An Unexpected Surprise

Life is full of unexpected surprises. There are many opportunities when one can secretly wish for something exciting to happen – something out of the ordinary. The real surprise is when the wish unexpectedly comes true. I never believed that something like this could ever happen to me; such a thing that would make me stop and look back at the events in awe. I think you would agree that something as simple as being lost in the forest for less than ten minutes should have no influence on my life. If you do agree, that makes both of us wrong.

Throughout my childhood, I loved the wild. My family and I would always go for a walk in the downtown forest of Coote’s Paradise. There were many times I thought of what could happen if we were to lose our way from the trail and have to live off of the land until we found our way back to civilization. I thought it would be the greatest experience ever.

As my brothers and I grew older, we continued to go for these walks with our parents but the dreams of living in the forest I soon forgot. That’s when it happened. We decided to take a different path off the main trail. Before I knew it, the path had disappeared and no one in my family could tell where we had come from. It was so unexpected. It gave me a feeling of excitement that can’t be described. Everything in the forest seemed different. The trees were a deeper shade of green. The birds chirped in a different tone. Vines covered almost every inch of the ground. One part of me never wanted this moment to end. I felt completely free from the stress of my life outside of the woods. It was this moment that I realized that I would much rather stay here for the rest of my life than go back to society.

I think that another reason that I felt carefree was because my parents didn’t panic. They took the situation under control and headed for any open area in hopes to find a map (many of these maps were found throughout the grounds, telling you where you were). From my point of view, at the time, it seemed as if they were excited as I was about losing our way. In the end, it only took my parents ten minutes to find such a map and we were back on the trail in no time.

An experience like this made me think about my place in life. I’m the type who loves seeking out adventures. When we were lost, I realized that I had everything I would ever need with me – my family. They’ve always supported me in everything I do. This experience made me realize that families need to stick together; you don’t realize how much you need them until, for a moment, you think they’ll be the last people you see for the rest of your life.

It’s incredible how much a simple thing like being lost in a forest for ten minutes will affect your outlook on life. Things like not being able to find your way back to where you came from make you appreciate the little things in life. Looking back on the day, I realize now that it was fate. Moments like that are few and far between and should be taken as a lesson. Surprises like this were, and always will be, an unexpected gift for all.

People change.. and so do priorities..

So.. People have priorities..hmm. Definitely they have. Even I have. I have some people as priorities, for whom i am more like an option.. It hurts.. you know? Now suggestions would come as ” leave those people” ,”concentrate on yourself” and all such stuff… So lemme tell you.. Ruining my life is in my hands… I did that and now making up is also in my hands.. so I will have to do that no matter what. Anyways.. this was complicated.. mm… and rubbish too..!

Coming back to priorities. What are they? They are the conditions when one thing is regarded as more important than other thing. This happens with all of us most of the time. We prioritize our tasks, our ways, our likes and dislikes, people, and even relations..

At some point you start seeing the difference between what you really want, and what is your priority order… when you start listing people who you want in your life, people who you don’t want in your life and then people who you want in your life but only for your own convenience. The first two are fine…they know their standing. But the last category is the one that has actually no standing at all. They are the ones who would be used when needed.. and thrown when their use is over. When this happens, some people of third category run away..break free..wake up when they realize this… but some are emotional fools who think that sticking to you would be better…that the condition will change…that a time will come when they would be placed in first category. These people are hopelessly hopeful. They know they are risking their time n efforts but still they would do just anything to come in the first category. God bless them!

And those who keep a third category are the worst people in this world. They should rot in hell. Yes they should. They never think that they are literally playing with the emotions, feelings, respect that others have for them. M saying all this because for some people I come in the third category. And those people are the ones whom I cant ignore. I just cant. But they have perfected the art of dismissing it seems. They reject as if I am not fit to be used even once…after all that they have used me. Once..long time back I used to be in the first category and then I journeyed long enough landing myself in the third one. Sighhh..

Anyways times change.. and with it change people.. also changing their priorities. As I am no longer in the priority list.. I am lost. I don’t know the direction to which I head myself . Right now I want to be alone. I want to clear up my mind. And would take this resolution that i would never have third category people in my life. Either they would be in first or in second.

Last but not the least.. I hate Those people with 3rd category in their life. I hate them and they should die a terrible death. Yes!!!

Living up to Expectations

Living up to Expectations

How do you feel about yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror? Maybe you feel you are great, or maybe you do not feel so good about the person you see. One of the challenges many people face is wondering how they can possibly live up to all of the expectations they feel in life.

Families are great for placing expectations on people. Those expectations may involve a certain school, career, or specific activities or talents. When someone is not gifted in the same way other family members are, it can present a challenge. 

Friends can also place a great deal of pressure on us by their expectations. This can also be a good sign of whether or not a particular friendship is healthy or not. A good friendship will place expectations on us that will help us grow as people. A bad friendship will bring expectations that drag someone down.

We can also face certain expectations from our church or community. As citizens and people in a body of believers, we have certain responsibilities to those around us. If we want to thrive in our communities or in our church, we need to live up to those responsibilities and expectations. Of course, the most challenging expectations are those we place upon ourselves. 

All of these expectations can pile up on us and leave us frustrated and wondering if we can ever be successful in life. One of the greatest dangers we can face is giving in to despair and concluding that there is just no point in trying to be our best in life. Far too many people fall short of their potential because of these feelings of inadequacy. 

These feelings also rob people from the fellowship with God He wants to have with them. When someone feels he or she is not good enough, it is very easy to decide that God must not have any use for him or her. The consequences of giving up are far too severe to ignore. We need to know how to handle the expectations we feel in life.

We can handle the various expectations in life by understanding we are uniquely gifted. First Corinthians 12:12 helps us understand this principle. 'The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ” (NLT). 

Paul compared the human body to the body of Christ and made these points:

1. Each part of the body has a vital part to play. 
2. Every part of the body needs to function as intended for the body to be healthy.
3. Every part of the body needs to appreciate every other part of the body.

Though these principles seem obvious, they are very easy to overlook. In the body of Christ, some people just do not seem that important, when we do not bother to consider very closely. Yet these people often have exactly the gifts and abilities that are vitally important to the whole church. People who are good organizers, who are friendly, or who know how to fix things may not get many pats on the back, but it would not be a pleasant experience for the body of Christ to be without them. Because of this, we should welcome and encourage every believer we meet. We should never believe that we have nothing to offer.

Along with this recognition of our place in the body is the understanding that every skill we have is from the Lord. When we understand this, that we are blessed from God, then it is far easier to see that it is no longer just a matter of seeing how good we can be. All of our goodness comes from God, so we no longer have to worry about whether we are good enough to live up to what others want from us, or even if we are good enough to live up to our own expectations. 

Really, the most important thing for believers to remember is that we must yield to God's plan and God's purposes in our lives. By obeying Him, we will give ourselves the opportunity to use our gifts in a way that best pleases Him. 

This will also place us in the position to bless those with whom we come in contact. However, this is no longer a burden of trying to live up to the expectations of others. Rather, it is now the blessing of being who God has made us to be, so we can be the best blessing we can be. 

Hard Work a Road To Glory.

Hard work is the most important key to success. The achievements without hard work are impossible. An idle person can never gain anything if they sit and wait for the better opportunity to come. The person who is working hard is able to gain the success and happiness in life. Nothing is easy to be achieved in life without doing any hard work.

The Edison was working for 21 hours a day, and he sleeps only for 2 or 3 hours on the Laboratory tables with his books as his pillow. The prime minister of India late Pt. Nehru, he was working for 17 hours a day and seven days a week. There were no holidays in his calendar. The Mahatma Gandhi Ji worked ceaselessly day and night and he won freedom for his country. The hard work is a price that we pay for success in the life.

The constant vigilance and preparedness to work is the price we have to pay for the success in life. Work is a privilege and a pleasure, the idleness is a luxury that no one can afford. Man is born to work and prosper in life. He like steel shines in use and rusts in rest. The work is worship. The man of actions acts in the living present. There is no tomorrow for him. He makes the best of time. Life is full of strife. It is the action, activity of law of nature. A life of idleness is a life of shame and disgrace. Idle men are intruders on society. We are endowed with brain and limbs, which are meant to be properly exercised. The failure in life is very often due to idleness. The Industry is the key to success, Industry makes and idleness mars a nation.Greatness can be achieved by great labour only. What a man earns by the sweat of his brow gives him a greater degree of satisfaction than what he gets by a stroke of fortune. The man wishes to have many things in their life. These latter things acquired by hard toil are much than those gets by accident. When a man earns by dint of toil; he enjoys a pleasurable sensation which is equivalent to the joy of having won a victory. Of this pleasurable sensation, the man who has been born with a silver spoon in his mouth knows nothing. A self-made man is certainly happier and more esteemed than the man who owes his fortune to the accident of his birth.

Not poverty but the idealness is a great curse. If we waste time, time shall waste us. A life crammed with work is a life bubbling with the joy of success. Great men of the world were born in cottages but they died in palaces.

So, the hard work is very necessary and we should always work hard as hard work always pays off.

Journey.

As I am moving on with my life and doing things that must be done, I am finding that more and more people are tuning into what I have to say and how I am living my life. There are an ever increasing number of youths and people at higher stations in life who are taking my stands on different issues as the standard. This increasing fame and influence has given me a different perspective on life. While I used to be the center of my universe before, I have made the fundamental principles of life to be the center of my life. According to Einstein, Insanity is doing the same thing again and again but expecting different results. We must change some aspects of our lives if we are unhappy with the circumstances or people we are attracted to ourselves. If we want something we never had, we must become something that we never were. We’d be very careful about our speech if we knew the power of our words. By the idle words, some men have destroyed themselves and their life that would otherwise could have been one of great enjoyment and pleasure.
Disappointments have been the source of the greatest genius, inventions, creations and successes. Disappointments force us to think, look, listen and make radical changes in our lives. Tragedies bring into light the self within us that we never knew existed. Some of the disappointments in my life have made me realize the extent of strength I had within me that I never knew of. It’s the nature’s way of teaching us lessons necessary for us at the particular moment.
Nature is ever evolving and it’s always setting an example for us to move upward and onward continuously. However, some of us refuse to listen to the divine voice and stay amid our past or the ruins unless death of a friend or lover, end of a comfortable occupation or source of living or a great tragedy that forces us to change. As Napoleon Hill said, FIn every adversity, there lies a seed of equal or greater benefit.” So, do all the disappointments and failures. They come to guide us, teach us, and make us think about things we never would otherwise learn.
Tragedies change the course of our life. They bring into the light our faults and weaknesses which would otherwise remain undetected. Like Shakespeare said in Julius Caesar in the words of Brutus, We are underlings.” Everything good or bad that comes into our life is because of who we are. We attract not what we want but who we are and if we are to attract better people and circumstances, we must build those qualities in ourselves. We must become one with our ideal dreams and desires. Creator of the universe has made us in such a way that we must move on in our life or perish. All the experiences in our life good and bad come to teach us things that we must learn at the moment, apply the information and get on with what we must do. Each of us are here to perform the work of the creator. Finding your dreams and reaching your destination.
I welcome any of you who want to be a part of our vision irrespective of your nationality, caste, color, education or anything that’s keeping you in misery. I want you to dream with us and help create a world where life is an ever increasing journey of happiness. I bet you that there is a vacant spot in our team which you can fill, but nobody else can fill and there is a thing that you can do but nobody else can do. Orison Swett Marden says, When we are sure that we are on the right road there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead. No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress. We cannot take more than one step at a time.
How to take immediate control of your Mental, emotional As Henley wrote, If we are the master of our fate and the captain of our soul.” This is true because we can control what happens to us next by controlling our words, thoughts and actions. Most people give away to their feelings and do things that they have to regret later. Most of the unhappiness in the world would have ended if people exercised their birthright of being able to control their mind. Getting our spiritual life in the right direction is of utmost importance if we are to have peace of mind and happiness throughout our life.
There is guidance within us to lead us to the right path throughout our life if we just listen to it. If our spiritual part of life is not tainted, the voice of the conscience within will be obvious. There is a wise saying, “Explore, Dream and Discover.” That’s what a successful life is really all about. It is a journey.

When I was growing up, every time I took my brother"s toy or called my brother names, my mother would grab me by the wrist and demanded that I offer an apology. What’s more, if the apology didn’t sound meaningful enough to her, I had to repeat it until my tone was genuine. An apology was the basic reaction to any mistake.

Now that I’m older, I see apologizing as more than just a household rule. My younger self didn’t understand the complexities of human pride and self-righteousness, but my older self does.

Now, I see family members refusing to talk to each other for years after an argument just because neither side wants to be the first to let go of their pride and “break down and apologize.” 

I think we’ve reached a day and age where showing emotional vulnerability can be viewed as a positive rather than a negative quality.

People are becoming more aware of ideas like empathy and sensitivity, and everywhere we are being encouraged to talk about our feelings, to seek help, and to connect with others. Gone are the days of keeping everything bottled up inside to suffer alone.

As we move forward in this time of self-knowledge and self-discovery, it’s vital to acquire the ability to recognize our own mistakes. NOBODY IS PERFECT, and we all will do something to hurt another person at some point in our lives. The difference, however, lies acknowledging that we have done something wrong.

This was hard for me to grasp, because I was taught that an apology should be an automatic response.

It took me a long time to realize what it meant to say “I’m sorry” from the heart. Apologizing just for the sake of apologizing is meaningless. We cannot genuinely apologize if we can’t admit to ourselves that we made a mistake.

Learning to apologize is the first and most important step in the healing process. Not only does it show the recipient that you acknowledge their right to feel hurt, but it opens the way to forgiveness.

It seems so silly, really. I mean, it’s only two tiny words. How can something so small be so powerful?

Well, there have been various scientific studies on the power of apologizing, which have demonstrated that when the victim receives an apology from his offender, he develops empathy toward that person, which later develops more quickly into forgiveness.

This is due to the fact that when we receive an apology, we feel that our offender recognizes our pain and is willing to help us heal.

Timing is an important aspect to keep in mind, as well, because sometimes the other person might not be ready to accept your apology. Sometimes we need to allow time to heal the wounds a little bit before we come forward to say “I’m sorry.”

An apology cannot undo what has been done, but it can help ease the pain and tension of the aftermath. It gives hope for rebuilding, and puts value on the relationship rather than the individual’s pride.

Sometimes people don’t even realize the hurt they are creating around them by failing to take responsibility for their actions. Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s someone you know, but everyone knows someone who has suffered from this at some time.

Now is the time to make a change.

Often times those two simple words are worth more than a lifetime of excuses and explanations.

Choose the path of humility. Choose the path of healing. Choose love above pride. Choose to apologize.

A Half Truth

MAGIC OF WRITING....

Sometimes there is just one step between you and happiness and it’s called – “open up about your feelings”. It happens that we simply can’t express the way we feel towards some person. Have you ever had such a tricky situation? Do you have it now? Well, don’t panic. 

We live in a digital era when letters may be considered too old-fashioned. However, there’s something romantic and unique about writing a paper letter, especially if you write it to someone special in your life. We’ve got some great examples of long love paragraphs for her which are perfect for this purpose.

Boys, don’t forget an old but true statement: “A man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears.” We guarantee that your girl will be in seventh heaven if you tell her about your deep love using short ‘I love You’for her. Take your relationship to a higher level of cuteness with nice couple paragraphs and good ‘why I love you’ paragraphs for girls.

Being away from each other, even if it’s temporary, is a harsh trial. In times like that, it is crucial to keep in touch. Everyday phone calls, cute text messages and either short or really long emails are exactly what we are talking about. As for the last, meaningful ‘I miss you’won’t let your better half forget that you think about her every day.

To cut it short, just remember that it is always the right time to write to your girlfriend or wife about your feelings and nothing works better for this than a romantic paragraph for her sent with love.