When Your Hut is on Fire...

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.

He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.

Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. 

He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger.

He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island!

It had come to rescue him!

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.

Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground.

It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Life Isn't Fair, But Its Still Good

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. So stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry..

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now... Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".

26. Always choose life.

27. Forgive everyone everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business..

29.. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

32. Believe in miracles.

33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

35.. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

36. Your children get only one childhood.

37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere..

39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd

Grab ours back.

40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

41. The best is yet to come.

42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

43. Yield.

44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

The only way to fail is to give up. Whatever comes, whatever happens, keep going.

Fix your eyes on the goal, and persist. Your vision, your commitment, and your actions will take you there.

When you can make great big strides, make them. When you can take only small steps, take them.

See every moment as the opportunity that it is. When the wind is at your back, keep going, and when the wind is blowing against you, keep going.

Make good and effective use of whatever you encounter. Tap into the positive value that is always there. Know precisely where you wish to go and why. Keep going, and you are there. 

- Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

Should He Bite Me

One time a large stone fell upon Snake and covered her so that she could not rise. A white man, it is said, came upon her and lifted the stone, but when he had done so, she wanted to bite him. The White Man said, "Stop! Let us first go to someone wise." They went to Hyena, and the White Man asked him, "Is it right that Snake should want to bite me, even though I helped her so much?"

Hyena (who was looking for his own share of the White Man's body) said, "If you were bitten, what would it matter?" So Snake thought that settled it, but the White Man said again, "Wait a little, and let us go to other wise people, that I may hear whether this is right." They went and met Jackal, and the White Man put the same question to him.

Jackal replied, "I don't believe that Snake could ever be so covered by a stone that she could not rise. Unless I saw it with my two eyes, I wouldn't believe it. Take me to the place where you say it happened so I can see for myself whether it can possibly be true."

They went together to that place, and Jackal said, "Snake, lie down, and let yourself be covered." Snake did so, and the White man covered her with the stone; and although she tried with all her strength Snake couldn't get up. Then the White Man wanted to let Snake go again, but Jackal stopped him saying, "Don't life the stone. She wanted to bite you, therefore, let her get up and lift it herself."

Then they both went away and left Snake there, just as before.

The Angel of Death

When the angel of death came to Joe Smith, to accompany him to his real home, Joe dismissively responded “I am not ready to die as I have so much left to do. Do you mind coming back later?” the Angel replied, sorry your time is up and we must leave now. 

Joe enquired, “don’t you know who I am? I am Joe Smith, one of the richest men in the world. The Angel nodded “I know all about you as I do everyone else; now hurry along, Let’s go.” Joe pleaded; “if I were to give you 10% of my fortune, which is over a billion dollars, will you turn a blind eye and return a year later?” the Angel shook his head and replied, “you don’t seem to understand Joe. It is time to go” For the next few moments, Joe tried his best to negotiate with the angel giving away more of his fortune for lesser time. He finally succumbed and offered “if I were to give you all my fortune, which is 10 billion dollars, will you give me 5 minutes so that I can call my wife and children and tell them that I love them? I have never told them this and it is very important to me that they know how I feel about them. 

I also need to seek forgiveness from 2 people that I have hurt the most. All I ask is 5 minutes!” the Angel paused and looked at Joe curiously and asked, “how long did it take you to make your 10 billion dollars?” Joe replied, “30 years my friend - it took me a whole 30 years - it’s a great deal in exchange for 5 minutes, take it - you will never have to work another day in your life. “ 

The Angel shook his head and said “I really do not understand you human beings! If you are willing to give up 30 years of your lives’ work for 5 minutes, then why did you not make the most of every minute while you had it? 

How did you value your time? Where were your priorities? Why did you not say or do the things that really mattered?” The lights went off a second later, Joe was gone. His 10 billion dollars could not buy him the time to do what really mattered.

Time! Your most precious invaluable resource!

Change your thinking, change your life.

Change your thinking, change your life.

A leader must build a winning spirit, encouraging employee's enthusiasm. A positive environment urges employees to use their energy and talents to compel the company toward productivity. The powers to influence, inspire, and move people to share their talents fall upon the leader. Being a truthful, honest and positive role model is the only way to motivate your team toward a productive relationship, working together for the good of all.

A Leaders Ten Steps to a Winning Spirit:

1. Believe in Yourself - Know that you are unique and only you can provide certain talents. Realize that you are enough; you don't have to be more.

2. Don't Live with the Status Quo - Become energized by new ambitions and excitement for living.

3. Challenge the Odds and Be Bold - Shake off worries and anxiety, becoming confident and free from personal limitations. You can make a difference.

4. Be Open to New Ideas - Recognize that you can learn from others. Be open to what others are offering, being flexible and adaptable.

5. Practice Specific Leader Behaviors - Leaders are not born, but have to practice the qualities of other successful leaders.

6. Visualize Your Success as a Leader - In order to have a winning spirit, you must see yourself as a leader. Have a successful result in mind.

7. Maintain Focus - You have power over your thoughts, and can change your life by changing your attitude. Focus on winning.

8. Discipline Yourself - Replace your inner conflicts into calmness and accept a rich life. Don't waste your time on things that don't matter.

9. Enjoy Today - Do not worry about tomorrow. You can plan for the future, but enjoy today. Live the day that is right in front of you to the fullest.

10. Practice Being Positive - Your positive thought will be mirrored right back to you.

These ten steps are pivotal to instilling a winning spirit in both yourself and your employees. Following these proactive leadership behaviours will bring your organization a competitive edge. The right mix of leadership qualities and styles will pull the company together not only in the good times, but in the times of crisis, as well. It all stems upon a strong organizational performance, climate, and positive engagement of the workforce. The winning attitude sets your mood and dictates your tempo. It provides motivation and keeps you moving in a positive direction towards the fulfillment of your goals and aspirations. It stabilizes your focus and soothes your spirit, especially in times of trouble and uncertainty. It picks you up when you get knocked down and provides direction when you lose your way.

Top 5 Ways to Self-Actualize Your Stress

Stress is a disease that can be partially cured. Here are a few thoughts that may help you live more in peace with yourself.

1. They say that 'primordial stress' is related to our unspoken fear of dying, of the end of life. But is it really dying that we are afraid of? No, because we don't know what dying really is. With the end of our existence also comes the end of consciousness and sensation, and so how can we know anything of dying?

2. Stress is generated by a fear of not being perfect. So, you believe you are perfect, do you? Well, you should know that you have never been perfect, because your lack of modesty allowed you to think that you were. And there can be no perfection where there is a lack!

3. Stress comes from being afraid that you can't get everything done on time. Time, like space, is an extendable dimension. It is one of those rare commodities that can be bestowed almost without limit. Remember that nothing grand or beautiful was ever accomplished in a day.

4. Stress comes from fearing that you do not correspond to the self image you want to project. The eye does not see the object itself, but the image of the object. You too are just a reflection in other people's eyes. They will never see you as you really are, no matter how hard they try. So why worry?

5. Stress arises when you don't know how to say no. You do know how to say no. Do you need proof? Well, the fact that you are alive and reading these lines means that you have succeeded in saying no many times, both with your body and with your mind. That's because living means refusing to die, day after day

Relationships are like Trees

Relationships are like trees. Now what does this mean?

Have you ever been to any orchard? I am sure we all have seen at least a few of them like orange, mango, cashew, coconut, chiku and many more. Did you notice friends, how these trees are planted? There is always a gap between any two grown up trees. Every tree needs some space to grow properly. It needs the right amount of light, soil, water, mineral and loving hands of a farmer. When all these needs are being taken care of well then only the tree grows the way the farmer wants it to be.

Similarly, all relationships too need some space to grow. They also need right amount of all ingredients including love and affection to take a proper shape, any relationship is like the four pillars of a temple. They are together, but they can’t come very close to each other and if they do so, the walls of the temple would fall off, it would collapse. So friends, all relationships need a proper space to grow!

A tree is planted today but bears fruits only after a particular period, when it reaches maturity.

Similarly, our relationships also bear fruits at a later date. We shouldn't expect anything right from the beginning.

Big trees give shelter to all passers by without any expectations. And I have noticed that true, matured relationships too provide mental, emotional and physical shelter (support) to all.

Deeper the roots, stronger the hold of a tree. Similarly deeper the understanding, stronger the relationship.

When the winds are blowing harsh, the trees sway in the direction of wind and only those who do so, survive. Others are uprooted. Similarly, there are occasions when we just need to overlook a few things, just let them go, just flow with the wind. Only such relationships pass the test of hard times and survive even in not so favorable conditions.

Thus friends! Relationships are like trees, if nurtured with utmost love and care, will bear sweet fruits of love, compassion, strong emotional bonding and care