer?


Ramkrishna:-Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer.
With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter. 

Vivekanand:-You mean to say such experience is useful? 
Ramkrishna :- Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.


Vivekanand:-Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading…
Ramkrishna:- If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way.


Vivekanand:-Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction?Ramkrishna :- Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. 


Vivekanand:-In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
Ramkrishna :- Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing. 

Vivekanand:- What surprises you about people?
Ramkrishna :- When they suffer they ask, “why me?” When they prosper, they never ask “Why me?” 


Vivekanand:- How can I get the best out of life?
Ramkrishna :- Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.


Vivekanand:- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
Ramkrishna :- There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. 

10 BEST LIFE LESSONS FROM EINSTEIN

1. Follow Your Curiosity :

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

2. Perseverance is Priceless :
“It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

3. Focus on the Present :
“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

4. The Imagination is Powerful :
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

5. Make Mistakes :
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

6. Live in the Moment :
“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”

7. Create Value :
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

8. Don’t be repetitive :
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

9. Knowledge Comes From Experience :
“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better :
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

EIGHT CLUES TO HAPPINESS by Khushwant Singh

Having lived a reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to achieve happiness. I drew up a list of a few essentials which I put forward for the readers' appraisal.

1. First and foremost is GOOD HEALTH. If you do not enjoy good health you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct from your happiness.

2. Second, A HEALTHY BANK BALANCE. It need not run into millions but should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for recreation, like eating out, going to the pictures, traveling or going on holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralizing. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one's own eyes.

3. Third, A HOME OF YOUR OWN. Rented premises can never give you the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: if it has a garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, cultivate a sense of kinship with them.

4. Fourth, AN UNDERSTANDING COMPANION, be it your spouse or a friend. If there are too many misunderstandings, they will rob you of your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to bicker all the time.

5. Fifth, LACK OF ENVY towards those who have done better than you in life; risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be very corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.

6. Sixth, DO NOT ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE to descend on you for gossip. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.

7. Seventh, CULTIVATE SOME HOBBIES which can bring you a sense of fulfillment, such as gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music.

8. Eighth, every morning and evening, devote 15 minutes to INTROSPECTION. In the morning, 10 minutes should be spent on stilling the mind and then five in listing things you have to do that day. In the evening, five minutes to still the mind again, and ten to go over what you had undertaken to do.

RICHNESS is not Earning More, Spending More Or Saving More, but ...

"RICHNESS IS WHEN YOU NEED NO MORE"

Ubuntu

An Anthropologist proposed one game to the kids of African tribal children. 

He placed a basket of fruits near a tree. 

And made them stand 100 mtrs away.

And announced that who ever reaches1st would get all the fruits in the basket.

When he said ready steady go..

Do you know what these small children did?

They all caught each other's hands and ran towards the tree together,
divided the fruits among them and ate the fruits and enjoyed it.

When the Anthropologist asked them why u did so?

They said 'Ubuntu'

meant
'How can 1 be happy when all the others are Sad'?

Ubuntu in their language means
'I AM BCOZ, WE ARE!'
let's all of us carry dis attitude and spread happiness.

The common Ground

When the father passed away, his sons opened up the will. The Will of the father stated that the eldest son should get half of 17 camels while the middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third).The youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the 17 camels.

As it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, three sons started to fight with each other.

So, the three sons decided to go to a wise man.

The wise man listened patiently about the Will. The wise man, after giving this thought, brought one camel of his own and added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels.

Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will. Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels 1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 camels 1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

Now add this up: 9 plus 6 plus 2 is 17 and this leaves one camel, which the wise man took back.

Moral :The attitude of negotiation and problem solving is to find the 18th camel i.e. the common ground. Once a person is able to find the common ground, the issue is resolved. It is difficult at times. However, to reach a solution, the first step is to believe that there is a solution. If we think that there is no solution, we won’t be able to reach any!

Four Wives

There was a man with four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and took

a great care of her and gave her the best. He also loved his third wife

and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, he was always

had a fear that she might runaway with some other man. He loved his second

wife too. Whenever he faced some problems, he always turned to his second

wife and she would always help him out. He did not love his first wife

though she loved him deeply, was very loyal to him and took great care of

him. One day the man fell very ill and knew that he is going to die soon.

He told himself, "I have four wives with me. I will take one of them along

with me when I die to keep company in my death."

Thus, he asked the fourth wife to die along with him and keep company. "No

way!" she replied and walked away without another word.

He asked his third wife.She said "Life is so good over here. I'm going to

remarry when you die".

He then asked his second wife. She said "I'm Sorry. I can't help you this

time around. At the most I can only accompany you til your grave."

By now his heart sank and turned cold.

Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter

where you go." the man looked up and there was his first wife. She was so

skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the

man said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

Actually, we all have four wives in our lives.

a. The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we

lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when w die.

b. The third wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they

go to others.

c. the second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they

had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is

up to the grave.

d. the first wife is the our soul, neglected in our pursuit of material

wealth and pleasure. It is actually the only thing that

follows us wherever we go.

10 Keys to Happier Living

Ten Keys to Happier Living are based on a review of the latest research from psychology and related fields. Everyone's path to happiness is different, but the evidence suggests these Ten Keys consistently tend to have a positive impact on people's happiness and well-being.

 

The first five keys (GREAT) are about how we interact with the outside world in our daily activities. They are based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing developed by nef as part of the Foresight Project. The second five keys (DREAM) come from inside us and depend on our attitude to life.

Do things for others Caring about others is fundamental to our happiness. Helping other people is not only good for them and a great thing to do, it also makes us happier and healthier too. Giving also creates stronger connections between people and helps to build a happier society for everyone. And it's not all about money - we can also give our time, ideas and energy. So if you want to feel good, do good!

Connect with people Relationships are the most important overall contributor to happiness. People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer. Close relationships with family and friends provide love, meaning, support and increase our feelings of self worth. Broader networks bring a sense of belonging. So taking action to strengthen our relationships and create new connections is essential for happiness.

Take care of your body Our body and our mind are connected. Being active makes us happier as well as being good for our physical health. It instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of a depression. We don't all need to run marathons - there are simple things we can all do to be more active each day. We can also boost our well-being by unplugging from technology, getting outside and making sure we get enough sleep!

Notice the world around Ever felt there must be more to life? Well good news, there is! And it's right here in front of us. We just need to stop and take notice. Learning to be more mindful and aware can do wonders for our well-being in all areas of life - like our walk to work, the way we eat or our relationships. It helps us get in tune with our feelings and stops us dwelling on the past or worrying about the future - so we get more out of the day-to-day.

Keep learning new things Learning affects our well-being in lots of positive ways. It exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay curious and engaged. It also gives us a sense of accomplishment and helps boost our self-confidence and resilience. There are many ways to learn new things - not just through formal qualifications. We can share a skill with friends, join a club, learn to sing, play a new sport and so much more.

 

 

Have goals to look forward to Feeling good about the future is important for our happiness. We all need goals to motivate us and these need to be challenging enough to excite us, but also achievable. If we try to attempt the impossible this brings unnecessary stress. Choosing ambitious but realistic goals gives our lives direction and brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we achieve them.

Find ways to bounce back All of us have times of stress, loss, failure or trauma in our lives. But how we respond to these has a big impact on our well-being. We often cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose our own attitude to what happens. In practice it's not always easy, but one of the most exciting findings from recent research is that resilience, like many other life skills, can be learned.

Take a positive approach Positive emotions - like joy, gratitude, contentment, inspiration, and pride - are not just great at the time. Recent research shows that regularly experiencing them creates an 'upward spiral', helping to build our resources. So although we need to be realistic about life's ups and downs, it helps to focus on the good aspects of any situation - the glass half full rather than the glass half empty.

Be comfortable with who you are No-one's perfect. But so often we compare our insides to other people's outsides. Dwelling on our flaws - what we're not rather than what we've got - makes it much harder to be happy. Learning to accept ourselves, warts and all, and being kinder to ourselves when things go wrong, increases our enjoyment of life, our resilience and our well-being. It also helps us accept others as they are.

Be part of something bigger People who have meaning and purpose in their lives are happier, feel more in control and get more out of what they do. They also experience less stress, anxiety and depression. But where do we find 'meaning and purpose'? It might be our religious faith, being a parent or doing a job that makes a difference. The answers vary for each of us but they all involve being connected to something bigger than ourselves.

Written by a 90 year old

This is something we should all read at least once a week!!!!! Make sure you read to the end!!!!!!


Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio . "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

>> 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, enjoy it.
>>
>> 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
>>
>> 5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
>>
>> 6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
>>
>> 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. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
>>
>> 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
>>
>> 19.. It's never too late to be happy. But it�s all 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
>>
>> 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 of 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. Accept what you already have, not what 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."