Coffee......

A  group  of  alumni,  highly established in their careers, got together to visit  their  old  university  professor.  Conversation  soon  turned  into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering  his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with  large  pot  of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass,  crystal,  some  plain  looking,  some  expensive,  some exquisite - telling them   to help themselves to hot coffee.

When  all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you  noticed,  all  the  nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind  the  plain  and  cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only  the  best  for  yourselves,  that  is the source of your problems and stress.

What  all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups.

" Now if life is coffee , then the jobs, money and position in society are the  cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life  doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So folks, don't let the cups drive you..., enjoy the coffee instead.

GOOD is not GOOD where BETTER is EXPECTED and the BEST is POSSIBLE!!!!!

Story time....

The Bowl

During the time Buddha lived, once famine struck the land.  Rains failed and people were starving.

Even the animals and birds were sufferring.   and the heat of the sun withered the harvest in the field

The wealthy people grew greedy and selfish and started to hide their grains and saved for their needy time.

The Buddha called all his followers and held a big meeting. He asked them to help the poor ones..  One Wealthy man stood up and said "I feel so ashamed that I will not be in a position to help all people in the Village'.

Hard times starve people's spirits, as well as their bodies.

"Saddest of all, Lord Buddha," said a third, "are the stories of children(triangle) dying of hunger on the poor side of town, because the wealthy have hoarded all the grain and milk and sugar."

Another one said, 'I wonder how I am going to pay my tax this year to the Government, since I couldn't harvest anything'.

Third one said, 'I am already in the process of selling my lands and other properties, just to help my family.

The Buddha said, "Is there no one here," he asked finally, "who will take on the job of helping to feed the poor and homeless in these hard times?"

There was silence. Then a sweet voice said, "I will, Lord Buddha."

Out of the crowd stepped a girl, no more than 6 or 7 years old. She was a daughter of Saint Buddha's follower.  "My name is Supriya," said the child, "and I have a bowl to fill with food for the hungry. When can I begin?" 

Everyone in the crowd were shocked, some were laughing at the girl.  The Buddha smiled. "Small child," he said, "your heart is filled with love, but how will you do this alone?"

Supriya replied, "Not alone, Lord Buddha, but with your help. I'll take this bowl from house to house and ask for food for the poor. I will not be refused. I know it."

After hearing the child, the selfish among those present grew ashamed.

Then Supriya took her bowl, and every day she went from house to house in the village. Wherever she went her bowl got filled.

"Now," said Supriya, "the hungry will eat, and the people of this town will take care of each other." And so they did.

So it all depends on the attitude, if we feel we can then we can.  If we feel we can't then we can never do anything.

Quotes from Who moved my cheese....

"It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation" 

"Life moves on and so should we" 

"Change happens when the pain of holding on becomes greater than the fear of letting go." 

"He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don't do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are afraid that it keeps you from doing anything."

"If you do not change, you can become extinct !" 

- by Spencer Johnson...Author - Who moved my cheese.....

Siddharth - an inspiration to all....!

Some people are always there as an inspiration for many of us.  Siddharth, my colleague from ABN AMRO Bank (now Royal Bank of Scotland) and our good friend is one among them.

Siddharth suffers from a neurological condition called Cerebral Palsy that affects the coordination between his mind and body. But, it never stopped him from being a successful person and a great human being.

Siddharth Jayakumar is now working for Indusind Bank Ltd as Associate Manager, Trade Ops. and he is a certified 'Documentary Credit Specialist' (CDCS) from Institute of Financial Services, UK & is India’s first CDCS with Cerebral Palsy. He is a recipient of National award in 2008 by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment - The “Best Employee with Cerebral Palsy”.  He was conferred the ‘Lala Kailashpat Singhania Award’ from National Society for Equal Opportunities for Handicapped and the Helen Keller awards in December 2009 for being a positive role model.  Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam expressed his desire to meet him and they met on 2 December 2005.  Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam mentions Siddharth's name in many of the occasions and forums including the World Disability day.  Siddharth is a person who has gained  his own personal triumph over his limitations.  One person who will be remembered for a long time in our lives...!

And I feel his philosophy in life will well fit in my blog’s name “LIVE POSITIVE WAY”!

Few quotes from his speech....

Always defeat the problem. You cannot allow the problem to defeat.

How many of you manage yourself? How do you make your presence felt? How do you make people accept you? That is where the challenge lies for me. I learnt to manage my limitations very well...How can I blame myself for something that is not in my control?

I used to talk very fast that even my parents could not understand me. I realized that and then I put in every effort to talk slow. That is a very painful process because it is not easy to beat your own mind...

I cannot write my own exam. I have to depend on somebody. Once, I had a person who did not even know English to write my history exam. I had to dictate the 3 hour paper letter by letter. I became very stubborn then. I decided to become mentally tough to be able to handle these situations...

It is easy to have a lot of thoughts, but how many can we really implement? Implementation was not very easy for me...I succeeded because I wanted to succeed.

A lot of insensitive people just happened to put me down without understanding my problem. The doctors could not diagnose my problem for 9 years. A school refused to admit me because I was different. If somebody else was in my situation, they would have just given up...

My parents are people who never expected something great out of me. I never passed on any responsibility to my parents. Accepting responsibilities for who you are and accepting whatever result you get for your action, that is what I did. It is very easy for me to blame the system, but blaming the system will make me a loser. After 6 years of my career, I have met a lot of people who cannot come to terms with my ability no matter how much they know me...

I learnt that there is no second opportunity for me. Many people take their opportunities for granted. Every single opportunity I had, I had to grab it and deliver the best I can...

Everyday I think about how I can make myself better! 

Different categories...

Three persons visited Ramakrishna Paramahamsa requesting him to reveal God to them. One was Vivekananda. Ramakrishna asserted that one could converse with God on a first-person basis. Realizing that Vivekananda was destined to serve God’s mission in a large way, and penance would be a barrier for this service, it was only at the appropriate time that Ramakrishna guided Vivekananda to the Lord’s Presence.

Another person asked Ramakrishna to reveal God. Without directly replying, Ramakrishna thrust the person’s head into water, and the man forced his head out, gasping for breath. Ramakrishna asked him, ‘What were you thinking about, during the past few minutes?’, and the person confessed that his attention was on getting out of water. Ramakrishna said, ‘When you become that desperate for realizing God, come to me, and I will guide you to His Presence.’

A third person came to Ramakrishna with the same request. Paramahamsa told him to learn the Bhagavad-Gita and consume grapes, and the person asked, ‘how many kilos of grapes and for how many days?’ Ramakrishna declared that the person would never be able to realize God. When the man pleaded with him, the sage explained, ‘You never asked me how many chapters of Bhagavad-Gita you are to learn, you were more interested in eating. How will God present Himself to you?’

There are three categories of persons: those who yearn for God’s presence, like Vivekananda did, and the intensity of their quest helps them comprehend God. The second category of persons is yet to desperately seek God; and it takes some time. The third category of persons is deep in the worldly perishables of eating, sleeping and leading a useless life.

Stay focused.....

A telegraph office announced an interview. On the day of the interview, several bright candidates, well dressed in coat and suit, waited in the office reception room for the interview call. A few minutes later, one of them stepped inside the manager’s cabin and returned ten minutes later with an appointment letter in hand. The others asked him, ‘Do you know the interviewer? Were you recommended by someone?’ to which the newly appointed recruit replied, ‘We are attending an interview at the telegraph office! They were announcing the interview, using the Morse code and since none you attempted to get up, I went in to attend the interview’. The others had been waiting for a personal call, whereas this person was shrewd enough to hear the code-call. Be aware that God is beckoning you; it is in your interests to hear His call.

Famous Attitude Quote

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts.... We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is  10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.
Dr. Viktor E. Frankl

Its different.... but its a positive attitude

Father: I want you to marry a girl of my choice

Son: “I will choose my own bride!”

Father: “But the girl is Bill Gates’s daughter.” 

Son: “Well, in that case…ok” 

Next Father approaches Bill Gates. 

Father: “I have a husband for your daughter.”

Bill Gates: “But my daughter is too young to marry!”

Father: “But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank.” 

Bill Gates: “Ah, in that case…ok” 

Finally Father goes to see the president of the World Bank.

Father: “I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president.”

President: “But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!” 

Father: “But this young man is Bill Gates’s son-in-law.”

President: “Ah, in that case…ok” 

This is how business is done!!

Moral: Even If you have nothing, You can get Anything. But your attitude should be positive… 

Story time once again.....

One day a traveller was walking along a road on his journey from one village to another. As he walked he noticed a monk tending the ground in the fields beside the road. The monk said "Good day" to the traveller, and the traveller nodded to the monk. The traveller then turned to the monk and said "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a question?". 

"Not at all," replied the monk. 

"I am travelling from the village in the mountains to the village in the valley and I was wondering if you knew what it is like in the village in the valley?" 

"Tell me," said the monk, "What was your experience of the village in the mountains?" 

"Dreadful," replied the traveller, "to be honest I am glad to be away from there. I found the people most unwelcoming. When I first arrived I was greeted coldly. I was never made to feel part of the village no matter how hard I tried. The villagers keep very much to themselves, they don't take kindly to strangers. So tell me, what can I expect in the village in the valley?" 

"I am sorry to tell you," said the monk, "but I think your experience will be much the same there". 

The traveller hung his head despondently and walked on. 

A while later another traveller was journeying down the same road and he also came upon the monk. 

"I'm going to the village in the valley," said the second traveller, "Do you know what it is like?" 

"I do," replied the monk "But first tell me - where have you come from?" 

"I've come from the village in the mountains." 

"And how was that?" 

"It was a wonderful experience. I would have stayed if I could but I am committed to travelling on. I felt as though I was a member of the family in the village. The elders gave me much advice, the children laughed and joked with me and people were generally kind and generous. I am sad to have left there. It will always hold special memories for me. And what of the village in the valley?" he asked again. 

"I think you will find it much the same" replied the monk, "Good day to you". 

"Good day and thank you," the traveller replied, smiled, and journeyed on.

Some useful tips...

Bloggers today being my wedding anniversary I wish to share some health tips (mail) shared by my hubby.  He himself is an expert in giving medical advices.  He shares so many health tips regularly and useful ones as well.  Here the simple and easy one...

Years pass by and our kidneys are filtering the blood by removing salt, poison and any unwanted entering our body. With time, the salt accumulates and this needs to undergo cleaning treatments and how are we going to overcome this?

It is very easy, first take a bunch of parsley (MALLI Leaves) KOTHIMBIR (DHANIYA)and wash it clean.  

Then cut it in small pieces and put it in a pot and pour clean water and boil it for ten minutes and let it cool down and then filter it and pour in a clean bottle and keep it inside refrigerator to cool.

Drink one glass daily and you will notice all salt and other accumulated poison coming out of your kidney by urination also you will be able to notice the difference which you never felt before. 

Parsley is known as best cleaning treatment for kidneys and it is natural!

Quotes...

The only disability in life is a bad attitude.  ~Scott Hamilton

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.  ~Buddha

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.  You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.  ~Roald Dahl

Book Review...

The book I read recently is 'Many Lives Many Master' by Brain L. Weiss. I was searching for this book for almost 7 months but couldn't find anywhere. At last got it few days back and its worth searching and reading.  It has given a new insight for me.

I believe in the law of Karma and Reincarnation..If you too, then go ahead with this book...

In this book Dr. Weiss  reports the past life memories of his patient Catherine. While reading I could sense that the details given in the book is authentic.  The Hindu beliefs of reincarnation and karma are well described by Dr.Brian Weiss.  I personally felt that my belief in Pranic Healing and this book somehow related to each other. I feel lucky to have this book in my library.  Never before has a book had such a profound effect in my life. If you can just read once.

Editorial Review from Amazon.com

Psychiatry and metaphysics blend together in this fascinating book based on a true case history. Dr. Weiss, who was once firmly entrenched in a clinical approach to psychiatry, finds himself reluctantly drawn into past-life therapy when a hypnotized client suddenly reveals details of her previous lives. During one hypnosis session his client introduces the spirit guides who have been her soul therapists in between lives. This is when the story really takes off for Weiss, who discovers that these guides have specific messages about his dead son as well as Weiss's mission in life. No, we cannot verify the truth of this story using the limited scientific tools we have available. However, it is hard to dispute that this well-respected graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School has discovered a personal truth that has led him to be an enormously popular speaker, author, and leader in the field of past-life therapy. --Gail Hudson

A nice forwarded mail from my mail box...

Once upon a time an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After he was released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.

In court the old man told the Judge: 'They were just comments, they 

were not meant to harm anyone.'

The judge, before passing sentence on the case, told the old man: 'Write 

 all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and 

on the way home; throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to 

hear the sentence.'

The next day, the judge told the old man: 'Before receiving the 

sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper 

that you threw out yesterday.'

The old man said: 'I can't do that! The wind spread them and I won't 

know where to find them.' The judge then replied: 'The same way, simple 

comments may destroy the honor of a man to such an extent that one is 

not able to fix it. If you can't speak well of someone, rather don't say 

 anything.’

'Let's all be masters of our mouths, so that we won't be slaves of our words.'

Learn this...

Art of appreciation....

I read this mail and wanted to share with everyone...

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview; the director did the last interview. The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"

The youth answered, "None."

The director asked, "Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" 

The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees."

The director asked, "Where did your mother work?"

The youth answered, "My mother worked as laundry woman."

The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"

The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me."

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange. Happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the young man.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother's hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, "I cleaned my mother's hands and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes."

The Director asked, "Please tell me your feelings."

The youth said:

1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not have been the successful me today.
   
   
2. By working together and helping my mother, only now I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.
   
   
3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationships.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired."

Later on, this young person worked very hard and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

Beware of these....

Lets check our health...since health is wealth...

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS 

1. No Breakfast 

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. 

2 . Overeating 

It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. 

3. Smoking 

It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. 

4. High Sugar consumption 

Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development. 

5. Air Pollution 

The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency. 

6 . Sleep Deprivation 

Sleep allows our brain to rest.. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.. 

7. Head covered while sleeping 

Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects. 

8. Working your brain during illness 

Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain. 

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts 

Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage. 

10. Talking Rarely 

Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain