Acquire Wisdom and Live with Passion: November 2007

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Right Attitudes Produce Right Actions

"No man fails, if he does his best."

No problem man!
A Scotsman was an extremely hard worker and expected all the men under him to be the same. His men would tease him, "Scotty, don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day?" "Yes," he would answer. "I know that. But I wasn't foreman on that job."

(Author Unknown)

THE CAN DO ATTITUDE

You CAN DO everything, but not all at once.
You CAN DO everything, if it's important enough for you to do.
You CAN DO everything, but you may not be the best at everything.
You CAN DO everything, but there will be limitations.
You CAN DO everything, but you'll need help.

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Danger of taking out of context

"A Text without a Context is a Pretext."

It is very important to consider text and speech in its context.

There was a story about a depressed man who had never been a student of the Bible decided that he would begin to read the bible.

He opened the Bible at random and began to read the verses his eyes fell upon. The place he happened to read was the twenty seventh chapter of Matthew where the writer tells about Judas who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. When he realized what he had done, he took the money back, and the Scriptures say in Matthew 27:5, “So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.”

When the man in our story read that Scripture, he began to feel very bad. He closed the Bible, and the more he thought about this man’s hanging himself, the worse he felt. But he thought, “Maybe if I will read again in the Bible, I will feel better.” He opened the Bible again at random and this time his eyes fell upon Luke 10:37 where Jesus said, “... Go and do likewise.”

Quickly the man in our story closed the Bible and said to himself, “Surely this does not mean for me to do the same as the man who hanged himself.” Now he really felt bad, but he said, “It cannot mean for me to go and do the same.” So he opened the Bible at random again. This time his eyes fell upon 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “... for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

By this time our man was thoroughly confused and troubled by what he had read in the Bible, but he returned once more to the book. This time his eyes fell at random on John 13:27, “... "What you are about to do, do quickly,...”

The above story is a bit far out and is intended only as an illustration that will point out the need to rightly divide the word of God.

Here is another illustration:

The Bible contains the sentence:

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."... - Psalm 14:1

If the context is omitted, this becomes:
There is no God.

Let us make very sure that we listen carefully and read the context of any spoken or written text so as not to misrepresent any speakers or authors. This could spark off misunderstanding. Thus, be very careful with words.

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Thursday, November 22, 2007

Rich Yet Poor

An Arab, losing his way in the desert, was in danger of dying from hunger. At last he found one of the cisterns out of which the camels drink and a little leather bag near it. "God be thanked!" exclaimed he. "Ah, here are some dates or nuts; let me refresh myself." He opened the bag, but only to turn away in disappointment. Alas, they were only pearls, and what good were they to a man who was dying of hunger?

Was this man rich or poor? He was rich yet poor.

(Source: e-Sword Bible Illustration)

"The amount of money you have has got nothing to do with what you earn.. people earning a million dollars a year can have no money and.. People earning $35,000 a year can be quite well off. It's not what you earn, it's what you spend." - Paul Clitheroe

"Becoming wealthy is not a matter of how much you earn, who your parents are, or what you do.. it is a matter of managing your money properly". - Noel Whittaker

Indeed, there are people so poor that the only thing they have is money. May we learn to live richly instead of die with riches!

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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

How to be the lucky one

“Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don't depend on it”

"It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It doesn’t matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because... All that matters in business is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are." - Mark Cuban

"Be ready when opportunity comes... Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet." - Roy D. Chapin Jr.

"Luck is a dividend of sweat.
The more you sweat, the luckier you get." - Ray Kroc

This video shows a baboon escape the jaw of death. Do you think this is pure luck?

Everything happens for a reason. If you set your mind in the right direction, even when something bad happens, you can learn a lot from it and there is great potential.

What is your opinion about luck? Are you the lucky one?

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Saturday, November 17, 2007

How to remain in business

“To open a shop is easy, to keep it open is an art” - Chinese Proverbs

"In business, doing as much as you can while staying within the limits of your capabilities is the short cut that will take you to the finish line before the rest." - Konosuke Matsushita

“Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves -- to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today.” - Stewart B. Johnson

“Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.” - Zig Ziglar

“The success combination in business is: Do what you do better... and Do more of what you do...” - David Joseph Schwartz

I am wondering whether this is applicable to even blogging. What do you think? Please share your wisdom by posting your comments. Thank you.

P.S. I could not switch on my notebook. Schedule to have the motherboard change next week. Thus, I could only do blogging in the office, which I seldom do. I should be able to visit all my friends' blogs again next week.

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Sunday, November 11, 2007

You get what you focus on

“People only see what they are prepared to see.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What can you see from the above picture? Is it columns or people?

According to Leonardo da Vinci, there are three classes of people:

Those who see.
Those who see when they are shown.
Those who do not see.

We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision. How you feel about things - and even the meaning you attach to a particular experience - is all dependent upon your focus.

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Castaneda

"Focus is the ultimate power that can change the way we think, the way we feel, and what we do in any moment." - Anthony Robbins

"Whether you are stressed or fulfilled has little to do with what you're actually doing, or even the results you are producing. If you're stressed, it's a result of where you are putting your focus." - Anthony Robbins

Believe it or not, no matter what you focus on, good or bad, it all will eventually come true. You get what you focus on.

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Friday, November 09, 2007

Love one another

“Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other” - Rainer Maria Rilke

Love Demonstrated
A class of little girls was learning to spell. They spelled a number of small words, such as "pig," "cat," "dog," "cow," and amused themselves by imitating the sounds that these animals make. Then little Mary was asked to spell "love." She didn't stop to give the letters, but ran and threw her arms around the teacher's neck and kissed her on the cheek. "We spell 'love' that way at our house," she said. The girls laughed, but the teacher said, "That is a beautiful way; but do you know another way to spell 'love'?" "Oh, yes," cried Mary, "I spell love this way," and she began to put the books in order on her teacher's desk. "I spell love by helping everybody when they need me."

(Source: e-Sword Bible Illustrations)

"Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your good health has vanished." - Og Mandino

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread." - Mother Teresa

Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is anything that lifts another person. What do you think?

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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Evaluate Your Habits

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun

To be a highly effective person, you need to acquire good habits. It is always beneficial to list down your good and bad habits regularly. Then evaluate whether a habit is helping you or undermining you. Once you are aware of a bad habit, make a conscious decision to change it ASAP.

"First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they'll eventually conquer you." - Rob Gilbert

Deal with Habits Early On

An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree. The tutor said to his young companion, ‘Pull up the first plant.’ The boy did so eagerly, using only his fingers. ‘Now pull up the second.’ The youth obeyed but found the task more difficult. ‘Do the same with the third,’ he urged. The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it.

‘Now,’ said the instructor, ‘try your hand with the fourth.’ The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tall tree and couldn’t even shake its leaves. ‘This, my son, is just what happens with our bad habits. When they are young, we can remove them readily; but when they are old, it’s hard to uproot them, though we pray and struggle ever so sincerely.’

(From the Heidelberg Herald)

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

"The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones." - Somerset Maugham

Some bad habits

“Fear is a habit; so are Self-pity, Defeat, Anxiety, Despair, Hopelessness and Resignation. You can eliminate all of these negative habits with two simple resolves: I can!! and I will!!”

Some good habits

"Successful people aren't born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do. The successful people don't always like these things themselves; they just get on and do them." - William Makepeace Thackeray

"Develop the habit of focusing on the possibilities, not the problems." - David DeNotaris

"Cultivate the habit of laughter." - Og Mandino

No matter where you are or where you are not, you have the ability to improve. Evaluate your habits. Then change them if necessary to have a great life!

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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

What Goes Around, Comes Around

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting." - Elizabeth Bibesco

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan ..

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything' s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Pass on this story... Let this light shine.

(Source: Email; Author: Unknown)

Don't fail to read good books

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." - Sir Francis Bacon

"The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page."

"The books that help you most are those which make you think the most."

“The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them” - Mark Twain

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”

Good books are indeed great source for information and knowledge. However, you need to spend time reading to acquire the necessary information and knowledge. Anyway, remember that it is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.

Read books. They are good for us.

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Friday, November 02, 2007

Make the days count

“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” - Seneca

Two weeks ago, my cousin brother died of pancreas cancer. Then, my colleague's father passed away due to sickness. A couple of days later, another of my colleague's father also passed away after stroke for a couple of days. Indeed, we must live life fully because it is appointed for everybody to die eventually. We must learn to make every act count, since we are going to be here for only a short while.

Many people are fond of counting their troubles. However, you will be much better when you start to count your joys.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." He was right. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. I will chase them out of my mind and replace them with happy thoughts.

What You Can and Cannot Control
You cannot control the length of you life; but you can control its width and depth.
You cannot control the contour of your face; but you can control its expression.
You cannot control the weather; but you can control the atmosphere of your mind.

Why worry about things you cannot control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?

Let us not count the days but make the days count! Do not waste another day.

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Thursday, November 01, 2007

Wondrous Power Of A Hug

Although many of the social and behavioral aspects of everyday life vary greatly from country to country, know that there is wondrous power a hug can do.

Our world and culture needs more hugs. A hug can convey the greatest empathy and sympathy. It can bring healing.

“A Hug is Two Hearts Wrapped In Arms.”

"A Hug is a Handshake from the Heart."

"A Hug is Welcome back again!"

“Hugs can do great amounts of good - especially for children.” - Princess Diana

“They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything.” - Bil Keane

Hugs can relieve pain and depression.. Hugging feels good and overcomes fear... It provides stretching exercise to short people and stooping exercise to tall people... It saves heat and energy... Hugging makes happy days happier.

So stretch your arms and hug your child today, hug your spouse today, hug a friend today and hug your Mom or Dad!

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