Inspirational World

The Inspiring Story: Acres of Diamonds.

2011-08-29T17:59:00.000+05:30

There was a farmer in Africa who was happy and content.

He was happy because he was content. He was content because he was happy.

One day a wise man came to him and told him about the glory of diamonds

and the power that goes along with them. The wise man said,

"If you had a diamond the size of your thumb, you could have your own city.

If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could probably own your own country."

And then he went away. That night the farmer couldn't sleep. He was unhappy

and he was discontent. He was unhappy because he was discontent and

discontent because he was unhappy.

The next morning he made arrangements to sell off his farm,

took care of his family and went in search of diamonds.

He looked all over Africa and couldn't find any. He looked all through Europe

and couldn't find any. When he got to Spain, he was emotionally,

physically and financially broke. He got so disheartened that

he threw himself into the Barcelona River and committed suicide.

Back home, the person who had bought his farm was watering

the camels at a stream that ran through the farm. Across the stream,

the rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made it sparkle like a rainbow.

He thought it would look good on the mantle piece. He picked up

the stone and put it in the living room.

That afternoon the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling.

He asked, "Is Hafiz back?" The new owner said, "No, why do you ask?"

The wise man said, "Because that is a diamond. I recognize one when I see one."

The man said, no, that's just a stone I picked up from the stream. Come, I'll show you.

There are many more." They went and picked some samples and sent them

for analysis. Sure enough, the stones were diamonds. They found that

the farm was indeed covered with acres and acres of diamonds.*

What is the moral of this story? There are five morals:

1. When our attitude is right, we realize that we are all walking on acres

and acres of diamonds. Opportunity is always under our feet.

We don't have to go anywhere. All we need to do is recognize it.

2. The grass on the other side always looks greener.

3. While we are dyeing the grass on the other side, there are others

who are dyeing the grass on our side. They would be happy to trade places with us.

4. When people don't know how to recognize opportunity,

they complain of noise when it knocks.

5. The same opportunity never knocks twice. The next one may be

better or worse, but it is never the same one.

Author:Unknown

The Parable Of The Pencil

2011-06-08T10:02:00.000+05:30

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside,

just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know,"

he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world.

Always remember them and never forget, and

you will become the best pencil you can be."

1) You will be able to do many great things,

but only if you allow yourself to be held

in Someone's hand."

2) You will experience a painful sharpening

from time to time, but you'll need it to

become a better pencil."

3) You will be able to correct any mistakes

you might make."

4) The most important part of you will always

be what's inside.

5) On every surface you are used on, you must

leave your mark. No matter what the condition,

you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember,

and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.

Always remember them and never forget, and

you will become the best person you can be.

1) You will be able to do many great things, but only if you

allow yourself to be held in God's hand, and allow

other human beings to access you for the many gifts

you possess.

2) You will experience a painful sharpening from

time to time, by going through various problems in life,

but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

3) You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

4) The most important part of you will always be

what's on the inside.

5) On every surface you walk through, you must leave

your mark. No matter what the situation, you must

continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you

to know that you are a special person and only you can

fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that

your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Unknown Author.

The Barber Who Didn't Believe

2011-06-07T16:28:00.001+05:30

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and

his beard cut as always. He started to have a good

conversation with the barber who attended him.

They talked about so many things and various subjects.

Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said:

"Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say so."

"Why do you say that?" asked the client. "Well, it's so easy,

you just have to go out in the street to realize that

God does not exist. Tell me, if God exists,

would there be so many sick people?

Would there be abandoned children?

If God exists, there would be no suffering nor pain.

I can't think of a God who permits all of these things."

The client stopped for a moment thinking but he didn't want

to respond so as to prevent an argument. The barber finished

his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left

the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair

and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had

his hair cut and he looked so untidy).

Then the client again entered the barber shop and
he said to the barber:"know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How come they don't exist?"-asked the barber.

"Well I am here and I am a barber."

"No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did

there would be no people with long hair and beards like that man

who walks in the street."

"Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to us."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist,

what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him

that's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Author Unknown

A Million Dollar Lesson

2011-06-06T12:48:00.001+05:30

A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson in
customer satisfaction and expectation.
Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars

to impart his kind of training to corporate executives
and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.

I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on
a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included
a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport.
A spotless cab pulled up.

The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me
and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed
the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that
the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use.
He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type
of music I would enjoy.

Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!"
Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was
receiving! I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you
take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."

"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America.
But I got tired of thinking my best would never
be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life
where I could feel proud of being the best I could be.

I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but
I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have
done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate
my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver.

One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business
I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers.
But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED
the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and
the return of being 'great' better than just getting
by on 'average'"

Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's
loss is the traveling folk's friend!

Lessons to learn:

1) Go an Extra Mile when providing any Service to others.

2) The is no good or bad job. You can make any job good.

3) Good service always brings good return.

by : Petey Parker

Beautiful Inspiring Story: Mother's Love

2011-06-05T17:54:00.005+05:30

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen

one evening while she was fixing supper, and

handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on.

After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it,

and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00

For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00

For going to the store for you: $.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25

Taking out the garbage: $1.00

For getting a good report card: $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00

Total owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there,and

the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind.

She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you

while you were growing inside me:

No Charge

For all the nights that I've sat up with you

doctored and prayed for you:

No Charge

For all the trying times, and all the tears that

you've caused through the years:

No Charge

For all the nights that were filled with dread,

and for the worries I knew were ahead:

No Charge

For the toys, food, clothes, and

even wiping your nose:

No Charge

Son, when you add it up,

the cost of my love is:

No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written,

there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked

straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you."

And then he took the pen and in great big letters

he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

Lesson from the Above Inspiring Story:

1) You will never know how much your parents

worth till you become a Parent

2) Be a giver not an asker, especially with your parents.

there is a lot to give, besides money.

Advice: IF your mom is alive and close to you, give her

a big kiss and ask her for forgiveness. If she is far away

call her. if she passed away, pray for her.

By unknown Author

Story of Generous Giving

2011-06-03T22:42:00.000+05:30

Generosity and kindness doesn't mean that you give only

when you have lot or after fulfilling all your needs, but

in fact you can still give when you yourself is struggling.

Generosity literally means willingness and liberty in

giving away ones own money, time, talent and etc

sincerely without any personal gain as shown in the

following story.

Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village

collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his

tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech

a poor old lady got up. She was bent with age, her hair

was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers

tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place

where Mahatma Gandhi was sitting.

"I must see him," she insisted and going up to Mahatma Gandhi

touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought

out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Mahatma Gandhi

picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully.

The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of

Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Mahatma Gandhi for the coin but

Mahatma Gandh refused.

"I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,"

Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a

copper coin." "This copper coin is worth much more than

those thousands" Mahatma Gandhi said.

"If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two,

it doesn't mean much."

But this coin was perhaps all that the poor old lady possessed.

She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her.

What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin

more than a crore of rupees.

The Battle Between the Two

2011-06-03T22:06:00.001+05:30

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about

a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves"

inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow,

regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority,

lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,

humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,

compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked

his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied,

"The one you feed."

Author: Unknown

Inspiring Story: Love & Acceptance

2011-05-11T11:04:00.000+05:30

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home

after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from

San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got

a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”

“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.” “There’s

something you should know,” the son continued, “he lost an arm

and a leg. He has nowhere else to go and I want him to come

live with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help

him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad, I want him

to live with us.”

“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking.

Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us.

We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something

like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just

come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way

to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard

nothing more from him. A few days later, however,

they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son

had died after falling from a building, they were told.

The police believed it was a suicide. The grief-stricken

parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue

to identify the body of their son.

They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered

something they didn’t know. Their son had only one arm

and one leg.

Lesson from the Inspiring Story:

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy

to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around,

but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make

us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from

people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way.

Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that

welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of

how messed up we are.

Author Unknown

Inspiring Story: The Clever Boy

2011-03-12T08:30:00.001+05:30

A man with his donkey carrying two sacks of wheat was

On his way to the market. After a little while he was tired

and they rested under a tree. When he woke up from his nap

he could not see the donkey and started searching for

the donkey everywhere. On the way he met a boy,

he asked the boy, "Have you seen my donkey?"

The boy asked, "Is the donkey's left eye blind,

his right foot lame and is he carrying a load of wheat?"

The man was happy and said, "Yes, exactly!

Where have you seen it?" the boy answered

"I haven't seen it." This made the man very angry

and he took the boy to the village chief for punishment.

The judge asked, "Dear boy, if you had not seen at

the donkey, how could you describe it?"

The boy answered, "I saw the tracks of a donkey and

the right and left tracks were different from this

I understood that the donkey that passed there was

limping. And the grass on the right side of the road

was eaten but the grass on the left was not. From that

I understood that his left eye was blind. There were

wheat seeds scattered on the ground and I understood

that he must have been carrying a load of wheat.

The judge understood the boy's cleverness and told

the man to forgive the boy.

Lesson from the Inspiring Story:

This story teaches us that we should not be quick

to judge the people.

Author: Unknown

I can sleep when the Wind blows

2011-03-09T08:40:00.000+05:30

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.

He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were

reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded

the awful storms that raged across the ocean, wreaking havoc

on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants

for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached

the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help,

hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy

from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the little

man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.

Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed

next door to the hired man's sleeping quarters. Farmer shook

the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming!

Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir.

I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him

on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had

been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn,

the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred.

The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away.

Lesson from the Story:

The farmer then understood what his hired man meant,

so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically,

you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows

through your life? The hired man in the story was able to sleep

because he had secured the farm against the storm.

Inspiring Story:Signs of Happiness

2011-03-05T16:44:00.000+05:30

There was a young couple who led a very happy life together.

The only thing that they worried about was, whether their

happiness would last forever or would they too would have

to face problems.

One day, they heard that a wise old man had come to town;

he could solve all kinds of problems and guide people. So the

couple decided to visit the wise old man and tell him their

source of worry.

The wise old man told them; "Travel around the world and seek

a man and a woman who are perfectly happy as a couple. When

you find such a couple, ask them for a piece of cloth from the

man's shirt, then keep that piece of cloth with you, and you

always remain happy."

The young couple began their journey, to find the happiest couple

in their world. In one place they heard that the governor and his

wife were the happiest people, so they went to their palace and

asked them, "Are you the happiest couple?"

The governor and his wife replied, "Yes, we are happy in every way

except for one thing; we do not have any children."

Well that didn't make the governor and his wife the happiest couple.

So they continued their journey. They arrived in one city where they

had heard that the happiest couple lived. They went to their house

and asked them, "Are you the happiest couple?"

The couple replied, "Yes, we are really happy in every way except that

we have too many children which make our life a bit uncomfortable."

No, this couple did not sound to be the happiest. And, so they continued

their journey. They visited many countries, cities, towns and villages

asking the same question but they did not find what they were looking for.

One Day the young couple came across a shepherd in the desert.

The shepherd was grazing his sheep when his wife and child came along.

The shepherd greeted his wife and gently patted the child she was carrying.

She laid the mat and started to eat contentedly. The young couple came to

them and asked them, "Are you the happiest couple?"

The shepherd and his wife replied, "Nobody is unhappier than the king."

The young couple immediately realized that they were the happiest couple

and asked them for a piece of the shepherd's shirt, so that their happiness

too would last throughout.

The shepherd said, "If I give you a piece of cloth from my shirt then I will

be left without any clothes since I own just one shirt."

The young couple at once understood that it is very difficult to find

perfect happiness anywhere in the world. The couple decided to return

to their own country. They went to the wise old man and related all that

had taken place. They also complained that his guidance was difficult

to abide by.

The wise old man laughed and said, "Was your journey useless or did you

learn something from it?"

The young man replied, "Yes, after this trip I have learnt that in this world,

nobody is perfectly happy, only that person is happy who does everything

to please Allah."

Noble Qur'an says: "And whosever follows My (Allah's) guidance, on them

shall be no fear nor shall they grieve". (Holy Quran 2:38)

The wife said, "I have learnt that in order to be happy it is important

to remember two things; first, all human beings should be thankful and

contented with whatever they have."

Noble Qur'an says: "And your Lord declared publicly: if you are grateful,

I will add more favors unto you". (Holy Quran 14:7)

"And secondly, for ultimate happiness one must always practice patience."

Noble Qur'an says: "Seek help through patient perseverance and prayers".

(Holy Quran 2:45)

After that, young couple thanked the wise old man for his guidance

and returned home. The wise man prayed for them and said, "Indeed

the sign of happiness is in their heart and they have good manners and

if the lifetime is spent in pleasure of Allah there would be no differences

in the existence of mankind."

Noble Qur'an says: "Whosoever follows My (Allah's) guidance, will not loose

his way nor fall into misery. But whosoever turns away from My message,

verily for him is a miserable life". (Holy Quran 20:123-124).

A Beautiful Story on Recession

2011-03-04T10:13:00.000+05:30

This Story is about a man who once upon a time was selling vadapav

by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers.

He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes

were weak, so he never watched television.

But enthusiastically, he sold lots of vadapav.
He was smart enough to offer some attractive

schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered

more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more. He recruited

few more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering

home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better store.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from

College, joined his father. Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is

coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it."

The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic

situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers,

listened to the radio and watched TV.

He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the

next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns,

took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was

offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic.

He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer

and fewer people bothered to stop at his vadapav shop. And his sales

started coming down rapidly, same is the profit.

The father said to his son, "Son, you were right". "We are in the middle

of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of the Story:

It's all in your Mind And we actually Fuel this recession

much more than we think we do

What can we take away from this story??

1. How many times we confuse intelligence with good judgment?

2. Choose your advisors carefully but use your own judgment

Author:Unknown

A Wonderful Inspiring Tomato Story

2011-03-03T17:52:00.003+05:30

A jobless man applied for the position of 'office boy'

at a very big firm. The HR manager interviewed him,

then a test: clean the floor. "You are hired" he said,

give me your email address, and I will send you the

application to fill, as well as when you will start.

The man replied "I don't have a computer, neither

an email". I am sorry, said the HR manager, if you don't

have an email that means you do not exist. And who

doesn't exist, cannot have the job. The man left with

no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only

$10 US in his pocket.

He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10 KG

Tomato crate. He then sold the Tomatoes in a door to door round.

In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital.

He repeated the operation 3 times, and returned home with

$60 US. The man realized that he can survive by this way,

and started to go everyday earlier, and return late. Thus,

his money doubles or triples every day. Shortly later,

he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own

fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers

in the US. He started to plan his family's future, and decided

to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker, and chooses a protection plan.

When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him

his email. The man replied: 'I don't have an email'.

The broker replied curiously, you don't have an email, and yet

have succeeded to build an empire. Do you imagine

what you could have been if you had an email?

The man thought for a while, and replied: an office boy!

The moral of this story:

1: Internet is not the solution to your life.

2: If you don't have internet and you work hard you can be a millionaire.

3: This man's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
Author: Unknown

Inspiring Story-Fruits of labour..

2011-03-02T10:49:00.001+05:30

There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy and

fun loving son. The businessman wanted his son to be

hard-working and responsible. He wanted him to realize

the value of labour. One day he summoned his son and said:

"Today, I want you to go out and earn something, failing

which you won't have your meals tonight."

The boy was callous and not used to any kind of work.

This demand by his father scared him and he went crying

straight to his mother. Her heart melted at the sight of

tears in her son's eyes. She grew restless. In a bid to help him

she gave him a gold coin. In the evening when the father

asked his son what he had earned, the son promptly presented

him the gold coin. The father then asked him to throw it into

a well. The son did as he was told.

The father was a man of wisdom and experience and guessed

that the source of the gold coin was the boy's mother. The next

day he sent his wife to her parent's town and asked his son to go

and earn something with the threat of being denied the night meals

if he failed. This time he went crying to his sister who sympathized

with him and gave him a rupee coin out of her own savings.

When his father asked him what he had earned the boy tossed
the rupee coin at him. The father again asked him to throw
it in a well. The son did it quite readily. Again the father's wisdom
told him that the rupee coin was not earned by his son.
He then sent his daughter to her in-laws' house. He again asked
his son to go out and earn with the threat that he shall not
have anything for dinner that night.

This time since there was no one to help him out; the son was forced

to go to the market in search of work. One of the shopkeepers there

told him that he would pay him two rupees if he carried his trunk to

his house.

The rich man's son could not refuse and was drenched

in sweat by the time he finished the job. His feet were trembling and

his neck and back were aching. There were rashes on his back.

As he returned home and produced the two rupee note before his

father and was asked to throw it into the well, the horrified son

almost cried out. He could not imagine throwing his hard-earned money

like this. He said amid sobbing: "Father! My entire body is aching.

My back has rashes and you are asking me to throw the money into the well."

At this the businessman smiled. He told him that one feels the pain only

when the fruits of hard labour are wasted. On earlier two occasions

he was helped by his mother and sister and therefore had no pain

in throwing the coins into the well.

The son had now realized the value of hard work.
He vowed never to be lazy and safe keep

the father's wealth. The father handed over the keys of his shop

to the son and promised to guide him through the rest of the life.

Moral of the Story:

Some of the life's best lessons come from

the hardest situations.

Pay Attention to The Source of Problem

2011-03-01T08:19:00.000+05:30

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started

his bus and drove off along the route. No problems for the

first few stops, a few people got on, a few got off and

things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on.

Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to

the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John

doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.

The driver was five feet three, thin and basically meek...

Naturally, he did not argue with Big John, but he was not

happy about it.

The next day the same thing happened - Big John got on

again, said "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down. And

the next day and the one after that and so forth.

This irritated the bus driver, who started losing sleep

over the way Big John was taking advantage of his size.

Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for

body building program, Karate, Judo and all that good stuff.

By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong;

So on the next Monday, when Big John got on the bus and

said, "Big John doesn't pay!" the driver stood up, glared

back and screamed, "And why not?"

With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied,

"Big John has a Bus pass."

Moral of the story: First be sure and pay more attention

to source of problems before working hard to solve one.

Inspiring Story:Most Beautiful Heart

2011-02-28T06:40:00.000+05:30

One day a young man was standing in the middle

of the town proclaiming that he had the most

beautiful heart in the whole valley.

A large crowd gathered and they all admired

his heart for it was perfect.

There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes,

they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart

they had ever seen. The young man was very proud

and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd

and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful

as mine."The crowd and the young man looked at the old

man's heart. It was beating strongly ... but full of scars.

It had places where pieces had been removed and

other pieces put in ... but they didn't fit quite right and

there were several jagged edges.

In fact, in some places there were deep gouges

where whole pieces were missing. The people starred ...

how could he say his heart is more beautiful,

they thought?

The young man looked at the old man's heart and

saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said.

"Compare your heart with mine ... mine is perfect and

yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking ...

but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar

represents a person to whom I have given my love..

I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them.

and often they give me a piece of their heart

which fits into the empty place in my heart ...

but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some

rough edges, which I cherish,

because they remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away ...

and the other person hasn't returned a piece of

his heart to me. These are the empty gouges ...

giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges

are painful, they stay open, reminding me

of the love I have for these people too ...

and I hope someday they may return and

fill the space I have waiting. So now

do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running

down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man,

reached into his perfect young and

beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out.

He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.

The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart

and then took a piece from his old scarred heart

and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart.

It fit .... but not perfectly, as there were some

jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart,

not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever,

since love from the old man's heart flowed into his.

They embraced and walked away side by side.

Inspiring Story:Lessons on life

2011-02-27T10:06:00.001+05:30

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons
to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them
each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree
that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter,
the second in the spring, the third in summer, and
the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them
together to describe what they had seen. The first son
said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no it was covered with green buds
and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said
it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet
and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing
he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them;
he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life
and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right,
because they had each seen but only one season in
the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree,
or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of
who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come
from that life can only be measured at the end,
when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise
of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of
your fall.

Inspiring Story:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy
of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times
are sure to come some time or later.

Unknown

You are priceless to those who love you

2011-02-26T09:24:00.001+05:30

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by

holding up a dollar twenty ($20) bill, in the room

of two hundred (200) people. Speaker asked,

"Who would like this dollar twenty ($20) bill?"

Hands started going up.

Speaker said, "I am going to give this dollar twenty

($20) bill to one of you but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple up the dollar twenty ($20) bill.

He asked, "Who still wants it?" Still hands were up in

the air.

"Well, what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground

and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty and asked,

"Who still wants it?" Still hands went up into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what was done to the money, it was still

wanted because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth dollar twenty ($20).

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled

and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make

and the circumstances that come our way.

We may feel as though we are worthless and useless.

But no matter what has happened or will happen,

you will never lose your value: dirty or clean, crumpled

or finely creased, you are still priceless to those

who love you.

Unknown

Inspiring Story: Kindness Pays

2011-02-23T17:51:00.000+05:30

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from

door to door to pay his way through school, found

he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.

However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman

opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink

of water.

Young woman thought he looked hungry so she brought him

a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked,

"How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied "Mother has taught

us never to accept payment for a kindness."

He said... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt; stronger

physically, but his faith in God and mankind was strong also.

He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later that young woman became critically ill.

The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to

the big city, where they called in specialists to study her

rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.

When he heard the name of the town she came from,

a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and

went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her.

He recognized her at once. He went back to the

consultation room determined to do his best to save

her life. From that day he gave special attention

to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Howard Kelly

requested the business office to pass the final bill to him

for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something

on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.

She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take

the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally, she looked,

and something caught; her attention on the side as

she read these words.....

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed - Dr. Howard Kelly)

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed:

"Thank You, GOD, that Your love has spread abroad

through human hearts and hands."

Moral: When a flower blooms, its colour and scent

first touch the garden near it, and then spread.

In the same way, The acts of human kindness

should first touch those nearest to him,

his family and his neighbours.

Power of Positive Thinking: Which One Are You?

2011-02-22T18:50:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father

that her life was miserable and that she didn't know

how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time.

It seemed just as one problem was solved, another

one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots

with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes

in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans

in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to

his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited,

wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took

the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.

He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"

"Potatoes, eggs and coffee," she hastily replied.

"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes."

She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought

a smile to her face.

"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans

had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However,

each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard

and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its

liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water.

Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were

exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created

something new.

"Which one are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity

knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato,

an egg, or a coffee bean?"

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but

the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how

will we react? Will they make us weak, hard hearted or will

they cause us to change into something worthwhile?

Motivational Quote: "Happiness is not something you find,

it's something you create."

Inspirational Quote: "Smile in pleasure, smile in pain;

Smile when trouble pours like rain; Smile when someone hurts you,

Smile coz someone cares for you."

Author: Unknown

Inspiring Story: Think Positively

2011-02-20T19:28:00.000+05:30

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat

by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind,

please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from

his pocket and dropped them into the hat.

He then took the sign, turned it around, and

wrote some words. He put the sign back so that

everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were

giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man

who had changed the sign came to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you

the one who changed my sign this morning?

What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth.

I said what you said but in a different way.'

What he had written was:

'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were

saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind.

But the first sign simply said the boy was blind.

The second sign told people they were so lucky

that they were not blind. Should we be surprised

that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

Be thankful for what you have. Be creative.

Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Author: Unknown

Inspiring Story of Two Friends

2011-02-19T09:56:00.000+05:30

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.

During some point of the journey they had an argument, and

one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got

slapped was hurt, but without saying anything,

wrote in the sand:

"Today My Best Friend Slapped me in the Face"

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided

to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire

and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend

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

"Today My Best Friend Saved My Life.."

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

"After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone,

why?" The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us,

we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase

ever erase it."

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in Stone
Author: Unknown

Wonderful Story of Wealth, Love & Success

2011-02-14T22:29:00.000+05:30

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men

with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did

not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but

you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him

what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth,"

he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing

to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added,

"Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us

you want in your home?"

The woman went in and told her husband what was said.

Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!", he said. "Since that

is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our

home with wealth!"

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

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner

of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion:

"Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be

filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband

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

The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one

of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house.

The other two old men also got up and followed him. Surprised,

the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love,

Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success,

the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you

invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him.

Lesson from this Story:

Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!"

Author: Unknown

Beautiful Inspiring Mountain Story

2011-02-13T16:27:00.003+05:30

A son and his father were walking on the mountains.

Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams:

"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating,

somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"

He receives the answer: "Who are you?"

And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"

The voice answers: "I admire you!"

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"

He receives the answer: "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"

The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."

Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"

The voice answers: "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO,

but really this is LIFE.

It gives you back everything you say or do.

Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.

If you want more love in the world,
create more love in your heart.

If you want more competence in your team,
improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything,
in all aspects of life;

Life will give you back everything you have given to it."

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE.

IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!"

-- Unknown Author

Inspiring Story: Creation of a Mother

2011-02-12T21:08:00.000+05:30

By the time the Lord made mothers, He was into

the sixth day working overtime. An Angel appeared and said

"Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read

the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable,

but not elastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable;

run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold

three children at one time and that disappears when she

stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee

to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one.

"Six pairs of hands! No way!" said the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem.

It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"

"And that's on the standard model?" the Angel asked.

The Lord nodded in agreement, "Yep, one pair of eyes

are to see through the closed door as she asks her children

what they are doing even though she already knows.

Another pair in the back of her head are to see what she needs

to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair

are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at

an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him

or her without even saying a single word."

The Angel tried to stop the Lord "This is too much work

for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing

this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already

heals herself when she is sick and can feed a family of six

on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand

in the shower."

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman,

"But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough.

You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think,

she will be able to reason, and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and

touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like You have

a leak with this model. I told You that You were trying

to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak." the Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy,

her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness,

her grief, and her pride."

The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought

of everything for this one. You even created the tear!"

The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said,

"I'm afraid you are wrong again. I created the woman,

but she created the tear!"

Author Unknown