Dont be too hard on yourself or others, strokes of genius don’t necessarily manifest early for everyone. Some are born prodigies and some can be described as late bloomers. The following story is striking , thought provoking and inspiring.
Peanut cactus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Ben Fountain was an associate in the real-estate practice at the Dallas offices of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, just a few years out of law school, when he decided he wanted to write fiction. The only thing Fountain had ever published was a law-review article. His literary training consisted of a handful of creative-writing classes in college. He had tried to write when he came home at night from work, but usually he was too tired to do much. He decided to quit his job.
English: Stephen Covey at the FMI Show, Palestrante on June 22, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It is possible to be busy without being effective says Coven. How?
In this article, Stephen R. Covey in his bestselling classic, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, shares with us, insights on the things that help us be effective in our everyday lives. He called them Habits, and they are:
1 Being proactive.
This talks about thinking ahead. Being able to initiate a change rather than reacting to events. Being able to prevent a problem before it happens
2 Beginning with the end in mind.
This is like having a good mental picture of what we want the end to be. This is like creating a personal mission statement, or our ultimate objective and working backward from there. It’s like a self-guidance system that guides and guards our choices, so that whatever we do today is in line with the image created of ourselves at the end.
3 Put first things first.
This talks about the power of priority. This Habit helps actualize Habit 2 above. When we have an ultimate picture in our mind, we plan and live each day with things that really matter at the back of our mind.
4 Think Win/Win.
This talks about being fair, balanced and reasonable in our daily transactions. One person’s success doesn’t need to be achieved at the expense of the success of others. Thinking win-win is a secret to better relationships.
5 Seek to understand, then to be understood. (That is, learn to empathize)
This talks about empathy. It talks about understanding and that ability to imaginatively enter into another person’s feelings. Without empathy, there is no influence. Without deposits in the emotional bank account in relationships, there is no trust. Genuine listening gives precious psychological air to the other person, and opens a window on to their soul.
6 Synergize.
Synergy results from the exercise of all the other habits. The more the good habits we embibe, the better the results we achieve.
7 Sharpen the saw.
Improve! Get better! Renew! We need to balance the physical, spiritual, mental,and social dimensions of life. “Sharpening the saw” to increase productivity involves taking the time to regularly renew ourselves in these other areas or aspects of life that help create a good balance because all these parts compliment themselves.
You’ll agree with me that there are secrets to success, there are joys of success, so there are pains of success too. But what are Oprah’s views?
According to Oprah, among the joys of success is the pleasure of owning a mansion and a private jet.
Bombardier. Photo credit: the Wall Street Journal
During a speech to Duke University’s graduating class, Oprah talked about these secrets and joys of success.
“It’s great to have a nice home. It’s great to have nice homes!…” she told the students. “It’s great to have a private jet. Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”
For her, flying in a private jet is one of the great material perks that money can buy. (Apparently Oprah’s ride is a $42 million custom-build Global Express XRS built by Bombardier Aerospace).
However, more importantly, she went on to explain that “you haven’t completed the circle of success until you help someone else move to a higher ground and get to a better place.”
Oprah thinks it’s great to have a private jet if you can afford it, but then, she also thinks it’s necessary to help other people succeed. What do you think?
Original article was by By Robert Frank: http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/05/11/oprah-its-great-to-have-a-private-jet/
Red Raspberry Fruits / Ice Frozen Food in Winter (Photo credit: epSos.de)
Sources of Inspiration are all around us. Nature is particularly a good teacher. Twas nature that sparked the genesis of the frozen food industry.
It all happened when Clarence Birdseye took a vacation in Canada and saw some Salmon that had been naturally frozen in the ice and then thawed. When they were cooked he noticed how fresh they tasted. He borrowed the idea and the mighty frozen food industry was born.
Be conscious of the lessons nature brings, for such could be clue to the next good thing that happens to your world, to our world!
These Words are potent. They might just be the medicine you need!
“When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” — Helen Keller
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Les Brown
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” — Aristotle
“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.” — Lauren Bacall
“Every calling is great when greatly pursued.”– Oliver Wendell Holmes
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.” — Vince Lombardi
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson
“We must become the change we want to see.” — Gandhi
“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.” — Phillip Brooks
“Whatever you are, be a good one.” — Abraham Lincoln
Eat these words. They have in them the potency to change your world. Share them too with people you care about.
Many discoveries of our time were by accident. However, note, “In the school of discovery, chancefavours the prepared mind” And what does this mean?
Naturally, when we purpose to seek an answer or solution to some problem, the mind will most likely become exceptionally sensitive to any occurrence or clue that might be relevant to the quest.
The essence of this post is to say, when you seek answers, be willing to invest a good deal of time in seemingly “fruitless” work, for in doing so, you expose yourself to fortunate accident.
Serendipity it is, that faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. Solutions at times come this way. So, Keep moving, keep trying, you might soon bump into the solution you seek.
These motivational techniques are effective, particularly when we need to beat procrastination. Take a look.
1. When it is difficult starting a task, think of the benefits of completing the task.
Knowing there is a reward at the end of the day is a good motivation for action. So, at times, you can make a deal with yourself, small or large, by promising yourself a reward for completing a task. This works for me and it’s generally effective. I want you to try it.
2. Break it down. A motivating way to beat that initial reluctance is to try to break the task down into smaller parts and tackle them one after another. Breaking down your task or project into parts helps simplify it. Then you can focus on one part at a time. Small successes will keep motivating you to do more. I also want you to try this.
3. Start small to create the initial spark. The hardest part is to start. When you finish the initial small task, you’ll feel better motivated to do the next one. Try create that initial motivational spark by tackling a bit of the whole task.
Procrastination is a robber of opportunities, immediate action is its antidote.
After reading this post, indeed you’ll agree with me that many of issues of life are not real but a reflection of the state of the mind.
In this real-life story, British soldier who did not realize she was pregnant gave birth to a baby in the battle field.
English: British Soldier with Lee Enfield (Taken in Beltring, England) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It is not military policy to allow service women to deploy on operations if they are pregnant. But in this instance, the woman herself was unaware of the pregnancy.
According to The Mail, the artillery gunner had conceived before her six-month stint in Afghanistan began. Her pre-deployment training included an eight mile (13 km) march and five mile run. Her job in the field involved providing covering fire for troops fighting insurgents.
She was taken to the field hospital after complaining of stomach pains and was informed by doctors that she was about to give birth, the Mail said, citing military sources. And she later gave birth to a baby boy.
she was unaware of her pregnancy and hence lived her normal military life, NO ANTENATAL whatsoever !
The days may look alike but no two days are the same. Today could be the tomorrow you hoped for!
There is this inspiring real life story in the Bible recorded in John 5: 1-9. Tis written of a MAN in NEED, a cripple who laid by a pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem. Long had he been in this situation. He desired the miracle of healing associated with the pool of Bethesda. Days passed by, weeks passed by, years passed by!
The days, probably,would had begun to look the same to him but then, another day also came, a day that looked like the days he had seen but oops, no two days are same! This day turned out to be the best day of his life. His miracle came and he could walk again.
The message is simple, never lose faith, never lose hope, never despair, the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut off. This could be the day you’ve so waited for. No two days are the same!
Luxuries are not necessarily expensive things, you can afford to enjoy luxuries everyday.
There is a saying that goes thus: “Best things of life are free” – that’s a true one. Think of the air that sustains your breath, think of the beautiful nature-given sunshine. According to the Collins dictionary, one of the definitions of luxury is, “something pleasant and satisfying”
That means, luxury doesn’t necessarily need to be sumptuous, expensive or magnificient! Something simple can be pleasant and satisying.
The little everyday luxuries can be as simple as: Singing in the shower, clutching a clean fluffy pillow, holding a loved one, walking bare feet on soft clean carpet, having a massage, hearing birds in the morning, … et cetera. Think of the list. Who says you cant enjoy luxuries everyday?
Search, things pleasant and satisfying are all around you
“Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, …” ~Baruch Spinoza
“It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace, and live in peace.” ~Shenandoah proverb
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding”. ~ Albert Einstein
“A people free to choose will always choose peace” ~ Ronald Reagan
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Twas Albert Einstein that said: “For an idea that does not first seem insane, there is no hope.”
It’s interesting to note, answers to some seemingly complex problems are actually simple solutions.
Undoubtedly, healthcare challenges exist in the 21st century Africa. It is on record that more than 50,000 women still die each year of cervical cancer.
The problem is exacerbated by an acute shortage of medical experts and a lack of quality screening services, especially in rural areas.
But here comes a simple idea-solution: now a group of Canadian and Tanzanian health innovators have joined forces to apply simple and safe mobile technologies to improve cervical cancer screening. And what is this solution?
The idea is to send teams of two trained non-physician healthcare workers in remote Tanzania to examine women living several hours away from health centers. The nurses, who will be equipped with cervical screening and treatment tools as well as standard smartphones, will take a photograph of the cervix with their phone and send it via SMS to a medical expert in a specialized clinic.
Trained doctors will then be able to review the image immediately and text the diagnosis back to the health worker, as well as give instructions about treatment. SIMPLE & INEXPENSIVE !!!
The message is, solutions need not be complex or expensive. The solution you’ve been searching for might just be simpler than you think. Think about it!
Timelessbits 