Twenty Dollars

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note 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 it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now 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 was still worth $20. 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 happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by ...WHO WE ARE. You are special - don't ever forget it."

Learning Lessons - The Fun Way

There was this robbery in a bank, the robber shouted to everyone: "All don't move, money belongs to the state, life belongs to you".

Everyone in the bank laid down quietly.

This is called "Mind Changing Concept: Changing the conventional way of thinking".

One lady lay on the table provocatively, the robber shouted at her "Please be civilized! This is a robbery and not a rape!"

This is called "Being Professional: Focus only on what you are trained to do!"

When the robbers got back, the younger robber (MBA trained) told the older robber (who is only primary school educated), "Big bro, let's count how much we got", the older robber rebutted and said, "You very stupid, so much money, how to count, tonight TV will tell us how much we robbed from the bank!"

This is called "Experience: nowadays experience is more important than paper qualifications!"

After the robbers left, the bank manager told the bank supervisor to call the police quickly. The supervisor says "Wait, wait wait, let's put the 5 million we embezzled into the amount the robbers robbed".

This is called "Swim with the tide: converting an unfavorable situation to your advantage!"

The supervisor says "It will be good if there is a robbery every month".

This is called "Killing Boredom: Happiness is most important."

The next day, TV news reported that 100 million was taken from the bank. The robbers counted and counted and counted, but they could only count 20 million. The robbers were very angry and complained "We risked our lives and only took 20 million, the bank manager took 80 million with a snap of his fingers. It looks like it is better to be educated than to be a thief!"

This is called "Knowledge is worth as much as gold!"

The bank manager was smiling and happy because his loss in the equity shares were now covered by this robbery.

This is called "Seizing the opportunity: daring to take risks!"

The Seventeen Camels

 (Look closely.......What you see are actually shadows!!!)

 

There was a father who left 17 camels as the inheritance for his three sons.

When the father passed away, his sons opened up the will.

The Will of the father stated that the eldest son should get half of 17 camels while the middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third). The youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the 17 camels.

As it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, the three sons started to fight with each other.

So, the three sons decided to go to a wise man.

The wise man listened patiently about the Will.

The wise man, after giving this thought, brought one camel of his own and added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels.

Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will.

Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels.

1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 camels.

1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

Now add this up: 9 plus 6 plus 2 is 17, and this leaves one camel, which the wise man took away. 

The attitude of negotiation and problem solving is to find the 18th camel i.e. the common ground. Once a person is able to find the 18th ground the issue is resolved. It is difficult at times. However, to reach a solution, the first step is to believe that there is a solution. If we think that there is no solution, we won’t be able to reach any!

Go.....Be A Dog

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you’re not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, 

and nuzzle them gently.

Seven Habits Of Happy People

I hope that when you and I are 79 we will be able to look back at our life and smile, because we have used our time on this Earth wisely. And, because we have lived a happy life. Not ambitious. Not influential. Just happy. It will be more than enough. And to summarise the habits, that made our life ‘just happy’, here we go!!!

Savor The Joy Of Simple Pleasures. Happiness does not come in shiny black cars, Rolex watches or the most exotic homes. It comes in small bursts of joy when we learn to savor the simple pleasures life offers us. You know, those times when you lifted your head to see the birds flying in the light blue sky and life felt so good?

Or when heard your favourite song on the radio and could not stop yourself from singing alone? Or when you cut yourself a slice of freshly baked apple pie and it tasked just like the one you had when you were little?

We all have these “happy” moments once in a while. But just think of how much more satisfying and happier your life would be if you took time to discover, recognize and savour the simple pleasures and blessings that surround you each day.

Have Complaint Free Days. If your attention is focused of learning, recognizing everyday blessings and finding something positive in every person that you meet, you really don’t have time to notice negativity or dwell on problems. It is actually that simple.

Do a little experiment and try to go the whole day without complaining about anything or anyone. Because if you are not going to do something about the situation, then why would you bring it up?

Expect No Gratitude Or Appreciation. I know one lady, who volunteers for a retirement home. Twice a week she takes older people in a wheel chair for an hour long walk. She once told me that she enjoys doing it so much that she almost feels guilty about it.

If there is a wise way of being egoistic – this must be it.

When you help – help because it makes YOU feel good, not because you expect to benefit from it in some way or because you hope to receive gratitude and appreciation.

Smile. I know this may sound simple, but it really works. And if you are one of those people, who always have a ready smile you will know what I am talking about. Smiling is one of the simplest gestures that create a deeper connection between people, giving them a reason to pass on the smile.

A sincere, heart-felt smile can instantly make you happier and, more importantly, it can brighten someone else’s day too.

Believe In Something Bigger Than Yourself. You may call it God, the Universe, a higher or an invisible energy that connects humanity. But every happy person that I have met in my life believed in something greater than themselves. Maybe it is because having this helps us to let go of the illusion of being in control. Maybe because it makes us realize that we might not always know what is best for us. And maybe it gives us a feeling of being connected with other human beings.

But I know that without faith my life would be a whole lot more confusing and purposeless.

Accept Imperfection. None of the happy people I know are perfect. They all seem to know that.

Some of them are very health-conscious and some do not exercise or eat healthy on the daily basis. Some of them are organized and some of them embrace the art of clutter. Some take great care in always looking elegant, while other could not care less about their clothes or hair style.

And while all happy people I know are constantly working on improving something, they accept the weaknesses of others and their own shortcomings. I believe this is one of the reasons why it is always so easy and enjoyable to be around them. You can be yourself and feel great about it.

Inspire And Empower Others. You can not inspire or motivate another person if you lack inner enthusiasm and positivity. On the other hand, as you empower and encourage others you will find yourself happier and more energetic. It is a circle – the more you give and strive to help others improve their life, the more your own life improves.