A Letter From Azim Premji to Wipro Employees

Dear Wiproite,


My own successes and setbacks along the way have taught me some lessons. I wish to share them with you and hope you will find them useful.


Lesson #1: Be careful to ask what you want. You may get it.


What this means is that do not ask too little either of yourself or the others around you. What you ask is what you get. When I look back at the time when I joined Wipro, I was 21. If you ask me whether I thought that Wipro would grow so by someday, the honest answer is that I did not. But neither did I think it would not. We constantly stretched ourselves to higher and higher targets. Sometimes, it seemed possible, sometimes fanciful and sometimes plain insane. But we never stopped raising limits. And we got a lot more than what we bargained for.


Lesson # 2: Respond, don’t react


Always be aware of your emotions and learn to manage them. There is a huge difference between people who react impulsively and those who can disengage themselves and then respond at will. By choosing to respond differently, we can prevent another person from controlling our behaviour. I remember a small story that illustrates this well. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude Customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, “Thank you, Sir.” One day, the vendor’s assistant asked him, “Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don’t you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?” The vendor smiled and replied, “He can’t help being rude and I can’t help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate mine?


Lesson # 3: Intuitions are important for making decisions


It is important to realize that our intuition is a very important part of decision making. Many things are recorded by our subconscious. Use both sides of the brain. Even that is not enough. Some decisions need the use of the heart as well. When you use your mind and heart together, you may get a completely new and creative answer

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Lesson # 4: Learn to work in teams


The challenges ahead are so complex that no individual will be able to face them alone. While most of our education is focused in individual strength, teaming with others is equally important. You cannot fire a missile from a canoe. Unless you build a strong network of people with complimentary skills, you will be restricted by your own limitations. Globalisation has brought people of different origins, different upbringing and different cultures together. Ability to become an integral part of a cross-cultural team will be a must for your success.


Lesson #5: Never lose your zest and curiosity



All the available knowledge in the world is accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The whole world's codified knowledge base (all documented information in library books and electronic files) doubled every 30 years in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, the world's knowledge base doubled every seven years. Information researchers predict that by the year 2010, the world's codified knowledge will double every 11 hours. Remaining on top of what you need to know will become one of the greatest challenges for you. The natural zest and curiosity for learning is one of the greatest drivers for keeping updated on knowledge. A child’s curiosity is insatiable because every new object is a thing of wonder and mystery. The same zest is needed to keep learning new things. I personally spend at least 10 hours every week on reading. If I do not do that, I will find myself quickly outdated.


Lesson # 6: Put yourself first


This does not mean being selfish. Nor does it mean that you must become so full of yourself that that you become vain or arrogant. It means developing your self confidence. It means, developing an inner faith in yourself that is not shaken by external events. It requires perseverance. It shows up in the ability to rebound from a setback with double enthusiasm and energy. I came across a recent Harvard Business review which describes this very effectively :

“No one can truly define success and failure for us- only we can define that for ourselves. No one can take away our dignity unless we surrender it. No one can take away our hope and pride unless we relinquish them. No one can steal our creativity, imagination and skills unless we stop thinking. No one can stop us from rebounding unless we give up.”
And there is no way we can take care of others, unless we take care of ourselves.


Lesson # 7: Have a broader social vision



While there is every reason to be excited about the future, we must not forget that we will face many challenges as well. By 2015, we will have 829 million strong workforce. That will make India home to 18% of global working-age population. The key challenge is to transform that into a globally competitive work-force. This will not be an easy task. Despite all the rapid economic expansion seen in recent years, job growth in India still trails the rise in working-age population. It is important that gains are spread across this spectrum, so that the divide between the employed and the under-employed, is minimised. Education is a crucial enabler that can make this growth as equitable as possible.


Lesson # 8: Play to win


Playing to win is not the same as playing dirty. It is not about winning all the time or winning at any cost. Playing to win is having the intensity to stretch to the maximum and bringing our best foot forward. Winning means focusing on the game. The score board tells you where you are going, but don’t concentrate too much on it. If you can focus on the ball, the scores will move by themselves. I recently came across this story that I thought I would share with you

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal- some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – and asked them to help themselves to coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, you were more concerned about comparing your cups but what you really wanted was coffee. Yet you spent all your time eyeing each other's cups. Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to contain Life, but cannot really change the quality of Life. Sometimes, by over concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee."



I wish you all every success in your career and your life.


Azim Premji

Fable for the Day

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his Customer,

"This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar in one hand and 25 cents in the other,then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?"

The boy takes 25 cents and leaves.

"What did I tell you?" said the barber. "That kid never learns!"

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store.
"Hey,son, May I ask you a question? Why did you take 25 cents instead of the dollar?"

The boy licked his cone and replied, "Because the day I take the dollar,the game's over!"

Moral: Sometimes, when you think the other is dumb, you may be making a fool of yourself

Handwriting Analysis

Handwriting analysis also called graphology, is scientific .The pattern of characteristics – potentials, traits, talents, strengths, weaknesses, emotions, orientations, intellect, values, and physical well- being – that make up the complex human being are all encoded in handwriting every time pen is put to paper.

Handwriting is comprised of many diverse elements – various strokes, such as I dots, hooks, t-bars, and loops – connected together to form letters, words, and sentences. When analyzed, these strokes can be decoded to reveal any and all of the aspects of personality. While graphology does pinpoint behavioral traits, it can’t be used to deduce any information of a discriminatory nature, such as your age, sex, or national origin. Even the writing of handicapped individuals, who may use their teeth or toes to communicate, can’t be discerned as such.

Handwriting analysis is a psychological tool, a scientific assessment method that shouldn’t be confused with any of the so-called occult art such as astrology. Graphology is not predictive; it is a means to evaluate personality accurately as it exists in the present, not in the past or future.

Moreover graphology is a self -validating science. This means the credibility of the method can be proven immediately by the feedback you get from the graphologist. Validation of handwriting analysis has also come from the scientific community itself. Various comparisons have been made between psychological tests and graphology with the same caliber of information revealed by both. In many cases, in fact, handwriting analysis proved to be more thorough and effective in assessing behavioral patterns than slandered psychological tests.

An individual's physiological and psychological functions are depicted in a person's handwriting. The act of writing contains spontaneous actions for the purpose of communicating ideas. The examination of a written specimen is the legal basis for forensic identification of an individual. The consistency of script features with their graphometric measurements is repeatable and reliable. Writing is expressive behavior and communicates personality characteristics.

The appearance of the written specimen and the tactile sensation of the written performance are the communication vehicles. Writing is a learned habit where the writer has refashioned basic forms. The look and feel of writing dictates our style of writing rather than our formal training. Your writing is the result of your perception of your pen-stroke's touch and visual images.

The act of handwriting uniquely fulfills the requirements for a projective personality test. The writer records responses to testing stimuli by writing. The writer spontaneously constructs random parts (strokes) to form known patterns (letters) into communicated ideas (words). Imposed organization to these ideas (sentences) in a limited area (page) conveys a conscious creative purpose (message). The physical data is recorded as a written specimen.

The conditions for a projective personality test are interpretative, constructive, cathartic, constitutive, and creative according to Lawrence K. Frank's grouping of projective techniques. Interpretative is to generate meaningless patterns. The writing equivalent of drawing strokes. Constructive is to place known parts into patterns. Linking letters to construct words is part of writing. Cathartic is to project and release emotions. The writing performance is an emotional release. Constitutive is to impose organization upon chaotic material. Maintaining sentence structure, filling in spaces with capitals and periods, keeping a written baseline, starting and finishing lines imposes structural organization. Creative is to generate a coherent message. The purpose of writing is to create a coherent message for the reader. The act of writing satisfies the test conditions for graphically depicting personality.

The act of writing contains human physiological and neural pathway requirements for extremely complex functions. The tactile manipulation of the writing instrument while composing a creative message involves a myriad of brain activities. Writing combines and uses elements of speaking, reading, composing, and eye-hand coordination. It is difficult to perform other tasks while writing such as exercising, holding a conversation, and operating a computer. The series execution of writing contains advanced prioritized planning and parallel cognition. Dynamically integrating perception, motion, and cognition is an involved task requiring your full attention. Writing is projecting a personality description. A particular graphic stroke-structure relates to a specific behavior or underlying disposition. The test process is the systematic observation of graphic signs or written indicators. Behavior, defined here as the observable compendium of traits, is measured while the subject is unaware of the test. The subject cannot significantly alter the test procedure or the findings. A graphic indicator is an expressive movement that is the connecting link to personality. The graphic indicator is a visible sign or symbol of an invisible behavioral attribute. Mathematical, engineering, and scientific principles can be applied to the graphic symbols to understand an individual. A pattern of behavior is determined from these graphic gestures and their inter-relationships.

In forensics, the routinely examined written specimen is used to identify a particular writer. Oriental ideograms are considered picture or symbolic writing and do not apply. When you are writing your hand and fingers are moving faster than you can consciously control them, but they are under control when you draw or paint. The majority of graphometric measurements are stable from test to retest and consistent with time.

Another individual cannot duplicate a person’s writing rhythm. An individual's pen-strokes, their construction and their speed, are impossible to replicate without detection.

What makes handwriting analysis work is that handwriting is essentially brain writing . The pen is merely a tool, directed through the movement of your arm by impulses that originate in the cerebral cortex. The message is sent via the nervous system to your arm , hand , and even toe muscles , which motivate the pen to produce the symbols we call writing.

The process is often likened to the action of a seismograph, which picks up signals of earth movement and records them on the graph. Earthquakes can be detected and evaluated in this way. Handwriting records your personality as it is projected through the writing implement.

This has a significant implication – since personalities are unique, so are handwritings. No two, like fingerprints, are exactly the same. However, your handwriting can change to reflect your current personality and outlook on life. Yet the singularity of penmanship is always retained. On the surface, handwriting styles may appear to be the same, especially among family members. Generally, in such cases, the superficial resemblance is due to a commonality of traits, which are often reinforced in a family or communal structure. Conscious or unconscious attempts to emulate style can always cause a similarity in scripts. The significant differences of personality, however, will always be revealed by a detailed handwriting analysis.

The Cage Door

A fable tells about two birds, each in a cage with food and water. One bird rebelled against his conditions, rejected the food and kept knocking his head against the cage door. A few hours later, he died of his injuries.

The other bird said, "Nothing's worth dying that way.

Let me enjoy the food and water and be grateful for the little space in which I can fly." At the end of the day, the master came to free both birds.

But only one was ready and able to enjoy freedom while the other lost it once and forever.

Our life may get trapped in a cage. Closed doors might be health problems, job problems, financial limitations, feeling of rejection and insecurity, marriage problems, inability to meet your life partner, etc.

If we focus on the closed door, we will eventually act like the poor bird. But if we enjoy our life the way it is granted, we will eventually be freed. In such situations, "It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

Wrong Decisions?

All of us make decisions - sometimes right ones, sometimes wrong ones. After we see the consequences of a wrong decision - be it in career or personal life - we feel miserable and down.

Here is something which we all would do better reading and trying to follow:

Our perception of the traits and characteristics that make us who we are is often tightly intertwined with how we live our life. We define ourselves in terms of the roles we adopt, our actions and in actions, our triumphs, and what we think are failures. As a result it is easy to identify so strongly with a decision that has resulted in unexpected negative consequences that we actually become that "wrong" decision.

The disappointment and shame we feel when we make what we perceive as a mistake grows until it becomes a dominant part of our identities. We rationalize our "poor" decisions by labeling ourselves as incompetent decision-makers.

However, your true identity cannot be defined by your choices. Your essence-what makes you a unique entity-exists independently of your decision-making process.

There are no truly right or wrong decisions. All decisions contribute to your development and are an integral part of your evolving existence yet they are still separate from the self.

A decision that does not result in its intended outcome is in no way an illustration of character. Still, it can have dire effects on our ability to trust ourselves and our self-esteem. You can avoid becoming your decisions by affirming that a "bad decision" was just an experience, and next time you can choose differently.

Try to avoid lingering in the past and mulling over the circumstances that led to your perceived error in judgment. Instead, adapt to the new circumstances you must face by considering how you can use your intelligence, inner strength, and intuition to aid you in moving forward more mindfully.

Try not to entirely avoid thinking about the choices you have made, but reflect on the consequences of your decision from a rational rather than an emotional standpoint. Strive to understand why you made the choice you did, forgive yourself, and then move forward.

A perceived mistake becomes a valuable learning experience and is, in essence, a gift to learn and grow from. You are not a bad person and you are not your decisions; you are simply human.

All of us are after all - HUMAN BEINGS made of flesh and blood!

Life is a Coffee

Sure, life is a coffee, and we must focus on enjoying the coffee (life) without being concerned about the cup (material things) we are drinking in. This brings me to a very important point; you can enjoy the coffee only if it is brewed well.

Coffee, just like life, can only give enjoyment and excitement if it contains the right mix of ingredients. More sugar and less coffee or vice versa can lead to a bad taste. Life has to be a fine mix of the ingredients like personal well-being (both physical and mental), work satisfaction, economic well-being and emotional satisfaction which comes from companions, family and close friends.

Unlike those delicious coffee servings with a whip of cream available in coffee shop, which are prepared by experts, the coffee of life has to be self-brewed and trust me - it takes a lot of effort. One has to find one’s calling, believe in self, set goals, personal priorities and most importantly, work towards their achievement.

As someone has rightly said - “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things.”

How true! How to utilize the opportunity of life is ones own prerogative but at the end of it, we surely must not regret the way we lead our lives. So brew it well, and enjoy the coffee – Cheers!

Don't

* Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

* Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different....... that each of us is special.

* Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

* Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect......it is this fragile thread that binds us together.

* Don't be afraid to encounter risks.........it is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

* Don't take for granted.......the things closest to your heart. Cherish them and love them.......as you would...... your life!

* Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been........ but also where you are going.

* Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time......you live all the days of your life!

* Most importantly, don't forget to remember God...... every moment of your life........for HE is Love and Light!

10 Golden Rules for Success

Rule Number 1

Believe in yourself , your strength , your capability , your commitment and your sincerity

People whom believe them selves will believe others and others will also believe them

Rule Number 2

Understand you have a very strong role to play

Everyone of us born in this earth has a purpose, even the food we eat daily has a purpose -because when you consume , you spend when you spend , money circulates, when money gets circulated the economy grows..

Most of frankly forget that when caught up in day to day routine works..

Rule Number 3

Remember Hero's of real life will be zero's when they start

Start from the scratch , let every brick in your empire , carry a drop of blood ( Hard Work)because when you achieve each brick will speak about you.

Look at Narayan Murthy..he dreamt & had only ten grand..to build Infosys..

Rule Number 4

Remember Experience speaks more than Ego

Learn from your elders , managers and from any one who knows atleast one step more than you , never let your ego take decision on this issue

This is where most of us fail..we all can learn a thing or two from all the people we come across whether a CEO or sweeper..


Rule Number 5

One thing we forget is our age for two reasons - to stay young,to shy away responsibilities.But the fact you can never hide this factor


Rule Number 6

Always think before you ink

Thinking is one of the greatest resource that humans possess our brain is more than 3000 encyclopedias , you will never know , how it stores things


Rule Number 7

Save the surplus - Start this minute

Never limit your life style and save ,save the surplus , you will be amazed to see after few years , your saving will double your income

Rule Number 8

Be Happy about this life
Because you will never know what is in store for you , neither god knows

Rule Number 9

Never hurt any body
For every action there is a equal and opposite reaction

Rule Number 10

Update yourself every second
Knowledge development has no age , no limit

The Measure Of Success - Subroto Bagchi

Address by Subroto Bagchi (a man who was vice- president for Lucent Technologies and Wipro with just a Political science degree from Utkal University )Chief Operating Officer, Mind Tree consulting to the Class of 2006 at the IIM, Bangalore on defining success. July 2nd 2004

I was the last child of a small-time government servant, in a family of five brothers. My earliest memory of my father is as that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa. It was, and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep - so the family moved from place to place and without any trouble, my Mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my Father.

My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system, which makes me what I am today and largely, defines what success means to me today.

As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep is an expensive resource given by the government - he reiterated to us that it was not ''his jeep'' but the government's jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we never sat in the government jeep - we could sit in it only when it was stationary.

That was our early childhood lesson in governance - a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way, some never does.

The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father's office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix 'dada' whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed - I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, 'Raju Uncle' – very different from many of their friends who refer to their family driver, as 'my driver'. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe.

To me, the lesson was significant - you treat small people with more respect than how you treat big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.

Our day used to start with the family huddling around my Mother's chulha - an earthen fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the family. There was neither gas, nor electrical stoves.The morning routine started with tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of The Statesman's 'muffosil' edition - delivered one day late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson.

He used to say, "You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect to find it". That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with that simple precept.

Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios - we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios, we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my Father would reply that we did not need one because he already had five radios - alluding to his five sons. We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply,” We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses". His replies did not gladden our hearts in that instant.

Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense of well being through material possessions.

Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built a small fence. After lunch, my Mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding. We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again. This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father's transfer order came. A few neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full bloom. She said, "I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited".

That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is what you leave behind that defines success.

My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was very small. At that time, the eldest among my brothers got a teaching job at the University in Bhubaneswar and had to prepare for the civil services examination. So, it was decided that my Mother would move to cook for him and, as her appendage, I had to move too. For the first time in my life I saw electricity in homes and water coming out of a tap. It was around 1965 and the country was going to war with Pakistan. My mother was having problems reading and in any case, being Bengali, she did not know the Oriya script. So, in addition to my daily chores, my job was to read
her the local newspaper - end to end. That created in me a sense of connectedness with a larger world. I began taking interest in many different things. While reading out news about the war, I felt that I was fighting the war myself. She and I discussed the daily news and built a bond with the larger universe. In it, we became part of a larger reality. Till date, I measure my success in terms of that sense of larger connectedness. Meanwhile, the war raged and India was fighting on both fronts. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minster, coined the term "Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan" and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up near the University's water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and I had to watch for them. I
would daydream about catching one and how the next day, I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet, that act unlocked my imagination.

Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.

Over the next few years, my mother's eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes, she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, "Oh my God, I did not know you were so fair". I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date.Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight, became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness.She replied, "No, I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed". Until she was eighty years of age, she did her morning yoga everyday,
swept her own room and washed her own clothes.

To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but seeing the light.

Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to carve my life's own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my life's calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in 1981. Life took me places - I worked with outstanding people, challenging assignments and traveled all over the world.

In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him - he remained for a few days in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning, while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and murmured to her, "Why have you not gone home yet?" Here was a man on his deathbed but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own
state. I was stunned at his stoic self.

There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned
you can be for another human being and what the limit of inclusion is you can create.

My father died the next day. He was a man whose success was defined by his principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion.

Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort, whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts - the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success was about the legacy he left, the memetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognized government servant's world.

My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, my mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions.

In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living with diversity in thinking.

Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.

Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic state and a garbled voice, she said,

"Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world." Her river was nearing its journey, at the confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity was telling me to go and kiss the world!

Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.

Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and God’s speed. Go! , kiss the world.

The Brotherhood of Man

Two countries were at war for the last so many days. Many soldiers had died in both the armies. The border areas were scenes of death and destruction. Each night the soldiers would return to their barracks, some wounded, some disillusioned and some vengeful. Others were dead and never did return.

One such night, a wounded soldier, knocked at a lonesome cottage in the sinister darkness. An old woman opened the door. Without any questions,hesitatio ns or semblance of fear she let the young fellow in.He said brusquely, "I have a bullet in my arm. I need help." She said,"Look son, I am all alone here. My son too is in the army, but he is not here. I'll do whatever I can to help you. Sit down by the log fire and make yourself warm. She brought him some hot tea and a few slices of bread. "Eat," she said simply.

The young man sipped the tea, looking around uneasily. He wasn't even sure,if he was in his own territory. Should he ask the old woman? If it was enemy territory, she would surely find a way to kill him! Poison him perhaps! He was totally helpless. He had lost a lot of blood.

The old lady said, "Shall I help you to take that shirt off, maybe I could look at the wound." The young soldier winced and said, "Nothing you can do; let it be." But he knew that he needed help and soon.

An hour later there was another knock at the door. Another young soldier walked in,"Mama!" he called. "Oh! It's you my son. It's been so many days. I'm so happy to have you home." The son saw the other soldier and said,"Mama! Who is that?" She replied, "Sssh! He's just slept. Be careful, lest you wake him up." The boy said tersely, "He's the enemy Mama! You put us all into danger by letting him in."

The mother said, "But, he's wounded badly. Look son, enemy or not, you have to help him."

The boy spoke some angry words but she stuck to her stand. The heated exchange of words woke up the soldier. In an instant he saw the new entrant and realized that he was at the mercy of the enemy.

The woman said, "This is my son, I'm sure together we can do something for you."The old woman motioned to her son and together they unbuttoned the stranger's torn shirt. Against his wishes, the son, upon his mother's insistence, dug out the bullet amidst a continuous flow of blood. He cleaned it up, applied some ointment and bandaged it. "That's the best I can do. You need to see a doctor." "I'll be on my way now,"said the soldier, making an attempt to get up, but not succeeding.

The old woman said firmly,"No way. You're not going anywhere. In the morning, you may go if you wish to. But right now, you are under my care. Sleep now!"

In the morning after eating a wholesome breakfast of hot porridge, the soldier said to the old woman, "How can I ever thank you?" She replied,"By Killing the enmity; not the enemy."

The soldier was unnerved. He didn't know what to say. Finally he said,"I'll try my best," he extended his hand towards the son, but instantaneously changed the hand-shake into an embrace. The soldier said, "We all need someone like your mother, to tell us that it's the enmity that has to be killed, not the enemy. The 'enemy' is also made of flesh and blood like us and some of them have hearts of gold. I promise to try my best. I hope you will too."

The soldier left, but that night he understood the meaning of the term 'brotherhood of man.' He knew that only one weapon was needed to kill all enmities. And that weapon was LOVE.

No second opportunity

A young man wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and said, "Son, go stand out in that field. I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."

The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull ass through the pasture out the back gate. The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life.
It stood pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber as it eyed him.
Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, out the back gate.
The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed... but the bull had no tail!

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass (often in hopes of something better), those opportunities may never again be available.


So always grab the first opportunity..

The act of Kindness

One day a woman was walking down the street when she spied a beggar sitting on the corner. The man was elderly, unshaven, and ragged. As he sat there, pedestrians walked by him giving him dirty looks They clearly wanted nothing to do with him because of who he was -- a dirty, homeless man. But when she saw him, the woman was moved to compassion.
It was very cold that day and the man had his tattered coat -- more like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat -- wrapped around him. She stopped and looked down. "Sir?" she asked. "Are you all right?"
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a good profit from providing food at the weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this." She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished her e, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet And if you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for the coffee."
She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That's black."
The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I do take cream and sugar -- perhaps more sugar than is good for me." He patted his ample stomach.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."

What is LOVE?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all even when his hands got arthritis, too. That's Love."
Rebecca - age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."
Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears iteveryday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her oldclothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you"
Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. (Now this will melt your heart.) The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Silver Linings

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off. And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of me to do this."
"No" his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, "This is good?" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit.

Be Ready to Make a Change

A 91-year-old woman died after living a very long dignified life. When she met God, she asked Him something that had really bothered her for a very long time. "If Man was created in God's image, and if all men are created equal, why do people treat each other so badly?"

God replied that each person who enters our life has a unique lesson to teach us. It is only through these lessons that we learn about life, people and our relationships with God. This confused the woman, so God began to explain:

"When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always what they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look beyond the masks people wear if you want to know what is in their hearts. Remove your own masks to let people know who you really are.

When someone steals from you it teaches you that nothing is forever. Always appreciate what you have. You never know when you might lose it. Never take your friends or family for granted, because today and sometimes only this very moment is the only guarantee you may have. When someone inflicts injury upon you, it teaches you that the human state is a very fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best as you can, it's the one thing that you are sure to have forever.

When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike. When you encounter people who are different from you, do not judge them by how they look or act, instead base it on the contents of what is in their hearts.

When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that the person will love you back. But don't turn your back on love, because when you find the right person, the joy that one person brings you will make up for all of your past hurts. Times a thousand fold.

When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone makes mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can do is forgive the offender without pretense. Forgiving those who have hurt us is often the most difficult and painful of life's experiences, but it is also the most courageous thing a person can do.

When a loved one is unfaithful to you, it teaches you that resisting temptation is Man's greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance against all temptations. By doing so, you will be rewarded with an enduring sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure by which you were tempted.

When someone cheats you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all evil. Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they may be. Do not feel guilty about your success, but never let an obsession with achieving your goals lead you to engage in malevolent activities.

When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect. Accept people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no control."

Upon hearing the Lord's wisdom, the old woman became concerned that there are no lessons to be learned from man's good deeds. God replied that Man's capacity to love is the greatest gift He has. At the root of kindness and love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson. The woman's curiosity deepened. God, once again began to explain:

"When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity, honesty, humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can counteract all the evil in the world. For every good deed, there is one evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often abused. When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of reality? When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or more hurting? More comfort or more pain? More joy or more sadness? Each one of us has the power over the balance of the love in the world. Use it wisely!"

Don't miss an opportunity to nudge the world's scale in the right direction! ~Author Unknown~

Perseverance Pays Off

The man who removed the mountain began by carrying away small stones.” (Chinese proverb). “Every noble work is impossible at first.” (Carlyle) The story is told of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland who, after defeat in battle, hid in a lonely cave. He tried to plan the future but was tempted to despair. He had lost heart and had decided to give up when his eye was caught by a spider. The insect was carefully and painfully making its way up a slender thread to its web in the corner above. The king watched as it made several unsuccessful attempts, and thought, as it fell back to the bottom again and again, how it typified his own efforts. Then, at last, the spider made it. The king took courage and persevered, and the example of the spider brought its reward.

Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl. One was an optimistic soul: But the other took the gloomy view.

“We shall drown,” he cried without much ado.

So with a last despairing cry, He flung up his legs and said “Goodbye”.

More Quoth the other frog with a merry grin, “I can’t get out, but I won’t give in.

I’ll just swim around till my strength is spent, Then will I die the more content.” More Bravely he swam till it would seem His struggles began to churn the cream On the top of the butter at last he stopped, And out of the bowl he gaily hopped.

More What of the moral? ‘Tis easily found: If you can’t hop out, keep swimming around.

On his voyage, which resulted in the ‘discovery’ of America, Columbus refused to listen to the threats of his sailors. As day after day no land appeared, the sailors threatened to mutiny, and demanded that they turn back. Columbus would not listen, and each day he entered two words in the ship’s log: ‘Sailed on’.

“Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job which he started.” (Coleman Cox) Thomas Edison made about 18 000 experiments before he perfected arc light. Dr Jonas Salk worked 16 hours a day for three years to perfect the polio vaccine. A chemist, Paul Ehrlick, worked day and night for years to perfect a chemical known as ‘606’, which would destroy the germ that causes syphilis. He had made 605 unsuccessful experiments; but the 606th was a success, hence the name ‘606’. Perseverance.

To the famous American Civil War general, Ulysses Grant, this saying is attributed: “Everyone has his superstitions. “One of mine has always been that, when I started to go any- where, or to do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished.” The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it – so fine that we are often on the line and we do not know it.

The Tremendous Power Of Attitude

Psychologists have always told us that attitudes can influence results. Two scientists decided to conduct an experiment to find out if attitudes could affect seeds. Two identical cans were taken. Into each was poured soil and fertilizer of same quality and quantity, and 23 seeds were dropped into each can.

They were both placed in a greenhouse so that they could have the same conditions of weather and temperature. There was only one variable in the experiment, all other things being the same. Everyday, the two scientists came to the greenhouse, and standing before the first can, poured into it all the negativism of which they were capable.

They said to the seeds, "You are good for nothing. Nothing is ever going to come out of you, and even if something comes out, it is not going to last," and so on and so forth. Then they came and stood in front of the second can and poured into it all the positivism of which they were capable. "You are so wonderful," they said to the seeds, "and you are going to show wonderful results.

It will be a sight to see what is coming out of you," and so on and so forth. This was repeated thrice a day for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, the scientists found that while there came forth only two or three shoots of grass, out of the first can, out of the second can, there came forth whole strands of grass, so strong that they could clutch it and lift up the entire can with its soil and fertilizer.

If this is what attitude can do to seeds what can it not do to tender children?

Life

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger - but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.
If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.
Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

And if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

Learn a lesson in life each day that you live!

Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.

Think About it? Was it worth it?

Facts of Life

The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect."A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.

Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the simple and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you Consciously went for the best cups..

Then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: - Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. - They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. - Sometimes, by concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee what God has provided us. Enjoy your coffee!."

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

1. Live simply.
2. Love generously.
3. Care deeply.
4. Speak kindly.
5. Leave the rest to God.

A Story

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.


The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.


And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.


The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.


As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.


One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.


Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.


As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Life is short

Life is short! Don't sell your soul, life, and time for money for too long of a period. Don't let little things get in your way of what you really want to do with your life. Stop making excuses about why you can't do something. If you really want something, you got to go and get it. Let go of your "should's" and make your dreams a "must". Until you do that, your dreams will stay just that, a dream and won't become reality.

Life is to be experience and enjoyed. Life is not meant to be spent doing something you don't want to do your whole life. Plan out your life so that you can soon do what you want, and work because you want to not because you have to, that is, if you even decide to work. Everyone is looking for one thing in life: Happiness. So why is it that most people want to cling to things that make them unhappy? The answer is FEAR. Fear of losing that sense of security, which for most of us, is a false sense of security.

Because life is short, you need to quit doing what the average person does or you will end up living a life that average people live. Be a kid again and dream big. Don't let the limitations of your income bring your dreams down. Plan your life in a way that will let you experience those dreams. By doing so you will inspire those around you. Don't get caught up in making a living instead of designing your life. Don't be one of those people who wake up one day when they're old and say to themselves "what happened to my life?" Letting the little things in life get in the way of big things in life is foolish.

You're probably thinking one of three things at this point (that is if you've read this far). One is "life is short, blah blah blah, easy for this guy to say, he doesn't know me, he doesn't know how complicated and hard my life is". Two: "Eh, I'm cool where I am right now, I might not being living my dreams, but I'm comfortable". Three: "I understand where he's getting at, but even if I wanted to live out my dreams, I wouldn't know where to start".

1. Whatever you're facing or going through, there are millions of people who have it worse than you. Stop complaining about circumstances. Circumstances happen to everyone, it's what you do about it that matters. If you keep complaining, you will only end up living a life worth complaining about.

2. Being in the middle is probably the worse place to be. You're not living the life you want to live but your life is not bad enough for you to do anything about it. This is where most dreams are destroyed and lives are ruined. We get comfortable. We start rationalizing "it's not that bad, I have it better than a lot of the people I know". If you want to be average, keep rationalizing. If you want to live your dreams, be honest with yourself. Don't be like the dog that whines because he's lying on a nail but doesn't do anything about it because it doesn't hurt enough. Jump on that damn nail as hard as you can so that it will wake you up and get you moving towards the life you really want to live.

3. Everything starts with you. For things to change, you must change. As long as you have strong enough reasons why you MUST live the life you dream of, the "how-to" will eventually come to you. That Determination and undeniable belief that you WILL live your dreams will soon attract people into your life who can help you get to where you want to be. Start surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you and who can see you for who you can become instead of just who you are today. Negative people are energy drainers, dream stealers, life destroyers and you should get as far away from them as possible. Your life will never far exceed the expectations from your peer group. Want to know how your life will turn out, look at your friends. If you don't like what you see, get new friends.

In closing, never forget that life is short. Tomorrow was never promised. No one ever said you will still be alive 5 years from now, or even 3 months from now. The more time you spend on doing things you don't like, the less time you will have doing the things you enjoy. What ever it is you want to do in life, start today, don't delay, make a plan and start right now!

Until next time…

Love Life. Do Good. Live Well.

School Phone Menu in a Californian School

Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member,

Please listen to all the options before making a selection:

- To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1

- To make excuses for why your child did not do his work - Press 2

- To complain about what we do - Press 3

- To swear at staff members - Press 4

- To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your newsletter and several flyers mailed to you - Press 5

- If you want us to raise your child - Press 6

- If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone - Press 7

- To request another teacher, for the third time this year - Press 8

- To complain about bus transportation - Press 9

- To complain about school lunches - Press 0

- If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable and responsible for his/her own behavior, class work, homework and that it's not all the teachers' fault for your child's lack of effort: Hang up and have a nice day!

7 Laws of the "Power of Intention" from Dr. Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer's in his book, The Power of Intention gave laws that defined the powers of intention as he saw it. Here is my interpretation of these laws that Dr. Dyer outlined.

1. The first law of intention is to recognize the face of creativity. Creativity in business is really about innovation and creating something from nothing using the power of your mind. Creativity is in you, whether you believe me or not.

2. The face of kindness is next. Any great power that can bring energy and thought into physical form must come out of kindness. In business,this is manifested with the power of positive thinking and an intent to do good. The law of reciprocity can only reward kind intentions.

3. The face of love conquers all, even in business. Think of this power of intention as the face of kindness exponentiation with the emotion of love. When you intend for your clients, vendors, employees and investors to grow and couple that with a lack of judgment, hate, anger or resentment -- more of what you want or desire in the business
relationship can manifest itself without impediment.

4. The face of beauty is truth, honesty and a knowing that what "is" -- is exactly as it should be. You can use this power by re-framing any negative thoughts you have towards others and replace them with an appreciate (a thankfulness attitude) towards them.

5. The face of expansion is next. This is the law and the power of spirit to help you expand your awareness of what is possible in your business life. Be open to the "knowings" that you have always had inside you that have quietly been guiding you. Listen to them. Whatever you think about expands and it is natural to expand. To deny this truth is to deny a part of your purpose here on Earth.

6. The face of unlimited abundance is one of my favorite laws that works in the power of intention or attraction. You were probably taught all of your life about limitations and about what is "not possible." Fortunately, this came from well-meaning people who believed in limitation and not abundance. This law does not require you to be intellectually perfect in order to receive the benefits. Believing in unlimited abundance has no downside, so why not take another look at your business life after you answer this question, "What if I could have it all?"

7. Lastly, the face of receptivity. The universal laws of intention are open to everyone and without any judgment. Consider the application of this principle is really about believing in yourself and your ability to be open to unlimited possibilities. Banish your doubts. Focus only on your positive intentions towards others and yourself to tap into this energy.

Who You Are Makes A Difference

A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made.

Using a process developed by Helice Bridges of Del Mar, California, she called each student to the front of the class, one at a time.

First she told them how the student made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."

After wards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community.

She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony.

Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt.

Then he gave him two extra ribbons, and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened."

Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said,"Well, sure."

The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said,

"Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people."
That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius."

Then he put this blue ribbon that says "Who I Am Makes A Difference" on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor.

As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you.

"My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me.

Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook.

He looked up at his father and said through his tears, "I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad, because I didn't think you loved me. Now I don't need to."

Time to be different, not just efficient

2008 is over but has not left a very great feeling for the people world over with the worries of recession and global slowdown taking the front seat everywhere. The discussions are centered on layoffs, cost cutting, and closures. In midst of all this finding a job seems like a Herculean task for freshers and even who lost their jobs.

If you are a fresh graduate hunting for job or have been laid off, you need to understand that you are not the only one. Globally, thousands have been laid off and young jobseekers are becoming skeptical about the job market. Move ahead with a positive and affirmative approach and leaving depression and negativity behind. Below are a few tips to follow while hunting for a job in the present scenario:

1. Look for the right company first and then apply for job: Yes, don't just apply for any job vacancy that comes across you. With this you may think that at this stage you really don’t have a liberty to have choices but don’t make a mistake of landing up in wrong job in haste. Search for the right job and profile for you. Explore the future prospects of the company, do a proper research on the company financials - Profitability, revenue graph, cash. Explore your own potentials. Prepare yourself well for the job you are about to apply so that you regret post joining.

2. Explore industries and sectors in growth and specializations: Look out for industries / sectors that are still growing or are predicted to grow during recession. Currently BPM, Healthcare and Education are performing very well. This will increase your chances of finding a new job and decrease or eliminate your chances of getting laid off again during difficult economic crises.

3. Write the Perfect Resume: Job hunting starts with a Perfect Resume. You can also try and enhance your skills to make the resume more worthy for the job that you are applying for.

4. Prepare yourself for the interview: Once you have found the right company and have applied for the job vacancy with your best resume, prepare yourself for the interview. Study the company and position you have applied for. Gain all the required information and knowledge and be 100% confident. This will enable you to reply intelligently quoting examples of the company while answering the question giving the interviewer a chance to gauge your knowledge on the hiring firm.

5. Be Active and Flexible: Once you pass the interview and are handed over the joining letter, it is time to celebrate. But this time, try to be very-very active and flexible in your job. Participate in all company activities and be honest and hardworking in improving the productivity of the company. Be an asset to the company by contributing innovative ideas for the development of the firm. Present yourself as a business developer. Never say NO. A job is a job. Be prepared to travel. Be prepared to visit customers.

6. Keep enhancing your skills: To make yourself a candidate of choice for the employer, the key is updation of your skill sets. Knowledge never goes waste so new certifications, degrees, programs can actually differentiate you with others at your level. In fact utilize the time that you have before getting a job in further education or gaining new skills so that you can present yourself as a future asset for the company. If you are in technology than keep yourself abreast of the latest technologies and growing trends. Web2.0. Collaboration tools, social networking, mobile convergence are changing how we live. Try and specialize in these areas and will help you find a job with relative ease

“Time to be different, not just efficient”. This is right time for all of us to introspect ourselves on the current skills and move forward. Nothing is impossible if you have the determination to WIN.