How we can have "A LEAP OF FAITH"

There was once a man who got lost in the desert. The water in his flask ran out two days ago, and he was on his last legs. He knew that if he didn't get some water soon, he would surely perish. The man saw a shack ahead of him. He thought it might be a mirage or hallucination, but having no other option, he moved toward it. As he got closer he realized it was quite real, so he dragged his weary body to the door with the last of his strength.

The shack was not occupied and seemed like it had been abandoned for quite some time. The man gained entrance, hoping against hope that he might find water inside.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw what was in the shack: a water pump..It had a pipe going down through the floor, perhaps tapping a source of water deep under-ground.

He began working the pump, but no water came out. He kept at it and still nothing happened. Finally he gave up from exhaustion and frustration. He threw up his hands in despair. It looked as if he was going to die after all.

Then the man noticed a bottle in one corner of the shack. It was filled with water and corked up to prevent evaporation.

He uncorked the bottle and was about to gulp down the sweet life-giving water when he noticed a piece of paper attached to it. Handwriting on the paper read: "Use this water to start the pump. Don't forget to fill the bottle when you're done."

He had a dilemma. He could follow the instruction and pour the water into the pump, or he could ignore it and just drink the water.

What to do? If he let the water go into the pump, what assurance did he have that it would work? What if the pump malfunctioned? What if the pipe had a leak? What if the underground reservoir had long dried up?

But then... maybe the instruction was correct. Should he risk it? If it turned out to be false, he would be throwing away the last water he would ever see.

Hands trembling, he poured the water into the pump. Then he closed his eyes, said a prayer, and started working the pump.

He heard a gurgling sound, and then water came gushing out, more than he could possibly use. He luxuriated in the cool and refreshing stream. He was going to live!

After drinking his fill and feeling much better, he looked around the shack. He found a pencil and a map of the region. The map showed that he was still far away from civilization, but at least now he knew where he was and which direction to go.

He filled his flask for the journey ahead. He also filled the bottle and put the cork back in. Before leaving the shack, he added his own writing below the instruction: "Believe me, it works!"

This story is all about life. It teaches us that we must give before we can receive abundantly. More importantly, it also teaches that faith plays an important role in giving. The man did not know if his action would be rewarded, but he proceeded regardless. Without knowing what to expect, he made a leap of faith.

Water in this story represents the good things in life. Something that brings a smile to your face. It can be  intangible knowledge or it can represent money, love, family, friendship, happiness, respect, or any number of other things you value. Whatever it is that you would like to get out of life, that's water.

The water pump represents the workings of the karmic mechanism. Give it some water to work with, and it will return far more than you put in.

Who was the Boss??...

There were about 70 scientists working on a very hectic project. All of them were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone were loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job.

One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him – Sir, I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm. His boss replied “OK, You’re permitted to leave the office early today”. The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt he was close to completion. The time was 8.30 PM. Suddenly he remembered of the promise he had given to his children.

He looked for his boss, He was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything and left for home.
Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his children.

He reached home. Children were not there. His wife alone was sitting in the hall and reading magazines.
The situation was explosive, any talk would boomerang on him. His wife asked him “Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry.
The man replied “If you would like to have coffee, I too will have but what about Children ??” .Wife replied “You don’t know?? , Your manager came here at 5.15 PM and has taken the children to the exhibition “.

What had really happened was …. The boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5.00 PM. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work, but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition The boss does not have to do it every time. But once it is done, loyalty is established.

That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss even though the stress was tremendous.

By the way, can you hazard a guess as to who the boss was ?

He was none other than   Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

Lost a gem of Nation.. Missile Man of India... APJ Abdul Kalam...

Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“All Birds find shelter during a rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the Clouds.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“Failure will never overtake me if my definition to succeed is strong enough”. - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

“If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam 

“It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

"All of us do not have equal talent. But , all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.” - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

" Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness." -A.P.J Abdul Kalam

"Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life."  - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

" Without your involvement you can't succeed. With your involvement you can't fail. " - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Beautiful explanation by Swami Vivekananda...

Explaining the Meaning of 'Association'. He said:
"The rain drop from the sky, if it is caught in hands is pure enough for drinking. If it falls in gutter, it's value drops so much that it can't be used for washing the feet. If it falls on hot surface, it perishes. If it falls on lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl and finally, if it falls on oyster, it becomes a pearl. The drop is same, but it's existence & worth depends on with whom it associates."

Sundar Pichai Speech...

A beautiful speech by Sundar Pichai - an IIT-MIT Alumnus and Global Head Google Chrome:

The cockroach theory for self development��
    
At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and  sat on a lady.

She started screaming out of fear.

With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but ...it landed on another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama.

The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.

In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter.

The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt.

When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach  responsible for their histrionic behavior?

If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?

He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.

It is not the cockroach, but the inability of those people to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach, that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it's my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me.

It's not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.

More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story:

I understood, I should not react in life.
I should always respond.

The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of.

A beautiful way to understand............LIFE.

Person who is HAPPY is not because Everything is RIGHT in his Life..

He is HAPPY because his Attitude towards Everything in his Life is Right..!!,,,,,,,

���� Really beautiful ��

Morning motivation...

There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn.������
One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn.”

So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all...

-Call it power of collectivity...
-Call it a principle of success...
-Call it a law of life.
The fact is, none of us truly wins, until we all win!!

What we value most in our life ?!!

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND 

SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. 

The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him,

“After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” 

The other friend replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Do not value the THINGS you have in your life..

But value WHO you have in your life!

What do children value most from parents?

Very Valuable Answer By A Little Girl:

A teacher asked a little girl: What does your DAD do?

Girl replied: He works in a chocolate factory and brings lots of chocolate for me..

In the evening he works in an ice-cream parlor and I eat my favorite flavor…

He also works in a toys shop and brings me soft and cuddly teddy sometime.

He is also a teacher because he helps me daily in my homework.

He is very strong & hard worker. He lifts me on his shoulders. 

He becomes a horse for me and gives me a good ride around the house.

He is my favorite clown as me makes me laugh a lot. 

He is a story teller who tells me wonderful stories at night.

He works from morning to evening and never get tired.

And

When he is back to home, he is always ready to play with me.

As parents, Kids don’t value what we do to earn the money.

They give value to what we do to earn their love…

Let’s Give them what they value most… Our time….

Story of the Day...

Once upon a time, two young boys were playing on thin ice. As they were playing, one of them fell through that ice into the lake underneath. The other one tried hard and he couldn't reach his friend through that gap.

So he walked up to a tree, pulled and broke a branch of enormous size. He came back and started beating the ice and he saved his friend.

When the paramedics came and they were able to revive the kid, they were baffled and they couldn't understand that how did his friend break an enormous sized branch and then beat the ice and save his friend. They thought it was IMPOSSIBLE

Then the old man who was standing there said, "I can tell you how he did it."

They said, "How? How he did it."

The old man said, "There was no one here to tell him that he can't do it.".

Morning inspiring message...

In 1902, a professor asked his student whether it was God who created everything that exists in the universe?

Student replied: Yes

He again asked:
What about evil?
Has God created evil also?

The student got silent...
Then the student requested that may he ask a question for him?

Professor allowed him to do so.

He asked: Does cold exist?

Professor said: Yes! Don't you feel the cold dear?

Student said: I'm sorry but you are wrong sir. Cold is a complete absence of heat...
There is no cold, it is only an absence of heat.

Student asked again:
Does darkness exist?

Professor Said: Yes!

Student replied: you are again wrong sir. There is no such thing like darkness. Its actually the absence of light.

Sir! We always study light & heat, but not cold & darkness.

Similarly, the evil does not exist. Actually it is the absence of love, faith & true belief in God.

That student was...

Vivekananda...!!!

Can't stop myself to share this with all....

How we get reflections when.......

A long time ago there was a great shah. He ordered to build a beautiful palace which had many wonderful things in it. 

Among other curiosities in the palace there was a hall, where all the walls, the sealing, the door and even the floor were made of mirror. 

The mirrors were so clear and smooth that visitors didn’t understand at once that there was a mirror in front of them – so accurately the mirrors would reflect the objects. 

Moreover, the walls of this hall were made in a way that they created an extraordinary increased echo.

Once, a dog ran into the hall and froze in surprise in the middle of the hall, a whole pack of dogs surrounded it from all sides, from above and below. 

Just in case, the dog bared his teeth- and all the reflections responded to it in the same way. 

Frightened, the dog frantically barked – the echo imitated the bark and increased it many times. 

The dog barked even harder – and the echo was keeping up. The dog tossed from one side to another, biting the air- his reflections also tossed around snapping their teeth.

In the morning, the guards found the miserable dog, lifeless and surrounded by a million reflections of lifeless dogs. 

There was nobody, who would make any harm to the dog. The dog died by fighting with his own reflections.

The world doesn’t bring good or evil on its own. Everything that is happening around us is the reflection of our own thoughts, feelings, wishes and actions. The world is a big mirror.

Professionalism: It’s NOT the job u DO, It’s HOW u DO the job.”

Shiv Khera, a renowned author and  management trainer writes about his experience in Singapore :
 
"Six years ago in Singapore I gave a taxi driver a business card to take me to a particular address.
 
At the last point he circled round the building. 
His meter read 11$, but he took only 10.
 
I said Henry, your meter reads 11$ how come you are taking only 10?.
 
He said Sir, I am a taxi driver, I am supposed to be bringing you straight to the destination. 
Since I did not know the last spot, I had to circle around the building. 
Had I brought you straight here, the meter would have read 10$.
 
Why should you be paying for my ignorance ?
 
He said Sir, legally, I can claim 11$ but Honestly and ethically I am entitled to only 10.
 
He further added that Singapore is a tourist destination and many people come here for three or four days. 
After clearing the immigration and customs, the first experience is always with the taxi driver and if that is not good, the balance three to four days are not pleasant either.
 
He said Sir I am not a taxi driver, I am the Ambassador of Singapore without a diplomatic passport.
 
In my opinion he probably did not go to school beyond the 8th grade, but to me he was a professional. 
To me his behavior reflected pride in performance and character.
 
That day I learnt that one needs more than professional qualification to be a professional.

 
In one line, be a "Professional with a human touch and Values " that makes all the more difference.
 
Knowledge, skill, money, education, all comes later. First comes Human Values, Honesty and Integrity.

Very nice quote:

Once a british asked Swami Vivekanand..."Why can't you wear proper clothes to look like a gentleman.

Swami Vivekanand smiled & said: In your culture, a tailor
makes a gentleman; but, in our culture,
character makes  gentleman.
����������������

Nice line:- why we have so many temples when "god is everywhere"?
An intelligent man said
"Air is everywhere, but we still need a fan to feel it..

Masterpiece on Economics :-

One day a tourist comes to the only hotel in a debt ridden town in Kenya. He lays a 100 dollar note on the table & goes to inspect the rooms.

Hotel owner takes the note & rushes to pay his debt to the butcher.

Butcher runs to pay the pig farmer.

Pig farmer runs to pay the feed supplier.

Supplier runs to pay the maid, who in these hard times gave her services on credit.

Maid then runs to pay off her debt to the hotel owner whom she borrowed from in these hard times.

Hotel owner then lays the 100 dollar note back on the counter.

The tourist comes down, takes his money & leaves as he did not like the rooms.

No one earned anything. But that group of people is now without debt & looks to the future with a lot of optimism.
And that is how the world is doing business today!

Worth a read..!!!

Great learnings in life....

Today when I look back at what I learned during my formidable days of schooling, I see the so called punishments from my beloved teachers as great learning in life, for example :

1. Stand up on the bench - Take a holistic view, look at the big picture
2. Stand with hands up - Aim high, reach higher
3. Stand facing the wall - Introspection
4. Stand outside the class - Learn through observation, take a world view
5. Kneel down - Humility
6. Murga Bano - Physical endurance
7. Clean the blackboard - Forget and forgive, start with a fresh slate
8. Finger on your lips - boast less
9. Hold your ears - listen more
10. Touch your toes - Be flexible
11. Write down a line 25 times - work towards perfection
12. Detained after school - Dont join the rat race...be exclusive.

Perspective matters����

Some of the shortest stories with beautiful meaning.. Must read

1) Those who had coins, enjoyed in the rain.
Those who had notes, were busy looking for shelter.

2) Man and God both met somewhere,
Both exclaimed-"My creator"

3) He asked are you-"Hindu or Muslim"
Response came- I am hungry

4) The fool didn't know it was impossible-
So he did it.

5) "Wrong number"- Said a familiar voice.

6) What if God asks you after you die-
"So how was heaven??"

7) "They told me that to make her fall in love I had to make her laugh. But every time she laughs, I am the one who falls in love."

8) We dont make friends anymore, We add them

Motivating One...

A German once visited a temple under
construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God...

Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby...
Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you
need two statues of the same idol?"
"No," said the sculptor
without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage..."

The gentleman
examined the idol and found no apparent damage...

"Where is the damage?" he asked.
"There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still
busy with his work....

"Where are you going to install the idol?"

The sculptor replied that it would be
installed on a
pillar twenty feet high...

"If the idol is that far who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?"
the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said,

"I will know it..."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not....

"Excellence" is a
drive from inside, not outside....

Excellence is not for
someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.

Don't Climb a Mountain with an Intention that the World Should See You,
Climb the Mountain with the Intention to See the World

Good Morning Thought..

A German once visited a temple under
construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God...

Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby...
Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you
need two statues of the same idol?"
"No," said the sculptor
without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage..."

The gentleman
examined the idol and found no apparent damage...

"Where is the damage?" he asked.
"There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still
busy with his work....

"Where are you going to install the idol?"

The sculptor replied that it would be
installed on a
pillar twenty feet high...

"If the idol is that far who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?"
the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said,

"I will know it..."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not....

"Excellence" is a
drive from inside, not outside....

Excellence is not for
someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.

Don't Climb a Mountain with an Intention that the World Should See You,
Climb the Mountain with the Intention to See the World

Lovely msg...

When flood comes, fish eats ants and when flood recedes, ants eat fish. Only time matters. Just hold on. Nature gives opportunity to every one.

In a theatre when drama plays, you opt for front seats. When film is screened, you opt for rear seats. Your position in life is only relative. Not absolute.

For making soap, oil is required. But to clean oil, soap is required. This is the irony of life.

Every problem has (N+1) solutions: where N is the number of solutions that you have tried and 1 is that you have not tried.

"Only two category of people are happy in life - the Mad and the Child. Be Mad to achieve a goal. Be a Child to enjoy what you achieved."����

Golden words by Rahul Dravid on Patience -

“When I’m requested to speak to youngsters I like talking about this phase of my life and liken it to fascinating plant: The Chinese Bamboo. You can take a Chinese bamboo seed and plant it in the ground, water and nurture the seed for an entire year & not even see a single sprout. Infact, you’ll not see a sprout for 5 years. But suddenly, a tiny shoot will spring from the ground. And over the next 6 weeks, the plant can grow as tall as 90 feet. It can grow as fast as 39 inches every 24 hours. You can literally watch the plant grow.

What was the plant doing during these 5 years, seemingly dormant period, it was growing its roots. For 5 full years it was preparing itself for rapid, full growth. Without this root structure, the plant simply couldn’t support itself for its future growth. Some would say the plant grew 90 feet in 6 weeks, I would say it grew 90 feet in 5 years & 6 weeks.”

So keep watering and nurturing yourself. One day you will sprout and may be grow as fast as a Chinese Bamboo tree. No one gets mid night success, there are years of labor and pain behind that.

"God's delays are not God's denials."