THE DONKEY STORY

One day a farmer's donkey fell into a well. The farmer frantically thought what to do as the stricken animal cried out to be rescued. With no obvious solution, the farmer regretfully concluded that as the donkey was old, and as the well needed to be filled in anyway, he should give up the idea of rescuing the beast, and simply fill in the well. Hopefully the poor animal would not suffer too much, he tried to persuade himself.

The farmer asked his neighbours help, and before long they all began to shovel earth quickly into the well. When the donkey realised what was happening he wailed and struggled, but then, to everyone's relief, the noise stopped.

After a while the farmer looked down into the well and was astonished by what he saw. The donkey was still alive, and progressing towards the top of the well. The donkey had discovered that by shaking off the dirt instead of letting it cover him, he could keep stepping on top of the earth as the level rose. Soon the donkey was able to step up over the edge of the well, and he happily trotted off.

Life tends to shovel dirt on top of each of us from time to time. The trick is to shake it off and take a step up.

दो संन्यासी

दो बौद्ध संन्यासी कहीं जा रहे हैं और कीचड़ से भरे मार्ग पर आ लगते हैं. उन्हें सड़क के किनारे एक किशोरी दिखती है जो सड़क पार करने से कतरा रही है कि उसके कपड़े कहीं गंदे न हो जाएँ.

पुराना संन्यासी किशोरी तक जाता है और उसका अभिवादन करता है. फिर वह उसे अपनी बांहों में उठाकर कीचड़ में डग भरता हुआ सड़क के दूसरी ओर ले जाकर छोड़ देता है. फिर दोनों संन्यासी अपने रास्ते चल पड़ते हैं.

उसी रात भोजन करते समय नए संन्यासी ने पुराने संन्यासी से कहा, “मुझे कुछ समझ में नहीं आ रहा. हम संन्यासी हैं और हमें स्त्रियों से बातें करना भी निषेध है, फिर भी आपने उस स्त्री को अपनी बाहों में उठा लिया!”

पुराने संन्यासी ने कहा, “मैंने तो उस लड़की को उसी समय सड़क के दूसरी ओर छोड़ दिया था. तुम उसे अभी भी उठाये घूम रहे हो”.

ऐसा ही है. हम विचारों और मान्यताओं से जकड़े हुए हैं. वे हमारे मन-मष्तिष्क को दुविधाओं और चिंताओं से ग्रस्त रखतीं हैं. हम सर्वथा उनके ही खंडन-मंडन के द्वंद्व में उलझे रहते हैं. इनके कारण हमारी आत्मोन्नति की राह में नित-नये अवरोध आते रहते हैं.

To stay stress free, mind your own business

It is not your business to love me, it is mine. -Byron Katie

One of Byron Katie’s teachings is that in order to stay stress free, we need to stay in our own business. She recognizes that there are only three types of businesses in this universe:
Other's Business
God’s Business
My Business

The most of the stress that we create in our mind is due to mentally doing some other people’s business.

Example thoughts of being in "Other's business"
You need to get a job
I want you to be happy
You should be on time
You need to take better care of yourself
John does not listen to me
Julie did not smile at me
My husband should love me more
My children do not care for me enough
My employer should appreciate me
My mother should understand me
People should be kinder to me

You will see that in all the above examples, the person thinking these thoughts is linking his/her well being to something someone else should do and should not do, which obviously is not in his/her control. It is thus the other person's business to do or not do what they need to do, not ours.

Example thoughts of being in “God’s business”
I’m worried about the possible earthquake in Nepal
I fear that the river will get flooded next year
I fear that that the world will end in 2012
When will it rain this season? When will I die?
Anything that cannot be done by us or others is God’s business. You will see that the circmstances in the thoughts above are outside the control of human beings and is thus God's business.
If we do not waste our energy in not minding other’s business or God’s business, we can be much more focused on minding our own business, and thus be relatively stress free.

Examples of staying in “My business”
Loving myself
Taking care of my health
Maintaining peace in my mind
Doing what is right for my heart
Giving my 100% in whatever I take up
Taking full responsibility for my life without resorting to blame

Thus the next time we are in stress, the best thing to do is to take a look at whose business we are being in. Chances are that we are doing other's business or God's business. We can then laugh at it, let go, and get back to our own business.

SUCCESS IS DEPENDENT ON NOT GIVING UP

The difference between successful people and those that aren't often boils down to pure persistence; the desire to not give up. Great people carry on, even in adversity and critics.

Here is a fun and meaningful story for the tested-or the soon to be.

Two frogs were playing in the swamp one day and decided to go exploring. They hopped off in the direction of an old farm where there were lots of fun things to explore. They came across a pail of milk and immediately jumped in it for a swim. However, they soon found themselves in danger as they tried to climb out and go home. The sides turned out to be steeper and slip-pier then they had anticipated.

Both frogs continued to struggle to get out - kicking, squirming and swimming the best they could. Finally one frog just quit saying "this is way too hard, it is hopeless, I quit." Eventually that frog disappeared under the milk never to rise to the surface again. The other frog wasn't going to quit so easily and continued to kick, squirm and swim the best a frog could in that situation. Finally when the frog decided to stop he noticed that he wasn't sinking. With all of his churning the milk had been turned into a big hunk of butter! As a result he simply climbed out of the pail.

You can never quit. You can't give up on your vision and you can't give up on those you lead. You can't give up! You may not have it all figured out, but you have to keep kicking, keep squirming and keep swimming until you eventually reach the top. From the top no one will doubt you have succeeded as a leader. But it will take constant effort and courage to get there. You will have to trust yourself and trust those you lead. Great leaders get it, do you?

What are your challenges that keep you kicking, squirming and swimming as a leader? Please comment - thanks!

WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT????

Hi all, i read this somewhere and found intersting so just thought of sharing with you people.

To make money we loose our health and then to restore our health we loose money. 
We live as if we are never going to die and we die as if we never lived 
wherein it should be other way round

First i was dying to finish my high school and start college

and then i was dying to finish college and start working

then i was dying to marry and have children,

and then i was dying for my children to grow old enough so i could go back to work

but then i was dying to retire.

and now i am dying and suddenly i realized i forgot to live………………..

THE TEACUP

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.

"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup.

There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, let me alone,' but he only smiled, 'Not yet'.

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled, and I knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.'

"Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

"Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head, saying, 'Not yet.'

"Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and patted, but if I just left you, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life, and if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'

LET GO...

A little child was playing one day with a very valuable vase. He put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father too, tried his best, but all in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull."

To their astonishment the little fellow said, "O no, father. I couldn't put my fingers out like that, because if I did I would drop my penny."

Smile, if you will--but thousands of us are like that little boy, so busy holding on to the world's worthless penny that we cannot accept liberation.