Top 100 Inspirational Quotes

1. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill
2. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein
3. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.  –Robert Frost
4. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. –Florence Nightingale
5. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
6. I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. –Michael Jordan
7. The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. –Amelia Earhart
8. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
9. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone
10. The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now. –Bill Cosby
11. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon
12. We become what we think about. –Earl Nightingale
13. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain
14. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –Charles Swindoll
15. The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. –Alice Walker
16. The mind is everything. What you think you become.  –Buddha
17. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb
18. An unexamined life is not worth living. –Socrates
19. Eighty percent of success is showing up. –Woody Allen
20. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs
21. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi
22. I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. –Stephen Covey
23. Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso
24. You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus
25. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou
26. Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn
27. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford
28. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain
29. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
30. The best revenge is massive success. –Frank Sinatra
31. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing.  That’s why we recommend it daily. –Zig Ziglar
32. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. –Anais Nin
33. If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh
34. There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. –Aristotle
35. Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. –Jesus
36. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
37. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau
38. When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me. –Erma Bombeck
39. Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.  –Booker T. Washington
40. Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. – Ancient Indian Proverb
41. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. –Theodore Roosevelt
42. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. –George Addair
43. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. –Plato
44. Teach thy tongue to say, “I do not know,” and thous shalt progress. –Maimonides
45. Start where you are. Use what you have.  Do what you can. –Arthur Ashe
46. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.  When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I wrote down ‘happy’.  They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. –John Lennon
47. Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb
48. When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. –Helen Keller
49. Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. –Confucius
50. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank
51. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. –Lao Tzu
52. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. –Maya Angelou
53. Happiness is not something readymade.  It comes from your own actions. –Dalai Lama
54. If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on. –Sheryl Sandberg
55. First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end. –Aristotle
56. If the wind will not serve, take to the oars. –Latin Proverb
57. You can’t fall if you don’t climb.  But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. –Unknown
58. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. –Marie Curie
59. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. –Les Brown
60. Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. –Joshua J. Marine
61. If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. –Booker T. Washington
62. I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. –Leonardo da Vinci
63. Limitations live only in our minds.  But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. –Jamie Paolinetti
64. You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame. –Erica Jong
65. What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. –Bob Dylan
66. I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong. –Benjamin Franklin
67. In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. –Bill Cosby
68. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein
69. The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it. –Chinese Proverb
70. There are no traffic jams along the extra mile. –Roger Staubach
71. It is never too late to be what you might have been. –George Eliot
72. You become what you believe. –Oprah Winfrey
73. I would rather die of passion than of boredom. –Vincent van Gogh
74. A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. –Unknown
75. It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.  –Ann Landers
76. If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money. –Abigail Van Buren
77. Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs. –Farrah Gray
78. The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at. –Jesse Owens
79. Education costs money.  But then so does ignorance. –Sir Claus Moser
80. I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. –Rosa Parks
81. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. –Confucius
82. If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough. –Oprah Winfrey
83. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. –Dalai Lama
84. You can’t use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have. –Maya Angelou
85. Dream big and dare to fail. –Norman Vaughan
86. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. –Martin Luther King Jr.
87. Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. –Teddy Roosevelt
88. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. –Tony Robbins
89. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. –Gloria Steinem
90. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live. –Mae Jemison
91. You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try. –Beverly Sills
92. Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. –Eleanor Roosevelt
93. Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. –Grandma Moses
94. The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. –Ayn Rand
95. When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. –Henry Ford
96. It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. –Abraham Lincoln
97. Change your thoughts and you change your world. –Norman Vincent Peale
98. Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. –Benjamin Franklin
99. Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m possible!” –Audrey Hepburn
100. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. –Steve Jobs
101. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. –Zig Ziglar

4 Secrets of Motivated People

New year, new you. It’s the perennial January catchphrase that holds such conquer-the-world promise. And then, well, you get sidetracked with conquering your to-do list. But even the loftiest resolutions (running a marathon, writing a book) don’t have to fall by the wayside come February. Staying motivated―and achieving what you set out to do on that bright New Year’s Day―is surprisingly possible. Just follow these nine mantras, provided by researchers who study motivation and backed up by women who have used them to realize their biggest ambitions.

1. When you make a plan, anticipate bumps. Before even trying to achieve a goal, target potential pitfalls and troubleshoot them. Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology at New York University, in New York City, says that people who plan for obstacles are more likely to stick with projects than those who don’t. In a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Gollwitzer compared two groups of women who wanted to be more active. Both groups were given information on leading healthy lifestyles. But the second was also taught how to foresee obstacles (example: “The weather forecast is bad, but I’m planning to go for a jog”) and work around them using if-then statements (“If it rains, then I’ll go to the gym and use the treadmill rather than skip exercising altogether”). No surprise, those in the second group fared better. Michelle Tillis Lederman of New York City practiced this strategy when she was writing a book last year. She installed blinds on her home-office door to minimize disruptions and hired an editor to give feedback on each chapter so she wouldn’t get stuck along the way. She also established rules, like checking e-mails only after she had written for two hours. “It was easier to follow this plan,” says Lederman, “than to wrestle with every distraction in the moment.” Her book, The 11 Laws of Likability (American Management Association), will be published later this year.
 
2. Channel the little engine that could―really. A person’s drive is often based on what she believes about her abilities, not on how objectively talented she is, according to research by Albert Bandura, a professor of psychology at Stanford University. His work has shown that people who have perceived self-efficacy (that is, the belief that they can accomplish what they set out to do) perform better than those who don’t. That self-belief is what helped Ingrid Daniels of Newark, New Jersey, leave a stable corporate job to develop a T-shirt line after the birth of her first child. “It never occurred to me I could fail, even though I had no experience,” she says. Today Daniels runs two successful small businesses (the T-shirt company and a line of stationery), which allows her to stay at home with her three children.

3. Don't let your goals run wild... When your sights are too ambitious, they can backfire, burn you out, and actually become demotivating, says Lisa Ordóñez, a professor of management and organizations at the Eller College of Management, at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. Instead of aiming unrealistically high (such as trying to save enough money for a down payment on a home in six months), set goals that are a stretch but not an overreach (come up with a doable savings plan for your budget).

...But work on them everyday. According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us ($27, amazon.com), taking small steps every day will not only help hold your interest in what you’re trying to achieve but will also ensure that you move slowly, but surely, toward your goal. So, for example, set up a down-payment-fund jar and dump your change into it every night. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment each day, to boot.

4. Go public with it. Instead of keeping your intentions to yourself, make them known to many. “Other people can help reinforce your behavior,” says James Fowler, a political scientist who studies social networks at the University of California, San Diego. After all, it’s harder to abandon a dream when you know that people are tracking your progress. Take Stefanie Samarripa of Dallas, 25, who wanted to lose 20 pounds. She created a blog and told all her friends to read it. “I wanted something to hold me accountable,” she says. Samarripa weighs herself weekly and announces the result on Desperately Seeking Skinny (skinnystefsam.blogspot.com). During her first three weeks, she lost six pounds. “People read my updates and make comments, which helps me keep going,” she says.

LOVE STORY 3

                 Fairy tales do come true

I am dreamy,I am expecting the impossible that is what people say when I tell about "What love means to me?" We all are fairytale lovers, I am no exception. When I fall, I fall hard. I never see the practicality that life is teaching me. I always believed and still believe, that love is beyond magic, its a miracle that is presented to us to remind us that we are magical beings. When you are in love, you know that you can take anything that comes your way when that person is there for you.
7 Months before i met him, I had this amazing dream. A guy waiting for me below a beautiful green tree, His name carved on the tree. When I woke up, I knew he was my soul mate. But "how am I going to find him in the real world?" because all I knew about him was his name. I searched in and out of my "CIRCLE".
4 Months before I met him, My friend called me up at the middle of the night. Saying she had a dream of me falling in love and getting married to a guy below beautiful green tree. I had four friends call me though out the month, saying that they had seen me in their dream getting married.
3 Months before I met him, I saw signs, everything related to me turned out to be numbered as 13. Yes it was freaky cause I have always felt that 13 was not a good auspicious number. But in few months I started falling in love with this number and all the incidents that happened related to this number. So I said to my mom, on a funny note "Mommy I bet my soul mate would have been born on this date.
2 Months before I met him, I was so happy and I felt that something miraculous was about to happen. I didnt know what it would be and when it would be.
2 days before I met him, I bought a new phone and downloaded so many apps. But an app called "CIRCLE" was constantly popping up to be downloaded. But i was not much involved in it. Still my instinct didnt leave me, I downloaded it.
On the day, All of a sudden I get a text from that app, from someone. Always being focused on finding my soul mate, I was not interested in starting a conversation with this guy. But still I didnt want to hurt him by not replying. So I replied back.
Three four days went by and my mind never stayed focused on him. But unusually I still texted. He asks me;
"Whats your full name?"
I say, "-------------- is mine, and so what is your?"
I am "N------- S------"
And it was the same name written on the carved tree in my dream from before 7 months. Still not able to believe what happened. I ask him
"Whats your date of birth?"
He says "13th December"
And there was the biggest miracle of my life, slowly everything in my life had a meaning, I was meant to be where I was supposed to. I had gone through all the pains in life because it had all lead me to him. All that I had ever regretted about in life changed to things that I am now thankful for. And I still believe that Fairy tales do exist, if you believe beyond practicality.
BELIEVE IN LOVE AND FAIRY TALES, IF YOU WANT TO SEE ONE.

 

LOVE STORY 2

         Itz only my school dayz love story!!!

Falling in love at first sight is one of the best experiences of a life time for anyone. It feels so magical and strange. When you face that moment, not only your mind, but also your body feels strange. But, is that feeling really a love?
There was this girl that i met in the fourth day of my high school.She was the most beautiful girl i have ever laid in my eyes on,she still is.But i did not pay any mind to her because i thought she would never ever have a conversation with me.
Once i walked into my rehearsal class of a drama (chota parliament)which was prepared by our school for block level competition.That rehearsal was held in our school field.And we all had to sit in two rows facing front to front.she was sitting in one row and there was only one empty seat left in the other row.so i had no other choice but to sit in front of her.she greeted me with the sweetest smile.I was not outgoing type but she helped me open up and find some sort of personality in me.she motivated and supported me in everything i did.
In my back of my mind i knew i had feelings for her but i always brushed them off because she was not that type of girl.I knew it very well that she would never have feelings for me.
After class 6,she has left my school.She went her separate ways and attended different high school.I was missing her .From then on all i could think of was and all the memories I had together with her.I became so bitter and frustrated by every little thing.Every time i came across a picture of her.But this slowly faded when i met new people.It was my fault that i never tried hard enough to keep in contact with her.
In my life she is the person i compare everyone to.There is no one that will ever compare with her or replace her.
I MISS U.

 

LOVE STORY 1

                      ALL MY FAULT

its was all my fault and now i regret with some confusion. i was in relationship for last three years, and now iam very confused. iam a year older than him by our study age. but we are of same age.

before last year when i went to another level to complete my study i met a guy, who really cared about me, than i thought my first loves love wasn't that what i wanted, this boys love was just everything for me. some how but slowly i be-gain forget my first love. then one day the boy who was my everything suddenly told me to forget him cause he was moving to America, for good.
i was shattered into pieces. he left the next day. but he continues to contact me till today.
last year when i moved to another stage of my studies, my first love came to my previous level. he thought that i still love him. i didn't have that much courage to tell him the truth.
one day he found out about all that happened when he wasn't here. he told me to forget him and i will accept you again. but how do i tell him that he loves me more than u? how do i tell him that the person love is miles away from me? how do i tell him that he accepted me with my faults? how? how? how?

Love Quotas

1.“I wore your promise on my finger for one year I'll wear your name on my heart til I die Because you were my boy, you were my only boy forever.”  ― Coco J. Ginger

2.“I was completely and irrevocably in lust; which tends to make a person impassive to others’ pain. L12ove makes us compassionate. Lust makes us deaf to all but the lover.”
― Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney, Asha in Time

3.“Love is the bee that carries the pollen from one heart to another.”
― Slash Coleman, The Bohemian Love Diaries: A Memoir 

4.“I'm going to fall in love with him. I'm going to be head over heels and my stomach is going to hurt every time he walks into a room. I'm going to worry about him whenever he isn't there, and there are going to be times where I'll hate him. Because that's what love is. It's a kaleidoscope of emotions, all sorts of different colors blending together into one.”   ― C.M. Stunich, Losing Me, Finding You

5.“An angel for some,
a demon for some,
for me, it's heart of the one.
Never want to hurt,
keep many secrets beneath the blood.
sob in the dark,
but, people thinks, it's beat of the heart.
No one thought, no one observe,
but, it supplies tears as blood.
One day someone came,
took it out from dark,
she kissed it,
loved it,
played with it,
put it with her heart,
and makes it her life part.
Daily she played,
daily she fought,
But, never she threw it out.
one day, an unknown came,
who kissed her,
loved her,
and used to play with her.
He took my out my heart from her,
and threw it on the street,
then there is nothing more than weep.
An angel for some,
a demon for some,
for me, it's heart of the one.
Never want to hurt,
keep many secrets beneath the blood.
Sob in the dark,
but, people thinks, it's beat of the heart.
No one thought, no one observe,
but, it supplies tears as blood.”
― Abhishek Singh Sikarwar 

6.“Lying in bed, half-covered by the blankets, I would drowsily ask why he had come to my door that night long ago. It had become a ritual for us, as it does for all lovers: where, when, why? remember...I understand even old people rehearse their private religion of how they first loved, most guarded of secrets. And he would answer, sleep blurring his words, "Because I had to." The question and the answer were always the same. Why? Because I had to.”
― Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra 

7.“My second crush,
don't know, who you are,
by thinking of you,
my day pass.

The things, the things, the things changed,
forgot the first, second begins.
The second crush,
my second crush,
don't know who you are,
but, by thinking of you,
my day pass.
Who you are, i don't know,
but seeing you shed tears.
My feelings drop, water stops,
in my eyes.
The things, the things, the things changed.
I fall in love, are you goddess or what.
As i came near you,
my heart beat rise.
Want to stop my legs,
but they attracts.
Like your tears attract the sand,
when they are falling on land.
My heart, my heart, my heart beat rise,
you came, you came, you are closer to my eyes.
I see tears fallen on the ground,
my love rotating around you round and round.
Now, you are the first,
you are the last,
that i told you my sweet heart.
When i see you first time,
it was my last time,
to fall in love, my dear valentine.
The second crush,
my second crush,
don't know who you are,
but, by thinking of you,
my day pass.
The things, the things, the things changed.
Now, crush end,
time spend,
love start,
now, you are my life part.:-)”
― Abhishek Singh Sikarwar  

Motivational Interviewing Skills and techniques

Motivational Interviewing is an empathic, gentle, and skillful style of counseling that helps practitioners have productive conversations with individuals with co-occurring and other disorders. Essential characteristics of motivational interviewing include:

• Expressing empathy through reflective listening.
• Noting discrepancies between current and desired behavior.
• Avoiding argumentation and rolling with resistance.
• Encourage the consumer's belief that he or she has the ability to change.
• Communicating respect for and acceptance of people and their feelings.
• Establishing a nonjudgmental, collaborative relationship.
• Being a supportive and knowledgeable consultant.
• Complimenting rather than denigrating.
• Listening rather than telling.
• Gently persuading, with the understanding that change is up to the person.
• Providing support throughout the process of recovery.

This approach is different from pressuring a person through threats of negative health consequences, shame, or guilt. The core communications skills of motivational interviewing-asking, informing, listening-are well suited to helping people talk about, commit to, and undertake health behavior change. Empathy, hope, and respect provide the foundation for what is possible in recovery from co-occurring disorders.

It is a crucial, collaborative conversation and joint decision-making process between the practitioner and person receiving treatment. Ultimately, only the individual can make behavior and lifestyle changes to improve his or her health.

Motivational interviewing techniques include:

• Asking open-ended questions
• Using affirmations
• Forming reflective statements
• Providing a summaries

Entrepreneur's Top 4 Infographics of 2014

Often, an idea is best expressed through an infographic. Here at Entrepreneur, it's been a rich year for the medium.
From the habits of self-made billionaires and the world's smartest people, to hot startup scenes and the crazy number of times you sometimes need to try (and fail) before succeeding, these infographics clearly and succinctly walked us through fascinating and often complex topics. Here's a countdown of Entrepreneur.com's most-viewed infographics of 2014.

1. The 7 Hottest Startup Scenes in the U.S.
Based on key benchmarks for entrepreneurs, including the median salary for a technology employee and the price of office space, here are the seven friendliest cities for starting a business.

2. Count It: How Many Times These Business Leaders Tried Before They Succeeded
Success often starts with persistence. The founder of Pandora reached out to investors 300 times before getting funding, and James Dyson invented 5,126 failed vacuum cleaner prototypes before getting one right. Here's a look at business leaders who tried and failed (a lot) before finding success.

3. The World's 20 Hottest Startup Scenes
The U.S. is home to six of the top 10 startup ecosystems in the world, but some surprising cities are upping their game with notable strides in funding, talent, trendsetting and more.

4. What Really Motivates Employees
Money isn't always the biggest motivator. Here's a look at what your employees really want.

3 Secrets to Develop Habits That Matters

The end of the year is a great time to pause, look back and recognize how far you've come. Give yourself a pat on the back, as much of your progress is due to the habits and routines you've put into place.
While developing these habits can be imperative to an entrepreneur's success, adhering to them takes practice and discipline.
For your New Year's resolution, consider taking your habits to the next level. Here are three tips:

1. Think about the end result. I see people spending too much time, energy and focus on the actual habit they are trying to add to their routine. They make a list, fill up their calendar and even get someone to serve as an accountability buddy -- all in the name of the habit. Stop wasting your time formulating a habit, instead focus on the outcome. My suggestion is to spend that time visualizing what the habit will get you. What is the result of taking on that new habit?

2. Have a goal in mind. You've got years -- or maybe even decades -- of experience under your belt. The way you've done things, the routines you've put into place, have gotten you right here, right now. If you're going to change, you're going to have to do things, well, differently.
But to break a lifelong habit or form a new one, you've got to have a specific goal you're marching toward, and it should be measurable. The more exact, the better. There's got to be something you're working on that you can break down to a level of quantification. For instance, if you want to be more punctual, consider writing down how long every task actually takes. This will allow you to observe where you may be wasting time (i.e. checking emails), which may be causing you to be continuously late.

3. More times, less time. If you're picking up a new habit, then by default it means that it's not comfortable. That's why it isn't a habit yet. When starting out go easy on yourself. Make it okay to do less of the habit but more times per a specific time period, like a week or a month.
When I decided to make it habit to get in more in shape, I decided to become a triathlete. In that first year, I can't begin to count the number of seven-minute workouts. Yes, I only worked out for a very short amount of time. My thinking was, "I'd rather do something five times a week, for as much time as I have than to hold myself to some standard that a workout isn't a workout unless it's a certain amount of time." And it worked.
thank you

Two frogs in the milk !!!

This is the story of two frogs. One frog was fat and the other skinny. One day, while searching for food, they inadvertently jumped into a vat of milk. They couldn't get out, as the sides were too slippery, so they were just swimming around.The fat frog said to the skinny frog, "Brother frog, there's no use paddling any longer. We're just going to drown, so we might as well give up." The skinny frog replied, "Hold on brother, keep paddling. Somebody will get us out." And they continued paddling for hours.After a while, the fat frog said, "Brother frog, there's no use. I'm becoming very tired now. I'm just going to stop paddling and drown. It's Sunday and nobody's working. We're doomed. There's no possible way out of here." But the skinny frog said, "Keep trying. Keep paddling. Something will happen, keep paddling." Another couple of hours passed.The fat frog said, "I can't go on any longer. There's no sense in doing it because we're going to drown anyway. What's the use?" And the fat frog stopped. He gave up. And he drowned in the milk. But the skinny frog kept on paddling.Ten minutes later, the skinny frog felt something solid beneath his feet. He had churned the milk into butter and he hopped out of the vat.Author: Melissa D Zartman

Every bucket counts !!!

Once day, having learned that the King of Fez was hunting lions in the neighbourhood, they decided to invite him and his court, and killed a number of sheep in his honour. The sovereign had dinner and went to bed. Wishing to show their generosity, they placed a huge goatskin bottle before his door and agreed to fill it up with milk for the royal breakfast.

The villagers all had to milk their goats and then each of them had to tip his bucket into the container. Given its great size, each of them said to himself that he might just as well dilute his milk with a good quantity of water without anyone noticing.

To the extent that, in the morning, such a thin liquid was poured out for the king and his court that it had no taste than the taste of meanness and greed.

Source: "Leo The African" by Amin Maalouf

A turn of the screw !!!!

There was an industrialist whose production line inexplicably breaks down, costing him millions per day. He finally tracks down an expert who takes out a screwdriver, turns one screw, and then - as the factory cranks back to life - presents a bill for £10,000.

Affronted, the factory owner demands an itemised version. The expert is happy to oblige: "For turning a screw: £1. For knowing which screw to turn: £9,999."

Author: Oliver Burkeman in "The Guardian Weekend", 13 August 2011

Your influence on the universe !!!!

I read the first chapter of "A Brief History Of Time" when Dad was still alive, and I got incredibly heavy boots about how relatively insignificant life is, and how, compared to the universe and compared to time, it didn't even matter if I existed at all.When Dad was tucking me in that night and we were talking about the book, I asked if he could think of a solution to that problem. "What problem?" "The problem of how relatively insignificant we are."He said, "Well, what would happen if a plane dropped you in the middle of the Sahara Desert and you picked up a single grain of sand with tweezers and moved it one millimetre?" I said, "I'd probably die of dehydration." He said, "I just mean right then, when you moved that single grain of sand. What would that mean?"I said, "I dunno, what?" He said. "Think about it." I thought about it. "I guess I would have moved a grain of sand." "Which would mean?" "Which would mean I moved a grain of sand?" "Which would mean you changed the Sahara.""So?" "So?" So the Sahara is a vast desert. And it has existed for million of years. And you changed it!" "That's true!" I said, sitting up. "I changed the Sahara!""Which means?" he said. "What? Tell me." "Well, I'm not talking about painting the Mona Lisa or curing cancer. I'm just talking about moving that one grain of sand one millimetre.""Yeah?" "If you hadn't done it, human history would have been one way ..." "Uh-huh?" "But, you did do it, so...?"I stood on the bed, pointed my fingers at the fake stars, and screamed: "I changed the universe!" "You did."Source: "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

The fence !!!

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

The hedgehogs !!!

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.

The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

The tiger's whisker !!!

Once upon a time, a young wife named Yun Ok was at her wit's end. Her husband had always been a tender and loving soulmate before he had left for the wars but, ever since he returned home, he was cross, angry, and unpredictable. She was almost afraid to live with her own husband. Only in glancing moments did she catch a shadow of the husband she used to know and love.

When one ailment or another bothered people in her village, they would often rush for a cure to a hermit who lived deep in the mountains. Not Yun Ok. She always prided herself that she could heal her own troubles. But this time was different. She was desperate.

As Yun Ok approached the hermit's hut, she saw the door was open. The old man said without turning around: "I hear you. What's your problem?"

She explained the situation. His back still to her, he said, "Ah yes, it's often that way when soldiers return from the war. What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Make me a potion!" cried the young wife. "Or an amulet, a drink, whatever it takes to get my husband back the way he used to be."

The old man turned around. "Young woman, your request doesn't exactly fall into the same category as a broken bone or ear infection."

"I know", said she.

"It will take three days before I can even look into it. Come back then."

Three days later, Yun Ok returned to the hermit's hut. "Yun Ok", he greeted her with a smile, "I have good news. There is a potion that will restore your husband to the way he used to be, but you should know that it requires an unusual ingredient. You must bring me a whisker from a live tiger."

"What?" she gasped. "Such a thing is impossible!"

"I cannot make the potion without it!" he shouted, startling her. He turned his back. "There is nothing more to say. As you can see, I'm very busy."

That night Yun Ok tossed and turned. How could she get a whisker from a live tiger?

The next day before dawn, she crept out of the house with a bowl of rice covered with meat sauce. She went to a cave on the mountainside where a tiger was known to live. She clicked her tongue very softly as she crept up, her heart pounding, and carefully set the bowl on the grass. Then, trying to make as little noise as she could, she backed away.

The next day before dawn, she took another bowl of rice covered with meat sauce to the cave. She approached the same spot, clicking softly with her tongue. She saw that the bowl was empty, replaced the empty one with a fresh one, and again left, clicking softly and trying not to break twigs or rustle leaves, or do anything else to startle and unsettle the wild beast.

So it went, day after day, for several months. She never saw the tiger (thank goodness for that! she thought) though she knew from footprints on the ground that the tiger - and not a smaller mountain creature - had been eating her food. Then one day as she approached, she noticed the tiger's head poking out of its cave. Glancing downward, she stepped very carefully to the same spot and with as little noise as she could, set down the fresh bowl and, her heart pounding, picked up the one that was empty.

After a few weeks, she noticed the tiger would come out of its cave as it heard her footsteps, though it stayed a distance away (again, thank goodness! she thought, though she knew that someday, in order to get the whisker, she'd have to come closer to it).

Another month went by. Then the tiger would wait by the empty food bowl as it heard her approaching. As she picked up the old bowl and replaced it with a fresh one, she could smell its scent, as it could surely smell hers.

"Actually", she thought, remembering its almost kittenish look as she set down a fresh bowl, "it is a rather friendly creature, when you get to know it." The next time she visited, she glanced up at the tiger briefly and noticed what a lovely downturn of reddish fur it had from over one of its eyebrows to the next. Not a week later, the tiger allowed her to gently rub its head, and it purred and stretched like a house cat.

Then she knew the time had come. The next morning, very early, she brought with her a small knife. After she set down the fresh bowl and the tiger allowed her to pet its head, she said in a low voice: "Oh, my tiger, may I please have just one of your whiskers?" While petting the tiger with one hand, she held one whisker at its base and, with the other hand, in one quick stroke, she carved the whisker off. She stood up, speaking softly her thanks, and left, for the last time.

The next morning seemed endless. At last her husband left for the rice fields. She ran to the hermit's hut, clutching the precious whisker in her fist. Bursting in, she cried to the hermit: "I have it! I have the tiger's whisker!"

"You don't say?" he said, turning around. "From a live tiger?"

"Yes!" she said.

"Tell me", said the hermit, interested. "How did you do it?"

Yun Ok told the hermit how, for the last six months, she had earned the trust of the creature and it had finally permitted her to cut off one of its whiskers. With pride she handed him the whisker. The hermit examined it, satisfied himself that it was indeed a whisker from a live tiger, then flicked it into the fire where it sizzled and burned in an instant.

"Yun Ok", the hermit said softly, "you no longer need the whisker. Tell me, is a man more vicious than a tiger? If a dangerous wild beast will respond to your gradual and patient care, do you think a man will respond any less willingly?"

Yun Ok stood speechless. Then she turned and stepped down the trail, turning over in her mind images of the tiger and of her husband, back and forth. She knew what she could do.

Source: Korean fable

The two hospital patients !!!

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 holiday.

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 colour 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 colour 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."

The law of the garbage truck !!!

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'.

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

I wanted to change the world !!!

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Author: unknown monk around 1100 AD

The last ride !!!

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.' 'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way',' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.' I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left', she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing', I said 'You have to make a living', she answered. 'There are other passengers', I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy', she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.

Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Author: New York City taxi driver

BUILDING BRIDGES !!!

Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.
Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.
One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work," he said.
"Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?"
"Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor, in fact, it's my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll go him one better. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence - an 8-foot fence - so I won't need to see his place anymore. Cool him down, anyhow."
The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."
The older brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.
The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped.
There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge... a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work handrails and all - and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.
"You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done."
The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother.
"I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but, I have many more bridges to build."

A POUND OF BUTTER !!!

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, amour Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker."


What is the moral of the story? We get back in life what we give to others. Whenever you take an action, ask yourself this question: Am I giving fair value for the wages or money I hope to make? Honesty and dishonesty become a habit. Some people practice dishonesty and can lie with a straight face. Others lie so much that they don't even know what the truth is anymore. But who are they deceiving? Themselves

MEANINGLESS GOALS !!!

A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one." Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.


Life is hard by the yard, 
but by the inch, 
it's a cinch. 

--Gean Gordon

Stories about being yourself !!!

Once a king came to the garden and saw fading and dying trees, bushes, and flowers. An oak said that he dies because it can’t be as high as a pine. Applying to a pine tree, the king found her falling down because it can’t give grapes like a grapevine. And grapevine was dying because she couldn’t blossom like a rose. Soon he found a single plant, pleasing heart, bloomy and fresh. After questioning, he received the following answer: - I think it’s a natural event, because when you planted me, you wanted to get a joy. If you would like to grow an oak, grapes or rose, you would put them. So I think that I can’t be anything else than what I am. And I try to develop my best qualities. Look at yourself. You can only be yourself. It is impossible for you to become someone else. You can joy and blossom or you can fade if you do not accept yourself.

Short stories on how to be happy !!!

An old man lived in the village. He was one of the most unfortunate people in the world. The whole village was tired of him, he was always gloomy, constantly complained and always was in a bad mood. The longer he lived, the more bile was becoming and the more poisonous were his words. People avoided him, because his misfortune became contagious. It was even unnaturally and insulting to be happy next to him. He created the feeling of unhappiness in others.

But one day, when he got eighty years old, an incredible thing hap-pened. Instantly everyone heard the rumor: "An Old Man is happy today, he doesn’t complain anything, smiles, and even his face is freshened up ." The whole village gathered together. An old man was asked:
- What happened to you ?
- Nothing special - he answered. - Eighty years I've been chasing happiness, and it was useless. Then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That's why I'm happy.

Motivational stories about challenges !!!

Once a small gap appeared in the cocoon, through which the butterfly had to appear. A man, who accidentally passed by, stopped and watched how the butterfly was trying to get out of the cocoon. It took a lot of time, the butterfly was trying very hard, and the gap was as little as before. It seemed that the power would leave the butterfly soon. 

Then a man decided to help the butterfly. He took a penknife and cut the cocoon. The butterfly immediately got out, but her body was weak and feeble, and the wings were barely moving.

A man continued to watch at the butterfly, thinking that now her wings would spread and she would fly. However, that did not happen.

The rest of her life the butterfly had to drag her weak body and wings that weren’t spread. She was unable to fly, because a man who wanted to help her did not realize that an effort to enter through the narrow gap of the cocoon was necessary for the butterfly, so that the life-giving fluid would move from the body to the butterfly’s wings and that the butterfly could fly. Life forced the butterfly to leave her shell hardly, so that it would become stronger and would be able to grow and develop. 

If we were allowed to live without meeting difficulties, we would be via-ble. Life gives us challenges to make us stronger. 

Inspirational stories about achieving dreams !!!

Two grains were lying side by side on the fertile soil. The first grain said: "I want to grow up ! I want to put down roots deep into the ground and sprout from the ground. I dream to blossom in delicate buds and proclaim the coming of spring. I want to feel the warm rays of sun and the dew drops on my petals !".

This grain grew up and became a beautiful flower.

The second grain said: "I 'm afraid. If I will put down my roots into the ground, I don’t know what they will face there. If I will grow tender stems, they can be damaged by wind. And if there will be flowers , they may be disrupted . So I'd rather wait for the safer time.

The second grain was waiting. While the chicken that passed by did not peck it. 

Inspirational stories about strength !!!

Once, a person decided to realize his dream. Only he didn’t have enough strength to do it. Then he turned to his mother:
- Mother, help me!
- Darling, I would be glad to help you, only I don’t have it. And everything I have, I already give to you…
He asked a wise man:
- Master, tell me, where can I get strength?
- It is said that, it is on the Everest. Only I couldn’t find anything there, except the snowy winds. And when I came back, the time was irretrievably lost…
He asked the hermit:
- Holy Father, where to find strength for realizing my dream?
- In your prayers, my son. And if your dream is false, you will understand it and find peace in your prayers…
Who didn’t the person ask, but the results of his search were only confusion.
- Why are you so confused? - asked an old man passing by.
- Yes, I have a dream, good man. But I don’t know where to find strength for realizing it. I asked everyone already- from Everest to hell. But there was no one who could help me. 
- Not everyone, - a light flashed in an old man’s eyes, - did you ask yourself that?

Inspirational stories about goal setting !!!

One man was searching for an answer to the question: “What is the power? “ He found out that there was a sage in his region. He came to this sage and saw that there was a nice house instead of poor shag and children were playing in the yard… A man was surprised; he thought that people who comprehended the truth, should live differently. He asked the owner to help him to find the answer.
A sage said:
— You can find the strength yourself. Seek your way or follow the road of the ancestors.
One man, looking for perfection, was training hard day after day. And he knew the power of body.
Not bowing to the difficulties, he went ahead. Defeated himself. And he knew the power of spirit.
Comprehending the thoughts of great people, he found his opinion. And he knew the power of knowledge.
He fell in love, bowed down to the earth goddess of his heart. And he knew the power of feelings.
He got a house, a family, took his child in the arms, and knew the power of life. Encountering the unknown with pacification, he did not regret about the past and knew the power of death.

Inspirational stories about uniqueness !!!

Think of all the people who live or ever lived on our planet since the very beginning of time. None of them is like you! What a miraculous thing is to be you! Nobody has the same combination of talents, abilities, sorrows and opportunities. No one has the same friends, family jokes, acquaintances. Nobody‘s finger prints are the same. No one has the same concerns or goals like you. No one! You are unique!

Accept and enjoy this uniqueness. You don‘t have to pretend to look more like other expect you to be. Don‘t be afraid to be different. No one in the world has the same things going on in his mind, soul, spirit as are going on in yours. It is a gift only to you. Treasure and share your uniqueness!

Nobody can speak your words. Nobody can smile your smile. No one can bring the same unique impact of you to another person. 

Enjoy your uniqueness, let it flow out amoung your family and friends, all the people you meet. 

Give yourself away and be inspired by the fact that you are UNIQUE! 

Inspirational stories about overcoming challenges !!!

My friend Jerry was one of the most positive people I had ever known. He was always in a good mood and always had something encouraging to say. 

He was a manager at a restaurant. If his employee had a bad day, Jerry always helped him to look on the positive side of the situation.

Jerry‘s attitude truly amazed me. So one day I asked him: „How can you be so positive all the time?“. He replied: „You see, every morning I tell myself, that I have two choses for that day – to be in a good mood or in a bad. I choose the good one. And when something wrong happens, I can be sad and angry or I can learn from it instead. I choose to learn. Thus I choose the positive side of life“. I said: „It is not that easy“. He replied: „Yeas it is. Life is all about choses. You can choose how people or situation will affect your mood, your life“.

One morning Jerry left the restaurant‘s back door open and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. He tried to open the safe, but his hands shaked due to nervousness and he slipped off the combination. So the robbers shot him. Fortunately, Jerry was quickly found and brought to the nearest hospital. After many hours of surgery and long intensive care, Jerry was released home. 

When I met him, I asked, what were his thoughts durign the robbery. „I thought that I should have locked the back door“, he replied. „Then, when I laid on the floor, I remembered about my choses in this case: a chose to live and a chose to die. I chose to live.“

I asked, if he were scared. Jerry continued: „When they wheeled me into emergency room and I looked at the faces of doctors, I got truly scared. I knew, that I need to do something. So when the nurse asked me, if I was allergic to anything, I replied „Yes“. Doctors and nurses stopped working as waited for my answer. I took a deep breath and yelled „Bullets“. They started laughing and I asked: „My chose is to live, operate me as I am alive, not dead“. 

Now Jerry is alive owing to skills of his doctors, however his amazing attitude played an important role too. I learned from him, that every day we should choose to live fully no matter what.

Inspirational stories about marriage !!!

I was waiting to pick up a friend at the airport. That day I had one of those experiences that change people‘s lives. It happened just two feet away from me. I noticed a man, carrying two bags, coming toward me. He stopped next to me to greet his family. 

First of all he laid down his bag and came closer to his younger son (about six years old), they gave each other a warm, loving hug. Then the father looked in his son‘s eyes with words: „I missed you so much, it‘s so good to see you, son!“. The boy smiled and said: „Me too, dad“.

Then the man talked to his older son (nine or ten years old). „Oh, you are quite the young man, I love you very much!“ and cupped his face. Then they had the most tender hug too.

Afterwards the father said „Hi, baby girl“ to his baby daughter. She was squirling excitedly in her mother‘s arm and watching her returning father all the time. The man gently took his little daughter, quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest. The little girl laid her head on his shoulder in pure contentment.

After several moments, then man looked at his wife and said „I‘ve saved the best for last“ and shared with her the most passionate kiss. They stared at each other, beaming big smiles. They reminded me of newlyweds. 

Suddenly, I heard myself asking „Wow, how old have you been married?“. „Been together fourteen years, and married twelve of those“ . „Well then, have long have you been away?“. He replied with joaway?“. He replied with joyous smile on his face: „Two whole days!“.

I was stunned, as I imagined that he had been gone for several weeks at last. I could only say: „I hope that my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years“. The man looked straight into my eyes and told me something that changed my life:

„Don‘t hope, friend, decide!“... 

Happiness is relative story!

Two men were jailed in the same cell. They were in the same conditions, but one of them was unhappy, and the other one was happy.
- Why are you so sad? – a happy man asked unhappy man. 
- What should I joy for? I am unlucky. Recently I was free and had a rest at the resort, and then, as you know, is more interesting than here - unhappy man answered and asked a happy man: - And why are you so satisfied? 
- You see, - a happy man said, - recently I was in another prison, where the conditions are much worse, and there is just a resort here, compared to what it was. Many people want to get here, but I am the lucky one. So why don’t I have to joy? 
Everything is relative and has to be learned in comparison. If you want to be happy, just compare your current position not with what is better, but with what would be worse.