IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORSE

A man gets a telephone call from a doctor. The doctor says:

“About this medical test I did on you, I have some good news

and some bad news.”

The man asks for the good news first: “The good news is that

you have 24 hours to live,” says the doctor. The man,

incredulously says, “If that is the good news, then what is the

bad news??” “I couldn't reach you yesterday.”

“I had no shoes and complained, until I met a man who had no feet.”

– Indian Proverb.

“Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” – Unknown.

“It is not the situation that makes you, but it’s you who make the situation.”

– Frederick W. Robertson.

 

MAKE THE MOST...

If life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it;
then your reaction can make what happened look like a carnival
or a funeral.

Don't allow what happened to bring you down; instead use it as a
wake up call, as a realization, as a reminder of what it's really
important.

Just remember that what happened is not as important as how you
react to it. You certainly cannot reverse the past, nor predict the
future, but you can always make the most out of the present by
how you react to it.

"The real winners in life  are the people who look at every situation
with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better."
- Barbara Pletcher.

SLOW DOWN

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round? Or listened to the
 rain slapping on the ground? Even followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?"
do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head? You better
slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last.

Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow"? And in your haste, not
see his/her sorrow? Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die,
'Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"? You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere you miss half the fun of getting
there. When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened
gift....thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.

"The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others
how much they love them while they're alive." - O. Battista.

"Don't forget that the business of life is not business, but living." - B. C. Forbes.

"The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow but the rainbow
won't wait while you do the work." - Unknown.

JUST IN CASE

 
What would you do if you knew that today was the last day that
you were going to see your significant others?

Would you give them an extra hug? Would you forgive them for
yesterday's annoyance? What about running to the door before
they leave and saying one more"I love you"?

The fact is that you would never know when the last day might be.
But Just in case, do those little things anyway for you will forever
regret not doing them if the unexpected happens.

"Tomorrow is promised to no one" - Unknown.

HOPE: QUOTES

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no
hope at all." - Dale Carnegie.

"Hope never abandons you; you abandon it." - George Weinberg.

"Those who do not hope to win have already lost." - Jose Joaquin Olmedo.

"Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for those who
strongly have within them the gift of miracles." - Samuel Smiles.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." - Anon.

HOPE

There is a sure way to not despair...do not hope. Yet what is life
without hope?

To hope for a better tomorrow is to risk despair. To hope for light
when there is nothing but darkness is to risk disappointment.
To hope for success when there is nothing but failure is to
risk disillusionment.

You can afford to lose your patience, your youth, and even your
possessions. Yet there is only one thing that you cannot afford
to lose...and that is hope.

"To the sick, while there is life there is hope." - Marcus T. Cicero.

HOPE

There is a sure way to not despair...do not hope. Yet what is life
without hope?

To hope for a better tomorrow is to risk despair. To hope for light
when there is nothing but darkness is to risk disappointment.
To hope for success when there is nothing but failure is to
risk disillusionment.

You can afford to lose your patience, your youth, and even your
possessions. Yet there is only one thing that you cannot afford
to lose...and that is hope.

"To the sick, while there is life there is hope." - Marcus T. Cicero.

HOPE

There is a sure way to not despair...do not hope. Yet what is life
without hope?

To hope for a better tomorrow is to risk despair. To hope for light
when there is nothing but darkness is to risk disappointment.
To hope for success when there is nothing but failure is to
risk disillusionment.

You can afford to lose your patience, your youth, and even your
possessions. Yet there is only one thing that you cannot afford
to lose...and that is hope.

"To the sick, while there is life there is hope." - Marcus T. Cicero.

BALLAD SINGER

A dramatic ballad singer studied under a strict teacher who
insisted that he rehearse day after day, month after month
the same passage from the same song, without being
permitted to go any further. Finally, overwhelmed by
frustration and despair, the young man ran off to find
another profession. One night, stopping at an inn, he
stumbled upon a recitation contest.

Having nothing to lose, he entered the competition and,
of course, sang the one passage that he knew so well.
When he had finished, the sponsor of the contest highly
praised his performance. Despite the student's embarrassed
objections, the sponsor refused to believe that he had just
heard a beginner perform. "Tell me," the sponsor said,
"who is your instructor? He must be a great master."
The student later become know as the performer Koshiji.

"Life is similar to a good book. The further you get into it,
the more it begins to make sense." - Harold S. Kushner.

CREATE A MASTER PIECE.

The most successful people in the world share one thing in common.
They all had ONE masterpiece.

Thomas Edison held many patents but he was worldwide known for
the light bulb. Leonardo Da Vinci painted many portraits but he's
most known for Mona Lisa. Christopher Columbus explored and
discovered many islands, but America was his masterpiece.

Why chase sardines, when a whale can satiate your hunger many
times over. What masterpiece can you create that the world can
known you for?

"Catch sardines and you will eat for a day, catch ONE whale and you
will eat for a lifetime." - Robert E. Criner.

MAKE OTHERS FEEL WONDERFUL

"Mom, you were right. When I am with John I feel like he's the
most wonderful person in the world. But I am not getting
married to him," said Angie.

"I don't understand, "said her mom.

"Mom, it's simple. I don't want to marry the most wonderful person in the
world. I want to marry a guy who makes ME feel like I'm the
most wonderful person in the world."

"Remember you are just an extra in everyone else's play." - Stewart Emery.

"The best way to sell yourself to others is first to sell the others to yourself.
Check yourself against this list of obstacles to a pleasing personality:
interrupting others; sarcasm; vanity; being a poor listener; insincere flattery;
finding fault; challenging others without good cause; giving unsolicited advice;
complaining; attitude of superiority; envy of others' success; poor posture
and dress." - Native American Proverb.

A KNOWN SECRET

Others will love you not necessarily because of who you are, but
because of how you make them feel.

Make others feel important and you will be important to them.
Appreciate the little things they do, do the little things they appreciate,
and you will be appreciated by them.

At times, listening does a better job than explaining, than justifying,
than defending.  Remember, if you fight fire with fire you will end up with ashes.

"An eye for an eye can only leave the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi.

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A NEW CHAMPION

Two young amateur boxers were getting ready for their first
professional fight. One of them could not make it to the fight.

The promoters summoned the world champion to fight the young
contender. With a week notice, the champion accepted to fight.
Surprisingly, the young amateur wins. The champion's excuse,
"I wasn't ready."

Would you be ready if the opportunity which you most desire knocks
on your door today?

"Chance favors only the prepared minds." - Louis Pasteur.

"Let us show, not merely in great crises, but in every day affairs of life,
qualities of practical intelligence, of hardihood and endurance,
and above all, the power of devotion to a lofty ideal." - Theodore Roosevelt.

ARE YOU READY?

An army that never trains its soldiers is easily crushed during wartime,
for they will be training in the midst of combat.

It doesn't matter if you are a soldier, it doesn't matter if you have no
profession. You know what your heart has longed for years.
Would you be ready for it, if it shows up unexpectedly? If you
are not, somebody else will.

Sharpen your skills. For your time will come. It's nearer than you think.
Don't get caught off guard.

"Dig your well before you get thirsty, for a dehydrating being is in no condition
to dig anything but a grave. - Andres Lara.

SURVIVORS

A husband, a wife and their two small children were escaping
from Cuba on a small boat. The waves were approximately
three to four stories high. This caused one of their children
to fall off the boat. The ferocious ocean in no time swallowed
the fallen kid into its debts.

The father, upset and discouraged by such tragedy, put the
paddles down, sat on a corner of the boat, and burst into tears
for hours.

With the boat almost sinking, the wife took the paddles in one
hand and their only left child on the other one, and said to the
husband, "Yes, we lost one of our dear children. And if we don't
get up and row this boat through this storm, we are going to
lose the one that still alive."

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life - it goes on."
- Robert Frost.

"Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine." - Mario Fernandez

"In the black, there is some white; In the wrong, there is some right; In the dark,
there is some light; In the blind, there is some sight." - Abhinyana.

TAKE CARE OF THE ONE ALIVE

Imagine a farmer whose livelihood depends on his two cows' milk.
One day, a virus kills one of them. Destroyed by such tragedy,
the farmer grieves for months. Because of his negligence,
the second cow also dies.

Tragedies are inevitable. At times, you might even have to
endure the loss of a beloved one. Grieve, cry if you have to,
but never allow such loss to take someone else with it.

It's ok to grieve for a loss in a tragedy. Yet it's not ok to add
to the tragedy by neglecting those who are still alive.

"It's not so much of a tragedy to lose somebody special,
as it is to forget that special somebody who's still alive."
- Andres Lara.

MOSO BAMBOO

The moso is a bamboo plant that grows in China and
the far east. After the moso is planted, no visible
growth occurs for up to five years - even under ideal
conditions!

Then, as if by magic, it suddenly begins growing at
the rate of nearly two and one half feet per day,
reaching a full height of ninety feet within six weeks.

But it's not magic. The moso's rapid growth is due to
the miles of roots it develops during those first five
years, five years of getting ready.

"Just because you haven't reached maximum height in
so many years, it doesn't mean that you cannot do
it in a few weeks." - Andres Lara.

'It is no use waiting for your ship to come in unless
you have sent one out." - Belgian Proverb.

NOT OVER YET

If you bid on a horse race, you wouldn't judge whether you won
or lost until the race is over...until the end.

In the race of life at times you will find yourself sprinting, other
times walking, and some other times crawling. Understand that
no matter what position you find yourself in, your race is not over
until the end.

Do not be quick to judge whether you have succeeded or failed.
Any judgement on the race of life prior to the end will not only
be inaccurate but also foolish.

 "If the creator doesn't judge you till the end of your days, nor should you."
- Source Unknown.

FAILED YET WON

During the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a young athlete
set an extremely high goal, to win 5 gold medals.

Yet she failed. She didn't win five gold medals. She only won
three gold and two bronze. An unmatchable record.
Who is she? Marion Jones.

Moral: Set a goal that will have you win even if you fail.

"It doesn't matter how many people say it cannot be done or
how many people have tried it before; it's important to realize
that whatever you are doing, it's your first attempt at it."
- Wally 'Famous' Amos.

HIGHER YOUR AIM

 When an Olympic runner aspires to break a world record and falls short,
one of the worst things that can happen is receiving a gold medal.

Gold medalists usually don't aim for medals; they aim to break records.
They don't train for events; they train to be the event.
They don't race for victory; they race to make history.

While it's possible to get silver when you aim for gold, it's nearly impossible
to get gold when you aim for silver. If You want the gold, you must aim
a little higher.

"You can easily manage the difficult when you train for the impossible." - Andres Lara.

THINGS YOU CAN LEARN FROM A DOG.

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
3. When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
4. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
5. Run, romp and play daily.
6. Be loyal.
7. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
8. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
9. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
10. No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into guilt run right back and make friends.
11. Never pretend to be something you're not.
12. Stretch before rising.
13. when someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there." - John Wooden.

"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles.

"The measure of your real character is what you would do if you knew you would never be found out." - Unknown.

DEVELOP CHARACTER

There is an Irish Proverb that says, "You've got to do your own growing,
no matter how tall your grandfather was."

Sure. There are some who were born with more than you.
There are others whose lives are easier than yours.
Yet all of this means nothing, for they too have to do their own growing.

Skill cannot be developed through quietness and ease, for no skillful
sailor was ever developed in a calm sea. Today, choose to be ok
about any turbulence you may encounter, through it you'll develop character.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the
experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthenend,
ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller.
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COMFORT CAN COST

Once there was a beautiful bird, which flew freely across the skies.
It was very proud of its freedom but it was always restless for
it had no place to lie still.

One day the bird decided to pluck its own feathers, one by one,
to make a beautiful nest in which it could rest with comfort and security.
Now the bird had comfort, but it could no longer fly.

"No amount of security is worth the suffering of a life chained to a routine
that has killed your dreams." - Unknown

"There is always a price to pay for comfort. What price are you
paying." - Andres Lsra.

"Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time;
what we want is for things to remain the same but get better."
- Sydney Harris.

COMFORT

Your success is in direct proportion to the level of discomfort you
are willing to embrace. Are you too comfortable?

Comfort resides in what you have already mastered. Yet it's not
in mastery where growth occurs, but in the journey to it. You will
never grow, unless you step beyond the land of familiarity.

Dare to venture to unknown territories; for it is such journey
which will not only stretch you, but will also help you discover who
you really are. Trading growth for comfort, it's suicide.

"A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed
a scholar." - Lao-Tzu.