SUCCESS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN ISOLATION

There was a farmer who grew superior quality and award-winning corn.
Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honor and
prizes.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learnt 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
neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with

yours each year?" the reporter asked..

"Why sir, "said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up
pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my
neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn,

cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn.

If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn."

The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life.

His corn cannot improve unless his neighbour's corn also improves.

So it is in the other dimensions!

Those who choose to be at harmony must help their neighbours and
colleagues to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help

others to live well.


The value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.

SUCCESS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN ISOLATION. IT IS VERY OFTEN A PARTICIPATIVE AND COLLECTIVE PROCESS

8 Toxic personalities to avoid

Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well-adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn't so. Personally, I've had moments where I'll be skipping through my day, happy as can be, thinking life is grand and BAM, I'll be blindsided by someone who manages to knock the happy wind out of my sails. Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative. Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional. Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you regress into a state of childhood.

Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives. And, although we are all human and have our 'issues,' some 'issues' are quite frankly, toxic. They are toxic to our happiness. They are toxic to our mental outlook. They are toxic to our self-esteem. And they are toxic to our lives. They can suck the life out of us and even shorten our lifespan.

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics. Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your 'buttons' are, and push them to get what they want.

* Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don't necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.

2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them. They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met. You often want to say to them "It isn't always about you."

* Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust. You are left disappointed and unfulfilled. Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.

3. Debbie Downers: These people can't appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they'll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

* Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.

4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'. If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.

* Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

* Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.

6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

* Why they are toxic: People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.

7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies. Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you. Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business. Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

* Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don't respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy. These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.

8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

* Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.

All of these personalities have several things in common. 1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue. 2) Unfortunately, most of these people don't see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one. 3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity. If you can, avoid spending mucho time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you'll feel a lot happier. Have you encountered these personalities? What have you done? Any personalities you would add?

I WONDER

Where has smile disappeared?
Where have promises vanished?
Why has truth disappeared?
Where has love evanished?

I walk through those lonely roads again and wonder

1.Why is it that we understand the value of life when we fear of loosing it? The real value of life can be seen in the eyes of a dying man. The only thing we take for granted everyday when we wake up is that we have got one more to live, to dream, to laugh, to cry.

2.Why is it that even if we know that our mom loves us the most, her love for is truly unconditional and passionate., We take her love for us, would rather say we take her for granted. Those long nights she has spent sleepless for our health, our exams, we never even thank her for it. Why do we take her love for us for granted?

3.Why is it that the real value of love can be seen in the hearts of people who have lost someone they loved passionately? Why is love just some trivial game for people who get it without working hard?

4.Why is it that the most beautiful things on this earth come free and we spend our entire life running after things that cost us a fortune? Love, friendship, care, concern, the morning rays of the sun, the beautiful colors of the flowers, the song of birds, the beauty of butterflies, the air we breathe, smile on the face of the one we love the most, the touch of a baby, moms hugs they all come free and we seldom notice them.

5.Why is it that we run after people who wouldn't care to appreciate us or care for us and never appreciate people who appreciate us?

6.Why is it that we take so many things in life for granted? Emotions of people who love us for granted? In fact people who love us for granted

This probably proves how foolish we all really are or does it prove how mean the force that is controlling every movement on this earth actually is? Is it destiny or our own negligence? As a child I had heard so many stories where the ending was always happy, where people got what they deserved, where there was love and victory of truth. Where the princess always had her prince ride a white horse and come to her, where the King always defeated the evil powers. Were they just to fool us? Or just to keep our childhood sans reality, reality that is so bitter? I still wonder.

FAITH

There was no rain for several weeks in a village. The priest, calling upon the people to pray more intensely invited them on a Sunday to meet at the church campus. He asked them to come with visible signs of faith. People came in large numbers. Some came with their rosaries with bibles prayer books with holy medals and pictures. But there in crowd was a little boy with an umbrella in hand.
The priest deeply impressed invited the boy to tell the crowd why he came with an umbrella. The boy with unshakable child like faith said I came with umbrella cos I don’t to get in the rain as we pray for rain. It rained heavily that day as the crowd prayed.
Faith is an absolute trust in god of all possibilities. Faith does not end with hope it crosses its threshold.
Faith to is to be sure of things we hope for and he conviction of things we don’t see. Faith does not come easily to one who is inflated with pride with his own abilities and strength. Faith comes to those who realize their frailty and inadequateness.
Our highest intelligence and strongest abilities cannot match the awesome power of god and that’s why we need to look beyond our capacities in perfect dependence upon god we can’t stop a heavy downpour nor create rain, or a arrest tsunami. We cannot restructure the constellations rearranging the planets or stop earth from rotating. These are gentle reminders that der is someone beyond us upon whom we can depend.
When the disciples answered the call to discipleship with Jesus they never expected to get better fishing nets, boats and a booming business. They asked for two things Lord teach us to pray and lord increase our faith. These were the two things they saw that Jesus zeal for prayer and an unshakable faith in heavenly father. The disciples could see very clearly how faith and prayer in the life of Jesus helped him relate with the sinner and saint. They saw how he could celebrate life joyfully and embrace suffering in resilience. They saw how he turned impossibilities to possibilities.
Faith opens up for us a world of possibilities. The best prayer we could ever make is lord teach us to pray. And if we pray for rain les keep umbrella at hand…that’s faith

Tell me what got into you..? How did you do it . . ?

A teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very
special relationship. The father believed in encouragement.

This young man was the smallest of the class when he entered high
school. His father continued to encourage him but also made it very
clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the
young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined
to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he
became a senior. Even though the son was always on the bench, his
father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.

All through high school he never missed neither a practice nor a
game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful
father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement
for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out
for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could
never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him
on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice,
and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and
hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled
him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father.

His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all
the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed
practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play
in the game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he
trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big play off
game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the
telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled
to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss
practice today?"

The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the
rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game
on Saturday." Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well.
In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent
young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on
his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players
were astounded to see their faithful team-mate back so soon.
"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man.
The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his
worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted,
and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said.
"You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the
stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never
played before, was doing everything right.

The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and
tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied.
In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran
all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His team-mates
hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you've never heard! Finally,
after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker
room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner
all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were
fantastic!

Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you
knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The
young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my
games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to
show him I could do it . . . "

SO - REMEMBER RIGHT NOW:

* Somebody is very proud of you.
* Somebody is thinking of you.
* Somebody is caring about you.
* Somebody misses you.
* Somebody wants to talk to you.
* Somebody wants to be with you.
* Somebody hopes you are not in trouble.
* Somebody is thankful for the support you have provided.
* Somebody wants to hold your hand.
* Somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
* Somebody wants you to be happy.
* Somebody wants you to find him / her.
* Somebody wants to give you a gift.
* Somebody wants to hug you.
* Somebody thinks you ARE a gift.
* Somebody admires your strength.
* Somebody wants to protect you.
* Somebody can't wait to see you.
* Somebody loves you for who you are.
* Somebody treasures your spirit.
* Somebody is glad that you are their friend.
* Somebody wants to get to know you better.
* Somebody wants to be near you.
* Somebody wants you to know they are there for you.
* Somebody would do anything for you.
* Somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
* Somebody is alive because of you.
* Somebody needs your support.
* Somebody will cry when they read this.
* Somebody needs you to have faith in them.
* Somebody trusts you.
* Somebody hears a song that reminds them of you.

Don't cry because it is over - smile because it happened . . .

A Mother’s love’s undying

A Mother’s love’s undying

Never shall it falter

Filled with true compassion

A heart you wouldn’t alter

Always does the very best

And sacrifices all

Will be there when needed

To catch you when you fall

Never loses faith in you

Even through your sorrows

Encourages to do your best

To make a better tomorrow

Never stops believing

Or giving up on you

Even when not needed

Her love keeps shining through

Joy, pain, and selflessness

Your broken heart she’d mend

A love which can’t be measured

Without a beginning or end

A Mother’s love’s undying

And when her days are done

Up there in the Heavens

Her love will go on and ON!

My Mother

She raised nine kids when times were tough;
She showed us all just how to cope
With rocky roads and pathways rough,
And told us life is filled with hope.

She led us with a gentle hand,
But spanked us for our naughty ways;
When falling down she helped us stand
And coaxed us onward with her praise.

She never whimpered or complained,
Although sometimes her heart was weary.
She chuckled even when it rained,
And taught us love is never dreary.

She never made the Hall of Fame,
Although her worthy deeds were many.
Marquees did never blink her name,
Although her noble acts were plenty.

In all this world, the next one too,
I know there'll never be another
To take her place because, you see,
She really was the ideal Mother

Pick a Positive Thought

Most of the things you worry so much about

would never happen if they were left alone.

Yet by your persistent focus on them, you greatly

increase their likelihood. It is wise to be concerned

and to take actions that will address those concerns.

Yet it is foolish to simply worry, day after day,

until that worry is soon manifest into something real.

Each day you fill your mind with thousands of thoughts.

Those thoughts have much power because they influence

every

little thing you do, and those little things quickly add up.

So rather than filling your mind with worrisome thoughts,

fill it with positive, enthusiastic,

loving and life-affirming ones.

Then, rather than letting the power of your thoughts

push you down, those thoughts will be lifting you up.

The next time you find yourself with a worry or anxiety,

think of it as a pebble in your hand. Simply let go of it,

let it drop naturally, effortlessly to the ground,

and continue on your way.
Then pick a positive, enriching thought to take its place

Mother of Mine

The moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of that wonderful mother of mine.

The birds never sing but a message they bring
Of that wonderful mother of mine.

Just to bring back the time, that was so sweet to me,
Just to bring back the days, when I sat on her knee.

I pray ev'ry night to our Father above,
For that wonderful mother of mine.

I ask Him to keep her as long as He can
That -- wonderful mother of mine.

There are treasures on earth, that made life seem worthwhile,
But there's none can compare to my mother's smile.

You are a wonderful mother, dear old Mother of mine.
You'll hold a spot down deep in my heart,

'Till the stars no longer shine.
Your soul shall live on forever,

On through the fields of time.
For there'll never be another to me,
Like that wonderful Mother of mine.

Mother, what can I give you..

After having reached the height of his career a man felt a duty to repay his mother back for all that she had done for him.

He asked, "Mother, what can I give you? What can I do for you? I sincerely wish to repay you for the sacrifices you made for me and for all the love you have showered upon me."

Mother looked surprised and said, "Why do you think about it? It was my duty so I did it, you don't have to repay me. Even if you want to, there is no way a man can ever repay his mother."

Despite her continuous refusal to ask for anything, the son persisted. To put an end to the discussion, she said, "All right. If you must, then tonight you sleep on my bed, with me, just as you used to when you were a baby."

He said, "That's a strange thing to ask for, but if it pleases you, I will."

As soon as he fell asleep, the mother got up and brought a bucket of water. She poured a mug full of water on his side. Feeling disturbed by the wetness under him, in his sleep he moved away to the other side of the bed. As he settled down, his mother poured another mug of water on the other side. In his slumber he tried to find space towards the foot post of the bed.

Sometime later he woke up feeling that this part of the bed too was damp. He got up and saw his mother, with the mug in her hand. He asked angrily, "What are you doing mother? Why don't you let me sleep? How do you expect me to sleep on a wet bed?"

Mother said, "I slept with you, when you wet the bed in the night. I would change your nappy and move you to the dry part of the bed, while I slept on the wet side. You wanted to repay me. Can you sleep here even for one night with me on a damp bed? If you can, I'll take it that you have repaid me."

How eloquently the story above demonstrates that we can't even begin to repay the care, love and attention a mother showers her child throughout the course of life. May god enable us to be of service and comfort to both our parents when we can and may He grant us to serve them during their old age......

Flying

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was raised in an orphanage. The little boy had always wished that he could fly like a bird. It was very difficult for him to understand why he could not fly.
There were birds at the zoo that were much bigger than he, and they could fly
"Why can't I?" he thought. "Is there something wrong with me?" he wondered.

There was another little boy who was crippled. He had always wished that he could walk
and run like other little boys and girls.

"Why can't I be like them?" he thought.

One day the little orphan boy who had wanted to fly like a bird ran away from the orphanage.
He came upon a park where he saw the little boy who could not walk or run playing in the
sandbox. He ran over to the little boy and asked him if he had ever wanted to fly like a bird.

"No," said the little boy who could not walk or run. "But I have wondered what it would be
like to walk and run like other boys and girls."

"That is very sad”, said the little boy who wanted to fly. "Do you think we could be friends?"
he said to the little boy in the sandbox.

"Sure." said the little boy. The two little boys played for hours. They made sand castles
and made really funny sounds with their mouths. Sounds, which made them laugh,
real hard. Then the little boy's father came with a wheelchair to pick up his son.
The little boy who had always wanted to fly ran over to the boy's father and
whispered something into his ear.

"That would be OK," said the man.

The little boy who had always wanted to fly like a bird ran over to his new friend and said,
"You are my only friend and I wish that there was something that I could do to make
you walk and run like other little boys and girls. But I can't. But there is something that I can do for you."

The little orphan boy turned around and told his new friend to slide up onto his back.
He then began to run across the grass. Faster and faster he ran, carrying the little crippled boy
on his back. Faster and harder he ran across the park. Harder and harder he made his legs travel.
Soon the wind just whistled across the two little boys' faces.

The little boy's father began to cry as he watched his beautiful little crippled son flapping
his arms up and down in the wind, all the while yelling at the top of his voice, "I'M FLYING, DADDY. I'M FLYING!"

Friend

This is delicate to one of my special friend

You remind me of a flower,
Pretty, inside and outside.
A reason why people smile everyday,
A gift to all.

God must have known there would be times
He must have known we'd need to share
The joy of "little things"
In order to appreciate
The happiness life brings.

I think He knew our troubled hearts
Would sometimes throb with pain,
At trials and misfortunes,
Or goals we can't attain.

He knew we'd need the comfort
Of an understanding heart
To give us strength and courage
To make a fresh, new start.

He knew we'd need companionship,
Unselfish... lasting... true,
And so God answered the heart's great need
With cherished friends... like you!