Enjoy your life at every moment

Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking his beedi. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.

Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?

Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?

Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.

Fisherman: What would I do then?

Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.

Fisherman: What would I do then?

Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.

Fisherman: What would I do then?

Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.

Fisherman: What would I do then?

Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.

Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?

MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.

As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.

The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of sixty-five, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a hundred and five dollars monthly pension check and a recipe for chicken.

Knowing he couldn't live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of his van and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant owners, who would in turn give him a residual for every piece of chicken they sold - five cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down.

So did the second.

So did the third.

In fact, the first one thousand and eight sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he travelled across the U.S.A., sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number one thousand and nine gave him his first "yes."

After two years of making daily sales, he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on, knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would catch on.

Naturally, you know how the story ends. The idea Did catch on. By 1963, the Colonel had six hundred restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with eleven herbs and spices).

In 1964, he was bought out by the future Kentucky governor, John Brown. Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote Kentucky Fried Chicken until his death in 1990.

Colonel Sanders' story teaches an important lesson - it’s never too late to decide to never give up.

Earlier in his life, the Colonel was involved in other business ventures but they weren't successful. He had a gas station in the thirties, a restaurant in the forties and he gave up on both of them. However, at the age of sixty-five, Harland Sanders decided his chicken idea was the right idea and he refused to give up, even in spite of repeated rejection.

He knew that if he kept on knocking on doors, eventually someone would say "yes." It's never too late to become persistent. It's never too late to decide to never give up. Keep on knocking. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking.

Alexander The Great’s Last 3 Wishes

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no use.

He now longed to reach home to see his mother’s face and bid her adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail.” With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king’s last wishes.

“My first desire is that”, said Alexander, “My physicians alone must carry my coffin.” After a pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury”. The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute’s rest and continued. My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin”.

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king’s strange wishes. But no one dared bring the question to their lips. Alexander’s favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “O king, we assure you that all your wishes will be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?” At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt.

I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that No doctor on this earth can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.

The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the path to the graveyard is to tell people that Not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life with the greed for power, earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish my people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world”. With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last.

Forgiveness is a Gift to Yourself... By Dr. Fox

“Do you now what my mother did to me?” the advertising executive demanded when I suggested she forgive her mother. Do you have idea?”

“No, and it’s not important. Call her up and forgive her”

“Never!”

She was determined to hold on to her anger! We went back and forth, neither willing to budge. Finally she said “Why should I give her the satisfaction of being forgiven, when I’m the one who was hurt?’

“Because you’re the one who is suffering. Besides, you’re not forgiving her for her sake-you’re forgiving her for your sake. “She looked surprised, and I continued.

“Forgiveness is a gift to yourself. Forgiveness allows your body to turn down the manufacture of those chemicals which are tearing you apart, body and soul. You’re not really suffering from gastric this or vascular that. Your real disease is ‘unforgivenesss; one of the great disease of our time. The other doctors have been treating your head, your heart, your stomach, your colon and your anxiety. It hasn’t helped much, has it?” she shook her head. “I want you to treat yourself by throwing away your hatred.

“You told me you’ve already had two disastrous marriages and nasty divorces, plus a succession of men in and out of your life. You said you’re sick all the time. You told me your are unhappy. Now I’m telling you to end it all by forgiving your mother for whatever she’ done- I don’t care what it is. The bottoms line this: Forgive, and there’s a good chance you’ll get rid of your problems and more move on with life. Or hold on to your anger- and your unhappiness and your headaches and your palpitations and your stomach pains and your money and you bag full of medicines.”

She thought about what I said for a while, and then added

“Just saying I forgive her will take care of everything?”

“Not everything” I answered, “and you can’t just say it. You have to feel it, mean it. Saying if and meaning it is the first steps. We might find other problems, but forgiving here is a good first step”.

“I’ll do it, “she said, “What do I have to do?”

“Call your mother-right now-and forgive her. Do you remember the number?”

She nodded.”Do I have to see her?”

“Not if you don’t want to”

“She’s going to say something nasty to me”

“That’s here problem. Just tell her you forgive her. At least two times, if you can.”

“Ok, but I’ll have to practice first.”

That seemed fair. After all, she hadn’t seen or spoken to her mother for ten years. “Can I practice in here alone for 15 minutes?” she wanted to know

I agreed, and stepped out into the hall. Thought the closed door I heard her voice: “Mother, I forgive you. Mother, I forgive you” it sounded phony and forced. I went to the waiting room to talk with another patient. Fifteen minutes later I walked back to my office. In the hallway, as I opened the door, I heard her again: “Mother, I forgive you. Mother, I forgive you. Now she was saying it with sincerity and humility. I felt she was ready. She agreed

“I’ll go home and call her,” she said

“No, I want you to call her right now. Use my phone”

Hesitantly she dialed the numbers, motioning for me to stay. After a brief pause she said, very slowly: “Mother, I forgive you”. There was a pause then she repeated the words “Mother, I forgive you”. After another pause she said it again “Mother, “I forgive you”. Then I heard nothing for some time, and I wondered what her mother was saying. Was the mother was really an evil Woman?” was she berating her daughter? Was she heaping guild on the daughter for walking out on her ten years ago?”

“Being wronged is often less terrible than the constant memory of the wrong. Forgive and Forget”

Finally, I smiled in relief as the executive spoke in a release voice, asking about her father and brothers. Old friends and neighbors. Before saying goodbye, the executive invited her mother to come visit her at her home in Malibu.

She hugged me as she left the office, saying, “I don’t know if it will last, but I feel so good now!”

Three days later she brought her mother to meet me, saying with a smile, “Mother, this is Dr. Fox. He’s the one who brought us together, and I think he saved my life.”

Well, I don’t know about saving her life, but I can tell you that her problems cleared up within a few weeks. The headaches, the palpitations, stomach pains, anxiety and the nervousness vanished when she let go of her anger. I don’t see her as often anymore-there’s really no need except for the routine examinations.

You can see why I like practicing this “new” kid of medicine-it works so well because it rids the mind of the negative emotions that drag us down into disease and depression, allowed our natural defenses to keep us healthy and happy.

Dr. Fox

“To err is human, to forgive is divine”

Take my son : Nice Sharing

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said,

"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle.

Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase

one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once,

twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?"

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Peace

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Bank Pass Book - worth sharing

Piya married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party, Piya's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook With Rs.1000 deposit amount.

Mother: Piya, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to the line.

The more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with Hitesh. When you look back after years, you can know how much happiness you've had.'

Piya shared this with Hitesh when getting home. They both thought it was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can be made.

This was what they did after certain time:

- 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage

- 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Piya

- 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali

- 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Piya got pregnant

- 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Hitesh got promoted

... and so on...

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial things. They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the most nasty people in the world.... no more love... One day Piya talked to her Mother: 'Mom, we can't stand it anymore.

We agree to divorce.

I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!'

Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first. Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.'

Piya thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue and planning to cancel the account. While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home. When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend the money before getting divorce.

The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook back to Piya.

She found a new deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record:

'This is the day I notice how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much happiness you've brought me.'

They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe.

"Life is about correcting mistakes."

.........And we need to count our blessings - they ALWAYS outweigh our sorrows...

The Twenty Dollars Bill

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a twenty dollars bill.

In the room of two hundred people, he asked, "Who would like this twenty dollars bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this twenty dollars bill to one of you. But first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?"

He dropped the bill on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up but it is now all crumpled and dirty.

"Now who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It is still worth twenty dollars."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it!

Please pass this message to everyone you know. You will never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to or the hope that it can bring!