Self-Appraisal

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers).  The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation.

Boy: ‘Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?

Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): ‘I already have someone to cut my lawn.’

Boy: ‘Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.’

Woman: I’m very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.

Boy: (with more perseverance) : ‘Lady, I’ll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all   of Palm beach , Florida.’

Woman: No, thank you.

With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.

Store Owner: ‘Son… I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job.’

Boy: ‘No thanks.’

Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one.

Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the Job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!

Moral: This is what we call ‘Self Appraisal’.  Every time if we don’t get ahead of others, we blame others for it.  We should look to our self and compare, find own weaknesses and work hard to throw away weaknesses.  Always Work Hard, Honest and with full Dedication.  It will always pay up.

Wealth, Love and Success

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." "Is the man of the house in home?” they asked. “No", she replied. "He's out." "Then we cannot come in", they replied. In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am in home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a House together," they replied. "Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home?"

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!” he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!" "Let us hear our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two old men also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you all coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him.”

Moral: Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!! So try to love every one and lead happy life.

“A small story about relationship”

In order to renovate a house, a person in Japan is breaking the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 5 years ago when the house was first built!!!

What happened? The lizard has survived in such position for 5 years! In a dark wall partition for 5 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling. Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 5 years, without moving a single step–since its foot was nailed! So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.

Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 5 years… Imagine? It has been doing that untiringly for 5 long years, without giving up hope on its partner. Since a small creature can do, why not for a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can’t.!

So please never abandon your loved ones. Never Say you are Busy When They Really Need You. You May Have The Entire World At Your Feet. But You Might Be The Only World To Them.

Moral : A Moment of negligence might break the very heart which loves you throw all odds… Before you say something just remember… it takes a moment to Break but an entire lifetime to make…!!!!

True Wealth is Qualitative not Quantitative

Once upon a time, there lived a poor lady in a city.  That poor lady had only one cow but she was very clever and simple. In the same city, there was another lady, her neighbor, who was very lavish. She had eight cows. Their income was only by selling milk and it’s by product. The lavish lady always got ghee from the poor lady but she never paid for it. So the poor lady took the case to her Panchayat head. The Panchayat head called both the women and heard both sides of argument.

The poor lady complained that everyday her neighbor gets ghee from her but never paid for it. Her neighbor cornered her by saying “I have eight cows but she has only one cow, then why should I get ghee from her?”  After hearing this, the head asked them to go home and come for the hearing the next day. The next morning, the head ordered his servant to make a muddy place and to keep two mugs of water of same size. The ladies were asked to cross the mud and to wash their feet with the water kept aside. First, the poor lady crossed the mud; she washed her feet and left some water in the mug. But her neighbor emptied the full mug and asked for some more water.

After witnessing this incident, the head gave the judgment, he asked the neighbor to give the money she owes from the poor lady. He explained that both have done the same activity, the poor lady has saved some water, but the neighbor has spent lavish without care. "So definitely with one cow she would have saved more ghee than you with eight cows", he told the lavish lady.

Moral: True wealth is not accomplished by possession of property. Prudence and thrift can only make a person king or beggar.

I can sleep when the Wind blows

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work  on farms along  the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the ocean, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the little man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired man's sleeping quarters. Farmer shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired man meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired man in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

MORAL: Prevention is better than cure . Be proactive not reactive.

WHO PACKED YOUR PARACHUTE?

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

MORAL:

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

Attitude Matters

Once there was an old and very wise man. Every day he would sit outside a gas station in his rocking chair and wait to greet motorists as they passed through his small town. On this day, his granddaughter knelt down at the foot of his chair and slowly passed the time with him.

As they sat and watched the people come and go, a tall man who surely had to be a tourist -- since they knew everyone in the town -- began looking around as if he were checking out the area for a place to live. The stranger walked up and asked, "So what kind of town is this that we're in? “The older gentleman slowly turned to the man and replied," Well, what kind of town are you from?"

The tourist said, "In the town I'm from everyone is very critical of each other. The neighbors all gossip about everyone, and it's a real negative place to live. I'm sure glad to be leaving. It is not a very cheerful place. " The man in the chair looked at the stranger and said," You know, that's just how this town is."

An hour or so later a family that was also passing through stopped for gas. The car slowly turned in and rolled to a stop in front of where the older gentleman and his granddaughter were sitting. The mother jumped out with two small children and asked where the restrooms were. The man in the chair pointed to a small, bent-up sign that was barely hanging by one nail on the side of the door.

The father stepped out of the car and also asked the man, "Is this town a pretty good place to live?" The man in the chair replied," What about the town you are from? How is it?"The father looked at him and said, "Well, in the town I'm from everyone is very close and always willing to lend their neighbor’s a helping hand. There's always a hello and thank you everywhere you go. I really hate to leave. I feel almost like we are leaving family. " The older gentlemen turned to the father and gave him a warm smile.

"You know, that's a lot like this small town."

Then the family returned to the car, said their thank you, waved goodbye and drove away. After the family was in the distance, the granddaughter looked up at her grandfather and asked, "Grandpa, how come when the first man came into our town you told him it was a terrible place to live and when the family came in to town you told them it was a wonderful place to live? "

The grandfather lovingly looked down at this granddaughter's wondering blue eyes and said, "No matter where you move, you take your own attitude with you and that's what makes it terrible or wonderful. "

Moral: It's your attitude, not your aptitude that determines your altitude. Happiness is not something you find, it's something you create.

Presence of Mind

A businessman went to a shoe store to purchase a new pair of shoes. He was a prominent person in that town. After selecting a pair of shoes with size 8 he asked the salesperson to pack it.  The salesperson had just started his career and joined the shoe store a few days back.

The businessman soon discovered that he had left his wallet at home. He told the salesperson that he would take the shoes with him and make the payment the next day. The salesperson being new to business excused himself in order to discuss this matter with the store manager.  The manager knew that the customer is an eminent businessman; however, was reluctant to deliver the shoes without payment. At the same time, he was not ready to lose a sale too. He advised the salesperson to handle the situation in the best manner possible and left the place.

The salesperson stood there frozen for few minutes unable to decide. He then returned to the customer, started packing the shoes and handed the package to the customer.

The next day the customer arrived at the store with the shoes he had purchased, made the payment for his purchase and told the salesperson that "After opening the package I found one shoe with size 8 and the other with size 7.  Maybe you packed them by mistake. Can I have the shoes with size 8 please?"  The salesperson apologized for the inconvenience caused and replaced the wrong size shoe with the correct one. The customer collected his shoes and left the store with satisfaction.  

The manager happened to overhear their conversation and realized that the salesperson had used his presence of mind and handled the situation very well. They didn't lose their business as well as the customer.

Moral

It is by presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of a man is tested. If an individual has a calm state of mind, his attitude and views will be calm and tranquil even in the presence of great agitation.

Depiction of life

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written: “Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym”.  In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: “Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!”  One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless.  They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: “There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU.” “You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.  Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.”

Moral: The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed. The world and your reality are like mirrors lying in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success. It’s the way you face Life that makes the difference.

Change to Change

Once upon a time there was a king who always used to find out negatives in all the things he handles. He used to find faults with his subjects. He always used to scold his kids for not being right. He used to admonish his people for not working hard. He never appreciated his wife for anything in his life. But everyone around him knew that the king is good, except for this behavior.

But once, he was detected with some rare mental illness. So his subjects wanted to make him happy. They all searched everywhere and finally found out a very old doctor. They decided the doctor could use his experience to cure the king.

On examining the king, the doctor advised – “You should only look at green things. That is the only solution”. Hearing this, a complete makeover started. From the king’s crown to the sandals he wore, everything turned green. The palace walls, the tables, chairs and everything was painted green. Many trees were planted nearby so that the king looks only at green color. Everyone coming to meet him was ordered to change their clothes to green. But, the food he ate – could not be completely changed to green color. He cannot paint his food. He can have some green foods, but not all. Again the trouble started. The king became dull again thinking of this.

Again the old doctor was called, he was shocked to see the change in the palace and was really amused at the problem faced. He spoke to the king again. “I am sure you will understand your problem clearly now. I told that you should look at green things. You have a very simple solution. Instead of trying to change the whole world to green, you could have worn a green glass which would have turned the world green”. The king understood. He never found faults with people around him. He appreciated his kids, wife, subjects and people. His world changed green!

Moral: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself”

AKBAR’S GOLD COINS

The wisdom of Birbal was unparalleled during the reign of Emperor Akbar. But Akbar’s brother-in-law was extremely jealous of him. He asked the Emperor to dispense with Birbal’ s services and appoint him in his place. He gave ample assurance that he would prove to be more efficient and capable than Birbal. Before Akbar could take a decision on this matter, this news reached Birbal.

Birbal resigned and left. Akbar’s brother-in-law was made the minister in place of Birbal. Akbar decided to test the new minister. He gave three hundred gold coins to him and said, “Spend these gold coins such that, I get a hundred gold coins here in this life; a hundred gold coins in the other world and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there.”

The minister found the entire situation to be a maze of confusion and hopelessness. He spent sleepless nights worrying over how he would get himself out of this mess. Thinking in circles was making him go crazy. Eventually, on the advice of his wife he sought Birbal’ s help. Birbal said, “Just give me the gold coins. I shall handle the rest.”

Birbal walked the streets of the city holding the bag of gold coins in his hand. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son’s wedding. Birbal gave a hundred gold coins to him and bowed courteously saying, “The Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son. Please accept the gift he has sent.” The merchant felt honored that the king had sent a special messenger with such a precious gift. He honored Birbal and gave him a large number of expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the king.

Next, Birbal went to the area of the city were the poor people lived. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them in the name of the Emperor.

When he came back to town he organized a concert of music and dance. He spent a hundred gold coins on it.

The next day Birbal entered Akbar’s darbar and announced that he had done all that the king had asked his brother-in-law to do. The Emperor waited to know how he had done it. Birbal repeated the sequences of all the events and then said, “The money I gave to the merchant for the wedding of his son – you have got back while on this earth. The money I spent on buying food and clothing for the poor – you will get it in the other world. The money I spent on the musical concert – you will get neither here nor there.”

This is true even today.

Moral :

·         The money you spend on friends is returned or reciprocated in some form or the other.

·         Money spent on charity gets converted into blessings from God which becomes your eternal property.

·         Money spent on pleasures is just frittered away!

·         So when you spend money, think a little, if not a lot!

The attitude of finding the common ground..!!

There was a father who left 17 camels as an asset for his three sons. When the father passed away, his sons opened up the Will.

The Will stated that the eldest son should get 1/2 (half) of total camels while the middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third) and the youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the total camels. As it was not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, the three sons started to fight with each other. So, the three sons decided to go to a wise man.

The wise man read the Will patiently, after giving due thought, brought one camel of his own and added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels. Now, he started reading the deceased father’s Will.

Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels.

1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 camels.

1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

Now add this up: 9 plus 6 plus 2 is 17 and this leaves one camel, which the wise man took away.

Moral: The attitude of negotiation and problem solving is to find the 18th camel i.e. the common ground. Once a person is able to find the 18th camel the issue is resolved. It is difficult at times. However, to reach a solution, the first step is to believe that there is a solution.

If we think that there is no solution, we won’t be able to reach any !!!