A few minutes with self everyday...will do a world of good...(Story courtesy: Ms. Swati Mayekar)

It has been quite sometime that I posted my last blog. Would like to resume blogging and share some info of value thru my posts on a regular basis from now on.

Received an email message with an interesting story today from my former colleague at BASF, Ms. Swati Mayekar. Immediately thought of posting it here on my blog. Here it goes....

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There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough."

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand. The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction."

Moral: A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind.Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind everyday, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be...!

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Cheers,

Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (52): Story of The Importance of Time

Hi,
Good morning! It has been a year since I have started mailing and posting the Saturday stories. Weeks of time have quickly rolled by. You have been sparing your precious time of those 2-3 minutes every weekend to read the Saturday stories, and sometimes you too have been mailing me your comments and remarks, that are quite enriching. Thank you for your TIME.
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The Importance of Time
An Excerpt from the Story by Bob Perks : http://www.orgcoach.net/time.html
Once there was a young man, Jack. He used to learn a lot of things from an old man next door, Mr. Belser. Years passed by. Jack moved to college and then to another city in pursuit of his dreams, and it had been quite some time that he had seen the old man.
One day, he received a call from his mother who told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through Jack’s mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. He knew if it wasn’t for what he learnt from the old man, he would not be doing his business so successfully. He made sure that he attended the funeral. Before returning, he stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. He noticed that a small gold box, that Mr Belser had always kept locked on the desk and never revealed to Jack what it contained in it except saying that it was something he valued most, was not there anymore. It was missing. He thought that it was gone.
On returning home, Jack was delivered a parcel by the postman. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I value most in my life". A small key was taped to the letter. His heart raced as tears filled his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. With a note, "Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser."
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In today’s busy world, time is the scarcest commodity. It’s with time we buy almost everything we want in our life. We may be paying money, but that is actually earned in exchange of time. At the end of the day, it’s what we do with our time that counts. How is it spent, with whom is it spent, and for what purpose? Time is valuable. Perhaps, time is invaluable too.
The Best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Saturday Story from Siva (51): Story of a Musician and The Perception of His Talent by People

Hi,
Good morning! It’s all about perceptions. It’s my perception of myself, your perception of myself, my perception of your perception of myself, my perception of your perception of others’ perception of myself. Likewise, it is perception about people, objects, situations, results, actions, and anything and everything, we all think about. It is how we perceive the elements of a situation, analyse them, explore alternatives, and decide on the line of action that determines our success. It is the perception that makes us do what we do. Let me share with you this week a true story that helps us appreciate the value of perception better. Here it is….
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Story of a Musician and The Perception of His Talent by People
Source: Internet info (http://www.persian.asia/text/story-on-perception)
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; He  played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started
to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected in total $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any  recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most  intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. No one cared for it. But, two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell’s concert was sold out at a theatre in Boston and the seat fee averaged  $100. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people.
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Yes, we value things based on how we perceive of them. Yes, perceptions are very important. Successful people have a good knack of perceiving about themselves and their people’s perspectives clearly. They are aware that it is just perceptions and that the perceptions of people involved might not necessarily be same about the same subject, and also that they might vary from time to time. And it is always possible that others’ perceptions could throw more light on the situation than their own perception. It is when we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, we will be able to appreciate the situation better.
The Best for you always,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (50): The true Story of Eklund Mark, the Former Catholic School Student Who Died in Vietnam

Hi,
Good morning! It’s Saturday again. And, the 50^th Saturday story comes to you. It has been a pleasure preparing the stories and mailing them to you and also posting on my blog. It has helped me learn so much in the process. The stories I share with you have now become a regular part of my speeches too helping me enthral my audience better. You have been so kind and nice to be on my mailing list, to mail me your occasional comments, and also to advise me to add your friends and relatives to the list. Thank you very much for your kind encouragement. This week, I would like to share with you a true story that demonstrates power of the words we speak of others...the story of Eklund Mark.....
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Story of Eklund Mark, the Former Catholic School Student Who Died in Vietnam
An excerpt from the article, “All Good Things” by Sister Helen P. Mrosla
Sister Helen Mrosla was a maths teacher at St Mary’s School in Morris, Minnesota. In 1965, one Friday she had her class of 34 students including Eklund Mark do an interesting exercise. She asked each student to take a sheet of paper, write the names of all other students on it, and also to think the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. That Saturday, she wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed on it what everyone else had said about that individual. Next Monday, she gave each student his or her list.
Several years later, the teacher got a word that Mark Eklund had died in Vietnam and she was asked to attend his funeral.  There, one of the soldiers asked her, “Are you Mark’s math teacher? He talked about you a lot.” Before she left the place, Mark’s father and mother met her. James Eklund, his father, pulled out gently from the wallet used by Mark two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded, and refolded many times, and said, “We want to show you something. They found this with Mark always. We thought you might recognize it.” She immediately know that the papers were the ones on which she listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him. “Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”
A few of Mark’s classmates who attended the funeral also met her. They all said that they too saved their lists. While one said that he kept it in the top drawer of his desk at home, others said they kept it in wedding album, diary, pocketbook, etc., One of them took out her wallet and showed her worn and fizzled list and said, “I carry this with me at all times.”
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How nice it is to read good things about what people have to say about us! I must tell you I have a habit of storing all the messages of appreciation and praise I receive in a folder on my computer, “Good ones”. I do take time to take a look at them once in a while. And that is highly inspiring for me to keep moving forward and staying committed to the chosen goal in life. I also keep advising my children and others to open a note book and call it, “Book of good ones” and to write in it whenever they receive a pat on the back, or whenever they perform well and do something they feel proud of. It is always a right time to say a genuine compliment to others at home or in office.
The Best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Saturday Story from Siva (49): Story of Erika Vohman and Her Mission of Changing Lives with Maya Nut

Hi,
Good morning! Efforts for bringing about livelihood improvement and economic development have more often been questioned for their deleterious effects on environment. I would like to share with you this week the story of a lady who proved that it is possible to change the quality of lives of people while aiding rain forests at the same time. To learn more about it, pls read further….
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Story of Erika Vohman and Her Mission of Changing Lives with Maya Nut
Source: Internet info ( http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-16/tech/cnnheroes.erika.vohman_1_nut-rain-forest-hearty-foods?_s=PM:TECH )
Erika Vohman is a 45-year old American biologist who first encountered the Maya Nut tree while visiting rural Guatemala a decade ago. An indigenous colleague told her of this native resource that it was once an essential food staple of his Mayan ancestors, but is now totally forgotten. Maya Nut is produced by a large tropical rain forest tree, the Brosimum alicastrum. That colleague also prepared a Maya nut soup for Vohman and she found it delicious.
Having watched impoverished Guatemalan communities clear rain forests to plant food, it struck Vohman that the key for uplifting Central American communities was to help them return to their roots. She immediately decided that she could help these populations make the most of Maya nut -- a resource that didn't require forest destruction for planting. In 2001, Vohman created The Equilibrium Fund to help alleviate poverty, malnutrition and deforestation by teaching communities about their native Maya nut forests.
With one tree able to produce as much as 400 pounds of food a year, using the Maya nut prevents rain forest clear-cutting to harvest other foods and increases populations' food supplies. Dried, the Maya nut can be stored for up to five years -- a lifeline for regions with frequent drought. The Maya nut has high levels of nutrients including protein, calcium, fiber, iron and vitamins A, E, C and B. Erika has been conducting training workshops in several Central American countries on how to harvest, prepare, and cook or dry the prolific seeds into tasty, hearty foods. People who were once living right there, in extreme poverty, not even eating more than one meal a day, though there's Maya nut lying all around, now know how to feed their communities year-round with the Maya Nut. There are now more than 700 communities where “The Maya Nut Revolution” as it has come to be known, has taken hold. The quality of lives of these people changed, and rain forests too remained safe and conserved
Erika Vohman is now considered a heroine for her fight to empower the women of Central America. Her initiative and efforts over the last one decade in empowering the women with knowledge has inspired many mothers in the region to inspire their daughters, passing along the torch to the next generation of young women who will perpetuate this movement.
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Knowledge is power. That’s what Erika tried doing by educating women and empowering them to be the source of strength and nourishment. She made a difference by helping people with right knowledge to help themselves. Is there a way by which we too could help the rural people by empowering them with the right knowledge so that they too could help themselves better? Ideas are welcome.
To learn more about Erika and her mission, pls visit her website: http://mayanutinstitute.org/
The Best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

Saturday Story from Siva (48): Story of Dialysis Defying Shad Ireland and the Promise He Made to Himself

Hi,
Good morning. Hope you had a great week. Good health is essential for a happy living. And it is necessary for everyone to give due importance to what one does towards obtaining and maintaining physical fitness. It is something which one ought to work for and not to expect to get it as a birth right. What if one is already going through an ailment, be it diabetes, or high blood pressure, or kidney failure or Arthritis? Thought I would share with you this week the story of Mr. Shad Ireland who is something of a medical marvel and a walking improbability. Here it goes....
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Story of Dialysis Defying Shad Ireland and The Promise He Made to Himself
Source: Internet info (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartHealth/story?id=8262651&page=1 )
Shad Ireland was born with healthy kidneys in May, 1972. Almost exactly eleven years later, in May, 1983, he and his mother got the news that those kidneys were now diseased. Shad eventually underwent two transplant operations. The first kidney transplant, at age 18, lasted for three years. The second transplant was unsuccessful. He was told he would probably only live until he was 25.
Then one day in 1993, he saw on TV a race he’d not seen before – a triathlon. He was captivated by the strength and determination the contestants in this difficult race exhibited and told his mother he would someday compete in that race. The road to meeting that goal wasn’t straight or easy. When he decided to do the triathlon, his biceps were too small, he could not walk two minutes on a treadmill, and he couldn’t pick up even 10 pounds. He promised himself that he would go for a workout and gain the physical fitness. He went to a gym. Within a year, he gained 42 pounds of muscle. In 2004, Shad finished his first triathlon – the world famous Ironman – in Lake Placid, New York. He was the first dialysis patient to ever do so. By beating the astronomical odds against him through sheer guts and perseverance, he became a swimming, biking and running symbol of courage and hope in the face of a serious health disorder.
Doctors predicted Shad would not live six months in the 1990s. But in 2009, at the age of 37, he biked from California to the steps of the U.S. Capital to draw attention to the 500,000 people with kidney failure living on dialysis in the US. Shad continues to compete. Ireland's physical feat might seem impossible to many, but doctors want their dialysis patients to think the opposite. It’s possible. It all started with a promise he made to himself.
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Is pressure of targets and the consequent heavy work load getting the better of us, making us tired, and leaving us with no time and energy for a physical fitness regime? Is there a solution in the problem itself? Could a physical fitness workout or a simple a morning walk or a pranayama for 30 minutes right in the home itself help us get the required energy to be able to run around more, achieve our targets better, and also lead a healthy and happy life? Yes, it requires a promise to oneself and a commitment to one’s own physical fitness. Is today a great day to make that promise? Why not?
The best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

‘Law of Attraction’ in force: Sharing a positive experience

To continue the discussion from my last blog post on how this law of attraction works, I would like to share with you another experience of mine. This time, though, the power of positive thoughts. Recently I was returning from Aurangabad after a training program. There was a group of about 10 including me and some of the trainees to catch the same train to travel to Hyderabad. There was a delay in checking out of the hotel by some of the members, and I found that it was time for me to leave the hotel quickly so that I could reach the station on time and be able to board the train. By the time the driver of the vehicle was able to get another 4 members to come along it took some more time, and I realized that we would be reaching the station only after the scheduled arrival of the train. I started thinking about my journey and focusing consciously on my thoughts, “The train would arrive late today. I would have sufficient time to board the train. Even others who are left behind us would also be able to reach the station before the train arrives. We will all travel by this train tonight. And so on...” Believe it or not, the train was late that day by 40 minutes, and we had enough of time even to munch something for our dinner, though we arrived at the station 10 minutes after the regular departure time. I told myself, “The law of attraction works.”
The challenge however is how NOT to focus on ‘negative outcomes’. We don’t want certain things to happen in our lives, but we keep thinking that they might happen. And thus, we attract them into our life, knowingly or unknowingly. To realize whether this is true or not, one should dig deep into one’s own thought processes.
I am sure all of you too have had similar type of experiences in life. It would be great to hear from you too your own experiences of positive or negative thoughts and how you have experienced the ‘Law of Attraction” in your life. You can mail me at value4value@gmail.com
To learn more about ‘Law of Attraction’ you could read the book, ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne and also browse her website: www.thesecret.tv
With love and regards,
Siva
value4value@gmail.com

‘Law of Attraction’ in force: A personal experience in life

Yesterday morning, I was on my way to a nearby place to check and confirm the examination centre across the road where my son would be writing his examination. I was to cross a busy road, and the thoughts that were going through my mind were a bit negative at that time, and I was, of course, conscious of them. “I am carrying my son’s examination admit card in my hand. What would happen if some vehicle hits me while I cross the road, and in the process, if the admit card is lost, my son would not be able to write his exam. Should I have left the card at my home with my son, and simply noted the particulars required by for making the check? Let me be careful as I cross the road. Oh Gosh! Why am I allowing these negative thoughts? I should not be attracting the unwanted events this way.”
With these thoughts lingering in my mind, I crossed the road safely, checked for the centre, and confirmed it. Soon after, I started returning home from there. I was crossing the same road back again. With no vehicles close by, I was rushing forward, and all of a sudden a motorist coming from the ‘wrong side of the road’ hit me from my left side. I fell down with a shock, and the motorist too fell down. He was feeling sorry for his mistake. I bruised my right arm slightly with a scratch and a few drops of blood that came out. As I fell, I hit the ground with both of my knees. I did not realize that they were hurt at that time as I was able to stand up and move them freely. But they too bore the brunt, but not with any sprains or fractures. Lucky enough to escape with minor injuries!
As I reached home and shared the news of the accident with my family, my son shared with us the thoughts that went through his mind as I walked out of the house. “Since morning dad was hurting himself here and there hitting something or the other in the home, I wish he would come home safe without meeting any accidents on the road.” I told my wife, “Look, both he and I were thinking of an accident. Though we wished that it would not and should not happen, our thoughts were around an accident. The ‘Law of Attraction’ works.”
Remembered the magic of “Law of Attraction” read from Rhonda Byrne’s book, The Secret. Our thoughts have a magnetic force, and they attract what we focus on.
The law of attraction doesn’t compute “don’t” or “not” or “no” or any other words of negation. The law of attraction is giving you what you are thinking about-period      - Rhonda Byrne
Yesterday’s event in my life is a proof again that we ought to be consciously thinking positive thoughts in order to attract positive results in our life. BY all means, we should avoid negative thoughts even if they mean positive. For example, my thoughts of yesterday could have been, “I would return home safe by all means, and the roads are safe, and I shall take best care of myself to return home safe.” With them instead of those I had, I am sure I would have returned home safe yesterday.
Wishing safety and SUCCESS for everyone,
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (47): Story of Mayuri and Her Attitude of "Never Give Up"

Hi,
There are times in life when we touch the depths of despair. After all, life is journey that is not just filled with only highs. Champions are those who don’t lie low when fallen down. They fight the odds, convert the obstacles into opportunities with the attitude of “Never Give Up.” I came across last week a story of a lady, who showed tremendous determination to fight the odds and bounce back in life to be a role model to many. Pls read on…
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Story of Mayuri and Her Attitude of “Never Give Up”
Internet info (Courtesy: Uma Mahesh; Source: http://www.andhrajyothy.com )
Mayuri, a postgraduate, used to work for a multinational company. Married and blessed with a child, she was living happily, when suddenly life changed for her. Trekking was a hobby that she liked going on a trekking mission at every given opportunity. In the year 2002, leaving her 3-month old baby with her parents, she went along with her friends on a trekking mission to Pindari Glacier arranged by a company in Uttaranchal. The vehicle in which the team was travelling from the base camp met with an accident and fell into a deep valley. She sustained multiple fractures to her ribcage, injuries to the rear of her head, cuts all over her body, and a dislocated shoulder. The last thoughts of her mind before falling and becoming totally unconscious were, “My child is too young, I should not leave him like that, I should not die, I must survive by any and all means.”
She was rescued from the accident, got operated, had to have 60 stitches, returned to her job within 6 months, but the trauma of the accident continued to stay on her mind. It was then that she turned to yoga, which helped her become totally physically fit and fine. She later decided to spread the message of yoga, mastered the art, and she has now started a studio, “Yoga Tree” in Bangalore.
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Mayuri’s indomitable will to LIVE backed up by her love for her child as well as her own LIFE helped her win over the worst of the odds she was destined to face. Having fought the times of desperation and loss of hope, she has now become a message of hope and an example of aspiration to live life to many. Let the odds and lows we experience in our lives not stop us to bounce back with enhanced strength to rise up, move forward, and stand tall again....sooner or later.
An article in Telugu detailing Mayuri’s complete story could be read at the link given below:
https://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainNewsShow.asp?qry=2011%2Fmay%2F25%2Fnavya%2F25navya1&more=2011%2Fmay%2F25%2Fnavya%2Fnavyamain&date=5%2F25%2F2011&sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4ddc9d7eed761f23%2C0
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (46): Ubuntu: An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration

Hi,
This week, I would like to share with you an excerpt from the review of a book entitled, “UBUNTU”. “In Africa there is a concept known as Ubuntu – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others,”- Nelson Mandela. In short, Ubuntu is “"I am what I am because of who we all are." Here goes the review....
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Ubuntu: An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration
A Book Review by Ivana Taylor (http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/04/ubuntu-teamwork-collaboration.html )
Ubuntu is the story of John Peterson.  John had always been a terrific worker at BullsEye, but when he was promoted to management, he found out that he faced more challenges than he had bargained for.  Not only that, but his personal life was falling apart as well.
Then along comes Simon, a young student from South Africa.  When Simon overhears John’s frustration about having to come in over the weekend, he skips out on his college final to come in on Saturday to help John finish some poorly done paperwork.  When John asks him why, Simon says simply, “It is Ubuntu.” Soon after, John becomes Simon’s student in the way of Ubuntu.
As luck would have it, BullsEye is running a contest, and Simon is one of the winners of the grand prize – a trip to South Africa.  John, Simon and several other BullsEye employees go on the journey of a lifetime and learn the principles of Ubuntu firsthand. They come back with a plan and soon BullsEye is transformed and is not only a great place to work, but is successful as well.
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I haven’t read the book yet. To learn more about what these UBUNTU Principles are and how they could make the teams more successful, we have to get hold of the book and read it. The essence of Ubuntu is in the manner how one is open and available to others, A person with Ubuntu does not feel threatened that others are able and good, and feel diminished when others are humiliated or tortured or oppressed. They are more humane and interconnected. Appears to be worth learning more about and internalizing the principles of UBUNTU for greater success and happiness.
To read the full review of the book, click on the link :http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/04/ubuntu-teamwork-collaboration.html
The best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (45): The Story of Sergey Bubka and the Need to Compete With Oneself

Hi,
Good morning! Hope you had a great week. We are in a race everywhere. There is competition everywhere, and it is getting tougher by the day. We have all been competing as a child, at school, at college, in jobs, and in the societies we live. And, that’s perhaps what is driving us move forward, strive to do better, and achieve more. This week, I would like to share with you the story of a man who virtually had no competition, but excelled as a world-class competitor for a significant period. How did he manage to do that?
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The Story of Sergey Bubka and the Need to Compete With Oneself
Source: Internet info ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Bubka )
Sergey was born on 4 Dec 1963 in Ukraine. In 1983, virtually unknown till then in international meets, he won the world championship at Helsinki, and the following year he set his first world record, clearing a height of 5 m 75 cm. The years that followed witnessed the unparalleled dominance of Bubka, with him setting new records and standards in pole vaulting. He broke the world record for men's pole vaulting a total of 35 times in his career: outdoor world record 17 times and the indoor world record 18 times. The fact that most of the time the record he improved was his own demonstrates his absolute dominance in the event.
He became the first athlete ever to jump over 6.10 metres in 1991. As of February 2011, no other athlete has cleared 6.07, indoors or outdoors. He set the current world record of 6.14 metres in 1994, and it is yet to be broken by anyone. When asked about his secret to his success, he once said, “Having no stiff competition was much more challenging, and my ability to compete with myself to set higher targets helped me achieve more.”
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Are we complacent at times with what we have already achieved? Is lack of competition limiting our potential to achieve greater than what we have been able to? Is there someone unknown within who is restricting the ability to perform better and greater? It is perhaps time to stop looking at only the external competition as a trigger and start competing with the one within for setting higher standards and achieving greater milestones. With self belief coupled with self discipline, one can move the mountains.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (44): Story of Two Woodcutters and the Value of Their Differing Habits

Hi,
Good morning! I am in Aurangabad this morning and expecting to have a great day of meeting with a large number of successful business men. While I am here to train and motivate them how they could take their business to the next level, I am sure I will get an excellent opportunity to learn from them the very same thing. Sharing herewith a story of two woodcutters and the need for continuous learning for greater success..
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The Story of Two Woodcutters and the Value of Their Differing Habits
Anonymous (Forwarded by friends)
Once upon a time, there were two woodcutters, John and Bill. John worked for a Company for five years but never got a raise in his salary. Bill also worked for the same company but got his first promotion within a year itself. This caused resentment in John and he expressed it to his Supervisor. His Supervisor replied, "You are still cutting the same number of trees you were cutting five years ago. We are a result-oriented company and would be happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up."
John went back started hitting harder and putting in longer hours but he still wasn't able to cut more trees. He went back to his Boss and told him his dilemma. The Boss asked John to go and talk to Bill. "Maybe there is something Bill knows that you and I don't."
John asked Bill how he managed to cut more trees. Bill answered, "After every tree I cut, I take a break for a few minutes and 'sharpen my axe'. When was the last time you sharpened your axe?"
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Learning is a continuous process for everyone. Perhaps it begins with birth and continues till death. Everyone learns everyday something or the other by virtue of their own experiences of encountering with men and materials. But what is more important is to be able to choose and learn what is more relevant and valuable to one’s chosen area of work and life than anything and everything. Could each one of us ask ourselves at the end of every day, “Have I sharpened my axe today? Have I added value to myself?” Why not?
The Best for you always.
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (43): The Story of two villages, Kharkali in Rajasthan and Palve in Maharashtra and How They Fought Water Shortage

Hi,
Good morning! Hope it has been a great week for you. Here in Hyderabad, summer has already set in and the temperatures are rising and the water table is falling by every passing day. And the shortage of water is felt everywhere. No wonder that water becomes an issue of contest and conflict not only in Hyderabad and down south, but also in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and everywhere. Thought I would share with you this week the story of two villages in India and how they fought the issue of drought and scarcity of water.
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The Story of two villages, Kharkali in Rajasthan and Palve in Maharashtra and How They Fought Water Shortage
Sources: (1) http://www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/conservation/drought.htm (2) http://www.unicef.org/india/state_profiles_2832.htm
Kharkali is a village in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. Houses in this drought prone village used to be found to be locked during the summer season. People would migrate to other villages from March to June every year, since they had no water to drink during these months. It is located in a hilly terrain. But there is no more migration now. With the help of the active NGO, Tarun Bharat Sangh, the villagers have learnt to store water by constructing small tanks around their dwellings and fields. Stored water in these tanks is now sufficient for villagers as well as their animals in the summer months, in some cases up to June. The people of Kharkali don’t have to leave their homes and their village any more during summer months.
In the village of Palve in the district of Ahmednagar, women used to spend hours fetching water from a community well. That also dries up in summers. Then they used to depend on a water tanker that was hardly regular. The villagers then turned to rainwater harvesting, which helped them recharge the aquifer and the percolation tank in the village. That, along with some investment in pumps and pipes, ensured them a regular supply of water into their homes. Notable thing is that the villagers set rules for conserving and using the conserved water and agreed to follow them. The young girls could now go to schools as they are now spared from the everyday hardship of fetching water, which their mothers and grandmothers suffered for years.
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Water is life. The greatest gift of God! And a miracle by itself! A combination of one atom of Oxygen and two atoms of Hydrogen gases becomes liquid called water. Its properties are so uniquely designed by God so that life on earth could be supported. Potable water is becoming alarmingly scarce. Bottled water has become the order of the day. Could each one of us also give a thought and do something to preserve and conserve this precious gift of God? “Every drop counts.”
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (42): Story of an Ant and a Bird and their Acts of Symbiosis

Hi,
A very good Saturday morning to you. Are there times when we said, “I would do it all alone, and I don’t need anyone’s help.” Perhaps, one did succeed doing it all by oneself. But how much and how often is the question. To be dependent or independent or interdependent or all of them?? Please read on…
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Saturday Story from Siva (42): Story of an Ant and a Bird and their Acts of Symbiosis
An Excerpt of a story from Aesop’s Fables
Once upon a time, there was an ant, which lived on the banks of a pond. One day, while trying to quench its thirst, it fell into the pond and found itself drowning. Noticing the danger that the ant was going through, a bird sitting on the tree above snapped a leaf and dropped it into the pond below so that the ant could climb up on to it and rescue itself. The ant took advantage of the floating leaf and reached to its safety.
A few days later, a bird hunter came to the same tree where the ant and the bird lived. He aimed at the bird and was about to shoot an arrow to kill the bird. Noticing the danger for the bird, the ant stung the hunter on his heel, which disturbed him and also the direction of his arrow. The bird flew off to safety.
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Wav! That’s a great example of interdependence demonstrated by the little creatures. No one is all by himself that he would never need anybody’s help. There are times that one would certainly need help of somebody or the other to survive and move forward. No one could ever make it great by being either totally dependent or totally independent. More liberal and generous acts and expressions of interdependence lead to opportunities for greater survival, success, and happiness. And, that could be at our own home… or the communities we live in… or the offices we work at.
The Best for you always.
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (41): The story of Fly and the Need for Doing It Differently

Hi,
A very good Saturday morning to YOU! Hope you are doing great. We are all in pursuit of something or the other. We put in our best efforts in order to achieve what we want in our life. Certain of our goals require not only hard but also persistent efforts. Are there times that even the hard work and persistence didn’t help? What might have been the reasons? Please read this week’s Saturday Story...The Story of a Fly...
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The Fly Story— doing it differently

by Price Pritchett Ph.D.
There's a small fly burning out the last of its short life's energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly's strategy— try harder. But it's not working.
It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination. However hard the fly may try to break through the window pane, it will not be able to succeed. This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill very soon.
Across the room, ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could have reached the outside world. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could have been free of this self-imposed trap. But its idea of doing it ‘the way it has done all along’ and ‘more of it’ is not necessarily the solution.
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Great observation Dr Pritchett! Well, it is important to be persistent until one succeeds. But it is also worth looking at the way that is adopted for achieving a chosen goal. Doing it the way it has been done all along, one could expect the same result that one has been getting. There are many things in our life that we attempt achieving with added effort and that too repeatedly in the same way. Is there a different way that it could be tried so that the breakthrough could be achieved sooner and faster? Someone said, “Successful people don’t do different things, but they do things differently.”
Please read the complete story,” The Fly Story— doing it differently by Price Pritchett” at the link given below:
http://www.dailypaul.com/107003/the-fly-story-doing-it-differently-by-price-pritchett-phd
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (40): The Story of Amazing Giant Amazon Water Lily

Hi,
Good morning! Hope you are doing great. I am in the lovely locales of Mahabaleshwar today. Will be working here during the day with a team of people facilitating some interactive sessions that could help them sharpen their selling skills. Keen to contribute to the growth of the organization they are working for and in the process the people itself. After all, growth is not just a sign of life but also a means by which life perpetuates. I would like to share with you this week the story and perhaps the mystery of life and perpetuation of the amazing Amazon Lily....
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The Story of Amazing Amazon Water Lily
Source: http://www.squidoo.com/Amazonwaterlily
The Giant Amazon Water Lily, Victoria amazonica, is found growing naturally in the Amazon River. The leaves of this plant can grow to more than seven feet in diameter and the stems can reach as much as eighteen feet and can even grow longer with the rising waters. Plants sprout from seeds and the stems start growing rapidly to keep up with water level that can rise as rapidly as six or seven inches per day. The plants are armed, everywhere except the top surface of the pads with thorns. The undersides of the leaves are a marvel of structural engineering, creating buoyancy and supporting the massive leaf pad surfaces.
It had always been a mystery how these Giant Water Lilies survived the dry season. The seeds that were deposited on the parched floodplain surfaces during the hottest weather would dry out and die and seeds that fell in the river were eaten by fish. Then, how were the seeds surviving? During low water, among the vast grassland marshes filled with spongy muck become the main lily seed beds with the moisture from fresh underground pools. These isolated ponds, hidden and protected from the main river and impossible to traverse through the miles of swamps, had no fish in them to eat the seeds. This combination of circumstances holds the secret to the fragile survival of the Giant Amazon Water Lily. The wondrous giant thus survives the nature’s toughest tests and lives on continuing to add to the beauty and magic of the mighty Amazon River.
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Where there is a will there is a way. Appears to be true even for the plants!! The will to survive leads plants and animals take to different paths, just as the giant lily does from modification of its leaf structure to the enormous rate of its stem growth, to attracting pollinating beetles, and to ultimately finding a safe haven for its seeds. The nature’s mantra to all living beings is perhaps to grow and perpetuate. May each one of us do our best to grow and branch out such that the human race continues to race on!
The best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (39): The Story of Roger Bannister and His Amazing Feat in Athletics

Hi,
Good morning! Yesterday was a great day for cricket in Indian subcontinent! India and Sri Lanka played the World Cup finals. I know everyone was glued to their TVs, and you and I were not an exception. It was a great match, with Sri Lanka setting a stiff target of 275 runs, and India chasing it with some early hiccups but comfortably at the end. India won the match and the World Cup. There could be many reasons for this Champion Indian team for its win yesterday that made the nation of a more than billion people proud. But one important factor that I would like to attribute for their SUCCESS is their SELF-BELIEF. Let me share with you a story that depicts the power of belief on this occasion.
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The Story of Roger Bannister and His Amazing Feat in Athletics
On August 7, 1954, Roger Bannister from England created a world record by running a 1 mile distance under 4 minutes. People had been trying to achieve it since the days of ancient Greeks. But, nothing they tried worked. So people believed it was impossible for a person to run a mile in four minutes. For over a thousand years every one believed it. People thought that the human bone structure and leg muscles were not strong enough or the wind resistance was too great or the lung power was inadequate, etc. There were abundant reasons.
However, in 1954, when Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile myth, it was a miracle. From that day till today, more than twenty thousand people ran the 1 mile under 4 minutes including some high school children. What made the difference? How come people suddenly became good enough to achieve the so called impossible? There were no great breakthroughs in physical training. No one discovered how to control wind resistance. Human bone structure, lung power and physiology didn’t improve suddenly. The only difference that could be seen is people’s BELIEF,” if Roger could do it, why not I?” And for reinforcing that “power of belief” in human excellence, Roger Bannister’s feat of 1954 was rated #1 among the most outstanding individual athletic achievements of the last 100 years.
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If you can believe it, you can do it. True champions like Roger proved it correct time and again that made them the trend setters and the path breakers, creating a sense of belief in others too. Belief in oneself and one’s own abilities creates the power required to accomplish the desired. Indian cricket team proved yesterday how valuable it is to believe in oneself once again. They did it. Yes they did it. If they could do it, why can’t we in our own area of interest? As we still savour the taste of yesterday’s victory, and before the feeling of being on top of the world cricket sinks in, let us start believing in what you want. BELIEF makes impossible possible.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (38): The Story of Budha and His Way of Handling Turbulence

Hi,
Good morning! Hope you had a great week. For me too, it was a fabulous one with a new client who seemed satisfied with my services, and a couple of new prospects in the process of placing their orders. Having now entered the last week of March and thus the final week of the financial year, it is time for everyone to take a look at the growth and success achieved during the year and plan for the New Year ahead. Have you experienced some turbulences during the year gone by? Please read the story of this week...
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Saturday Story from Siva (38): The Story of Budha and His Way of Handling Turbulence
Author: Unknown (Contribution by VRK Murthy)
One day, Buddha asked one of his disciples to get some water for him to drink from a pool nearby. When the disciple reached the pool, he found that the water had been made dirty by an elephant that had just waded through it. So, the disciple was going to another source of water when Buddha called him back. The disciple explained that the water in the pool was muddy and that he was going to a steam further up.
“No need,” Buddha in his polite soberness told. He also informed him that “The water from the same pool will do.” So the disciple went back to the pool and found that the mud had settled down by then and the water was clear and sparkling. When he returned with the water, Budha told him, “See, never do anything in haste.”
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Each one of us experiences ups and downs in life. There are times of Highs as well as Lows, be it in professional or personal life. It all happens to almost everyone as if it is a nature’s dictum, which one has to abide by. Still, the times of Lows are quite disturbing and distressing leading to sharp reactions rather than sublime understanding. It is again perhaps a nature’s law that anything that is agitated has to get precipitated sooner or later. Bad times don’t exist for ever, and good times will come soon... or sooner if we could only view the failures as the nature’s way of helping us enjoy the sweetness of success greater.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (37): The Story of an Indian Farmer and His Way of Moving Forward

Hi,
Good evening! Had a great day today with a team of seed production officers working with them on the issues they confront in their workplace and how to resolve them. As we began the discussion, some of the participants started stating the problems/complaints they receive from the seed growers and suggesting that they were too difficult to resolve. Broke them into smaller groups, allotted an issue to each group, asked them to work out a strategy by which the issue be resolved and present it to the whole group. They came up with superb solutions, the very availability of which was only questioned by them a few minutes before. What has made the difference? The outlook?
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The Story of an Indian Farmer and His Way of Moving Forward
On one of my visits to my native place, I was interacting with an uncle of mine who is a farmer by profession. Just to start the conversation, I asked him, “How are the crops, this season?” He replied “It was a terrible season. We were hit by a severe cyclonic storm and floods at crop maturity that damaged the paddy fields badly.” He continued, “While I could save about 20% of the crop, my cousin lost his crop completely. And, this is not the first time. It has almost become a routine for us.”
I tried empathising with him, “I know what a challenge it is to do farming. But tell me, how do you manage to survive when everything goes so bad, and that too repeatedly?” He said, “Look, we depend on agriculture. We have lost this time. There is no point in worrying about it. The NEXT SEASON could be better. “I could then make out that he doesn’t have the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ in his dictionary. He only has a positive hope...The NEXT TIME...
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We too go through the bad times. But, have we then asked ourselves questions like, “If only I had bought that piece of land, if only I had taken up that job? If only I had been given that opportunity, if only I had not been treated that way?” Would it be better to look forward with a positive hope for the NEXT TIME? Yes, the better days are ahead!
The best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (36): The Story of the Japanese and Their Power of RESILIENCE

Hi,
Good morning! Earth revolves around the sun at an amazing speed of about 66,600 miles/hour, and rotates on its own axis at a speed of more than 1000 miles/hour like a spinning top. Moon, the Earth's only natural satellite, orbits around it at a distance of 384000 KM. Minute changes in these numbers could mean big changes for us the humans on the planet earth. Nature is all powerful. Thank God that they are in order most of the times. But, caused by consistent undesired human interventions or some unknown and uncontrollable forces, when they deviate, the disaster strikes..
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The Story of the Japanese and Their Power of RESILIENCE
Natural disasters, fires, and earthquakes destroyed Japan's cities in whole or in part on numerous occasions over the last several centuries. The resilience of the Japanese is such that they did not let themselves down, but bounced back every time and rebuilt their cities transforming them into some of the world’s best.
Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by atomic bombs in Aug 1945. But the Japanese showed tremendous resilience to rebuild them as well as the Japan over the years into world’s 2^nd or 3^rd largest economy. It has been reported that Japan was hit by more than 195 tsunamis so far, but they have withstood all of them. This one, which hit them yesterday, is perhaps the worst. But with the kind of resilience and enormous bouncing-back attitude they had always shown, they should weather the storm, return to the normal life soon, and rebuild the lost cities that would become symbols of power of man’s RESILIENCE,
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There are ups and downs in the lives of people as well as those of nations. It is said, “A Champion is not someone who never falls, but is the one who gets up, every time he falls, and runs forward.”
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” –Confucius.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (35): Story of a King and His Approach to Leading His People

Hi,
Good morning! Leadership is something which we get to experience at various levels. At school or a college, at home as well as at work, at a village or a community level or at a national or global level.. No one is all by himself any more. Everyone is a part of one team or the other; as a member in one team while being the leader of the other. How do we approach the team, especially when we are the leader of the team?
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Story of a King and His Approach to Leading His People
Source: Internet info
One day a sage came to a King for an interview. The sage had to wait for a long time because the King was very busy. Finally, the King said he could come in.
When the sage entered the hall, the first thing he did was to take off his hat and bow to the King. Immediately the King took his crown off and bowed to the sage. The ministers and others who were around the King asked, "What are you doing? He took off his hat because he is an ordinary man. But you are the King. Why should you have to take your crown off?"
The King said to his ministers, "You fools, do you think I wish to remain inferior to an ordinary man? He is humble and modest. His humility is a great virtue. He showed his respect to me. If I did not take off my crown, then I would be showing less humility than an ordinary man. If I am the King, I should be better than everybody in everything. That is why I took off my crown and bowed to him!”
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Being humble when the position is low is good. But it is great if a person who acquires power shows humility and remains humble. We all appreciate when someone occupying a high office comes down to reach out and empathise with the people who are in need. How nice it would be if everyone relinquishes the desire to “control” and develops the attitude to “collaborate”? ‘Humility unto others’ is a great virtue. Let it be expressed at home and work. The world deserves to be a more joyful place.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (34): Story of a Farm Boy Who Became One of the Greatest Baseball Pitchers

Hi,
Good morning! God endows each one of his creations with innumerable assets. Human being is perhaps the most complex of his creations. Thousands of researchers, psychologists, and philosophers spread over hundreds of years tried understanding and revealing the potential of human brain. It only revealed that that what is known is only a fraction of what is unknown. Here goes today’s story which would help us understand the power of one such creation....
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Story of a Farm Boy Who Became One of the Greatest Baseball Pitchers
Source: Internet and Books
Mordecai Brown was born in 1876 in a poor American farming family. As a child, he dreamt of becoming a big league baseball pitcher. His parents also supported him, as he showed a very good talent at it. He also used to work on the farm to support his family. One day, he accidentally slipped his right hand into a corn shredder that resulted in a total loss his index finger and also a severe damage to his middle finger. That didn’t make him leave his dream of becoming a pitcher. He learned to throw the ball with the fingers he had left.
Mordecai Brown—dubbed “Three Finger” because of his childhood farm injury—was the dominant pitcher for the great Chicago Cubs team, a team that from 1906 through 1910 was arguably the best in baseball history. Mordecai would throw the ball in such a way that it would come fast, dancing, twisting, turning, and gyrating up and down baffling the batters. Brown’s handicap actually enabled him to throw pitches with an unconventional movement that left batters bewildered. He became one of the greatest pitchers of American baseball.
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Amazing attitude! Injured, but with the determination of continuing to be on the chosen goal with what he had, Mordecai converted his disaster into an opportunity. Well, each one of us has also been endowed with innumerable assets, leave alone the handicaps. What have we made out of them? Do we realize that we have far more strengths than what we actually put to use? Is it also the time that we could take a look at the handicaps and see if we could convert them into our assets as they are, if we can’t find a way out to correct them?
“When you start out with a disadvantage, you have to work harder to do what others take for granted In the end, that gives you an advantage.” —Ferguson Jenkins
To learn more about Mordecai Brown, please visit: http://www.mordecaibrown.com
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

B Sivaprasad

Corporate Trainer and Motivational Speaker

SS Technologies

401, Rajya Lakshmi Nivas, 5-2-26/1, Kukatpally

Hyderabad 500072, India

Mobile: (91) 99639-69797

eMail: value4value@gmail.com

Saturday Story from Siva (33): The Story of a monk who tried to emulate

Hi,
Hope you are doing great. Has been a pleasure posting a story every Saturday for last several weeks. It is of great help to me as it is reinforcing my own learning. And, I hope you too find it of value to share them among your contacts.
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The Story of a monk who tried to emulate
Anonymous (Courtesy: Purushotham Rudraraju)
A Zen tale tells of three monks who practiced meditation together, sitting by the side of a lake. One day, one monk opened his eyes and stood up to say, “I forgot my mat.” Instead of walking around the lake to their hut, he stepped onto the water and serenely walked across the lake! Upon his return, the second monk declared, “I forgot to put my clothes to dry.” He too walked across the water and returned the same way.
Now the third monk decided to test of his own abilities. He rose to declare, “Your learning cannot be greater than mine… I too can match any feat you two can perform.” He rushed to the water's edge to walk across it. He promptly fell into the deep water. Wet but undeterred, he climbed out of the water and tried again, only to sink into the water. The other two monks watched as this went on for some time.
After a while, the second monk turned to the first and said, "Do you think we should tell him where the stones are?"
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Emulating great people and their great feats is certainly advisable. However, it is important to learn the true reasons of their success so as to achieve the success to a similar degree. The desire to succeed alone will not help, unless it is coupled with the knowledge and the effort required for the task. And sometimes, that effort may not be a too difficult one, if one could try to acquire the right knowledge by looking deep into it.
The Best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (32): Story of the Amazing Monarch Butterfly

Hi,
Good evening! Birds, bats, and whales migrate for reasons of climate, shelter, food, etc., But, the only insect that migrates for reasons of climate is the king of butterflies, The Monarch Butterfly. The story of migration of Monarch is very astonishing and amazing. Pls read further...
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Story of The Amazing Monarch Butterfly
Source: http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/monarchbutterflies/monarchbutterflies.html
Millions of Monarch butterflies migrate from Canada and Northern parts of United States to to the coastal regions of California and Texas and also to the mountains of central Mexico in order to avoid the chilling winters. The distance covered in the process is more than 2000 miles. And, after the winter every year, the monarchs return on the same dates, and to the exact same locations in the spring. Not the ones who set off on migratory journey, but those of their 4^th or 5^th generation. Truly incredible!
Each adult butterfly lives only about four to five weeks. But one of the many wonders of the Monarchs is the annual creation of a unique special generation. As autumn approaches in their sites of migratory origin, a very special generation of monarch butterflies is born. Unlike their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents -- all of whom had short lives measured only in weeks -- these migratory butterflies survive seven or eight months. In human terms, given our average life span of 75 years, this would be like having children who lived to be 525 years old!
This generation, because of their longer life span, performs the incredible feat of flying from Canada and the United States to the center of Mexico -- after which they begin their return journey northward again. Once they reach the United States, they lay the eggs and die. A kind of relay race begins as their short-lived offspring, with only four or five weeks to live, continue making the trek northward over several generations....finally reaching the same location left by their great-great-great grandparents.
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The monarchs who started the journey know fully well that their lifespan is too short to complete the round trip covering so many thousands of miles for so many months. However, they still take off and put in their best efforts for the sake of their progeny. Just as we humans too do our best in the interest of our children. May our efforts continue to be directed to make the world a better place to live, especially for our future generations to whom we owe a safe planet!
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (31): Story of a Driver and His Approach to Learning

Hi,
Good morning! We are already into February of the New Year. Hope the going is great for you. Wishing you continued success in pursuit of your goals for the year 2011, here is another Saturday Story…
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Saturday Story from Siva (31): Story of a Driver and His Approach to Learning
By Prakash Iyer (Courtesy: PKV)
He is 58 years old, bespectacled with distinguished silver grey hair. He's spent 25 years working for one of India's most respected corporate houses. I have learnt a lot from him. But it is unlikely you would have ever heard of him. His name is Karunan. And he worked with me as my driver.
Sometimes, the biggest lessons in life come from very unlikely sources. And as Karunan spoke to me one morning about his life and times, he said, "I was 18 when I got my license. But it was only after several months of driving a car that I actually learnt to drive, and became a real driver." A license is only a permit -- and not a stamp of authority. An MBA does not make you a manager. It is only after you spend several more years learning on the job that you truly qualify to call yourself a manager.
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For that matter any degree is only an indication of what educational qualification one has got, and not necessarily the skills he or she possesses. They have to be practised and perfected over the years, and learning as such is a continuous process. Opportunities for learning exist every single day from some corner or other. And that could be from anyone whom we deal with, and certainly not necessarily from a particular class of people. Let there be value addition to our knowledge and skills on a daily basis.

The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (30): The story of a Son and What He Learned Observing His Father

Hi,
It’s time again for another Saturday story. Hope you are able to spare those 2 or 3 minutes every week to read and enjoy the stories. I am not getting tired of mailing them. And I hope you are also not getting tired of reading them. As such there are many more with me, as some of you have been sharing the stories so that the same could be shared with the whole group. Thank you so much.
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The burnt biscuit
Author Unknown (Courtesy: D Jaikumar)
Mom liked making dinners with extra care. And I remember one night in particular when she had made it after a long, hard day at work. That evening, she placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed.
All dad did was reach for his biscuit, smiled at mom, and asked me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and ate every bit of it.  When I got up from the table, I remember hearing mom apologize to dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits.”
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"
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To err is human. We all make mistakes at home and office. The challenge however is how we react in situations where mistakes are committed by others, though we also know that we ourselves are not immune to committing mistakes. How did we make them feel? Good or bad? Someone said, “People will forget what you did or what you said to them, but certainly won’t what you made them feel.” Finding reasons for us to make the people we deal with feel better helps build healthy and happy relationships.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (29): Swami Vivekananda and the Power of Concentration

Hi,
A very good Saturday morning! Hope the New Year has begun well for you, and you have set your new targets for yourself the year 2011. Time runs very fast. Three-fourths of the first month are already spent. And before we realize the year will be gone. Would like to share with you this week the story of ‘Personal Experience of Swami Vivekananda’ on one of the key elements for success in whatever one may undertake. Here it is for your reading!
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The Story of Swami Vivekananda and The Power of Concentration
An excerpt from the book, “Swami Vivekananda-The Friend of All”
An interesting thing happened when Swamiji went to the United States of America for the second time. One day he was walking along the bank of a river, he found a group of youngsters shooting at a string of eggshells bobbing up on the water. The youths tried in turns, but none could hit the target. Swamiji, who was watching all this, felt amused. He could not suppress his smile and this did not escape the attention of one of the young men who said in a challenging tone, “The task is not as easy as it looks, sir. Let us see how you do it.”
Swamiji said nothing, but took the gun from the boy’s hand and hit twelve shells in succession. The youths were awe-struck and supposed Swamiji was a brilliant marksman. Swamiji could read their minds. He told them he had never in his life fired a shot before and that the secret of his success was his concentration.
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We all know that focus is an important factor that contributes to success in any endeavour. The challenge, however, remains how to stay focussed without being distracted. To be able to concentrate, one could perhaps first gain a clear picture of what is to be done and why is it required. There is a lot of power in asking oneself, “WHY?” The clearer and the more convincing the answer to it is the greater the concentration to accomplish it.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (28): The Story of a Girl and the Power of Her Approach

Hi,
Happy Sankranti! This week, I would like to share with you the true story of a girl from California which is quite inspiring. Here it goes....
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Story of a Girl and the Power of Her Approach to the Purpose in LIFE
An excerpt from the book, “You Can Change The World“ By James Keller
An old Chinese Proverb says, “Better to light one candle, than to curse the darkness.” For a girl in a small Californian town doing that meant a difference between life of a sickness and an inspiration to everyone around her. Weakened by a series of epileptic fits, her condition was aggravated to the point that hospitalization was the only course left open to her. Lying in bed, hour after hour, gave her plenty of time to think about the future.
One day, she thought if she tried to help others first, then her own troubles might seem less important and less hopeless. Accordingly, she decided to write in the local newspaper a column that will make people concentrate on the good around them instead of always doing the opposite, just the way she had also been doing. Within 3-4 weeks after the column first appeared, letters began pouring in thanking her, giving her a mental pat on the back for what she was trying to do.
And from that day, the girl had rarely suffered from another attack of epilepsy. Doctors pointed out that the “getting out of herself,” and out of her own narrow world, had given her a purpose in life, had done away with her earlier mental and emotional frustration, which in their opinion, was responsible for her epileptic disorder. They added that they also knew of many cases where the cure was within the person himself as much as in the medical treatment.
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Wav! That’s amazing! We know every problem has a cure. But most often, we tend to search for the solution somewhere, while we ourselves hold it very much within us. The girl in the story chose to change her point of focus from the problems she was going through to spreading cheer and good to the people. In the process, her own problems disappeared.
Wishing you and your family The Best in the NEW YEAR!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (27): The Story of a Father and His message of Sympathetic Oneness

Hi,
This week, I would like to share with you the story narrated by Sri Chinmoy in one of his books, Garden of the Soul. Slightly longer than the ones shared earlier. It is more in the dialogue form, and I am sure you will enjoy reading it. Here it goes...
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Sympathetic Oneness

Sri Chinmoy
A father and son were walking together, enjoying the early morning breeze. They had covered a good distance when the father stopped suddenly and said, "Son, stop!"
The son said, "What's wrong?"
The father said, "Nothing in particular, but let's not walk any farther on this road."
"Why not?" asked the son.
"Do you see that elderly man coming toward us?" the father asked, pointing down the road.
"Yes, I see him," replied the son.
"He's a friend of mine," said the father. "He borrowed money from me and can't pay it back. Each time he sees me he tells me he'll borrow the money from someone else and give it to me. This has been going on for a long time, and I don't want to embarrass him anymore."
The son said, "Father, if you don't want to embarrass him, why don't you tell him that the money is a gift and you don't want it back?"
"I've already told him that," said the father. "When I said, 'I don't want it back; it's a gift,' he got mad. He said, 'I'm not a beggar. I'm your friend. When I was in need, you gave me money, and when I can, I'll give it back. I want to remain your friend, not become a beggar.' Now I don't want to embarrass him, and I don't want to be embarrassed myself. So let's take another road."
The son said, "Father, you are truly good. I'm very proud of you. it's usually the borrower who tries to avoid the lender. It's usually the receiver who is embarrassed, not the giver. But you want to spare him embarrassment. What I have learned from you is a sympathetic oneness."
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Humility unto others is perhaps one of the greatest of all virtues. Staying kind and forgiving toward the weak and the guilty, though not easy, may help bring about some change, sooner or later. No one, for that matter, is all powerful, and everyone would need some kind of help from someone or the other. It is just a question of who, when, and what one is dealing with. At least, one could derive some sense of relief and peace by deciding to be humane to others in need. It is about treating others just as the same way we would like to be treated.
The Best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva