What Graduates out of you?

What graduates out of U! As I have always said and believe: Nobody can stop U except yourself! Because Success does not go to d swiftest or strongest; but Success goes to d he who can adapt most! I.e. The man who wins knows from the outset....That lucky man was d man who prepared  most bcs Preparation + Oppourtunity = LUCK !. Success is intrinsic! It is an idea that comes from within! If U can think it, then U can achieve it! That person who told U that U can't achieve it is your best friend at that point in time! If U agree with him/her that U can't achieve it, then, U are your greatest enemy! Inspiration is d opposite of intimidation and is absence of manipulation! So, the need to believe in yourself is paramount to succeed in life! Do what U believe in and believe in what U do! Then, U find out that d sky is d beginning! Just ACT by following your feelings/heart; your insight, your inner promptings. This would eventually give U a hindsight- A BiGGER PICTURE! As true Sucess is d fulfillment of original purpose! Also, appreciate that Failure is a temporary detour and should NEVER become a permanent address! The Man  who  NEVER wants to make mistakes CANNOT achieve anything! YOU CAN! Your ATTITUDE to life is also a major  determinant of your ALTITUDE! A=1, I=9,, T=20, U=21, D=4, E=5 (ATTITUDE:Inserting Nos on alphabets from A=1 to Z=26), U get 100%! D major ingredients in life which guides  ATTITUDE = INTEGRITY,PERSISTENCE,HUMILITY, EMPATHY, PATIENCE, SERVICE etc. Thank U & Gd Day!

Seven Wonders of Life -

1. Your mother - who is the first person to welcome you in this world.

2. Your Father – who is the first person to go through all the hardships just to see you smile!

3. Your sibling – the first person to teach you the art of ‘sharing and caring’.

4. Your friend - the first person to teach you how to respect people with different opinions and viewpoints!

5. Your love - the first person to make you realize the value of sacrifice and compromise and the first one for whom you’ve to fight the world to be together

6. Your children – the first little person to teach you how to be selfless and think about others before yourself

7. Your grandchildren – the only creatures who make you want to live the life, all over again…

The Crow and The Peacock

A Crow was absolutely satisfied in life.

But one day he saw a swan…
This swan is so white and I am so black…crow thought.

This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.

He expressed his thoughts to the swan.
“Actually,” the swan replied,

“I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors.
I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.”

The crow then approached the parrot.
The parrot explained,
“I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock.
I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”

The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him.

After the people had left,
The crow approached the Peacock..

Dear Peacock,
You are so beautiful.
Every day thousands of people come to see you.
When people see me,
they immediately shoo me away.
I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.

The peacock replied,
I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet.
But because of my beauty,
I am entrapped in this zoo.

I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage.

So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow,
I could happily roam everywhere.

That’s our problem too.

We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad.

We don’t value what God has given us.
This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness.

Value the things god has given us.

Learn the secret of being happy and discard the comparison which leads only to unhappiness…

Don't hope...Decide...

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life- changing experiences that you hear other people talk about — the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly.
This one occurred a mere two feet away from me. Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied softly, “Me, too, Dad!”

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his songs face in his hands said,

“You’re already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!” They too hugged a most loving, tender hug. While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was squirming excitedly in her mother’s arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, “Hi, baby girl!”
as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from
side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, “I’ve saved the best for last!” and proceeded to give his wife
the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed. “I love you so much!” They stared at each other's eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands.

For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be. I puzzled about it for a moment then realized how totally engrossed I
was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm’s length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I was invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, “Wow! How long have you two been married?

“Been together fourteen years total, Married twelve of those.” he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife’s face. “Well then,
how long have you been away?” I asked. The man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile. “Two whole days!”

Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks – if not months. I know my expression betrayed me.
I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!”

The man suddenly stopped smiling.
He looked me straight in the eye, and with forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different
person. He told me,

“Don’t hope, friend… decide!”

Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”

– By Michael D. Hargrove and Bottom Line

Academicleague.com

The Wicked Employee

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:

Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought: Who is this guy who was hindering my progress?

Well, at least he died!

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:

There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth:

IT IS YOU.

You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization of your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when
your company changes.

Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself.

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.

The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed.
The world and your reality are like mirrors laying in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success.

It's the way you face Life that makes the difference!

- If an egg is broken from outside force... life ends.

If an egg is broken from inside force... life begins. Great things always begin from our inside.

Handbook for 2015

             HEALTH

Drink plenty of water.☑

Eat Breakfast like a king, 
      Lunch like a prince &
      Dinner like a beggar.☑

Live with the 3 E's--
        Energy,
        Enthusiasm &
        Empathy.☑

Make time to pray.☑

Play more games.☑

Read more books than you did
      in 2014.☑

Sit in silence for at least 10
      minutes each day.☑

Sleep for 7 hours.☑

Take a 10-30 minutes walk
     daily And while you walk,
     Smile.☑

    ➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰

          PERSONALITY
Don't over do. Keep your
      limits.☑

Don't take urself so seriously.
     No one else does.☑

Don't waste your precious
      energy on gossip.☑

Dream more while you are
      awake.☑

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

Forget issues of the past.
     Don't remind your partner with
     his/her mistakes of the past.
     That will ruin your present
     Happiness.☑

Life is too short to waste time
      hating anyone. Don't hate
      others.☑

Make peace with your past so
     it won't spoil the present.☑

No one is in charge of your
      happiness except you.☑

Smile and laugh more.☑

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

     ➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰

               SOCIETY

Call your family often.☑

Each day give something good
      to others.☑

Forgive everyone for
      everything.☑

Spend time with people over
      the age of 70 & under the age
      of 6.☑

Try to make at least three
      people smile each day.☑

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

     ➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰

                  LIFE

Do the right thing!☑

GOD heals everything.☑

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

No matter how you feel,
     Get up,
     Dress up and
     Show up. The best is yet to
     come.☑

When awake in the morning
      thank GOD for it.☑

Your Inner most is always
      happy. So, be happy.

Life is like a train Journey..

Life is like a journey on a train...
with its stations...
with changes of routes...
and with accidents !

We board this train when we are born and our parents are the ones who get our ticket.

We believe they will always travel on this train with us.

However, at some station our parents will get off the train, leaving us alone on this journey.

As time goes by, other passengers will board the train, many of whom will be significant - our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life.

Many will get off during the journey and leave a permanent vacuum in our lives.

Many will go so unnoticed that we won't even know when they vacated their seats and got off the train !

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, good-byes, and farewells.

A good journey is helping, loving, having a good relationship with all co passengers...
and making sure that we give our best to make their journey comfortable.

The mystery of this fabulous journey is :
We do not know at which station we ourselves are going to get off.

So, we must live in the best way - adjust, forget, forgive and offer the best of what we have.

It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to leave our seat... we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life."

Thank you for being one of the important passengers on my train...

Wishing you a happy 2015.

Bye Bye 2014

2014: My son am tired

2015: why?

2014: My time is up, i will be going to join your forefathers

2015: I know, you have less than 1
day to live, I will miss you Dad

2014 : But let me tell you some things before I go; please when I go, make sure you take care of this person

2015: Who?

2014: The person (reading) this
conversation of ours.

2015: Okay

2014: I made some promises to this
person during my reign, I fulfilled
some but couldn’t do some others.

2015: But why couldn’t you fulfill all
Dad?

2014:Well, my son...sometimes time
and human factors affected some of
the promises

2015:But...

2014: But surely, I spoke with God on
this person's behalf, and God
granted my wish in you to fulfill the
rest promises. So these are the rest
of the fulfillment you will carry out
on this person.

2015: Go on dad.

2014: Stabilize this person's health
without cease all through your reign!
Open a direct link between our God
and this Person..

2015: Done, carry on

2014:Ensure that this Person's
dreams come to reality really soon,
give this Person wealth that will
touch lives of multitudes, make sure
that you remove all remaining
hindrances to success from their
way, I have being trying to make sure that money will never remain the priority of this Person, so keep to
that please, make sure son!

2015: I will Dad, no problem!

2014:pay more emphasis on the
advice of this Person's friends, don't
worry about that of this person's
enemies, God will take care of that!
Get it?

2015: Yes

2014:Finally, promise me that when
Your own time is up, you will instruct
that your offspring after offspring (2015, 2016, 2017.....to....2100) to keep positive fulfilments of this Person going!

2015: Yes dad, may God help me!

2014: Now I can pass to the beyond
happily!

Dear Friends, may your 2015 be prosperous and beautiful;

Happy New Year in advance!!!

THE COOKIE THIEF

A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of
a big airport.

As she would need to wait many hours, she decided to buy a book to spend her time and also bought a packet of cookies, then sat down in an armchair, in the VIP room of the airport, to rest and read in peace.

Beside the armchair where the packet of cookies lay, a man sat
down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started reading.

When she took out the first cookie, the man took one also. She felt irritated but said nothing. She just thought

“What a nerve! If I was in the mood I would punch him for daring!”

For each cookie she took, the man took one too.

This was infuriating her but she didn't want to cause a scene.

When only one cookie remained, she
thought:

“Ah... what would this abusive man do now?”

Then, the man, taking the last cookie, divided it into half, giving
her one half..

What!
That was too much!

She was much too angry now!

In a huff, she insulted the man, took her book, her things and stormed to the boarding place.

When she sat down in her seat, inside the plane, she looked into her
bag to take her eyeglasses, and, to her surprise, her packet of cookies was there, untouched, unopened!

She felt so ashamed!

She realized that she was wrong.

She had forgotten that her cookies were in her bag.

The man had shared his cookies with her without feeling angered or bitter while she had been very angry, thinking that she was sharing her cookies with him and now there was no chance to explain herself nor to apologize.

In life, there are 4 things that you cannot recover:

1. The cake… after it's eaten!

2. The word... after it’s been said!

3. The occasion... after the loss!

4. The time… after it’s gone!

Let's be careful and watch our ATTITUDE ALWAYS.

The Two Brothers

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 labour 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 neighbour. 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, and 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 neighbour, 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."

Everyday we have the choice of building fences or bridges. One leads to isolation and the other to openness.

The Mountain Climber

There is a story of a mountain climber who, desperate to conquer the Aconcagua, initiated his climb after years of preparation. But he wanted the glory to himself, therefore, he went up alone.

He started climbing and it was becoming later, and later. He did not prepare for camping, but decided to keep on going. Soon it got dark. Night fell with heaviness at a very high altitude. Visibility was zero.

Everything was black. There was no moon, and the stars were covered by clouds.

As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from the top, he slipped and fell. Falling rapidly he could only see blotches of darkness that passed.

He felt a terrible sensation of being sucked in by gravity. He kept falling... and in those anguishing moments good and bad memories passed through his mind. He thought certainly he would die.
But then he felt a jolt that almost tore him in half.

Yes! Like any good mountain climber he had staked himself with a long rope tied to his waist.

In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air he had no other choice but to shout:

"HELP Me GOD. HELP ME!"

All of a sudden he heard a deep voice from heaven... "What do you want me to do?"

"SAVE ME."

"Do you REALLY think that I can save you?"

"OF COURSE, MY GOD."

"Then cut the rope that is holding you up."

There was another moment of silence and stillness.

The man just held tighter to the rope.

The rescue team says that the next day they found a frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to a rope...

TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND.

------------

How about you?

How trusting are you in that rope?

Why don't you let it go?

I tell you, God has great and marvelous things planned for you.

CUT THE ROPE AND SIMPLY TRUST IN HIM.

Your Priorities

A professor of philosophy came into his class. He brought some items with him and put them on the table. When the class began, he took a large transparent empty jar and started to fill it with rather massive stones. Then the professor asked his students: „Is the jar full?“. They confirmed that it was.

Now the professor picked up a box of small pebbles, poured them into the jar and shook it, so that pebbles filled the open areas between the rocks. He asked once again: „Is the jar full?“. They agreed that it was.

This time the professor poured a bucket of sand into the jar, and the sand filled up everything else.

„Now,“ said the professor, „I want you to see that this jar is just like your life – the stones are the most important things, your main values – your family, health, morality.

The pebbles are other things that matter – your job, house, car. The sand represents the small stuff.

So if you put the sand into the jar first, there would be no place left for pebbles and large stones. Therefore pay most of your attention to the things, that are the most important in life – spent enough time with your family, take care of your health and don‘t forget to develop spiritually – be kind, honest, sensitive, helpful. These are the things that really matter. They should be your priorities. The rest is just sand.

An Advice from a father

One day a son came to his father for an advice:

- Dad, I can’t do it, - he said, - those practices only exhaust me, and the result doesn’t change. It must be not destined for me to play football and my dream will never come true.

The father looked at his son with loving eyes and said:

- You know son, every person in life has a dream, a goal, a wish. They are the ones who make us do what we are doing, because it’s what we should do. 

We have to fight for what we believe in, what we feel. 

In other case, you will simply brake. Once - and for all. As though you were never there. 

The easiest way is to quit everything and not go until the end, because the path is difficult and we are not used to inconveniences.

 We want everything to be easy and at once. But the wishes are fleeting! This is how our dream dies, and the goal becomes unreachable. 

Gradually, life becomes a routine without depth and meaning. 

Then one day, we try to forget and start everything from the beginning, we wait for a new day to make our life different. 

But new obstacles come in our way, and we stop again. 

We become full of despair and anger for our own impotence… But you only need to remember one thing: never give up, fight, battle. 

It doesn’t matter that you have lost one battle and even dozens of battles. 

Life goes on! 

Your biggest enemies are hiding in you – laziness, fear, doubt, indecision. 

Be a warrior of your dream, a knight of your goal and a soldier of your wishes

The Chain of Kindness

A man was driving his car, when he saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road. He saw that she needed help. So he stopped his Pontiac near her Mercedes and got out.

He smiled, while he was approaching her, still she was worried, as nobody had stopped for hours. Moreover, he did not look safe, as his appearance was so poor and shabby. He could see, how frightened she was, so he tried to calm her: „ I‘m here to help you, don‘t worry. My name is Bryan Anderson“.

The tire was flat, so he had to crawl under the car. While changing the tire, he got dirty and his hands were hurt.

When the job was done, she asked how much she owed him for his help. Bryan smiled. He said: „If you really want to pay me back, the next time you see someone, who needs help, give that person the needed assistance. And think of me“.

A the same evening, the lady stopped by a small cafe. That place looked dingy. Then she saw a waitress, nearly eight months pregnant, wiping her wet hear with a towel. The waitress had a sweet friendly smile, although she had spent on her feet the whole day.

The lady wondered, how someone, who has so little, can be so kind and giving to a strange. Then she remembered Bryan.

The lady had finished her meal and paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress went to get change and when she came back, the lady was gone. She left a note on the napkin: „You don‘t own me anything. Somebody once helped me, just like now I‘m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, do not let this chain of love end with you“. The waitress found four more one hundred bills under the napkin.

That night the waitress came home earlier. She was thinking about the lady and the money she left. She was wondering, how the lady could know, how much she and her husband needed it? Especially now, when the baby will soon arrive. She knew, that her husband worried about that, so she was glad to tell him good news. Then she kissed him and whispered „Now everything will be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson“.

Find a Need, Meet the Need

The reason why you don't have a job presently is simply because you are not meeting anybody's need.

Human needs are endless..

Here are the basic ones that Abraham Maslow identified.

Self Actualization
Ego Needs
Social Needs
Safety and Security Needs
Physiological Needs.

Start any business that caters for any of these needs and you are in business.

If your business is satisfying any of this needs , then you are on a sure path to  wealth... Of course that is if you are using the right business model.

Look around you... Every big business that you see is definitely meeting one of this needs.

Let me list some..

Facebook is meeting people's Social needs, Ego need (you post pictures and wait for people to praise or like it),

Twitter is meeting all the needs met by Facebook plus self Actualization needs...

Phone manufacturers is meeting people’s communication need..

That your favourite food seller is meeting your Physiological need. 

Same as everybody you pay for services rendered to you.

So if you are presently looking for a job, I would advise you to change what you are looking for.

Start searching for a need... Then meet the need... And you are in business.

Peace...

The Echo of Life !!!

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself and screams:

"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!! "

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:

"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"

He receives the answer: "Who are you?"

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!" He receives the answer: "Coward!" He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"

The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention." And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"

The voice answers: "I admire you!"

Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"

The voice answers: "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do.

Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; Life will give you back everything you have given to it.

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

~Author Unknown

The Butterfly

A man found the cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress.

It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.
Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body (or head) and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

~Author Unknown

The Heavy Cross

A man once complained to God,

“This is not fair God. You’ve given me a cross too big to bear.

I have too many problems. Look at my life. Bad things just seem to happen to me.

I cannot bare my cross anymore.” God spoke, “Is there anything that I can do for you?”

The man complaining said, “Well God, I know that everyone has to bare their own cross, but you’ve given me one too big for me to bare.
I can only deal with so much.”

God replies, “My son, I will let you in the warehouse where the crosses are stored and if you find anything smaller than what you have, you can exchange your cross for it.”

The man excitedly jumps up and down. They both walk to a warehouse and the man goes inside.

In the warehouse, cross’ sizes were as big as the Empire State Building. The man looks everywhere.

Suddenly, he finds a cross that is the size of a dash of sand. He picks it up in his hand and says, “God, God, I found it. This is the cross I want to bare. There is nothing smaller than this in here.”

God replies, “My son, I can give you any other cross but that one.”

“Why?” asks the man in an upset tone. “You said I could have any cross in here.”

God replies, “My son the reason why I cannot give you that cross is because that is the same cross that you have been carrying all your life. ~Author Unknown

The Stone Cutter

There was once a stonecutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day, he passed a wealthy merchant's house and through the open gateway saw many fine possessions and important visitors.

"How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stonecutter.

He became very envious, and wished that he could be like the merchant.

That he would no longer have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself.

But soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants, and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession.

"How powerful that official is!" He thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"
Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around, who had to bow down before him as he passed.

It was a hot summer day, and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair.

He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence.

"How powerful the sun is!" he thought.

"I wish that I could be the sun!" Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers.

But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below.

"How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone.

But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind.

"How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him.

But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it--a huge, towering stone.

"How powerful that stone is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a stone!"

Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth.

But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the solid rock and felt himself being changed.

"What could be more powerful than I, the stone?" he thought.

He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stonecutter.

~Benjamin Hoff

Knowledge is not power

There is a common misconception that has gone on for decades that knowledge is power.

Well, here is the truth.

In this our present world, knowledge can never and will never be equal to power.

Applied knowledge is the true source of power.

The world does not pay you or care for what you know, you would only get paid for what you do with what you know.

It is what you do with what you know that generates power for you.

Applied knowledge = Power