Inspirational stories

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.

They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, while dropping the last two clay balls and cracked them open on a rock. Inside were beautiful, precious stones!  Then it struck him.

He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of amounts in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to
find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.

Winners verses Losers

The winner is always part of Answers;
The losers is always part of problem:

The winner has a program;
The loser has a excuse:

The winner says, "let me do it for you";
The loser says, "that is not my job":

The winner sees an answer for every problem;
The loser sees a problem for every answer:

When a winner says, "It may be difficult but it is
possible";
When a loser says, "It may be possible but it is too
difficult":

When a winner makes a mistake, he says 'I was wrong';
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, 'It wasn't myfault':

A winner makes Commitments;
A loser makes Promises:

Winner have dreams;
Loser have schemes:

Winner says, 'I must do something';
Loser says, 'something must be done':

Winner are a part of the team;
Losers are apart from the team:

Winner see the gain;
Loser see the pain:

Winners see possibilities;
Losers see problems:

Winners believe in win/win;
Losers believe for them to win someone has to lose:

Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past:

Winners are like a thermostat;
Losers are like a thermometer:

Winners choose wat they say;
Losers say what they choose:

Winners use hard argument but softwords;
Losers uses soft argument but hard words:

winner stand firm on values but compromise on petty
things;
Loser stand firm on petty things but compromise on
value:

Winners follow the philosophy of empathi; " dont do to
others wat do you would not want them to do to you";
Losers follows the philosophy of empathi; ' do it to
others before they do it to you":

Winner make it happen;
Loser let it happen:

Winners plan and prepare to win;
Loser plans to win:



The keyword is preparation

10 Tips to Improve Your Speaking Voice

One of the most important components of public speaking is the sound of your voice. It influences the impact of your message, and might even make or break the success of your speech. Fortunately, for many people, good voice quality can be learned.

Instructions :

1. Breathe from your diaphragm – Practice long and controlled exhales. When you speak, use breath to punctuate your point. For example, take a breath at the end of each phrase whether you need to or not. Use that opportunity to pause and let the listeners absorb what you say.
2. Use pitch – Lower pitches generally are more soothing to hear. However, modulating your pitch for emphasis will keep your listeners engaged. Develop your pitch by practicing humming.
3.  Moderate your volume – Find out if you speak too loudly or too softly. When you begin speaking, ask your audience how your volume is (each situation is different). Try to stay at the appropriate volume throughout your speech.
4. Moderate your pace – This one is also closely related to breath. If you speak too quickly, people can’t keep up. If you speak too slowly, people will lose interest. Record your speech to determine if you need to change your pace. Get feedback from others.
5. Articulate – Try exaggerating your lip movement to reduce mumbling. Practice articulating tongue twisters and extending and exaggerating vowel sounds. Become an expert at articulating tongue twisters as quickly and crisply as possible. Focus on the ones you find difficult.
6. Practice your speech in advance and determine where you want to pause for a breath. For more emphasis, pause for more than one breath. Mark your breathing points in your notes.
7. Loosen up before you begin. Look side to side. Roll your head in half-circles and roll your shoulders back. Shift your rib cage from side to side. Yawn. Stretch. Touch your toes while completely relaxing your upper body, then slowly stand up, one vertebra at a time, raising your head last. Repeat as needed.
8. Posture – Stand up straight and tall to allow full lung capacity and airflow.
9. Record your voice repeatedly using different ways of speaking. Determine which one is most pleasing.
10. Practice breath control – Take a deep breath, and while you exhale, count to 10 (or recite the months or days of the week). Try gradually increasing your volume as you count, using your abdominal muscles—not your throat—for volume. Don’t let your larynx tense up.

How to Speak Well and Confidently

Are you very shy when it comes to new surroundings, such as starting a new class or moving to a new area? Sometimes, it is necessary to overcome your shyness and speak confidently. By doing this, it can help you not only to share your ideas properly to others, but also to learn communicating with others. Here are a few steps to consider when speaking with confidence.

Steps

1. Learn how to have conversations with people. Your ideas or opinions may not always be accepted by others, but this is nothing unusual. Open your mouth, express your beliefs! This will improve your courage.
2. Don’t be afraid and speak loudly. If you speak in a low voice, not only will others not be able to hear what you say, but you will also portray a submissive demeanor, which suggests the opposite of a confident one.
3. Make eye contact when you speak. For one thing, it is polite for others. Also, eye contact will help others to listen to your thinking carefully.
4. Praise yourself everyday! This will promote your own confidence, which is important when you speak. With more confidence, people will take your thinking more seriously.

Tips

• Don’t be nervous when you make mistakes. Human error is far from being a new concept — nobody is perfect! It is normal for everyone to make mistakes. Just calm down and keep speaking bravely.
• Try and try again! This may be difficult for a shy person at first, but you need to force yourself to speak, and not seclude your thoughts. If you have some ideas, then try to speak out! Don’t just keep them in your head.
• If you have self confidence issues, try to think that you are the only one who has sound knowledge about the topic. Then go ahead and impart your knowledge to the audience in an effective way.
• Remember that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don’t portray an exaggerated amount of confidence, or you will come off as arrogant, believing that your ideas are better than the ideas of everyone else.

Life lessons from a glass of water!

A chemistry professor decided to teach his students a different lesson one day. Holding a glass of water in his hand, he asked the students, “How much do you think this glass of water weighs?” “500 grams!” came a voice from the back. “600,” said another student. “I don’t really know!” said the professor, holding the glass up to make sure everyone could see it. “And unless we weigh it, we won’t know.” With the glass still in his outstretched hand, the professor continued, “What will happen if I hold it like this for a few minutes?”
“Nothing!” came the reply. “Right, and if I hold it for an hour like this, what might happen?” “Your hand will begin to hurt,” said a student. “Indeed. And what would happen if I held the glass in my hand like this for 24 hours?”
“You would be in tremendous pain,” said one student. “Your hand will probably go numb,” said another. “Your arm will be paralysed and we’ll need to rush you to the hospital!” said a student on the last bench.
“True,” said the professor. “But notice that through all this, the weight of the glass did not change. What then causes the pain?”
The class went quiet. The students seemed puzzled.“What should I do to avoid the pain?” asked the professor. “Put the glass down!” said a student.
“Well said!” exclaimed the professor. “And that’s a lesson I want you to remember. The problems and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. But think about it a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralysed – incapable of doing anything. It’s important to remember to let go of your problems. Remember to put the glass down!”
We may not have been in that classroom that day, but it’s a lesson we would all do well to remember. Put the glass down! Always. It’s not just problems and worries. Sometimes, we feel hurt and betrayed by a friend. And we carry that grudge through our lives. It grows and causes us anguish and pain. Learning to forgive – and forget – is not just good for the other people, it’s great for you. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail and when he was finally freed, you can understand how angry and vengeful he must have felt. But guess what? When he became President, he invited his jailers to be present at the inauguration – in the VIP seats! If he could forgive after 27 years of suffering, surely we can too.

It is the same with our fears too. A failure or an incident in early childhood becomes a deeply entrenched fear over time. Fear of public speaking, fear of Maths, fear of rejection. You name it, and chances are, we have it. Someone gave us that glass to hold when we were little kids – ‘you are clumsy, you are no good, you can’t do it’ – and we have faithfully held on to it all our lives. ‘I can’t’ – becomes a thought that stays in our mind and grows – leading us to complete paralysis. Time to put the glass down!

The story goes that there was a hardworking man who lived a contented life with his wife and children. Every evening when he returned from work, he’d follow a ritual. Outside the door to his house were three nails. On the first one, he’d put his hat. On the second he’d hang his coat. And on the third nail, he’d unwrap an imaginary turban from his head and ‘put’ it there. A friend happened to see this and enquired what he was putting on the third nail every day.

“Those are my problems, my worries and my anger,” said the man. “I have lots of that at work, but when I come home, I remember to take it off – and leave them outside. I don’t take them home with me.” Maybe you should learn to do that too. Starting today. Put the glass down. And see the difference!

Power of Positive Talk (Abdul Kalam)

Power of Positive Talk

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.

One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.

My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, "Bart, Hold on tightly." So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.

I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, "Tammy, don't fall!" And Tammy did. fall.

My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.

This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that.For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, "Don't drop it!" Naturally, I dropped the ball.

My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper "self-talk." They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career.

Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, "Okay, try to drop the pencil." Observe what they do.

Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, "You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again." Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil.

The point is made.

If you tell your brain you will "give it a try," you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a "no try" rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't. Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words "I'll try" come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar.

If you "try" and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. "Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not. I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite."

People respect honesty. So remove the word "try" from your vocabulary.

My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism.

These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children.

Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.

So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, " I'm fat.. Nobody will like me. I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid.. I'm broke, etc. etc."

If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue. Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words.

Notice when you or other people use them.

Ø But: Negates any words that are stated before it.
Ø Try: Presupposes failure.
Ø If: Presupposes that you may not.
Ø Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener.
Ø Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen.
Ø Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.)
Ø Could Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.
Ø Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error.

Examples:
Toxic phrase: "Don't drop the ball!"
Likely result: Drops the ball
Better language: "Catch the ball!"

Toxic phrase: "You shouldn't watch so much television."
Likely result: Watches more television.
Better language: "I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!"

Exercise: Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them.

Some very Good and Very bad things ....

The most destructive habit....... ......... ......Worry 

The greatest Joy......... ......... ......... ....Giving

The greatest loss........ ........Loss of self-respect 

The most satisfying work........ .......Helping others

The ugliest personality trait....... ......Selfishness 

The most endangered species..... ....Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource.... ......... ..Our youth 

The greatest 'shot in the arm'........ ..Encouragement 

The greatest problem to overcome.... ......... ....Fear

The most effective sleeping pill........ Peace of mind 

The most crippling failure disease..... .......Excuses 

The most powerful force in life........ ......... .Love 

The most dangerous pariah...... ......... ...A gossiper 

The world's most in credible computer.... ....The brain

The worst thing to be without..... ......... ..... Hope 

The deadliest weapon...... ......... ........The tongue

The two most power-filled words....... ........' I Can'

The greatest asset....... ......... ......... .....Faith 

The most worthless emotion..... ......... ....Self- pity 

The most beautiful attire...... ......... .......SMILE!

The most prized possession.. ......... .....Integrity 

The most powerful channel of communication. ....Prayer 

The most contagious spirit...... ......... ..Enthusiasm 

The most important thing in life........ ......... .GOD


'When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it,
you have a moral obligation to share it with others

The Balance Sheet of Llife

Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)                                  
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit [not the one you drink!] and you're keeping all of these in the Air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it will bounce back. But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it."

Please Save the Indian Rupee!

YOU CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE INDIAN ECONOMY BY FOLLOWING FEW SIMPLE STEPS:-  Please spare a couple of minutes here for the sake of India.  I got this article from one of my friends, but it's true. I can see this in day to day life. Here's a small example:-  Before 12 months 1 US $ = IND Rs 39 After 12  months, now 1 $ = IND Rs 50 Do you think US Economy is booming? No, but Indian Economy is Going Down. Our economy is in your hands.... INDIAN economy is in a crisis. Our country like many other ASIAN countries, is undergoing a severe economic crunch. Many INDIAN industries are closing down. The INDIAN economy is in a crisis and if we do not take proper steps to control those, we will be in a critical situation. More than 30,000 crore rupees of foreign exchange are being siphoned out of our country on products such                              as cosmetics, snacks, tea, beverages, etc... which are grown, produced and consumed here. A cold drink that costs only 70 / 80 paisa to produce, is sold for Rs.9 and a major chunk of profits from these are sent abroad. This is a serious drain on INDIAN economy. We have nothing against Multinational companies, but to protect our own interestsm we request everybody to use INDIAN products only atleast for the next two years. With the rise in petrol prices, if we do not do this, the Rupee will devalue further and we will end up paying much more for the same products in the near future.  What you can do about it? 1. Buy only products manufactured by WHOLLY INDIAN COMPANIES. 2. ENROLL as many people as possible for this cause.-.... Each individual should become a leader for this awareness. This is the only way to save our country from severe economic crisis. You don't need to give-up your lifestyle. You just need to choose an alternate product. All categories of products are available from WHOLLY INDIAN COMPANIES. LIST OF PRODUCTS COLD DRINKS:- DRINK LEMON JUICE, FRESH FRUIT JUICES, CHILLED LASSI (SWEET OR SOUR), BUTTER MILK, COCONUT WATER, JAL JEERA, ENERJEE, and MASALA MILK... INSTEAD OF  COCA COLA, PEPSI, LIMCA, MIRINDA, SPRITE BATHING SOAP:-  USE CINTHOL & OTHER GODREJ BRANDS, SANTOOR, WIPRO SHIKAKAI, MYSORE SANDAL, MARGO, NEEM, EVITA, MEDIMIX, GANGA , NIRMA BATH & CHANDRIKA  INSTEAD OF  LUX, LIFEBUOY, REXONA, LIRIL, DOVE, PEARS, HAMAM, LESANCY, CAMAY, PALMOLIVE TOOTH PASTE:-  USE  NEEM, BABOOL, PROMISE, VICO VAJRADANTI, PRUDENT, DABUR PRODUCTS, MISWAK INSTEAD OF  COLGATE, CLOSE UP, PEPSODENT, CIBACA, FORHANS, MENTADENT-.  TOOTH BRUSH: -  USE PRUDENT, AJANTA , PROMISE INSTEAD OF COLGATE, CLOSE UP, PEPSODENT, FORHANS, ORAL-B SHAVING CREAM:-  USE GODREJ, EMAMI INSTEAD OF PALMOLIVE, OLD SPICE, GILLETE BLADE:- USE  SUPERMAX, TOPAZ, LAZER, ASHOKA INSTEAD OF  SEVEN-O -CLOCK, 365, GILLETTE  TALCUM POWDER:-  USE  SANTOOR, GOKUL, CINTHOL, WIPRO BABY POWDER, BOROPLUS INSTEAD OF  PONDS, OLD SPICE, JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER, SHOWER TO SHOWER MILK POWDER:-  USE  INDIANA, AMUL, AMULYA INSTEAD OF  ANIKSPRAY, MILKANA, EVERYDAY MILK, MILKMAID. SHAMPOO:-  USE  LAKME, NIRMA, VELVETTE  INSTEAD OF  HALO, ALL CLEAR, NYLE, SUNSILK, HEAD AND SHOULDERS, PANTENE  MOBILE CONNECTIONS:-  USE BSNL, AIRTEL  INSTEAD OF HUTCH Food Items:-  Eat Tandoori chicken, Vada Pav, Idli, Dosa, Puri, Uppuma  INSTEAD OF  KFC, MACDONALD'S, PIZZA HUT, A&W Every INDIAN product you buy makes a big difference. It saves INDIA. Let us take a firm decision today.  BUY INDIAN TO BE INDIAN - We are not against of foreign products. WE ARE NOT ANTI-MULTINATIONAL. WE ARE TRYING TO SAVE OUR NATION. EVERY DAY IS A STRUGGLE FOR A REAL FREEDOM. WE ACHIEVED OUR INDEPENDENCE AFTER LOSING MANY LIVES.THEY DIED PAINFULLY TO ENSURE THAT WE LIVE PEACEFULLY. THE CURRENT TREND IS VERY THREATENING. MULTINATIONALS CALL IT GLOBALIZATION OF INDIAN ECONOMY. FOR INDIANS LIKE YOU AND ME, IT IS RE-COLONIZATION OF INDIA. THE COLONIST'S LEFT INDIA THEN. BUT THIS TIME, THEY WILL MAKE SURE THEY DON'T MAKE ANY MISTAKES. WHO WOULD LIKE TO LET A "GOOSE THAT LAYS GOLDEN EGGS" SLIP AWAY?  PLEASE REMEMBER- POLITICAL FREEDOM IS USELESS WITHOUT ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE RUSSIA, S.KOREA, MEXICO - THE LIST IS VERY LONG!! LET US LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE AND FROM OUR HISTORY.LET US DO THE DUTY OF EVERY TRUE INDIAN. FINALLY, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU CAN'T GIVE UP ALL OF THE ITEMS MENTIONED ABOVE. SO                              GIVE UP AT LEAST ONE ITEM FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COUNTRY!  We would be sending useless forwards to our friends daily. Instead, please forward this mail to all your friends to create awareness.  "LITTLE DROPS MAKE A GREAT OCEAN."  PLEASE TRY TO BE AN INDIAN.....