WHAT DIFFERENCE ARE WE MAKING?

There was a man taking a morning walk at the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive.

The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly.

Right behind him, there was another person who couldn't understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, "What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?"

This man did not reply but took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a difference to this one."

What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If everyone made a small difference, we'd end up with a big difference?

I am reminded of the poem attributed to Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney:

Little drops of water, little grains of sand,
make the mighty ocean and the beauteous land.

And the little moments, humble though they may be,
make the mighty ages of eternity.

Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,
make our earth an Eden, like the heaven above.

So our little errors lead the soul away,
from the paths of virtue into sin to stray.

Little seeds of mercy, sown by youthful hands,
grow to bless the nations far in heathen lands.

Glory then forever be to God on high,
beautiful and loving, to eternity.

It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.

“SPENDING FOR LIFE” OR “LIFE FOR SPENDING”

A husband and wife in Northern India were in conversation:

Wife: Don’t put so many clothes for wash today

Husband: Why?

Wife: Maid has said she won’t come for two days.

Husband: Why?

Wife: She said she is going to meet her granddaughter during Ganpati festival.

Husband: OK, Will not put too many clothes 

Wife : And, Shall I give her Rs. 500 as Ganpati festival bonus?

Husband : Why ? Diwali is approaching; we will give her at that time.

Wife : Oh no dear . She is poor. She is going to meet her daughter and granddaughter, so she will also feel nice. Moreover, everything has become so expensive these days. How will she be able to celebrate festival?

Husband: I don’t know why you become emotional so easily.

Wife: Oh dear, don’t worry. I am going to cancel today’s program of ordering Pizza. Why unnecessarily blow away Rs. 500 on eight pieces of stale bread!

Husband: (sarcastically) Wow. Great! Snatching Pizza from us and giving to the maid!

Maid returned after three days and got busy in mopping and dusting. Husband asked her 

Husband : So, how was the vacation ? 

Maid : Very nice sahib. Didi had given Rs 500 as  festival bonus.

Husband : So you went and met your daughter? And also met your granddaughter? 

Maid: yes sahib. Enjoyed a lot and spent Rs 500 in two days time.

Husband: Really? Ok, so what did you do with Rs. 500?

Maid: Rs. 150 for dress for granddaughter, Rs 40 for a doll, bought sweets worth Rs 50 for daughter, Rs 50 as offering to Deity in temple, Rs 60 towards bus fare….Rs 25 for bangles for daughter, bought a nice belt worth Rs 50 for the son-in-law, balance Rs 75 was given to daughter to buy copy and pencil for granddaughter.

Maid gave a full account of the expenses incurred…

Husband : so much in Rs 500?

With surprise, he started thinking… the eight pieces of Pizza appeared in front of his eyes - each one of them acting as a hammer which started hitting his conscience.  The eight pieces of Pizza floated in front of his eyes. First piece: dress for the child, second piece: towards sweets, third piece: towards offering to the deity in the temple, fourth piece: towards bus fare, fifth piece: towards doll, sixth piece: towards bangles, seventh piece: towards belt for the son-in-law and eighth piece: towards copy and pencil. 

He thought: So far I had observed pizza only from one angle. When turned upside down and observed how it looks like, from the other side, he exclaimed: “wow” (unlike the earlier “wow” it was an appreciating one). So many people benefitted from it!

The eight pieces of pizza turned upside-down showed him the real meaning of life. In an instant, the difference in the meaning of “Spending for life” and “Life for spending” flashed in his mind!

DON'T GIVE UP; HEAVENLY FATHER IS WITH YOU!

Dereck Redmond, born in Bletchley in Buckinghamshire to West Indian immigrants, was a promising sprinter. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, in the middle of the semi-final race, his dream of winning was shattered because of a debilitating hamstring injury. But, while most athletes would just give up and submit to defeat, bend over and cry, Dereck was determined to cross the finish line, to finish what he started. So he picked himself up off the ground and started hobbling towards the finish lane. Then, just when it seems he might not be able to continue because of the pain, Redmond’s dad forced his way onto the track, put his arm around his son and helped his son to finish the race together. 

The video is emotionally charging and hence I share it here. 

LIFE HAS AN EXPIRY DATE!

Just visualize that you are credited with Rs. 86,400 (readers can replace rupee with your local currency) every day! It is not a savings account but a spending account. The account is such that you cannot keep any balance for the next day. (I am reminded of the story of exodus where Moses was directed by Yahweh to tell the people to collect the manna for their daily use, but spoiled if kept for the next day – for the detailed story you may read from the Book of Exodus chapter 16).  

As you have guessed, the bank account is the time. At the tick of 12 a.m. every day the account is credited with 86,400 seconds and at the tick of 11.59 p.m. the balance is invalidated. It is up to you to use, abuse or under-use it. The loss or gain is yours!

Management of time is the wise process of organizing and planning your life. It enables you to work smarter -and not harder.

The time management experts give some tips for the best use of time:

1.     Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions.

2.   Any activity or conversation that's important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they're unworkable. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.

3.   Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities, and conversations that produce most of your results.

4.   Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you're doing. Take, for instance, the concept of having "office hours." Isn't "office hours" another way of saying "planned interruptions?"

5.    Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don't start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.

6.   Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what's missing in your next call or activity?

7.    Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.

8.   Practice not answering the phone just because it's ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don't instantly give people your attention unless it's absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.

9.   Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.

10. Remember that it's impossible to get everything done. Also remember that odds are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80 percent of your results.

Life is a gift and it is just for a day - it is not meant to wake up and end up with regrets. Enjoy life now with its productive use and remember: it has an ‘expiry date’. 

IT SHALL BE WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!

Our life depends on how we handle the situations in life – we can either make it or break it! There are so many who handle it carelessly with the result that they spoil it.

The story is told about a seer who was famous because the people believed that he could see anything hidden. Once, a group of young people wanted to test him. They took a small sparrow and one of them held it in his palm. They went to the seer and asked, “Master, we have heard that you have the ability to see whatever that is hidden and say about it. There is a sparrow in our hand. Please tell us whether it is dead or alive.”

The seer replied, “It shall be what you want it to be... If I tell you it is dead, you shall just open your hand and let the bird fly; then I shall be wrong. If I say it is alive, you shall just crush it to death; then also I shall be wrong.” 

Let us not forget that we hold the potential of success as well as failure in life. Never blame the situation, upbringing or fate for what you are. You are solely responsible for the making or breaking of it!  We have many examples of people who are born into very adverse situations creating history and at the same time examples of people who, though born with a silver spoon, spoiling their lives. Always remember that life is given to us as a gift. It shall be what you want it to be…!

DOES YOUR UPBRINGING MAKE YOU HONEST 

TO THE CORE?

45-year-old K. Sudhakaran is a lottery ticket seller from Kanjangad, a town in northern Kerala.  One morning a regular customer of his called him up and asked him to set aside ten lottery tickets for him. Later that day, Sudharakan learned that one of those tickets had won the first prize - one crore (10 million) rupees! He rang up his father and told the matter. The reply was, “Call up Ashokan right away and give him the news!”   Sudhakaran did as his father asked him. Ashokan could hardly believe his ears when he learned what had happened!

Ashokan had not paid for the tickets. Nor had Sudhakaran told him the ticket numbers. And so, Sudhakaran didn’t have to tell him that one of the tickets that he had set aside for him had won the bumper prize. He could easily have pocketed the money had he wanted to—that wouldn’t have been considered illegal. Had he wished, he could have bagged the ten million rupee prize for himself.

To the inquiry why he chose to reveal this to Ashokan, the reply was,  “My father always told me that if you need to, you can even beg, but you must never snatch other people’s rights.”

To the further question whether he hesitated to call Ashokan or regretted later about what he did or later regretted the decision, his reply was, “No, not at all! I knew that what my father had said was perfectly right. My parents taught me to be honest, to do what is right, to consider everyone, rich and poor, as equal.” He continued, “My mother and all my other relatives were all very happy with what I had done. They all said that I had done the right thing.”

A couple of months ago, Sudhakaran was in the news - and for a similar reason. He had found a gold chain while traveling in a train and handed it to the police, who managed to trace its owner!

Sudhakaran’s little shop—which he’s taken on rent—is the sole means of livelihood for his family of six, including a daughter who is physically-challenged. He manages to earn around Rs. 10,000 a month from it. He is up every morning, at around 4:30, and takes the train from his village to Kanjangad—a journey of more than two hours each way. He works seven days a week, taking a day off only once in a while.

This man could have been a millionaire had he not listened to his heart and his father and kept the prize-winning lottery ticket for himself instead. But he has no regrets at all about his decision. “I know what I did was just what I should have,” he says unhesitatingly.

In contrast, we have to see the so-called religious who do not have a prick of conscience in doing illegal activities (Are we one among these!). Not only they do not have a prick of conscience, but also, they witness before others privately and publicly that it is a blessing of the God whom they worship! They hoard money and seek the help of ‘God’ to protect them.

(One of the interesting things that happened at most of our homes when the tender of Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 were withdrawn is that the wives who told to the husbands that they do not have any cash with them even on the evening of 8^th November bringing in a few invalidated currency notes. I came to know that a wife has brought about Rs.50,000 on that evening! She told her husband on that morning that the gas refill shall be brought on that day and he should leave the cost of it to which he had asked, “Don’t you the money for it” and the reply was, “No, I do not have any cash with me!” The effect of the withdrawal of the currency is that the black money within each home is being revealed!)

PREJUDICE LEADS TO MISJUDGMENT

Following is a story to prove that prejudice leads to misjudgment which in turn makes us cruel in our behavior.

My boss drove a luxury car every day and it was my duty to greet him and to open the gates for him, as I worked as a watchman in his villa. But he never responded back to my greetings.

One day he saw me opening the garbage bags outside the villa in search of any leftover food. But, as usual, he never even looked at me, it was like as if he never saw anything!

The very next day I saw a paper bag at the same place, but it was clean and the food inside was covered well. It was fresh and good food like someone had just brought it from the supermarket. I didn't bother as to where it came from, I just took the paper bag and I was so happy about it.

Every day I found this paper bag at the same place with fresh vegetables and all that we needed for a home. This became my daily routine. I was eating and sharing this food with my wife and kids. I was wondering who this fool could be - to forget his paper bag full of fresh food every day!

One day there was a big problem in the villa and I was told that my boss has died. There were too many guests coming to the villa that day and I didn't get any food that day, so I thought that one of the guests must have taken it. But the same thing happened the 2nd day, the 3rd day and the 4th day.

It went on like this for a few weeks and I found it difficult to provide food for my family, so I decided to ask the wife of my boss for a raise in my salary or else I would quit my job as a watchman.

After I told her, she was shocked, and asked me, how come you never complained about your salary for the last 2 years? And why is this salary not enough for you now? I gave her so many excuses but she was never convinced!

Finally, in the end, I decided to tell her the truth, I told her the entire story of the bag of groceries, and as to how it was my daily provision. She then asked me as to when this stopped? I told her after the death of her husband. And then I realized that I stopped seeing the paper bag immediately after the death of my boss. Why didn't I ever think of this before? That it was my boss who was providing this for me? I guess it was because I never thought that a person who never replied to my greetings could ever be this generous!

His wife started to cry and I told her to please stop crying and that I'm really sorry that I asked for a raise, I didn't know that it was your husband who was providing me with the meals, I’ll remain as a watchman and be happy to provide my service.

His wife told me, I'm crying because I've finally found the 7th person my husband was giving this bag full of food. I knew my husband was giving 7 people every day, I had already found the 6 people, and all these days I was searching for the 7th person. And today I found out.

From that day onwards, I started to receive the bag full of food again, but this time his son was bringing it to my house and giving it to my hand. But whenever I thanked him, he never replied! Just like his dad!

One day, I told him THANK YOU in a very loud voice! He replied back to me to please not be offended when he doesn't reply, because he has a hearing problem, just like his dad!

Oh! We have been wrong so many times judging others without knowing the true story behind their actions. Be kind and courteous in dealing with others, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. Be careful, not everything is about you. Before you assume, there is this thing called ASKING.

Don’t just jump to conclusion, because that is truly not an exercise, it may harm you more at the end of the day. Many of our problems are caused by how we process what happens around us. Don’t judge a situation you have never been in. Be humble enough to learn. You do not know it all. Let us change the way we feel about ourselves and others.

There are two sides to a story. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

THINK BEFORE YOU SPEND …!

The most commercialized matter of the world today is ‘spirituality’. The frustration and tension in life of the general mass is being encashed by the people who use ‘religion’ as a platform for exploitation. From astrologers to palm readers and from charismatic leaders to prophets come in this exploiter team (I am not generalizing!). There are numerous videos which depicts how the common person is being exploited by these kinds of people. Recently, I saw a FB post of a phone call with an astrologer (some of you also must have seen it).

https://www.facebook.com/467885403323391/videos/1051231261655466/

[For the benefit of those who do not understand Malayalam, I give a gist of the conversation.

The person who called the astrologer told his problem that he is in financial crisis and earlier he had sought help of these kinds of people, but without any solution. Though he did whatever they have told, he was in crisis still. Then some friend advised him to call this astrologer and hence the phone call. The astrologer asks him whether he can do 21 sessions of pooja and homam – each session costing about Rs. 15,000, to resolve it. The caller agrees to it. Then the astrologer tells him, “This is the reason why you have financial crisis”. He further tells him that the reason for his financial crisis is his tendency of falling prey to these kinds of people who siphon out his money. If he had saved the money he had spent earlier and ready to spend now which comes to lakhs of rupees, he would have resolved the problem of financial crisis. Then his life would have been happy.]

Think before you spend. Always think logically. Do not fall prey to the so-called divine persons, no matter which religion you belong to and to which ‘religious person’ you go to. I shall give you a small tip to test the person whom you rely: Has he/she become richer with his/her charisma? If yes, do not trust that person; he/she is a fake. There are no short-cuts for lasting achievements in life.