5 Steps to Self-Actualization

"Every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, must depend on motivation."
-- Dalai Lama

Monitoring what motivates me has helped me see how I am growing. I do things for different reasons now than I did 10 years ago. As we pay ongoing attention to our motives, we can see how both our conscious and unconscious attitudes are changing.

Here are some ways that our motives can shift with rising consciousness:
- I desire
- I want to collect things
- I want to know
- I want to serve
- I want to be

What are your motives as you participate in life?

"There are three kinds of people and three kinds of richness:
- people who want to have, to collect
- people who want action, work and labor
- people who want to be
The real richness is in be-ness. People can take all that you have, all that you collected. People can stop your labor, or an accident can stop you. When you are, you never lose what you are."
-- Torkom Saraydarian

"You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!"
-- Bob Richards

"A good intention clothes itself with power."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We don't change overnight. Personal growth requires persistence.

What Can GOD do with 57 Cents

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded."

"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there...

A newspaper learned of the story and published It. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.

When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide.

Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250, 000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia , look up Temple Baptist Church , with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit TempleUniversity, where thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds".

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS..

The value of experience

“One of the most important lessons that experience teaches is that, on the whole, success depends more upon character than upon either intellect or fortune” William Edward Hartpole Lecky

Many a time, we tend to focus more on those events that have left a scar on our psyche, have given us a bitter pill to swallow or that which has hurt us immensely. Often our immediate reaction to this is to be fearful, become risk averse and make efforts to avoid the path that lead to the unfortunate experience. While the protective mechanism that we have honed comes in handy and saves us from catastrophes, far too often we miss out on grasping opportunities for we let our bitter experiences overwhelm our pragmatism and passion. Our experiences should not deter us from pursuing a path that we have chalked out for ourselves merely because we stumbled and grazed ourselves or in extreme cases it badly scarred us.

Experiences both good and bad are the pivots around which the future is built. The good experiences reinforce our beliefs and light up our path, where as the bad experiences alert us to the pitfalls ahead, allowing us time to relook, reassess and reorganize ourselves. The important learning got from our experiences is that our attitude and reactions at every stage determine how we will traverse the journey and attain success. In effect experiences are a test of our character and our ability to deal with the situations as they unfold.

Our character evolves through our formative years and continues to transform, albeit slowly, with every passing year. It is made of a combination of factors including our hereditary traits, the childhood scripting, the experiences and interactions that have percolated deep into our psyche and our own independent thinking and attitude. A happy and disciplined upbringing often has a deep and lasting influence on character building. The role of parents, teachers, classmates and neighbors is very critical in influencing ...

To read the entire article click on the links given below


Remember: “There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.” Tom Krause

The 73 Best Lessons I've Learned for Leadership Success in Business and Life

By Robin Sharma, author of the international bestseller "The Leader Who Had No Title".

1. You can really Lead Without a Title.

2. Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.

3. Give away what you most wish to receive.

4. The antidote to stagnation is innovation.

5. The conversations you are most resisting are the conversations you most need to be having.

6. Leadership is no longer about position - but passion. It's no longer about image but impact. This is Leadership 2.0.

7. The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.

8. Visionaries see the "impossible" as the inevitable.

9. All great thinkers are initially ridiculed - and eventually revered.

10. The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you'll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money.

11. To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.

12. The more messes you allow into your life, the more messes will become a normal (and acceptable) part of your life.

13. The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.

14. The best leaders lift people up versus tear people down.

15. The most precious resource for businesspeople is not their time. It's their energy. Manage it well.

16. The fears you run from run to you.

17. The most dangerous place is in your safety zone.

18. The more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

19. Every moment in front of a customer is a gorgeous opportunity to live your values.

20. Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do.

21. You'll never go wrong in doing what is right.

22. It generally takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.

23. Never leave the site of a strong idea without doing something to execute around it.

24. A strong foundation at home sets you up for a strong foundation at work.

25. Never miss a moment to encourage someone you work with.

26. Saying "I'll try" really means "I'm not really committed."

27. The secret of passion is purpose.

28. Do a few things at mastery versus many things at mediocrity.

29. To have the rewards that very few have, do the things that very few people are willing to do.

30. Go where no one's gone and leave a trail of excellence behind you.

31. Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.

32. Accept your teammates for what they are and inspire them to become all they can be.

33. To triple the growth of your organization, triple the growth of your people.

34. The best leaders are the most dedicated learners. Read great books daily. Investing in your self-development is the best investment you will ever make.

35. Other people's opinions of you are none of your business.

36. Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.

37. Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one.

38. Understand the acute difference between the cost of something and the value of something.

39. Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it's so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top.

40. The best leaders blend courage with compassion.

41. The less you are like others, the less others will like you.

42. You'll never go wrong in doing what's right.

43. Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in every area.

44. The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.

45. Passion + production = performance.

46. The value of getting to your goals lives not in reaching the goal but what the talents/strengths/capabilities the journey reveals to you.

47. Stand for something. Or else you'll fall for anything.

48. Say "thank you" when you're grateful and "sorry" when you're wrong.

49. Make the work you are doing today better than the work you did yesterday.

50. Small daily - seemingly insignificant - improvements and innovations lead to staggering achievements over time.

51. Peak performers replace depletion with inspiration on a daily basis.

52. Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.

53. You can't be great if you don't feel great. Make exceptional health your #1 priority.

54. Doing the difficult things that you've never done awakens the talents you never knew you had.

55. As we each express our natural genius, we all elevate our world.
 

56. Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.

57. People do business with people who make them feel special.

58. All things being equal, the primary competitive advantage of your business will be your ability to row Leaders Without Titles faster than your industry peers.

59. Treat people well on your way up and they'll treat you well on your way down.

60. Success lies in a masterful consistency around a few fundamentals. It really is simple. Not easy. But simple.

61. The business (and person) who tries to be everything to everyone ends up being nothing to anyone.

62. One of the primary tactics for enduring winning is daily learning.

63. To have everything you want, help as many people as you can possibly find get everything they want.

64. Understand that a problem is only a problem if you choose to view it as a problem (vs. an opportunity).

65. Clarity precedes mastery. Craft clear and precise plans/goals/deliverables. And then block out all else.

66. The best in business spend far more time on learning than in leisure.

67. Lucky is where skill meets persistence.

68. The best Leaders Without a Title use their heads and listen to their hearts.

69. The things that are hardest to do are often the things that are the best to do.

70. Every single person in the world could be a genius at something, if they practiced it daily for at least ten years (as confirmed by the research of Anders Ericsson and others).

71. Daily exercise is an insurance policy against future illness. The best Leaders Without Titles are the fittest.

72. Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books/audios/seminars and coaching.

73. The quickest way to grow the sales of your business is to grow your people.

EATING FRUIT...

EATING FRUIT...

It's long but very informative
We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.
What is the correct way of eating fruits?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil....
So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.
But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.
Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can u believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Sixty Uses For Salt

Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food. The following list will give you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn't realize:

· Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.

· Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

· Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.

· Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.

· Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting..

· Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

· Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

· A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.

· Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

· Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

· Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

· Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

· Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.

· Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

· Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.

· Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour

· Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.

· Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

· Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.

· Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

· Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

· To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.

· Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

· Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

· Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

· Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.

· Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

· A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

· Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.

· A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea. ?

· Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

· Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

· Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.

· Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.

· Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.

· Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.

· Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.

· Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

· Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.

· Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash..

· Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

· Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.

· Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.

· Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains..

· Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.

·Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

· Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

· Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.

· A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee..

· Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.

· Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.

· Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.

· Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.

· A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.

· To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.

· Salt and lemon juice? Removes mildew.

· Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.

· Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a better look.

· Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.

· If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.

Secret of Success.

A young man asked Socrates the secret of Success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met.

Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river.

When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The man struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until he started turning blue.

The young man struggled hard and finally managed to get out and the first
thing he did was to gasp and take deep breath. Socrates asked 'What you
wanted the most when you were there?' The man replied 'Air'.

Socrates said 'that's the secret to success. When you want success as
badly as you wanted air, you will get it. There is no other secret'