YOU COMFORT ZONE WILL KILL YOUR PASSION

We all love to be comfortable. Don't we?

Comfort conjures in our minds an idyllic life replete with all the trappings of the good life. When we are in our comfort zones, we feel completely secure and are not afraid of challenges - for they don't exist.

Here at the apex of familiar surroundings, we are the rulers. Everyone and anything bow before us in humble servitude and awe. We want and get what we want without much effort. We can predict what tomorrow portends by just cutting and pasting today.

In our comfort zones, nothing moves, nothing shakes. All is quite and seemingly peaceful. No competition, no challenge, no need to exert ourselves! In a word, everything is 'cool', 'calm' and 'collected' - just the way we like it!

But we all know that life, especially in the business world, is far from being 'cool', 'calm' and 'collected'. With the fast-changing technologies and the rat race that characterize businesses today, it would be suicidal for a businessperson to sit on their laurels as though without a care in the world. To think, even for a moment, that we can sustain successful businesses by just 'sitting there' is, to say the least, a fallacy.

As business techniques continue to evolve with speed, businesspersons must likewise evolve by adapting new technologies, techniques, styles, etc.

What worked yesterday may not necessarily work today. The fact that your company has in the past employed certain strategies with tremendous success does not guarantee that the same strategies will yield similar results in the future. You should never be 'satisfied' with your achievements to the extent that you stop seeking ways to achieve an even better performance.

And this applies to our personal life too. The moment we become 'comfortable' and 'satisfied' with who we are and what we have, we kill the desire for improvement. However good you may be, you will always find that there are certain things you can do better.

Let us learn to embrace uncharted terrain, even when we feel like we don't measure up. When you venture into areas that others have given a wide berth, you become unique, a pioneer! Bill Gates could have opted to get a prime job with a blue chip firm anywhere in the world. This was the comfortable and rational thing to do. Instead, he opted to pursue a dream. Today he is living that dream! He decided to venture away from the mainstream thinking and way of doing things and instead started a company that has today made him the richest man on earth. Is he now 'cool', 'calm', and 'collected'? Not by a billion dollars! He is still reinventing himself and the multi-billion-dollar-company he put together from scratch. In that we can all agree that he is really cool - and damn rich too!

Do you want to live a full life? Extend your boundaries a little further from the 'comfortable'. And when you reach there, stretch them a little further still. In so doing, you will not only reinvent yourself and your business (whatever it is), but you will also contribute to making the world a better place for all!

You will also realize that you've got much more stuff in you than you thought you had. With this realization, you can now venture beyond the outer limits of 'convenience' and 'easy-go-lucky', and the God in you will arise and help you to move yet another mountain!

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YOU SHALL SURVIVE, YOU HAVE IT IN YOU

When the ocean empties and the land turns blue, When my path is blocked and I can't make it through, When the stars fall down one by one and it rains snow, When my car breaks down and I can't find a tow, I will still stand on my own feet proud and tall, I will get back up on my feet after the hardest fall, I will find my way home through the foggiest dim path, I will always have the strength for a smile and a good laugh.

We walk each day down a narrow and winding road, We struggle and always seem to survive each life turn, No matter how big and heavy we always carry the load, I may fall and crash but I won't lie there to burn, Each moment of life contains a lesson to be learnt.

Tff

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THE SECRET OF LIFE

Every day goes by like the last It seems that time flies too fast I close my eyes and ask it to stop I look at the clock and another minute has passed I think to myself…

What would I do if I weren't consumed Consumed by the world and all that it is The obligations attached to being successful and popular What would I do?

Embrace those that I love… Care for those that I don't… Learn how to love those I hate…. Enjoy every moment I get… Forget about what means nothing … Remember all that means everything… Make a joke when I shouldn't… Laugh even though its not funny… Cry when I'm happy… Never fear, it only wastes time… Show the devil when he's met his match… Cast out my demons forever… Travel the world and see… Stand on the highest mountain… Be the heart of a dead country... Make my own music… Even though it doesn't rhyme, make my own poem… Sing my own songs… Make new friends… Accept different cultures… Eat weird food… Hug, kiss, and never let go…

All the things that I used to think were so important I now realize mean nothing All I want to do is help those who can't help themselves

All the money in the world can't buy my happiness All the joys of doing what I love All means nothing in the face of God if All I have is nothing for him

In a matter of 60 seconds I've figured out the secret of life But now I'm falling asleep Will I remember when I wake up?

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LOOK WITHIN INSIDE YOU,YOUR HEART

A close friend said' "If I could only figure this out, I think I could find happiness." I have heard this before and will hear it again I am sure.Many people want to believe that finding happiness is all about finding something else they want. Not many have ever found long term happiness by achieving another goal. The answer to finding happiness is to look within.In other words, happiness is completely an inside job. The most important piece to finding happiness is to comprehend happiness is a choice and not the result of an experience. If all happiness could be found as the result of an acquisition, meeting a goal, or having anything, then a person's happiness would always be subject to something else.Remember this: one definition of happiness is simply the absence of an opposite emotion whether it is pain, sadness or something else. If the opposite emotions are never experienced then happiness can never be experienced either. Think about it like this: bad times allow you to appreciate good times; hunger allows you to appreciate food; and sadness allows you to appreciate and experience happiness.The dictionary defines happiness as enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction or joy.How often do you hear... "I'll be happy when"? When I get that job, I'll be happy. I'll be happy when I find a life partner. I'd be happy if I had more money.These, and all the other "if I had", scenarios are following the same reasoning; that happiness is based on external circumstances.If you base your happiness on external circumstances, you will continuously fail to find happiness. There will always, always be another external circumstance. There will always be another dollar, another job, another house, or another partner. Better, more, else.To break this vicious cycle, we must find our happiness somewhere else. That somewhere else is within. We have been given everything we need to be happy.Allow yourself to choose happiness. If life was perfect would you be happy? Life is perfect because we create it with our choices. Since we can create life, we can create happiness - and how much better can it get?When we can accept that life is perfect as it is and that our lives are the sum total of everything that has happened to this instant, only then can we accept the joy and happiness we deserve.I realize that this concept is very difficult for some to accept. However, the alternative to being happy now is to spend the rest of our lives seeking happiness as if happiness was an item to be bought or found.It's not. Just remember the saying - Don't worry - be happy! 

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THE GOAL IS CONNECTION NOT PERFECTION

When it comes to communication, whether you are speaking to a large audience, selling to an individual, teaching a class or having a conversation with your spouse, I believe that most of us aim at the wrong target.When you read any book on communication, or if you ask anyone what their goal is for their presentation – they will talk about making it perfect.They want you to have the right opening, structure the presentation correctly, back up every point, make it engaging, and close in a memorable way. I agree with all of those concepts (in fact I teach them) but I believe we miss the mark if we focus on perfection.Instead the focus of our communication should be connection. Think about this for a moment. The golden rule of business is that people do business with and refer business to people they know, like and trust. A perfect presentation doesn’t help people know you, like you, or trust you unless you connect.I have been in thousands of sales situations either one on one or with small groups. I have taught workshops to tens of thousands of people, and I have spoken on stages to audiences as big as 15,000. I don’t think I have ever given a perfect presentation, but my goal is never perfection – it is connection.So how do you connect? Here are Four Connection Tools:

1.Be AuthenticWhen we are real with people, they are typically real with us. I am amazed by how many people try and put on a front or play a part when they are speaking or presenting, and we all have internal “phony-detectors” that cause us to turn off from these people. Don’t try to be someone you are not, or what you think you they want. Be confident in who you are, it’s the only way to connect.

2.Be CuriousConnection only comes when you engage the people you are talking to and make them part of the conversation. When you are naturally curious to learn about others and get to know them, it is an endearing quality. Learn to ask great questions that open people up and allow them to be a participant in the conversation, rather than a spectator to your presentation.

3.Really ListenThe skill of listening is something that very few people possess. I know that I am as guilty as the next guy. (just ask my wife) But learning to really listen to others so that they feel understood and validated will create the kind of connection that we are seeking.

4.Tell StoriesPeople love stories. But more importantly stories evoke emotion in people that creates connection to the message of the story as well as the messenger. (that is you) If you are communicating only dry, boring facts, without any emotional connecter (a story) you will not create connection. Stories are a great tool to bring humor, reality and human connection into any communication.In all of your communication, don’t miss the mark. The goal is connection, not perfection.

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GREAT INSTRUCTIONS

Here Are Some Great Instructions
(For Life)

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
   
   
2. Memorize your favorite poem.
   
   
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
   
   
4. When you say, "I love you", mean it.
   
   
5. When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
   
   
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
   
   
7. Believe in love at first sight.
   
   
8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams.
   
   
9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
   
   
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
    
    
11. Don't judge people by their relatives.
    
    
12. Talk slow but think quick.
    
    
13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
    
    
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
    
    
15. Call your mom.
    
    
16. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
    
    
17. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
    
    
18. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
    
    
19. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
    
    
20. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
    
    
21. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
    
    
22. Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
    
    
23. Spend some time alone.
    
    
24. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
    
    
25. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
    
    
26. Read more books and watch less TV.
    
    
27. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time.
    
    
28. Trust in God but lock your car.
    
    
29. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.
    
    
30. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
    
    
31. Read between the lines.
    
    
32. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
    
    
33. Be gentle with the earth.
    
    
34. Pray -- there's immeasurable power in it.
    
    
35. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
    
    
36. Mind your own business.
    
    
37. Don't trust someone who doesn't close their eyes when you kiss them.
    
    
38. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
    
    
39. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction.
    
    
40. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
    
    
41. Learn the rules then break some.
    
    
42. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
    
    
43. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
    
    
44. Remember that your character is your destiny.
    
    
45. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

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A CREED O LIVE BY

Don't undermine your worth
by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different
that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what
other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or for the future,
By living your life one day at a time.

Don't give up when you still have something to give
nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less then perfect.
It is a fragile thread that binds each of us to each other.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;
And the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don't run through life so fast
that you forget not only where you have been
but also where you are going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savored each step of the way. 

TFF

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WHY DOES ONE LOVE?

Why does one love?
Is it to find an escape from the pains of loneliness or
Is it to feel the warmth of fulfillment that it brings to one's heart?
To me, love is the essential of all being.
One cannot exist without the love of another.
To live for another makes a life complete in every way.
Each beat of one's heart, each breath, each small thought signifies a
Small part of a love that is shared with another.

Who does one love?
Are two people destined to come together or
Is it by chance alone?
Only one's heart can tell when love has come.
It can feel the longing desire from it's deepest point and
It can feel the overpowering attraction when they are close.
One loves whom his heart has chosen and
My heart has chosen you.

When does one love?
Does one share their love in the soft mist of the early morning or
In the crisp breeze of the darkening night?
Those that are truly in love know no night or day, no dark or light.
Love is a continuous thing.
My love for you continues to grow throughout every second of time.

Why, Who, When, they all tie together,
For my love covers each of these.
Why, because you are what I have dreamed about.
Who, my heart tells me that you are the one I've been searching for.
When, now and throughout eternity.
My love for you shall never cease to exist
For there is no end to true love. 

TFF

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MAKE THE BEST OUT OF LIFE

Most anything that happens can be useful to you, or it can set you back, depending primarily on what you make of it.

Get into the habit of asking yourself "how can I make the best of this?" For example, a couple of hours ago I jumped into my car to make a 10-minute run to the post office. Along the way, a 2-inch bolt became imbedded in my right front tire. Now I'm sitting in the waiting room of a tire dealer, getting the damage repaired.

I could have spent a few hours fretting about the loss of my time, and how unfair it was. And I must admit, I did spend a few minutes in that mode. But then I asked myself, "how can I make the best of this?" The answer -- get out a pen and paper and write this message.

The various circumstances in which you find yourself can serve as excuses, or they can be turned into opportunities. What's great about the time and place in which you find yourself? Whatever you make of it. 

TFF

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IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE

The hospital was unusually quiet that bleak January evening, quiet and still like the air before a storm. I stood in the nurses' station on the seventh floor and glanced at the clock.
It was 9 P.M. I threw a stethoscope around my neck and headed for room 712, last room on the hall. Room 712 had a new patient. Mr. Williams. A man all alone. A man strangely silent about his family.
As I entered the room, Mr. Williams looked up eagerly, but drooped his eyes when he saw it was only me, his nurse. I pressed the stethoscope over his chest and listened. Strong, slow, even beating. Just what I wanted to hear. There seemed little indication he had suffered a slight heart attack a few hours earlier.
He looked up from his starched white bed. "Nurse, would you - "He hesitated, tears filling his eyes. Once before he had started to ask me a question, but changed his mind. I touched his hand, waiting. He brushed away a tear. "Would you call my daughter? Tell her I've had a heart attack. A slight one. You see, I live alone and she is the only family I have."
His respiration suddenly speeded up. I turned his nasal oxygen up to eight liters a minute. "Of course I'll call her," I said, studying his face. He gripped the sheets and pulled himself forward, his face tense with urgency. "Will you call her right away - as soon as you can?"
He was breathing fast - too fast. "I'll call her the very first thing," I said, patting his shoulder. I flipped off the light. He closed his eyes, such young blue eyes in his 50 - year - old face. Room 712 was dark except for a faint night light under the sink. Oxygen gurgled in the green tubes above his bed. Reluctant to leave, I moved through the shadowy silence to the window. The panes were cold. Below a foggy mist curled through the hospital parking lot.
"Nurse," he called, "could you get me a pencil and paper?" I dug a scrap of yellow paper and a pen from my pocket and set it on the bedside table. I walked back to the nurses' station and sat in a squeaky swivel chair by the phone. Mr. Williams's daughter was listed on his chart as the next of kin. I got her number from information and dialed.
Her soft voice answered. "Janie, this is Sue Kidd, a registered nurse at the hospital. I'm calling about your father. He was admitted tonight with a slight heart attack and " "No!" she screamed into the phone, startling me. "He's not dying is he ?"
"His condition is stable at the moment," I said, trying hard to sound convincing. Silence. I bit my lip. "You must not let him die!" she said. Her voice was so utterly compelling that my hand trembled on the phone. "He is getting the very best care."
"But you don't understand," she pleaded. "My daddy and I haven't spoken. On my 21st birthday, we had a fight over my boyfriend. I ran out of the house. I-I haven't been back. All these months I've wanted to go to him for forgiveness. The last thing I said to him was, 'I hate you."
Her voice cracked and I heard her heave great agonizing sobs. I sat, listening, tears burning my eyes. A father and a daughter, so lost to each other. Then I was thinking of my own father, many miles away. It has been so long since I had said, "I love you."
As Janie struggled to control her tears, I breathed a prayer. "Please God, let this daughter find forgiveness." "I'm coming. Now! I'll be there in 30 minutes," she said.
Click. She had hung up. I tried to busy myself with a stack of charts on the desk. I couldn't concentrate. Room 712; I knew I had to get back to 712.
I hurried down the hall nearly in a run. I opened the door. Mr. Williams lay unmoving. I reached for his pulse. There was none. "Code 99, Room 712. Code 99. Stat." The alert was shooting through the hospital within seconds after I called the switchboard through the intercom by the bed. Mr. Williams had a cardiac arrest. With lightning speed I leveled the bed and bent over his mouth, breathing air into his lungs (twice). I positioned my hands over his chest and compressed. One, two, three. I tried to count.
At fifteen I moved back to his mouth and breathed as deeply as I could. Where was help? Again I compressed and breathed, Compressed and . He could not die! "O God," I prayed. "His daughter is coming! Don't let it end this way."
The door burst open. Doctors and nurses poured into the room pushing emergency equipment. A doctor took over the manual compression of the heart. A tube was inserted through his mouth as an airway. Nurses plunged syringes of medicine into the intravenous tubing. I connected the heart monitor. Nothing. Not a beat.
My own heart pounded. "God, don't let it end like this. Not in bitterness and hatred. His daughter is coming. Let her find peace."
"Stand back," cried a doctor. I handed him the paddles for the electrical shock to the heart. He placed them on Mr. Williams's chest. Over and over we tried. But nothing. No response. Mr. Williams was dead. A nurse unplugged the oxygen. The gurgling stopped. One by one they left, grim and silent.
How could this happen? How? I stood by his bed, stunned. A cold wind rattled the window, pelting the panes with snow. Outside -everywhere - seemed a bed of blackness, cold and dark. How could I face his daughter?
When I left the room, I saw her against a wall by a water fountain. A doctor who had been inside 712 only moments before stood at her side, talking to her, gripping her elbow. Then he moved on, leaving her slumped against the wall. Such pathetic hurt reflected from her face. Such wounded eyes. She knew.
The doctor had told her that her father was gone. I took her hand and led her into the nurses' lounge. We sat on little green stools, neither saying a word. She stared straight ahead at a pharmaceutical calendar, glass-faced, almost breakable-looking.
"Janie, I'm so, so sorry," I said. It was pitifully inadequate. "I never hated him, you know. I loved him," she said. God, please help her, I thought. Suddenly she whirled toward me. "I want to see him."
My first thought was, Why put yourself through more pain? Seeing him will only make it worse. But I got up and wrapped my arm around her. We walked slowly down the corridor to 712. Outside the door I squeezed her hand, wishing she would change her mind about going inside. She pushed open the door.
We moved to the bed, huddled together, taking small steps in unison. Janie leaned over the bed and buried her face in the sheets. I tried not to look at her at this sad, sad good-bye. I backed against the bedside table. My hand fell upon a scrap of yellow paper. I picked it up. It read:
My dearest Janie,

I forgive you. I pray you will also forgive me. I know that you love me.

I love you too,
Daddy

The note was shaking in my hands as I thrust it toward Janie. She read it once. Then twice. Her tormented face grew radiant. Peace began to glisten in her eyes. She hugged the scrap of paper to her breast.
"Thank You, God," I whispered, looking up at the window. A few crystal stars blinked through the blackness. A snowflake hit the window and melted away, gone forever. Life seemed as fragile as a snowflake on the window. But thank You, God, that relationships, sometimes fragile as snowflakes, can be mended together again - but there is not a moment to spare.
I crept from the room and hurried to the phone. I would call my father. I would say, "I love you."
P.S. I think it would be a wonderful idea for each of us to take a minute of our busy day and tell people that are special to us that we love them....before it's too late! Don't you?

TFF

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TAKE CARE OF YOUR FRIENDS NO MATTER WHAT

Friend is a word that I don't throw around
Though it's used and abused, I still like the sound.
I save it for people who've done right by me
And I know I can count on, if ever need be.

Some of my friends drive big limousines
Own ranches and banks and visit with queens,
And some of my friends are up to their neck
In overdue notes and can't write a check.

They're singers or ropers or writers of prose
And others, God bless 'em, can't blow their own nose!
I guess being friends don't have nothing' to do
With talent or money or knowing who's who.

It's a comfortable feeling when you don't have to care,
'Bout choosing your words or being quite fair.
'Cause friends'll just listen and let go on by
Those words you don't mean and not bat an eye.

It makes a friend happy to see your success.
They're proud of your good side and forgive all the rest.
And that ain't so easy, all of the time,
Sometimes I get crazy and seem to go blind!

Your friend just might have to take you on home,
Or remind you sometime, that you're not alone.
Or ever so gently pull you back to the ground,
When you think you can fly, with no one around.

A hug or a shake, whichever seems right
Is the high point of giving, I'll tell you tonight,
All worldly riches and tributes of men,
Can't hold a candle to the worth of a friend.

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FEEDING THE SOUL

We are not human beings having spiritual experiences, we are spiritual beings having human experiences.


We eat right, we work out, our minds are finely tuned, but how many of us consider the nourishment of our souls?

We are body-mind spirit. They cannot exist separately.
If we do not nurture our complete self, we die at some level. We begin to wither with a feeling of emptiness.

A vague, persistent feeling that "something is missing." A feeling of being dead inside.
We go about our daily lives, we smile, we manage....and inside, where no one can hear, we wail. Very little in our culture is deeply meaningful, feeding our soul, taking us deeper than our shallow, homogenized living.

Indeed, living in any other way but the narrowly-prescribed cultural mode is considered strange and suspect, even if pain and suffering are a dominant part of that mode.
Yet we are meant to be joyful creatures, feeling our innate aliveness and our connectedness to the Holy, Universe and Spirit.

Of the Earth dwellers, we alone have been gifted with consciousness and free will. But how tragically we waste our precious moments.

TFF

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LET GOD

In a small, neglected garden,
Where flowers used to grow,
A weather beaten birdhouse
Shelters sparrows from the snow.
They greet the sun at dawning
With sprightliness and song,
Cheerful, uncomplaining
As the day is long.
In time of tribulation,
Whatever our lot might be,
Let God lift up the burden,
From heartache set you free;
And like the little sparrow
Find solace and release,
With song and prayer at dawning,
Enfolded in God's peace. 

tff

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LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR ANGER

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND.

TFF

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LIVE EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST

"This is a story that makes you see why you should live each day as if it were your last..."

There was a guy that was born with cancer. A cancer that has no known cure. He was 17 years old and could die at any moment. He was always at home, under his mother's care.
One day he decided to go out, even if it was just once. He asked his mother for permission and she agreed. Walking down his block he saw many stores. Stopping at a music store he looked in and saw a very pretty girl of his own age, it was love at first sight and he walked in.
He walked up to the counter were the girl was. She smiled at him and asked "Can I help you with anything?"

The guy could only think that it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and stuttered, "Well, ummm, I'd like to buy a... ". He grabbed the first one he saw and gave her the money.

"Do you want me to wrap it?" the smiling girl asked. The guy said yes and the girl went into the back room to wrap it. The guy took the wrapped CD and walked home.
From that day on he visited the music store everyday, and each day he bought a CD. And each day the girl wrapped them up and the guy stored them unopened in his closet.
He was a very shy boy, and although he tried he couldn't find the nerve to ask the girl out. His mother noticed this and encouraged him.
The next day the guy set out for the store with a determined mind, like the previous days he bought a CD and the girl wrapped it as usual. While she was busy he left his telephone on the counter and rushed out of the store.
The following day the guy didn't visit the store, and the girl called him. His mother answered the phone, wondering who it could be. It was the girl from the music store! She asked to speak with her son and his mother started crying. The girl asked her what was the matter. "Don't you know? He died yesterday." There was a long silence on the phone.
Later that afternoon the guy's mother entered his room to remember her son. She decided to start with his closet, and to her surprised she saw a big pile of unopened CDs wrapped in festive paper. She was curious because there were so many of them, and she opened one. As she tore open the package she noticed a slip of paper that said: "Hi! You're cute, I would love to meet you. Let's go out some time. Sophie"
The mother started crying as she opened another, and another, and another. Every single CD contained a slip of paper that said the same. 

TFF

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRENGTH AND COURAGE

It takes strength to be firm.
It takes courage to be gentle.

It takes strength to stand guard.
It takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer
It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to be certain.
It takes courage to have doubt.

It takes strength to fit in.
It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to feel a friend's pain.
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide feelings.
It takes courage to show them.

It takes strength to endure abuse.
It takes courage to stop it.

It takes strength to stand alone.
It takes courage to lean on another.

It takes strength to love.
It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive.
It takes courage to live.

TFF

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SAME TIME, DIFFERENT DESTINY

Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day.

Rich people can't buy more time. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend on another day.

Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.

Success depends upon using it wisely - - by planning and setting priorities. Time is worth more than money, and by killing time, we are killing our own chances of success.

TFF

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THANK GOD EVERY MORNING THAT YOU WAKE UP

Thank you God, for all I have to do today.
Thanks God, for this sink of dirty dishes,
It shows we have plenty to eat.

Thanks God, for this pile of dirty, stinky, laundry,
It shows we have plenty of clothes to wear.

Thanks God, for those unmade beds in there,
They were warm and so comfortable last night
And I know there are many who have no beds.

Thank God, for this bathroom complete with all the
Spattered mirror, soggy grimy towels and dirty commode,
They are so convenient.

Thanks God, for this finger-smudged refrigerator
That needs defrosting,
It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers
For two or three meals.

Thanks God, for this oven
That absolutely must cleaned today,
It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that grass that needs mowing,
The lawn that will need raking, we all enjoy the yard.

Thanks God, even for that slamming screen door,
My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord the presence of all these chores awaiting me
Says you have richly blessed my family.
I shall do them all cheerfully
And I shall do them gratefully.

Amen

TFF

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DECIDING AND TAKING CONTROL

Outside my window, a new day I see,
And only I can determine
What kind of day it will be.
It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay,
Or boring and cold, unhappy and gray.

My own state of mind is the determining key,
For I am only the person I let myself be.

I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help,
Or be selfish and think just of myself.
I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun,
Or gripe and complain and make it hard on someone.

I can be patient with those who may not understand
Or belittle and hurt them as much as I can.

But I have faith in myself,
And believe what I say
And I personally intend to make the most of each day.

TFF

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PURPOSE IN LIFE

Here is a story i wrote hope you learn from it..cheers!!!




One clear autumn morning a single mother of two, peers out the window of her bedroom admiring the clear day and watching as the wind blows through the tree in her yard.
The woman named Samantha sits wondering what purpose in life has God in store for her. She realizes is she thirty years old and a single mother of two. Any other day she would not feel the pressures of life except for this day is the day before an operation that will forever change her. She wonders how people will see her and react to her once the operation is complete. More importantly she begins to worry about how she will see herself.
Samantha was suddenly startled by both of her children rushing into her bedroom with smiles upon their innocent faces wanting what they expect every morning, a hug and kiss from their Mom.
She is distracted long enough to give her children the hugs and kisses they so very much desire. A few moments are spent making small talk and casual play until the children run off to fix themselves some cereal. As she hears her children laughing and occasionally arguing, her mind begins to wonder into her past.
Starting with her childhood, she recalls growing up in a family she can't help but love today, but questions her love and understanding while growing up in her family.
Her father; being a hard man whom stubbornly held to his convictions in life without hesitation. Her mother, a teacher of the word of God always ensured they knew the Gospel. Her four bothers and sisters wrapped up in their own world and not understanding her. All of this was racing through Samantha's mind.
Her attention was again diverted when she heard the dreaded words from her son, "UH OH." Samantha went into the kitchen where she found that her son had an accident with the milk as he was pouring it into the cereal bowls. She patiently wipes up the milk and fixes their cereal before she retreats back to her room to take her shower.
Sitting on the end of her bed wondering what she will wear today, she again begins to think of the experiences in her life. She recalls a traumatic event whereupon she was attacked as a child. She vividly recalls the events of that day and begins to weep. She recalls how she refused to tell anyone, for fear of upsetting her family.
Her mind then drifted to how her now divorced husband helped her through this terrible time, when it was triggered later in her life. She pauses for a few moments and recalls how her relationship with God became so much more fulfilling during this time in her life.
All of a sudden Samantha is overcome with laughter as she sees her daughter standing before her wearing her clothes backward in an attempt to dress herself for the day. As Samantha helps her daughter get dressed she wonders if she is doing the best she can in raising her children.
As she finishes helping her daughter the phone rings. It's Christopher, a new found friend she met only a few months ago. They say hello's and talk about the coming day and each other's plans. A few minutes later she gangs up the phone and steps into the shower.
While in the shower, she again thinks of how she'll be after the operation. She thinks to herself that she's not getting any younger, and if she'll be appealing enough for any man to ever want her again. She abruptly puts the thought out of her head and begins to think of her friends. She can't help but think at first if they will treat her any differently than they do now, especially her boyfriend, William.
As she gets out of the shower and feeling somewhat refreshed, she realizes how fortunate she really is to have the types of friends she has. She tells herself that she has always tried to be there when they needed her and how good she felt when they called upon her in times of need. Samantha gets dressed and begins to face another day, putting the previous thoughts out of her head for now.
The day goes by uneventful, as any other Saturday would. She enjoyed her times with friends and her children throughout the day. Now the day is over and the children are asleep for the night. Unfortunately, Samantha can't seem to get to sleep.
While lying in her bed she drifts back to what she was thinking about earlier in the day, still having the nagging feeling of wondering what her purpose in life is. Chris pops into her head and she begins to think of him and what kind of troubles he's going through in his life right now and how she's tried to help him through them by helping him trust in God.
She also recalls how he has offered his shoulder to cry on and a compassionate ear whenever she has needed one. Her other friend, Donald, comes to mind. She again thinks of how he's troubled in life and how she has tried to pull him through his times of need, and then William, and Vicky. She starts to realize that she has been there for all of them. She wonders if this is it, "is this why I'm here?"
Samantha gets out of bed and gets on her knees and begins to pray. She prays for those in her life: first her children, then William, Chris, Donald and Vicky. She then prays for herself. "Dear Lord, help me understand the things that have happened to me and show me my purpose in life."
She remained on her knees for a few minutes, completely silent, hoping for something, anything. Then she heard it, the most calming and compassionate voice she had ever heard. The voice filled her soul with warmth and peace as she heard it proclaim:
"Samantha, your hurt and sorrow is not punishment, but a precious gift. I have provided you with the experiences in life to give you the knowledge and wisdom to help others. You have fulfilled and will continue to fulfill what I have in store for you. For what you seek, you have become. A healer of souls and a guide to my door step for those who have strayed or forsaken me. You cannot begin to replenish or heal lost souls without feeling their past experiences. You question that which is your purpose. You will understand that which is your body is only but a shell and what is inside you will shine brighter than the stars themselves, and you will be better prepared for your task at hand. You will be rewarded in your mortal life and in your everlasting life. Keep your faith and trust in me, for my hand is always upon you. Rise up and accept my gift and continue to help those in need."
Samantha wept for a period of time and realized again, how fulfilled she was to know the Lord. From this day forward she will continue to go to the aid of those in need and trust in the Lord.
Samantha then went into her children's rooms and hugged and kissed each them again for the night. Samantha finally went to sleep with anticipation of a new day dawning tomorrow.

TFF

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LOVE IS LIKE A CYCLE

Love is a circle, coming back to you,
When your love is given, with a heart that's true.

Love is a circle, going up then down,
Reaching to the heavens. returning to ground.

Love is a circle, take my hand, my friend,
Love is a circle, love will never end.

Love is a circle, setting people free,
Love is a circle, love is you and me.

Love, once it is given, has no end,
Circling forever thru all time.
Bringing love wherever man may be,
Going on for all eternity.

TFF

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IN THE COOL OF THE DAY

Gen 3:8-9 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
I was walking in the cool of my day, it was a lovely day, all was going right, and the Lord said to me: Where are you?
Sometimes as I go through my day, I put my Lord in the back seat of my car of life, not wanting Him to bother my day that I have firm control of. Then the Lord becomes a back seat driver, He says, where are you?
A song was written that says in part: "this joy that I have ...", there are times in my life where I say it was me that provided that joy, I did it on my power. Then in the quiet, cool part of my day, the Lord asks, where are you?
Subtle ways He comes into my life. He seeps in where He's not wanted sometimes, because I know what I maybe thinking or doing is not in His will. I purposely cloud up my day so that I think no one is watching, and then, a soft gentle Voice whispers, where are you?
The sea of my life has become quite rough, the boat is becoming filled with water. All my friends have abandoned my ship, and the rain and wind have clouded my vision. I hurt and I ache, my loins are tender, my heart is heavy, I'm lost in my emotions, I'm at the end of my rope, and then I holler at the top of my voice, Lord, where are you?!
Then at the end of my storm, the clouds have yielded to sunshine, the wind has quieted, all what's lost is found, and the sea has yielded it's riches to me, I wonder if I would say to the Lord, not where are you, but, thank you for being here, in the cool of my day. For You are always with me, right here, beside me, walking with me, talking with me, during my storms, during my hurts, during the time when I grieve, during the times when I laugh, during the times when I cry, and during the times when I ask, Lord, where are you? 
TFF

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YOUR FRIEND SHOULD HAVE THIS FEATURES

Anyone can stand by you when you are right,
But a Friend will stand by you even when you are wrong.

A simple friend identifies himself when he calls.
A real friend doesn't have to.

A simple friend opens a conversation
With a full news bulletin on his life.
A real friend says, "What's new with you?"

A simple friend thinks the problems you whine about are recent.
A real friend says,
"You've been whining about the same thing for 14 years.
Get off your duff and do something about it."

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook
And stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over
When you have an argument.
A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until after
You've had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

TFF

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SELF ACTUALIZATION FOOTNOTE

The starting point to personal achievement and self-actualization begins with definiteness of purpose coupled with a burning desire for its achievement. Equally important is accurate thinking and timely planning.
General background knowledge is important. The person who has a broad knowledge of many fields and an abundance of accumulative experience can come up with new and significant creative ideas easier and more rapidly than can the individual who has specialized knowledge in only one field.
Collect and file notes, clippings, and ideas that seem interesting, provocative and original. Ask yourself "how might I be able to use or improve on this or that?"
Engage freely in hobbies, games, crossword puzzles! Read at least one book a month.
Travel! There is a big learning experience out there. It doesn't have to be expensive or international.
Continually ask "Why?" "How come?" and "Who says so?"...and then ask it again and again! Dumb questions are often penetrating questions in disguise.
Avoid rigid, set patterns of doing things. That's a little dull! Go on a retreat, or simply choose to meet new people.
Be open and receptive to your hunches as well as to other's ideas. Ideas are fleeting and quite often, fragile. Listen positively to them and above all, jot them down in your idea book or journal.
Stop...look...and pause! In other words, pay attention, to yourself, others and the things around you. This is how we learn.
Adopt a "let's try it attitude!" All of history's big ideas and breakthroughs were originally risks.
Polish you self-image, and have it say YOU are important! No matter what we are thinking or feeling, be it positive or negative, comes across loud and clear.
Choose to be bold, courageous and curious! Weak people seldom accomplish things of significance!
Sift fact from opinion or others' assumptions. This vital!
The world seems to tolerate mediocrity! Choose to be a winner! An innovator! An explorer! There is room here for everyone.
Laugh freely and often! "Life is a bubble...so why worry and trouble?" Serious, serious people are often bores in disguise.
Think BIG! It takes as much energy and effort to think "BIG" as it does to think "small".
It doesn't matter where you are from or what schooling you possess, but rather it is"what you do" and "how you do it" that really counts!
If it is said "it can't be done" ask him or her..."What have YOU done of significance that qualifies you to say it can't be done?"
And keep in mind Isaiah 43:18-19, "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not, see, I am doing something new"!

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EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED IN SOME WAY

There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The winds picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.

So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn we must help our neighbor grow good corn.

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STAY THROUGH TO YOUR GOALS

The key to being happy is to respect your desire to make your life better by your own choices-even if and, especially when others ridicule them. Do not let the ignorance or the short-sightedness of others redirect your life's goal.

Everyone has their own path to follow-their own map for the future. The key is to understand everyone is different and to respect their goals as well as your own.

Do not accept behavior that goes against your beliefs or wishes, and do not accept behavior from friends, family, or a spouse that you wouldn't accept from a stranger.

Be true to yourself. Stand firm. And, do not postpone your dreams or wishes to please someone else's idea of what it should be...

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OBSERVATION OF LIFE

Many people say that they want to kill themselves but then they don't want to die.

The statement above is just like life, confusing and complicated but that's no reason. Life at times kicks right in the face. Many survive to stay standing up, others fall straight to the floor. But you must always keep a positive attitude. Life is unfair but after all God only gives you what you can handle.

Learn from your mistakes, take risks, reach among the stars and dream upon them. Life - it's the only one we have. Love yourself, love your surroundings and make a difference in someone's life- that feeling is inexplicable.

Learn to give and receive love. Love your friends, those angels sent from God, love your family and don't hesitate to mention how important they are you because you never know if there will be a tomorrow- better safe than sorry.

Learn to make time for you. Learn that life is a journey and we must enjoy every single minute of it. We can't navigate through life with fear. We must stand tall and keep on through this journey.

Yes, you can't go back in time but memories sure can. Don't be sad that it's over; be happy that it occurred. At times you have to move on, you can't stick with memories.

At times you wonder why? Why people are the way they are? Why are they like that? When everything is going awesome, no one remembers God. Seems like when they are in crisis is when they go to him? Why?

Also, at times you give people love, they take it and then throw it. You try friendship and they can't even be there when you need them. Why? That's just part of life. In parts of the journey you will encounter this unfairness but don't worry, as long as you know you did your part you'll be fine. Hey- they slap you once, offer them the other cheek. It's painful to be slapped and to understand but we must and learn to forgive.

Anyhow, watch out for obstacles that want to stop your journey. Don't give up, keep on shooting the ball, because it's bound to go in because the hole is there!!

Once again live every single second like if it were your last. Remember just like a clock we can't go back in time. Think twice before you act, but think thrice before you speak - words hurt more than actions. Love, live and enjoy!!

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LOVE

Though so simple,it is ambigious

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