YOU AREN'T CHANGING!! YOU ARE BECOMING!

 

Me: Hey God.

God: Hello.....

Me: I'm falling apart. Can you put me back together?

God: I would rather not.

Me: Why?

God: Because you aren't a puzzle.

Me: What about all of the pieces of my life that are falling down onto the ground?

God: Let them stay there for a while. They fell off for a reason. Take some time and decide if you need any of those pieces back.

Me: You don't understand! I'm breaking down!

God: No - you don't understand. You are breaking through. What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are shedding the things and the people in your life that are holding you back. You aren't falling apart. You are falling into place. Relax. Take some deep breaths and allow those things you don't need anymore to fall off of you. Quit holding onto the pieces that don't fit you anymore. Let them fall off. Let them go.

Me: Once I start doing that, what will be left of me?

God: Only the very best pieces of you.

Me: I'm scared of changing.

God: I keep telling you - YOU AREN'T CHANGING!! YOU ARE BECOMING!

Me: Becoming who?

God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light and love and charity and hope and courage and joy and mercy and grace and compassion. I made you for more than the shallow pieces you have decided to adorn yourself with that you cling to with such greed and fear. Let those things fall off of you. I love you! Don't change! ... Become! Become! Become who I made you to be. I'm going to keep telling you this until you remember it.

Me: There goes another piece.

God: Yep. Let it be.

Me: So ... I'm not broken?

God: Of course Not! - but you are breaking like the dawn. It's a new day

John Roedel

The Blind Boy

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." 一個失明的男孩坐在一個大廈的階梯上，擺了一頂帽子在他的腳旁，拿著一個告示牌寫著：「我是瞎眼的，請幫幫我」。

There were only a few coins in the hat. 帽子裡只有幾枚硬幣。

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. 一個男人經過了， 他從口袋裡掏出了幾枚硬幣投入帽子裡。然後，他拿起告示牌把它翻轉過來寫了一些字。他放回告示牌，以便走過的每個人都會看到新的詞句。

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign! came to see how things were. 帽子很快的開始填滿了錢。更多人給失明的男孩更多的硬幣。 午後，改寫了告示牌的男人來看看事情發展得怎麼樣了。>

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked,
"Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" 男孩認出了他的腳步並問：「您是不是今天早上改寫我的告示牌的人？您寫了什麼？」

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." 那人說：「我只是寫真相。 我說出你原本的意思，但用的是另一種說法。」

What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it." 他寫的是： 「今天是美好的一天，但我卻不能看見。」

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? 你認為第一個告示和第二個告示寫的是同一件事嗎？

Of course both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. 當然兩個告示都是告訴別人男孩是失明的。

But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. 但第一個告示單純地告訴人投入一些錢在帽子裡以便幫助這位男孩。

The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the beauty of the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind. 第二個告示告訴人們他們能享受美麗的一天，但男孩不可能享受它，因為他是瞎眼的。

The first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? 第一個告示只訴說了男孩是瞎眼的。 第二個告示告訴人們(自己)是多麼的幸運不是瞎眼的人。 

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. 
這故事的教誨:要為您擁有的感謝, 要有創意, 要革新, 另類與正向思考。 

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. 當生命給您ㄧ百個理由去哭,要展示您有一千個理由去微笑的生命

Face your past without regret. 無悔地面對您的過去

Handle your present with confidence. 以信心掌握您的當下

Prepare for the future without fear. 無懼地為將來做準備

Keep the faith and drop the fear. 保持信念和去除恐懼

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. 至美的事是去看一個人微笑

And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it !!! 甚且更美的,是知道您是那微笑之後的原因 

The difference between the impossible and possible lies in a person's determination. 
可能與不可能之間的差異  取決於一個人的決心 

Best Advice If You're Just Starting Or Growing A Business

Best advice if you're just starting or growing a business:

Focus at your customer more than your product. Get fixed on your customer experience, and your product will keep changing to serve them best. But fix your product, and customers will find a path that fits them, with or without you.

If you're waiting on the street corner, wondering where all your customers are, this post is for you.

We've moved from the industrial age where it was all about the product and productization to the technological age where it's all about the customer and customization.

Instead of focusing at product development and production lines (which we learned about and were a part of at school), focus at customer experiences and customization lines.

Your business doesn't start when you have a product. It starts when you have a customer. So who is your perfect customer? Start from there and ask yourself (and them):

Problem - What's the problem they need solved?
Promise - What's the benefit you deliver to them by solving it?
Product - How will you solve it better than others?
Proof - Why should they trust you?

Keep upgrading your answers (and your products) regularly. Because what your customers need, their expectations and how they are being served will keep changing fast. And once you get into flow, you'll begin to know what they need before them, and they'll begin pre-buying your next product.

"Get closer than ever to your customer. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves." ~ Steve Jobs

The easiest way to future proof your business is to have customers that love you. The easiest way to fail is to love your idea or product more than you love your customers. So find your soul-market and fall in love all over again.:

Focus at your customer more than your product. Get fixed on your customer experience, and your product will keep changing to serve them best. But fix your product, and customers will find a path that fits them, with or without you.

If you're waiting on the street corner, wondering where all your customers are, this post is for you.

We've moved from the industrial age where it was all about the product and productization to the technological age where it's all about the customer and customization.

Instead of focusing at product development and production lines (which we learned about and were a part of at school), focus at customer experiences and customization lines.

Your business doesn't start when you have a product. It starts when you have a customer. So who is your perfect customer? Start from there and ask yourself (and them):

Problem - What's the problem they need solved?
Promise - What's the benefit you deliver to them by solving it?
Product - How will you solve it better than others?
Proof - Why should they trust you?

Keep upgrading your answers (and your products) regularly. Because what your customers need, their expectations and how they are being served will keep changing fast. And once you get into flow, you'll begin to know what they need before them, and they'll begin pre-buying your next product.

"Get closer than ever to your customer. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves." ~ Steve Jobs

The easiest way to future proof your business is to have customers that love you. The easiest way to fail is to love your idea or product more than you love your customers. So find your soul-market and fall in love all over again.

Lose Yourself And Win The Game

How Sara Blakely lost her way to a billion dollars: 8 years ago Sara lost in the finale of Richard Branson’s reality TV show “Rebel Billionaire”. The loss was one of many that turned Sara into the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire...

Sara’s entire life has been about failure. She says “My dad encouraged us to fail. Growing up, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn't have something, he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome, failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail.”

In the 1990s Sara became an expert in failure by selling fax machines (remember those?) and was often so terrified of meeting prospects she would burst into tears and drive around the block to calm down before her sales calls.

Overheating from the stress of it, she decided to cut the feet off her pantyhose to cool down. That was her ‘aha’ moment. As she says “When I cut the feet out of my pantyhose that one time, I saw it as my sign.” She decided to start a business to sell the footless pantyhose in 1998 with just $5,000 - all of her savings - and called the company “Spanx”.

Did the failure stop then? No - “When I invented Spanx I heard 'no' for two years. It didn't faze me. I didn't have a special ability, it was sheer drive and telling myself to keep going.”

FAILING BIG

Working from her kitchen, she made a push for publicity, which simply means your failure becomes more public. For example, her experience with the English: “On the BBC, I was asked what Spanx could do for women in the U.K. I said, 'It smoothes and separates your fanny.' The interviewer looked mortified. I had no idea what was going on, so I kept rambling on about fannies until he stopped me and said, 'I think you mean bum.' The word fanny means vagina in England.”

Her publicity led her to Oprah and Richard Branson’s “Rebel Billionaire” in 2005. She ended up losing that too, but the show gave her a chance to realise what she really wanted to do with her future success - Start a charity for women. Branson gave her $750,000 to start her charity, the Sarah Blakely Foundation, to support women leaders.

What happens when your failure rate goes up? Your luck rate goes up too.

To face her failures, Sara had luck on her back - literally!

“I found my lucky red backpack from college in my mom's attic and became determined that it was going to change my path for Spanx because I kept hearing no, no, no. It went with me every step of the way, to the point of being made fun of because I went to Neiman Marcus headquarters with this old backpack as my presentation bag. Now, with the Sarah Blakely Foundation, every woman we send to college or help start a business receives a lucky red backpack. They're usually more excited about that than the money, which I totally get. The backpack is a symbol of their potential.”

THE BIGGEST RISK

This year Sara Blakely became the youngest female Billionaire in the world, with Spanx generating over $250 million in annual revenue. Sara puts this down to her sheer determination:

"The biggest risk in life is not risking. Every risk you take in life is in direct proportion to the reward. If I'm afraid of something, it's the next thing I have to go do. That's just the way I've been."

What are your big dreams? Where are your greatest risks?

Get your own lucky charm on your back, cut off the feet of whatever is holding you back, turn on the music and take the path that Sara took.

Today, 41 year-old Sara makes many speeches to inspire other entrepreneurs, and even the song she uses to get in her zone is the anthem to failure. As she says - “Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' is my go-to song to pump myself up if I'm having a tough time or if I get really nervous right before a speech.”

Now that she’s a billionare, her mission is “World Butt Domination” through Spanx and supporting women through her foundation, which has donated $17.5 million to charities supporting girls and women in South Africa.

Her failure has meant her wealth has come with humility, which is a different kind of wealth: “I feel like money makes you more of who you already are. If you’re an a**hole, you become a bigger a**hole. If you’re nice, you become nicer. Money is fun to make, fun to spend and fun to give away.”

Use Sara's story to inspire your day: Lose yourself and win the game.

Richard Branson’s Top 12 Tips for Entrepreneurs

This week, Richard is selling Virgin America to Alaska Airlines in a $2 billion deal - less than 10 years after he launched the airline. Even after selling it, he will still keep getting income by licensing the Virgin brand to the company.

This is yet another billion dollar deal that Richard’s Virgin Group has achieved while he spends eight months of the year on his Necker Island, where I’ve spent a few weeks with him over the last few years (here dressed as Pirates on his super-yacht, the Necker Belle).

What does it take to think more like Richard? Here’s my list of his Top 12 Tips that I’ve used - and recommend you use - to be a smarter entrepreneur:

Tip #1 - Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.

Tip #2 - Three steps to success: Hire great talent, give them the tools to succeed, and get out of the way.

Tip #3 - Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.

Tip #4 - It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside. The brave may not live forever – But the cautious do not live at all.

Tip #5 - Have courage. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Tip #6 - I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. It's done on gut feeling, especially if I can see that they are taking the mickey out of the consumer.

Tip #7 - You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over. One thing is certain in business. You and everyone around you will make mistakes.

Tip #8 - There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you. As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy.

Tip #9 - Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business and it has been key to everything I've done from the outset. More than any other element, fun is the secret of Virgin's success.

Tip #10 - If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!

Tip #11 - I have always believed that the only way to cope with a cash crisis is not to contract but to try to expand out of it.

Tip #12 - For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility.

And the responsibility for me is to invest in creating new businesses, create jobs, employ people, and to put money aside to tackle issues where we can make a difference.

Which one or more of these could you start practicing today?

And to end, I’ll add my own tip to this list - take the time each year to connect with the role models who inspire you and, in the words of Richard, “Listen. It makes you sound smarter.”

For more on how Richard Branson thinks - http://bit.ly/my-time-on-necker

The Billion Dollar Tweet

Here’s a tweet Travis Kalanick sent in January 2010. The reply from Ryan Graves happened 3 minutes later. That tweet was worth over a billion dollars.

January 2010 was the month Travis was doing a test run with 3 cars in New York for a mobile app that he and his friend, Garrett Camp, had just created.

They had decided it was time to start a company around the app and, needing to find a General Manager to run it, Travis took to Craigslist and Twitter looking for the right person.

Ryan’s reply to Travis came as he was looking for something new. He had some experience at GE, and had worked for Foursquare for a while for free after the company turned him down for a job. He was ready for a new opportunity - and took a chance with this tweet.

Travis replied back, they met, they hit it off, and Ryan joined Travis and Garrett on March 1st as their first hire.

With their new company started, the three of them then invited all their friends to demo the product and they officially launched in San Francisco just 3 months later on May 31st.

That was five years ago.

This week, the team that started with that tweet has built their company, Uber, into a company that is currently valued at over $60 billion (they just announced another funding round of $2 billion this week http://bit.ly/ubers-next-2-billion).

Today, Travis and Ryan are worth over $6 billion, and that tweet from Ryan (who today is Uber’s Head of Global Operations) began a journey which has made him a billionaire today as well.

How are you using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube today?

As a wall of content? As a broadcasting tool?

Or, like Travis and Ryan, as a way to find the resources, connections and opportunities you need when you need them?

Depending on how you use it, social media can make you feel apart from everyone, or one step to anyone.

It can overwhelm you, or empower you.

It can be a time waster, or a time saver.

“Never confuse motion with action.”
~ Benjamin Franklin

What do you need or who can you help today? It may just be a tweet away.

Of course, there is no promise that one connection or one tweet will result in you making a billion dollars or impacting a billion lives.

But there is no promise it won’t either.

You Can Do it, Whatever It Is

At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.

At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.

At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.

At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne (from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook.

At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.

At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.

At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.

Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.

Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.

Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.

Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.

Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.

Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57.

Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.

Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.

Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it.
You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21.
Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet.
Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today,
you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.

Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is.

The Monk Moment

 

The Monk Moment - Many great entrepreneurs have had a moment when they have lost everything. Monks create this situation intentionally through "Vairagya" when they give up all money and possessions. Many entrepreneurs end up in the same situation unintentionally.

Elon Musk lost $180M and was in debt in 2008. Seven years later, he's worth $13 billion, but he'd be ready to risk it all again. Steve Jobs lost his entire Apple fortune by 1994, betting it on NeXT and Pixar. In 1995 everything turned around, he sold NeXT to Apple, Pixar to Disney and he passed away an icon. Walt Disney mortgaged away his entire fortune in the 1950s to build Disneyland, against everyone's advice. He too went from giving up everything to becoming a legend. Each bet everything material they had on something invisible - their purpose and vision.

Monks call the state that comes after giving up everything "Moksha" which means liberation from the illusion. We're not alive until we know what we'd die for.

I'm not saying great entrepreneurs are monks, but they do have 'monk moments' when they lose everything.

Many of the greatest entrepreneurs unintentionally find themselves in this state by betting everything on their dream. Maybe you're in this place right now. It is a place of pure power. When you have nothing to lose, you have infinite potential.

That is provided you don't focus on what you've lost, but on everything you have to gain. That's when everything turns around. As Walt Disney said "I don't make movies to make money. I make money to make movies".
That's the paradox of entrepreneurs having a 'near-death' experience where they lose it all. Steve Jobs wrote:

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

What mission is so important to you, that you'd be ready to clear out the old and make way for your new?

Image via Neil Patel —  with Elon Musk

A Word Of Encouragement

I know that lately you 

have been having problems 

and I just want you to know 

that you can rely on me for 

anything you might need.

But more important 

keep in mind at all times

that you are very capable 

of dealing with any complications 

that life has to offer.

So, 

do whatever you must,

feel whatever you must

and keep in mind at all times 

that we all  grow wiser and

become more sensitive and 

are able to enjoy life more 

after we go through 

hard times.

 - unknown

Collection of Wonderful Thoughts to Live By....

Commitment

Commitment is the act of giving or putting something in the trust of another. In broader sense, it is the act of pledging or binding yourself to a certain course of action or to a person.

Commitment is the decision to go forward, to hang in there when the going gets tough, to take one more step when you are convinced all strength is gone.  To harness all our physical and mental efforts to go the extra mile.

Commitment is the decision to stand by someone no matter what the temperature of a relationship maybe, or the force of the wind that blows against it.

-Harold Sala
Guidelines for Family Living

10 Reasons To Never Give Up

10 Reasons To Never Give Up

1. As long as you are alive, anything is possible. The only valid excuse you have to give up is if you are dead. As long as you are alive (and healthy and free) you have the choice to keep trying until you finally succeed.

2. Be realistic. The chance of mastering something the first time you do it is almost non-existent. Everything takes time to learn and you will make mistakes. Learn from them.

3. Be Strong Like Oak

Believe me, you are stronger than you think. 1,2 or even 3 little failures are not enough to stop you from achieving your goals. Your goals are far greater than all of the doubts. Imagine a little oak tree. Did it stop growing every time it was facing harsh winds? NO. So why should you stop? You are alive, aren’t you? So you have no good reason to give up. Period.

Success will never be a big step in the future, success is a small step taken just now.

4. Prove yourself. You don’t want to be known as someone that is weak and gives up. Go out there and prove yourself to the world and to yourself. You CAN and WILL achieve what you set out to do. The only time you fail is when you give up.

5. Believe in your dreams. Don’t sell yourself short. In life there are going to be many people who will try to bring you down and tell you what you want to achieve is not possible.

6. Your family and friends. Let the people you love and who mean the world to you be your inspiration to persist and persevere. Maybe you need to try a different angle, study more or practice more but don’t give up!

7. There are people worse-off. Right now there are many people who are in a worse situation and environment than you are. Are you thinking about giving up running 5 miles a week? Think about the people who are unable to even walk and how much they would give to be able to run 5 miles every day.

8. You deserve to be happy. Don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise. You deserve to be happy and you deserve to have success. Keep that mindset and never give up until you reach your destination!

9. Inspire others. Be an inspiration to others by refusing to give up. Who knows what someone else can achieve because you never gave up and in turn inspired them not to give up.

10. You are so close. Often when you feel like you want to give up you are so close to making a huge breakthrough. You are just a heartbeat away from success.

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Paid in Full with One Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."

Your Story is Not Over Yet

This is one of the SADDEST stories ever told in Hollywood. His name is Sylvestar Stallone. One of the BIGGEST and Most famous American Movie superstars. Back inthe day, Stallone was a
struggling actor in every definition. At some point, he got so broke that he stole his wife's jewellery and sold it. Things got so bad that he even ended up homeless. Yes, he slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. Unable to pay rent or afford food. His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any
stranger. He didn't have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying.

Two weeks later,he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and that match gave him the inspiration to write the script for the famous movie,ROCKY. He wrote the script for 20 hours! He tried to sell it and got an offer for $125,000 for the script. But he had just ONE REQUEST. He wanted to STAR in
the movie. He wanted to be the MAIN ACTOR. Rocky himself. But the studio said NO. They wanted a REAL STAR.

They said he "Looked funny and talked funny". He left with his script. A few weeks later,the studio offered him $250,000 for the script. He refused. They even offered $350,000. He still refused. They wanted his movie. But NOT him. He said NO. He had to be
IN THAT MOVIE.

After a while,the studio agreed,gave him $35,000 for the script and let him star in it! The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious
Oscar Awards. He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!

And do You know the first thing he bought with the $35,000? THE DOG HE SOLD. Yes,Stallone LOVED HIS DOG SO MUCH that he stood at the liquor store for 3 days waiting for the man he sold
his dog to. And on the 3rd day,he saw the man coming with the dog. Stallone explained why he sold the dog and begged for the dog back. The man refused. Stallone offered him $100. The
man refused. He offered him $500. And the guy refused. Yes,he refused even $1000. And,Believe it or Not,Stallone had to pay $15,000 for the same,same dog he sold at $25 only! And he
finally got his dog back!

And today,the same Stallone who slept in the streets and sold his dog JUST BECAUSE he couldn't even feed it anymore,is one of the GREATEST Movie Stars who ever walked the Earth!

Being broke is BAD. Really BAD. Have You ever had a dream? A wonderful dream? But You are too broke to implement it? Too tiny to do it? Too small to accomplish it? Damn! I've been there too many times!

Life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by,just because you are a
NOBODY. People will want your products but NOT YOU. Its a tough
world. If you ain't already famous, or rich or "connected", You will find it rough.

Doors will be shut on You. People will steal your glory and crash your hopes. You will push and push. And yet NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

And then your hopes will be crashed. You will be broke. Damn broke. You will do odd jobs for survival. You will be unable to feed yourself. And Yes, you may end up sleeping in the streets.
It happens. Yes, it does.

BUT NEVER LET THEM CRUSH THAT DREAM. Whatever happens to
You, Keep Dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes, Keep Dreaming. Even when they turn you away, Keep Dreaming.
Even when they shut you down, Keep Dreaming.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF EXCEPT YOURSELF! People will judge You by HOW you look. And by WHAT You have.
But please, Fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Even if it means selling all your clothes and sleeping with the dogs, ITS OKAY! But AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL ALIVE, Your STORY IS NOT OVER. TRUST ME.

Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Go great .

www.facebook.com/Nammatvchannel

A Beautiful Story...

He met her at a party, she was so outstanding, many guys chasing her,  while he was so normal,and nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but as  he was polite, she agreed. 

They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me back home. Suddenly he asked the waiter : `would you please give me some salt ? I'd like to put it in my coffee. Everybody stared at him, so strange ! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously: why you have this hobby?

He replied: when I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, salty and bite, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there.


While saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out he is homesick, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has
 responsibility of home. Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date. She
 found actually he was a man who met all her demands: he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful... he was such a good person but she almost missed him ! 

Thanks to his salty coffee ! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story: the princess married to the prince, then they were living the happy life...  And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it. After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: 

My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you----the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated ? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything. Now I'm dying, I am afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste.. but I have the salty coffee for my whole life since I knew you, I
never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have
to drink the salty coffee again. 

Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her: what's the taste of salty coffee ? It's sweet. She replied. So dear friends devote yourself to someone who can drink salty coffee for you whole life.................................

Tired in Your Journey?

Often times, we run so fast, speak so fast and decide so fast.

We worry too much, our future, our loved ones, our family, our children. We work so hard to earn money, doing all sorts of things just to add 1 cent in our savings. We struggle too much. In our relationship, in our weaknesses, in our faith. At times, we thought doing our best are not enough. We live desperately, trying to meet both ends, finding ways to alleviate our status in life.

Our pains are unbearable, "touch me not" we utter. The brokenness, the silence, the solitude. Tears keep on falling, it never stops, never ceases. Ours hearts are broken, our souls are restless, our minds disillusioned. Trials are coming and we think they are insurmountable. Problems never leaves us, like a shadow of our self.
...this is our life
...this is our challenge
...this is our journey

Are you tired?
Are you fed up?
Do you want to give up?
or to quit maybe?

This is our life, our challenge, our journey.
....and the only one way to finish it well...
is to go on...never give up, never quit.

Rest a while if you want, but never stop.
A journey most celebrated was not traveled on a fair ground but on a rocky road.
A life well lived didn't happen on a worry free palace but on the smelly manger in Bethlehem.

Our fate is not into destruction but rest on Christ' victory at the cross.
Are you tired in your journey?
Rest a while, go on and look at the empty tomb.

One Day I Decided to Quit

Another wonderful article I found in my inbox! Thanks to the original writer

One Day I Decided to Quit

One day I decided to quit…I quit my job, my relationship, my Spirituality… 

I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. 

God, I said. 

Can you give me one good reason not to quit? 

His answer surprised me…

Look around, He said. 

Do you see the fern and the bamboo. 

Yes, I replied. 

When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. 

I gave them light. I gave them water. 

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. 

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. 

But I did not quit on the bamboo. 

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. 

And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. 

But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said. 

In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. 

But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. 

I would not quit. 

He said. Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant… 

But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. 

It had spent the five years growing roots. 

Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. 

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. 

He said to me. 

Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, 

you have actually been growing roots 

I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. 

Don’t compare yourself to others. 

He said. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. 

Yet they both make the forest beautiful. 

Your time will come, God said to me. You will rise high 

How high should I rise I asked. 

How high will the bamboo rise He asked in return. 

As high as it can I questioned. 

Yes. He said, Give me glory by rising as high as you can. 

I left the forest and bring back this story. 

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. 

He will never give up on you!

Don't Quit

One of my favorite article is written below, I read it again and again specially when times are rocky. Let me share you its content, whoever is its writer, my deepest gratitude to your encouragement.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road your trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When they might have won, had they stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victors cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."