Friday, December 24, 2010

Motivational Story about Anger

Very long ago there lived a boy who got angry over every little thing. Seeing the boy struggle with his temper, the father called the boy one day and gave him a bag of nails.

“Every time you get angry, drive one nail to the wooden fence,” said the father.

The boy prone to anger drove dozens of nails into the fence on the first day. On the second, he nailed much less. And as days passed by he slowed down.

Finally he realized that it was easy to control his temper than do this job of nailing the fence. Then came a day when he didn’t use a single nail.

Happy that he had controlled his anger, he went to his father and said, “Father, I haven’t lost my temper the whole of today.”

“Good. Now go and pull out all the nails in the fence,” said the father.

The boy did as told.

Now, the fence was full of holes.

Then the father took him to the fence, “Can you see the holes in the fence, my dear son. That’s what happens when you get angry and say or do something. It leaves an ugly scar. No matter how many times you say sorry, the wound remains unhealed.”

Notes: A big stone when thrown into a pond of clear water kicks up the mud and makes it hazy. Anger is very much like this; it clouds your judgment and makes your head fuzzy. And anything said or done in a moment of rage leaves a scar in your mind, more than anybody else’s. Likes the holes in the fence, these are a stark reminder of the damage caused, the agony. Once you realize this, you tend to stop reacting to every little thing. And finally, you become cool and calm. You begin to think, without reacting. The misery and pain no longer troubles you and you’re at peace with yourself and the world.

Rajasekar Raju KS

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Never Give Up Quotations to Motivate You Daily

Dont ever give up quotes to boost your motivation daily. These quotes are bound to stir up your energy and focus and make it a positive day for you.

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former American President

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.
Richard Bach, author of Illusions and Jonathan Livingstin Seagul

Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about.
Anonymous

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
Michael Jordan, champion basketball player

A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't.
Anonymous

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.
Dale Carnegie, author of Effective Public Speaking and many other books

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.
Anonymous

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.
Ross Perot, American Business Tycoon

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
Anonymous

Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.
Anonymous

Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
Jacob A. Riis

A little fish in a big pond can get to be a big fish in that pond, but a big fish in a little pond cannot get any better off.
Anonymous

One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.
Col Harland Sanders

Difficult things take a long time, impossible things a little longer.
André A. Jackson

You can't go through life quitting everything. If you're going to achieve anything, you've got to stick with something.
TV show host Family Matters

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream.
Anonymous

You can motivate by fear and reward, but these are temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.
Anonymous

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
William James

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Wayne Gretzky

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
Thomas A. Edison, American Scientist with over 7000 patents

You must do the things you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Lessons the River Taught Me

It was six in the evening as I walked about lazily along the banks of the river. I had passed by many times on my way to school and enjoyed its blue waters shimmering in the sun. Glistening like white pearls the waters seemed to gurgle as if talking to the fishes, frogs and tadpoles. Not to mention the trees alongside the banks.

Those days I remember I swam in the shallow waters and played with friends splashing the cool water on each other. Sometimes even drinking a handful. It was refreshing. Much better than the piped water at home. We were always late to school whenever we played. Many a time we went by boat. The boatmen would charge only the elders but kids like us would get a free ride.

“Big brother” – one of the boatmen sometimes sang a native song or two when he was in a good mood. And I and my friends looked up at him as our hero. Tall and skinny, the beads of sweat would glisten as they rolled down his forehead and arms. He seemed to row as if he were enjoying it and never showed signs of strain.

One day I found him quiet as he rowed as back in the evening. “What happened,” I pained by the silence. And the sorrowful eyes of the usually cheerful “big brother”. At first he didn’t seem to hear. But when I asked him again, tears rolled down his cheeks. He stopped rowing but the boat moved slowly in the waters as if it understood that the boatman was tired and therefore it had to help.

“My son died yesterday. He was only seven.”

I didn’t know how to react. There was something strange emotion swelling up in me. Grief or what, I didn’t know. But I managed to ask, “why..what happened?”

A long and painful silence followed.

Then he looked at me and said, “he was not well for sometime.”

I didn’t have the courage to ask further. He picked up the oar and rowed again. And I was soon lost in my own thoughts about “big brother’s” sadness. How a big man could cry, I thought. I had never seen my father cry. I was so lost in the thoughts that I didn’t realize that we were on the other bank.

“Raja, come let’s go,” he said.

“Yes..” I murmured and held on to his outstretched hand to jump out of the shaky boat.
Pulling the boat towards the shore, he tied it to a tree. I stood there looking at his muscles work. I seemed so fascinated by everything he did.

He saw me standing there in a trance. “Don’t you want to go home today,” he queried.

“Why don’t you sing a song for your son?”

He managed a smile. “Not today son.” “Maybe another day I’ll take you to my home and make fish curry for you.”

“You like fish curry?”

“Yes..yes” I muttered. My mouth was already salivating at the thought of it.

“See you soon,” I said and disappeared into the woods which I had to cross to reach home. I had to hurry. It was threatening to rain.

Four days later I met him.

Four days later I met him. He seemed much better. He was smiling. I felt nice seeing him as the old “big brother”. I stretched my hand towards him. He lifted me gently and placed me on the boat, close to where he stood and rowed.

Today the water seemed to be a little agitated as water gushed faster and stronger than before. I wondered why.

He seemed to understand my fear.

“It’s been like this for some weeks now. The new factory that has come up is throwing all its chemical waste into this godly river,” he said.

Factory! Yes, I vaguely remember many excited and curious men and women walk towards the factory some months ago. They were talking about a rich man who had promised jobs for many in our village. “They have come to destroy the charm of this place,” said my dad one day. Yes, I remember my uncle too went to the factory.

“Is the river angry at the garbage thrown into it?” I asked.

“She’s a nice lady, you know. She’s a bit irritated. But she’ll forgive. She has a big heart,” said “big Brother.”

I thought about what he said. Forgiving. When I was young the river was fresher and clearer. And often when I sat on the banks dangling my feet in its waters, I have seen the tadpoles at the bottom. The sun would seep into its depth as if playing hide and seek with the river. And the river didn’t to mind it.

The mud and bits and pieces of others things it gathered, it carried along tirelessly. Never complaining. Never burdened. Even the big boats with all its passengers, it had never hurt anyone who came by it. But how can someone bear all this and for how long, I used to wonder.

But the river seemed to joyfully forget its worries and strode ahead. Gurgling and gushing as it rushed its way towards its mother – the ocean.

While at school I always wanted to see the ocean. I wanted to see the happiness of a mother than had such wonderful children who danced and jumped in joy all the time.

Now, at forty something, I long to live by the river. But can’t seem to find one close by.
Rajasekar Raju KS