All i want is Peace

Attitude Determines Attitude

Praveen — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:45:51 +0000

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important.

My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Wow !

Praveen — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:32:05 +0000

Last spring I was walking in a park. A short distance ahead of me was a mom and her three-year-old daughter. The little girl was holding on to a string that was attached to a helium balloon.

All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind took the balloon from the little girl. I braced myself for some screaming and crying.

But, no! As the little girl turned to watch her balloon go skyward, she gleefully shouted out, Wow!

I didn’t realize it at that moment, but that little girl taught me something.

Later that day, I received a phone call from a person with news of an unexpected problem. I felt like responding with Oh no, what should we do But remembering that little girl, I found myself saying, Wow, that’s interesting! How can I help you

One thing’s for sure - life’s always going to keep us off balance with its unexpected problems. That’s a given. What’s not preordained is our response. We can choose to be frustrated or fascinated.

No matter what the situation, a fascinated Wow! will always beat a frustrated Oh, no.

So the next time you experience one of life’s unexpected gusts, remember that little girl and make it a Wow! experience. The Wow! response always works.

Are You a Bucket-Filler or a Dipper

Praveen — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:17:54 +0000

You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another’s bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.

When one’s bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady’s skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. “Bright Eyes” across the table says, “You upset that glass of chocolate milk.” I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake (”Red pencil” mentality!)

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don’t really think about what are doing. When a person’s bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, “That is a pretty tie you have,” and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another’s bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another’s, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another’s bucket we do not fill our own … we lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds “fakey,” or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is “brown-nosing.”

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone’s life in order to fill their bucket.

Harsh Words

Praveen — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:17:19 +0000

A woman bought eggs and butter from a farmer who had a fine reputation not only for the quality of his products, but also for his promptness of delivery.

Then one day, when she was expecting guests, he failed to come. On the next delivery, she spoke harshly to him. At the end of her tirade he said quietly, “I’m sorry if I caused you any inconvenience, but I had the misfortune of burying my mother yesterday.”

Ashamed, the woman determined never to speak harshly to anyone again until she fully understood the cause of the delay.

Acres of Diamonds

Praveen — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:16:48 +0000

One of the most interesting Americans who lived in the 19th century was a man by the name of Russell Herman Conwell. He was born in 1843 and lived until 1925. He was a lawyer for about fifteen years until he became a clergyman.

One day, a young man went to him and told him he wanted a college education but couldn’t swing it financially. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment, what his aim in life was, besides being a man of cloth - that is. He decided to build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students. He did have a challenge, however. He would need a few million dollars to build the university. For Dr. Conwell, and anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of his goal.

Several years before this incident, Dr. Conwell was tremendously intrigued by a true story - with its ageless moral. The story was about a farmer who lived in Africa and through a visitor became tremendously excited about looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in abundance on the African continent and this farmer got so excited about the idea of millions of dollars worth of diamonds that he sold his farm to head out to the diamond line. He wandered all over the continent, as the years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, wealth, which he never found. Eventually he went completely broke and threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual looking rock about the size of a country egg and put it on his mantle as a sort of curiosity. A visitor stopped by and in viewing the rock practically went into terminal convulsions. He told the new owner of the farm that the funny looking rock on his mantle was about the biggest diamond that had ever been found. The new owner of the farm said, “Heck, the whole farm is covered with them” -
and sure enough it was.

The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine…the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer was literally standing on “Acres of Diamonds” until he sold his farm.

Dr. Conwell learned from the story of the farmer and continued to teach it’s moral. Each of us is right in the middle of our own “Acre of Diamonds”, if only we would realize it and develop the ground we are standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures. Dr. Conwell told this story many times and attracted enormous audiences. He told the story long enough to have raised the money to start the college for underprivileged deserving students. In fact, he raised nearly six million dollars and the university he founded, Temple University in Philadelphia, has at least ten degree-granting colleges and six other schools.

When Doctor Russell H. Conwell talked about each of us being right on our own “Acre of Diamonds”, he meant it. This story does not get old…it will be true forever…

Opportunity does not just come along - it is there all the time - we just have to see it.

Living A Balanced Life

Praveen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:01:22 +0000

To combat modern day stressors, you need to realise that things are going to go the way they are going to go, so you may as well just relax. The most important thing you can do for yourself is to practice extreme self-care which means putting your own needs first.

You must take care of yourself first or you will be no good to anyone else. Self care is simply loving and honouring yourself. Loving yourself is giving to yourself. Giving to yourself allows you to share with others more fully. Being more fully present means you naturally develop less of an attachment to what goes on around you, and can instead be more relaxed and at peace.

Releasing the need to control yourself, other people, and or situations, will greatly reduce the amount of stress you experience in your life. Also helpful is relaxing, refreshing, and rejuvenating your body, mind and spirit.

Your body is your temple, and can easily get run down by stress, strain, and struggle. Take care of it with regular relaxing activities.

Your mind is your guide, it can easily get distracted and off course, so take care of it with regular refreshing activities.

Take long walks; spend time in nature; learn new things; consciously slow down; know and live by your values and beliefs. Laugh. Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Deep breathe. Taking deep breaths will soothe your nerves and refresh your mind.

Rest Smart

Praveen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:00:50 +0000

Once there were a group of man - a young hot-blooded guy and a big number of old folks, doing timber job in a jungle (i.e. chopping down trees).

This young chap is very hard working. He always continues to work through his break time and complains that those old folks were wasting time, having to break few times a day to drink and chat. As times goes by, this young guy noticed that even though he worked thru’ break time and hardly took a rest… those old folks are chopping the same amount of trees as he did and sometimes did more than he did. It was as if those old folks work thru’ the break time as he did. So he decided to work harder the next day…unfortunately the results were even worse.

One day, one of the old folk invited him for a drink during their break time. That young guy refused and said he has no extra time to spend! Then the old man smiled to him and said It was just a waste of effort to keep chopping trees without re-sharpening your knife. Sooner or later you will give up or be so exhausted as you
have spent too much energy.

Suddenly the young man realised that actually during break times while those old folks were having a chat, they were also resharpening their knife at the same time! And that’s how they can chop faster than him and yet spending lesser time! The old man said What we need is efficiency by making use of our skill and ability intelligently. Only then can we have more times to do other things.

Otherwise you will always keep saying … I have no time!

The morale of the story:
By taking a short break during work, it would make you feel fresher, think well and work better after the break! (Or am I just finding excuse to take a break)

But by taking a break, it is not to stop work but to rest and re-think our strategy to go about it from another angle.

Think smart, work smart and rest smart.

Walk Your Own Walk

Praveen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:00:13 +0000

You have to walk your own walk in this life. And as you are traveling down your road, don’t look down at your feet. Keep your head up and your eyes focused on what you know to be true. Be neither a follower nor a leader. You are not forsaken; you are forgiven, and when shadows exist simply find higher ground to tread upon. If you come across an obstacle or an impasse, pay mind to it but don’t focus on it for too long or your feet may sink into the quicksand that surrounds it. Find the courage to surmount it and continue on your journey.

Offer your hand to those you come across who are stuck in their own personal sand traps, but do not point them in the direction you feel they must go, that has to be their decision. Only imply to them that they are never alone, and they will eventually find their way. When you get to where you are going and you look back, it is your own footprints you are going to want to see, not someone else’s. The importance of your trials and tribulations is a gift to be beholden, for that is how you will learn whom you truly are.

Little Candle

Praveen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:59:51 +0000

Once upon a time a little candle stood in a room filled with other candles, most of them much larger and much more beautiful than she was. Some were ornate and some were rather simple, like herself. Some were white, some were blue, some were pink, some were green. She had no idea why she was there, and the other candles made her feel rather small and insignificant.

When the sun went down and the room began to get dark, she noticed a large man walking toward her with a ball of fire on a stick. She suddenly realized that the man was going to set her on fire. No, no!! she cried, Aaaaagghhh! Don’t burn me, please! But she knew that she could not be heard and prepared for the pain that
would surely follow.

To her surprise, the room filled with light. She wondered where it came from since the man had extinguished his fire stick. To her delight, she realized that the light came from herself.

Then the man struck another fire stick and, one by one, lit the other candles in the room. Each one gave out the same light that she did.

During the next few hours, she noticed that, slowly, her wax began to flow. She became aware that she would soon die. With this realization came a sense of why she had been created. Perhaps my purpose on earth is to give out light until I die, she mused. And that’s exactly what she did.

Lord created you and I to produce light in a dark world. Like that little candle, we all can produce the same amount of light, no matter how small we are or what color we might be. But we can’t produce light until we receive it from an outside source. That source is Lord, the light of the world.

Families Are Forever

Praveen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:59:32 +0000

Once there was a little boy named Jamey. He had some great friends, but his greatest friend was his mom. Not in some sissy way or anything like that. She was just different than the other moms.

While they were busy going to their fashion shows and their bridge parties, she was home with him. They’d play in the backyard together, go on bike rides, have long talks. She was the best football player on the whole block. At least that was what the other guys said. They really thought she was special. You know, they wished their moms were more like that.

Then one day Jamey was called home from school. There was a big white ambulance in the driveway. When Jamey walked in the front door his dad was talking to the doctor, and Jamey was scared.

They said he could only talk to his mom for a minute, and when he tiptoed into the bedroom and saw her lying on the bed she smiled and whispered, “Hi, Big J.” That’s what she always called him even though he wasn’t very big. She said he always had a big heart.

She said, “Jamey, I’m going away and I won’t be coming back. I’m dying.”

Big tears came into Jamey’s eyes and he said, “Mom, you just can’t die.”

And she said, “It’s okay Babe, there’s no regrets. I’ve been with you more in eleven years than most moms are with their boys in their whole lifetime.”

He said, “I know mom, but you can’t die, you can’t.”

And she said, “Jamey, there’s a secret, and I never want you to forget it. –Families are forever, and even though you won’t see me, I’ll still be there watching over you, and waiting for you.”

And he said, “But Mom, if I can’t see you, well then, how will I know you’re there?”

And she thought a minute and then she smiled and answered, “I’ll build you a rainbow way up high above, send down a sunbeam plumb full of love, sprinkle down raindrops, teardrops of joy. I’ll be as happy as springtime watching over my boy.”

She kissed him, closed her eyes, and she was gone. As Jamey and his dad stood in the driveway watching the ambulance drive away, his dad broke down and started to cry. And they hugged each other real tight and Jamey felt his teardrop’s on his own cheeks and cried too.

And then he remembered the secret–and he looked up and sure enough, there it was, right over their house–a big rainbow, just like she said!

And he said, “Dad, dad, it’s all right, Families are forever!!”