The Good Stuff in the Bad

A young woman was sitting at her dining table, worried about taxes to be paid, house-work to be done and to top it all, her family was coming over for Thanks giving the next day.

She was not feeling very thankful at that time.

As she turned her gaze sideways, she noticed her young daughter scribbling furiously into her notebook.

“My teacher asked us to write a paragraph on “Negative Thanks giving” for homework today.” said the daughter

“She asked us to write down things that we are thankful for, things that make us feel not so good in the beginning, but turn out to be good after all.”

With curiosity, the mother peeked into the book.

This is what her daughter wrote:

“I’m thankful for Final Exams, because that means school is almost over.

I’m thankful for bad-tasting medicine, because it helps me feel better.

I’m thankful for waking up to alarm clocks, because it means I’m still alive.”

It then dawned on the mother, that she had a lot of things to be thankful for!

She thought again…

She had to pay taxes but that meant she was fortunate to be employed.

She had house-work to do but that meant she had her own home to live in.

She had to cook for her family for Thanks giving but that meant she had a family with whom she could celebrate.

Moral:

We generally complain about the negative things in life but we fail to look at the positive side of it.

What is the positive in your negatives?

Look at the better part of life this day and make it a great day."....

The Bamboo and the Fern

One day...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… 
I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God

“God”, I asked, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”.

His answer surprised me…
“Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo ?

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water.The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

He said, “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.But I would not quit.In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said.

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”.

“I would not quit on the bamboo.I will never quit on you.”

“Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said.

”The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”

"Your time will come”, God said to me. 

“You will rise high”.

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

”Yes.” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.”

I left the forest and brought back this story.

Never, Never, Never, Give up!!
"In life, each relationship will have feelings and differences. ....it's Always better to be melted in feelings than to be frozen with differences".

Nurture the Child

If your child lies to you often, it is because you over-react too harshly to their inappropriate behaviour.
If your child is not taught to confide in you about their mistakes, you've lost them.
If your child had poor self-esteem, it is because you advice them more than you encourage them.
If your child does not stand up for themselves, it is because from a young age you have disciplined them regularly in public.

If your child takes things that do not belong to them, it is because when you buy them things, you don't let them chose what they want.
If your child is cowardly, it is because you help them too quickly.
If your child does not respect other people's feelings, it is because instead of speaking to your child, you order and command them.
If your child is too quick to anger, it is because you give too much attention to misbehaviour and you give little attention to good behaviour.
If your child is excessively jealous, it is because you only congratulate them when they successfully complete something and not when they improve at something even if they don't successfully complete it.
If your child intentionally disturbs you, it is because you are not physically affectionate enough.
If your child is openly defied, it is because you openly threaten to do something but don't follow through.
If your child is secretive, it is because they don't trust that you won't blow things out of proportion.

If your child talks back to you, it is because they watch you do it to others and think its normal behaviour.
If your child doesn't listen to you but listens to others, it is because you are too quick to make decisions.
If your child rebels it is because they know you care more about what others think than what is right or wrong.

Change starts at home. 

Try a few if not all and see the sea change in the relations. Can you?

10 Daily Habits of Exceptionally Happy People

If you get decent value from making to-do lists, you'll get huge returns - in productivity, in improved relationships, and in your personal well-being - from adding these items to your not to-do list: Every day, make these commitments to yourself. I promise your day – and your life – will go a little better.

"I will not blame other people – for anything."

Employees make mistakes. Vendors don't deliver on time. Potential customers never sign. You blame them for your problems.

But you are also to blame. Maybe you didn't provide enough training, build in enough of a buffer, or asked for too much too soon. Take responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others -- then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time. And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier.

"I will not check my phone while I'm talking to someone."

You've looked away. You’ve done the, "Wait, let me answer this text..." thing. Maybe you didn't even say, "Wait." You just stopped talking, stopped paying attention, and did it. Want to be that person everyone loves because they make you feel, when they're talking to you, like you're the most important person in the world? Stop checking your phone. Other people will feel better about you – and you’ll feel better about yourself.

"I will not multitask during a meeting."

The easiest way to be the smartest person in the room is to be the person who pays the most attention to the room. You'll be amazed by what you can learn, both about the topic of the meeting and about the people in the meeting if you stop multitasking and start paying close attention. You'll flush out and understand hidden agendas, you'll spot opportunities to build bridges, and you'll find ways to make yourself indispensable to the people who matter.

"I will not interrupt."

Interrupting isn't just rude. When you interrupt someone what you're really saying is, "I'm not listening to you so I can understand what you're saying; I'm listening to you so I can decide what I want to say." Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say. They'll love you for it -- and you'll love how that makes you feel.

"I will not waste time on people who make no difference in my life."

Trust me: The inhabitants of planet TMZ are doing fine without you. But your family, your friends, your employees -- all the people that really matter to you – are not. Give them your time and attention. They're the ones who deserve it.

"I will not be distracted by multiple notifications."

You don't need to know the instant you get an email or text or tweet or like. If something is important enough for you to do, it's important enough for you to do without interruptions. Focus totally on what you're doing. Then, on a schedule you set -- instead of a schedule you let everyone else set -- play prairie dog and pop your head up to see what's happening. Focusing on what you are doing is a lot more important than focusing on other people might be doing.

"I will not whine."

Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better. If something is wrong, don't waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually you'll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now. Don't talk about what's wrong. Talk about how you'll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.

"I will not let the past control my future."

Mistakes are valuable. Learn from them. Then let them go. Easier said than done? It all depends on your perspective. When something goes wrong, turn it into an opportunity to learn something you didn't know -- especially about yourself. When something goes wrong for someone else, turn it into an opportunity to be gracious, forgiving, and understanding. The past is just training. The past should definitely inform but in no way define you -- unless you let it.

"I will not wait until I'm convinced I will succeed."

You can never feel sure you will succeed at something new, but you can always feel sure you are committed to giving something your best. And you can always feel sure you will try again if you fail. Stop waiting. You have a lot less to lose than you think, and everything to gain.

"I will not talk behind another person’s back."

If only because being the focus of gossip sucks. (And so do the people who gossip.) If you've talked to more than one person about something Joe is doing, wouldn't everyone be better off if you stepped up and actually talked to Joe about it? And if it's "not your place" to talk to Joe, it's probably not your place to talk about Joe. Spend your time on productive conversations. You'll get a lot more done--and you'll gain a lot more respect.

"I will not say yes when I really mean no."

Refusing a request from colleagues, customers, or even friends is really hard. But rarely does saying no, go as badly as you expect. Most people will understand, and if they don't, should you care too much about what they think? When you say no, at least you'll only feel bad for a few moments. When you say yes to something you really don't want to do you might feel bad for a long time -- or at least as long as it takes you to do what you didn't want to do in the first place.

"I will not be afraid."

We're all afraid: of what might or might not happen, what we can't change, what we won't be able to do, or how other people might perceive us. So it's easier to hesitate... and think a little longer, do more research, or explore more alternatives. Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by. And so do our dreams.
Whatever you've been planning or imagining or dreaming of, get started today. Put your fears aside. Do something. Do anything. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever. Today is the most precious asset you own -- and is the one thing you should truly fear wasting