Rise above storm

Author unknown. Received in social media. If you are author of this, please contact.

I just had to share this because I really liked this analogy:

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet.

Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small space with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.

If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.

It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, we are a lot like the buzzard, the bat and the bee.

We are struggling about with all our problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above us.

Rise above the problem for the solution.

This too shall pass.

Rise above the storm, find the sunshine and stay blessed forever.

My thoughts:At a time when the whole world is going through this crisis of Corona virus, let's find a silver lining in the dark clouds and discover the sun that shines brightly over there.

Education and Experience

Unknown Author

There is a difference between education and experience.

Education is what you get from reading the small print.

Experience is what you get from not reading it! 

But isn't it true that great learning comes from both education and experience? 

Let me tell you a parable:

A young school teacher had a dream that an angel appeared to him and said, "You will be given a child who will grow up to become a world leader. How will you prepare her so that she will realize her intelligence, grow in confidence, develop both her assertiveness and sensitivity, be open—minded, yet strong in character? In short, what kind of education will you provide that she can become one of the world's truly GREAT leaders?"

The young teacher awoke in a cold sweat. It had never occurred to him before —any ONE of his present or future students could be the person described in his dream. Was he preparing them to rise to ANY POSITION to which they may aspire? He thought, 'How might my teaching change if I KNEW that one of my students were this person?'  

He gradually began to formulate a plan in his mind:

·         This student would need experience as well as instruction.

·         She / he would need to know how to solve problems of various kinds.

·         She / he would need to grow in character as well as knowledge.

·         She / he would need self assurance as well as the ability to listen well and work with others.

·         She / he would need to understand and appreciate the past, yet feel optimistic about the future.

·         She / he would need to know the value of lifelong learning in order to keep a curious and active mind.

·         She / he would need to grow in understanding of others and become a student of the spirit.

·         She/ he would need to set high standards for herself and learn self discipline, yet  would also need love and encouragement, that they might be filled with love and goodness.

His teaching changed. Every young person who walked through his classroom became, for him, a future world leader. He saw each one, not as they were, but as they could be. He expected the best from his students, yet tempered it with compassion. He taught each one as if the future of the world depended on his instruction.

After many years, a woman he knew rose to a position of world prominence.  He realized that she must surely have been the girl described in his dream. 

It turned out she was not one of his students, but rather his daughter. For all the various teachers in her life, her father was the best. 

I've heard it said that "Children are living messages we send to a time and place we will never see." But this isn't simply a parable about an unnamed school teacher. It is a parable about you and me —whether or not we are parents or even teachers.

And the story, OUR story, actually begins like this:

"You will be given a child who will grow up to become...."  You finish the sentence.

If not a world leader, then a superb father?

An excellent teacher?

A gifted healer?

An innovative problem solver?

An inspiring artist?

A generous philanthropist?

Where and how you will encounter this child is a mystery. But believe that one child's future may depend upon influence only you can provide, and something remarkable will happen. For no young person will ever be ordinary to you again. And you will never be the same.

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Dedicated to all teachers on this Teachers day in India, 5th Sept, 2014


Just when she was about to give up teaching profession because she thought her teaching wasn't even changing or helping even one child, her mind was completely changed one day.

When she went to school the next day, one of her first grader's parent came to her and just fell into her arms and cried out, "THANK YOU."

The mother explained that her child had ADHD (the teacher had already discovered that) and no one had the patience to teach or just love her for who she was. She told the teacher that she made a difference in her daughter's life, just by showing that she cared and for having patience with her. The child showed interest in studies when she was with her, but her other teachers constantly condemned her because they couldn't control her.

What a compliment!

Needless to say she is still continuing on with her teaching profession.

Dear teachers, sometimes it may seem like people have forgotten how important you really are.

For every child that says, “I’m not smart enough”, “I don’t get it”, “I can’t”…… there’s a teacher who says, “You can!”

For every child who needs basic skills, knowledge, someone to believe in him……….. there’s a teacher who will do whatever it takes to encourage, to motivate, to challenge, to engage, to inspire and instill a love for learning.

So for every teacher who works with the children building a better future for us, even when it feels like no one is watching or that people have forgotten just how special you teachers really are, I SALUTE YOU!

AND I THANK YOU for teaching each child to become the next great author, artist, scientist, architect, musician, doctor, engineer or teacher.

Never give up, if you teach from the heart, you may not realize it at that precise moment..........
BUT YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE.

First secret of success--Believe in yourself

– by Steve Goodier, www.lifesupportsystem.com

Adam was ready to retire. His wife Anna, however, was less enthusiastic.

As she explained to a friend, "Adam has never done anything that required physical exertion. He never played golf, mowed the lawn or even washed the windows. When he retires, he will sit in his easy chair and expect me to bring him his food."

But to Anna's surprise, soon after her husband retired, he joined a health club. And one night, when Adam arrived home from exercise class, he announced, "I signed up for the wrestling tournament. I am going to wrestle Friday night."

Anna was shocked. "Please don't do it, Adam," she begged. "You're not in shape. You will be so beat up they will have to carry you home!"

However, he couldn't be dissuaded and she told him that if he went through with his "lame idea," she was not going to watch.

True to her word, she stayed away that Friday evening as Adam wrestled.

And just as she predicted, two men practically carried Adam home. He lay down on the couch, every muscle strained and bruised.

Before she could speak, he sputtered, "Don't say a word, Anna! This is not the worst of it. I won tonight. I have to wrestle again tomorrow night!"

As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

Concentrate on your goals

The yogi Raman was a true master of the art of archery. One morning, he invited his favorite disciple to watch a display of his skill. The disciple had seen this more than a hundred times before, but he nevertheless obeyed his teacher.

They went into the wood beside the ashram and when they reached a magnificent oak tree, Raman took a flower which he had tucked in his collar and placed it on one of the branches.

He then opened his bag and took out three objects: his splendid bow made of precious wood, an arrow and a white handkerchief embroidered with lilacs.

The yogi positioned himself one hundred paces from the spot where he had placed the flower. Facing his target, he asked his disciple to blindfold him with the embroidered handkerchief.

The disciple did as his teacher requested.

'How often have you seen me practice the noble and ancient sport of archery?' Raman asked him.

'Every day,' replied his disciple. 'And you have always managed to hit the rose from three hundred paces away.'

‘But without blindfolding,’ the disciple said to himself. He did not dare to say that to his Master.

With his eyes covered by the handkerchief, the yogi Raman placed his feet firmly on the ground, drew back the bowstring with all his might - aiming at the rose placed on one of the branches of the oak tree - and then released the arrow.

The arrow whistled through the air, but it did not even hit the tree, missing the target by an embarrassingly wide margin.

'Did I hit it?' said Raman, removing the handkerchief from his eyes.

'No, you missed completely,' replied the disciple. 'I thought you were going to demonstrate to me the power of thought and your ability to perform magic.'

'I have just taught you the most important lesson about the power of thought,' replied Raman. 'When you want something, concentrate only on that. No one will ever hit a target they cannot see.'

When one has clear and specific goals in front of one’s eyes, its easier to get motivated. When a goal is vague, the motivational value is limited. Commitment plays an important role in achieving goals. Setting and meeting goals leads to feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment. It also allows us to choose how we want to move through life.

   

There is no end, only the beginning

Found at http://inspirationalstories.eu/

The creator created people, gave them words for communication and thinking, settled them in the fertile valley at the foot of the mountains, gave them longevity and started to observe, how they will aspire to develop. 

Time passed, but people did not develop.

Their feet did not go beyond their village and did not climb up the mountains. Their eyes did not look at the sky and did not look in the Heart.

And they became old.

The Creator decided to find out, what was the matter.

He became a man and came to them as a traveler. Before sunset people gathered at the square to talk with the traveler.

He described them a life beyond the horizon and suggested:

“Do you want me to lead you there, and you will see how people live in these places?”

“Oh,” they answered sadly, “it is late, we became old.”

“Then come with me to the mountains to look at the world from the top!” said the creator

“Oh,” they said, “it is too late, we have no energy.”

“Look at the sky,” the creator told them, “and I will tell you about the life in the Kingdom of Heaven!”

They answered again, “It is late; our mind will not understand your story.”

The creator became sad. He decided to cheer people.

“Let‘s sing a song!” he said and was going to sing first, but people noticed that the san went down.

“It is late,” they said, “it is time to sleep…” and so they went to their huts.

The creator shouted to them, “People, when life is continuous and infinite, it is not late for any achievements!”

But they did not turn back.

Then the Creator told himself, “I will take away all words of limitation from people—‘late, not, impossible, far, high, hard, will not understand,’ and will place in their hearts the joy of infinity. Maybe they will perceive my Law: ‘nothing is late, because there is no end, there is only the beginning!’”

He did so and waited for the morning. 

Will people change and will they go with him to the mountains?

“Stop waiting for what you want and start working with what you’ve got. Your greatest limitation is God’s greatest opportunity.”

Criticism as an useful tool

Ole Bull was the famous Norwegian violinist of the past century.

His father, a chemist, sent him to the University to study for the ministry and forbade him to play his beloved violin. He promptly flunked out and devoted all his time and energy to the violin.

Unfortunately, though he had great ability, when he started his first concert tour he wasn't well prepared.

In Italy a Milan newspaper critic wrote: "He is an untrained musician. If he be a diamond, he is certainly in the rough and unpolished."

There were two ways Ole Bull could have reacted to that criticism.
1.He could have let it make him angry or
2. he could learn from it.

Fortunately he chose the latter. He went to the newspaper office and asked to see the critic. The astounded editor introduced him to the old man. Ole spent the evening with the 70-year-old critic, asked about his faults, and sought the older man's advice on how to correct them.

Then he cancelled the rest of his tour, returned home, and spent the next six months studying under really able teachers. He practiced hours upon hours to overcome his faults.

Finally, he returned to his concerts and, when only 26, became the sensation of Europe.

How a person reacts to criticism often means the difference between success and failure. Dealing with criticism positively is an important life skill.

How do we do it?
Lets first understand that there are two types of criticism –
1. constructive & valid and
2. destructive & unjustified. 

Learning to recognise the difference between the two can help us deal with any criticism that we may receive.

Destructive or unjustified criticism, as the name suggests itself, is aimed to hurt you. Its often insensitivity of the person who criticizes and gives rise to anger and belligerence on the one criticized. It does not give any positive feedback and puts down the one criticized.

Constructive or valid criticism, on the other hand, can be construed to be a useful feedback. No doubt it can also hurt you but its easier to accept because it is aimed not only to point out your mistakes but also show you where and how improvements can be made. It can help you improve yourself rather than put you down.

"He has the right to criticize, who has the heart to help," Abraham Lincoln

The key is to have confidence in your abilities. With self-confidence, criticism isn’t a threat. It’s a useful tool.

Effort brings transformation

An old man lived on a farm with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Holy Book.

His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Baba, I try to read the Holy Book just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does the reading do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. 

The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out of the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back o the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Baba, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

"Son, that's what happens when you read the Holy Book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of God in our lives."

My thoughts: One of the things we all notice on your journey towards our goal are roadblocks. They are a part of life. Everyone would have every success they ever wanted if there were no obstacles. If we take the time to study the life of any successful person, we will learn that the vast majority of them have had more 'failures' than they have had 'successes'. This is because successful people are persistent; the more they stumble and fall, the more they get right back up and get going again."It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. When you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs,” Jillian Michaels

Practice makes it perfect

A Zen story

A rich man, fond of felines, asked a famous Zen ink painter to draw him a cat. The master agreed and asked the man to come back in three months.

When the man returned, he was put off again and again, until a year had passed.

After a year, finally, at the man’s request, the master drew out a brush, and, with grace and ease, in a single fluid motion, drew a picture of a cat – the most marvelous image the man had ever seen.

He was astonished; then he grew angry. “That drawing took you only thirty seconds! Why did you make me wait a year?” he demanded.

Without a word, the master opened up a cabinet, and out fell thousands of drawings of cats.

Progress takes time. Those who make it look easy have worked hard over time.

My comments:
Growing up, we all have heard the expression “practice makes it perfect” from our teachers and elders at home. Doing something over and over again is the only way to learn to do it well. If I practice dancing, I'll be the perfect dancer. If I practice guitar, I'll play guitar perfectly. If I practice driving, I'll drive to perfection. It simply deduces that every time you make a mistake while practicing, you have to try to repair it and improve on it. That’s called smart practice. Ultimately it’s the level of smart practice that brings out the best in you.

Aruni's devotion

A story from Mahabharata

Aruni of Panchala was a dedicated student of the ancient sage Dhoumya. In those days, a student had to stay with the teacher and help in the teacher’s daily chores in order to receive the knowledge he sought. It was called “Gurukul” system of education.

It was a day of cold winter. Aruni was carrying the firewood he had collected for the sage's household. As he was passing by a field, he noticed a break in the embankment that was holding water in his teacher's field. He realized that the water would escape and the field’s crops would die with no water.

"What should I do? If I stop to build the mound I will be delayed and there is no firewood at the hermitage to keep the place warm. I better rush to the hermitage with the firewood and then come back to take care of the breach."

Meanwhile the sage and his disciples had assembled for the day's lesson. Aruni was missing.

Soon Aruni rushed in, dropped the firewood in the courtyard, and informed the teacher about the breach of the embankment. Then he quickly rushed out.

Sage Dhoumya felt proud of his disciple, "It is hard to get such a responsible disciple."

Aruni ran all the way back to the troubled spot and tried to stop the leakage of water by putting some logs and mud. However, this did not stop the leak. but the force of water washed away the soil. He felt helpless. It seemed impossible for him to stop the leakage without help. He thought for a while and then made a plan. Aruni himself slept in that broken place. With this he stopped the water out flow but had to sleep in such cold water for the whole night.

It was getting dark and the teacher became worried. He called his disciples and set out looking for Aruni. As he called out for Aruni, he heard a faint voice, "Here I am master!"

The teacher and his disciples rushed to the spot and saw Aruni lying on the breach, in order to hold the water in the field. The disciples quickly pulled Aruni out from the freezing water. But even then he woke up & offered salutation to Gurudev and asked, “Gurudev! What are your instructions for me? The water is still flowing.”

"Never mind my son! You are more precious than the crop," said the teacher.

"Don't worry Aruni! We will take care of the breach," said the disciples.

Aruni was covered in a blanket and brought home. Sage Dhoumya himself tended to Aruni. The sage then blessed his disciple with pride, "You shall, forever, be renowned for your unmatched devotion and obedience to your guru.”

Aruni got the knowledge of all scriptures automatically.

A Determined Spirit

This beautiful story is from a popular parable that originated with the Quechua (Incan) Indians of South America.

Once upon a time, a small bird named Tasoo lived in a vast jungle.

One hot summer day, a terrible wildfire erupted and the flames devoured many trees and animals living in the jungle.

Other birds flew high into the sky and far away to safety, but Tasoo couldn't bear to leave her precious jungle home to burn.

Day and night, she flew with all her might back and forth to the river, filling her tiny beak with water to drop on the raging fires.

Tasoo's rare heart of courage and unshakable determination moved the heavenly gods to shed tears, and a great rain poured down upon the jungle, extinguishing the flames.

And so it is that even the smallest actions of a determined spirit can change the world.