"No End to Success": A beautiful poem by Jeff Rushton
Revision
You already know this, but a revision is always desirable...
Revision = The looking back over one's (previously learnt or written) notes to remember, reinforce, revisit and improve.
Today
Contributed by: Aarthi Vijayasarathy aarthi.vijayasarathy @ gmail.com)
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 best of each day.
Author Unknown
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Today is the Beginning
Contributed by: Lakshmi Venkateswaran (lakshmivenkateswaran @ yahoo.com)
WORDS TO START EACH DAY OF THIS WEEK :
I am capable. I am worthwhile. I am beautiful.
I am lovable. I shall accept both my strengths
And my weaknesses for they are me.
I shall never again believe the lie
that if I make a mistake...
I am a mistake.
My mistakes are the learning tools
That I shall encounter on my life journey.
When I learn from my mistakes... I give them meaning.
When I give my mistakes meaning... I can begin to
Forgive myself. I begin to heal.
I shall not use my
Mistakes as excuses to give up on me...
My mistakes are not me.
I shall seek the wisdom to nurture
My heart.. Mind.. Body and soul so that I may feel more
Centered... Providing an energy reserve that
Allows me to climb the mountains in my own life.
Providing an energy reserve that allows me to love
And support others who are climbing a different mountain.
Providing an energy reserve that allows time for
Friends.. Play and celebration of life.
I shall allows myself to feel capable...
So that I may seek Excellence.
I shall allow myself to feel sadness...
So that joy may return.
I shall allow myself to feel joy...
So that I may be revitalized.
I shall allow myself to Feel afraid...
So that I may find courage.
I shall allow myself to feel alone...
So that I may Know me.
I shall allow myself to feel beautiful...
So that I may feel free.
I shall allow myself to Feel lovable...
So that the loving may seek me.
I shall allow myself to feel pain...
So that I may Gently heal.
I shall allow myself to feel worthy...
So that I may fulfill my purpose.
I will look into the Heart of a rose...
Or the eyes of a newborn baby
And know perfection.
I take responsibility for
Creating my own life story
through the choices I have made.
To blame others is to give away
My personal power.
Without that...
Who will write the next chapter of my life?
Who will laugh with me in the sunshine...
And cry with me in the darkness.
I shall make a small difference in this planet...
Through the work I do...
When I leave I will have done my share.
I shall live... Love... Laugh...
And learn on my journey.
Today is the beginning.
Are you ready?
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And all because you smiled..
Contributed by: verygood101 @ yahoo.com
If at times you feel you want to cry
And life seems such a trial
Above the clouds there's a bright blue sky
So make your tears a smile.
As you travel on life's way
With its many ups and downs
Remember it's quite true to say
One smile is worth a dozen frowns.
Among the worlds expensive things
A smile is very cheap
And when you give a smile away,
You get one back to keep.
Happiness comes at times to all
But sadness comes unbidden
And sometimes a few tears must fall
Among the laughter hidden.
So when friends have sadness on their face
And troubles round them piled
The world will seem a better place
And all because you smiled.
Today
Contributed by: Asian Woman (i_asianwoman @ yahoo.com)
I may never see tomorrow; there's no written guarantee
And things that happened yesterday belong to history.
I cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past,
I have just the present moments, I must treat it as my last.
I must use this moment wisely for it soon will pass away,
and be lost forever, as part of yesterday.
I must exercise compassion, help the fallen to their feet,
Be a friend unto the friendless, make an empty life complete.
The unkind things I do today may never be undone,
And friendships that I fail to win may nevermore be won.
I may not have another chance, on bended knees to pray,
and I thank God with a humble heart for giving me this Day.
--Author Unknown
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Zindagi
Zindagi
Contributed by: Bharathi Natraj (amitgoyal_pau @ yahoo.com)
"Zinda rahe toh phir milenge".
Magar aap se mil ke
Ish dil ne mehasoos kiya hai ki,
"Aapse milte rahe toh Zinda Rahenge".
Yeh raat itni tanha kyun hoti hai,
kismat se apni sabko sikayat kyun hoti hai,
Ajeeb khel khelti hai yeh kismat
Jise hum pah nahi sakte
Tammana se nahi tanhai se darte hain,
pyaar se nahi ruswaai se darte hain,
milne ki to bahut chahat hai,
par milne ke baad judaai se darte hain
Yaad aaye to aankhen band na karna,
hum chale bhi jaaye to gum na karna.
Yeh zaruri nahi ki har rishte ka koi naam ho,
per dosti ka ehsaas kabhi dil se kam na karna.
Pyasi nigaho ne har pal unka deedar maanga,
Jaise amavas ne har raat chand maanga.
Ruth gaya woh Khuda bhi humse,
Jab humne apni har duwa mein unka saath maanga
usi se mohabbat kyun hoti hai.
Yaadain teray khluuse ki dustti hain aaj bhi
Milnay ki aarzooain trastii hain aaj bhi
Ankhain hazaar zabt ki koshish kay bawajood
Ruk ruk kay baar baar barstii hain aaj bhi
Phul ki tarah haste raho to hum khush hai,
Dil kholkar jeete raho to hum khush hai,
yeh nahi kehte ki roj milo,
bas kisi din yaad karliya karo to hum khush haia
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Be willing
Be willing
Contributed by: Bharathi Natraj (bharathig @ hpcl.co.in)
What are you willing to create in your life ?
How areyou willing to spend the precious resource of your time, and what are you willing to accomplish?
There are countless things that you are able to do.
What matters is what you are willing to do.
Life is filled with things that you wish for, that you see yourself as needing, that you feel you must do,
and that you think you can't live without.
The attainment and fulfillment of each of these things depends on whether you are willing or whether you are not.
You can make magnificent promises,
you can make understandable excuses, you can set goals,
and you can make impressive plans.
Yet it all comes down to what you are willing to do,
where you are willing to take yourself,
and how you are willing to live.
Skills, training, resources, connections and experience are all very helpful. In the end, though,
what will make it happen is your willingness.
What are you willing to do with the spectacular opportunity that is your life ? Be willing, and it will surely happen.
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Only One Childhood
Contributed by: Shabbir Kagalwala (kagalwalashabbir @ yahoo.co.in)
I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone; in the other a toy broom. I listened as she was speaking to her make believe little friend And I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was pretend.
She said, "Suzie's in the corner cuz she's not been very good. She didn't listen to a word I said or do the things she should." In the corner I saw her baby doll all dressed in lace and pink. It was obvious she'd been put there to sit alone and think.
My daughter continued her "conversation, " as I sat down on the floor. She said, "I'm all fed up, I just don't know what to do with her anymore? She whines whenever I have to work and wants to play games, too. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do?
She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot reach... And she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don't have the time to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don't have the time to sit and play -- don't you know what I mean?"
And that day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life; As I listened to her innocent words that cut me like a knife. I hadn't been paying enough attention to what I hold most dear. I'd been caught up in responsibilities that increased throughout the year.
But now my attitude has changed, because, in my heart, I realize... I've seen the world in a different light through my little darling's eyes. So, let the cobwebs have the corners and the dustbunnies rule the floor, I'm not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore.
I'm going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother... For we are granted only one childhood, and we will never get another.
Roses for a Dime
Contributed by: Shabbir Kagalwala (kagalwalashabbir @ yahoo.co.in)
Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots; he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.
Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money to spend."
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five had struggled. It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the household in their mother's absence.
All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime.
Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment. As he held his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you."
As Bobby waited, he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers.
The sound of the door closing as the last customer left, jolted Bobby back to reality. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid.
Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter. There, before Bobby's eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box.
"That will be ten cents young man." the shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime! Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?"
This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was holding for Bobby, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas, son."
As he returned inside, the shop keepers wife walked out. "Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?"
Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime.
"When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too, was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars.
"When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very best roses."
The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.
Calorie Needs for Women
Calorie Needs for Women
Contributed by: Ahmed Imam (idealimam @ yahoo.com)
How many calories you need depends on various factors, including height, total body weight, ratio of fat to muscle, age, gender, genes and physical exercise. (Plus illness, pregnancy etc.) But usually, a woman's calorie needs can be reasonably accurately assessed by focusing on two calorie components. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and physical exercise.
Calorie Needs for Women and Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal Metabolic Rate is a short way of saying: "the amount of energy (calories) you need to keep your body functioning while at rest." A body needs a minimum number of calories to maintain the millions of chemical reactions which keep eyes, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys etc. in healthy working order. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. Over half the calories needed by most women fuel these basic bodily functions.
Calorie Needs for Women and Exercise
The second major calorie-needs component is physical activity. The more exercise you take, the more calories you need.
Calorie Needs for Women - Weight Maintenance and Weight Gain
When you have determined your total daily calorie needs, this will be the number of calories required to maintain your weight. If you want to lose weight, (e.g. one pound per week), you should consume 3,500 calories less, per week. (Or, consume 2,000 fewer calories and burn an extra 1,500 calories by taking extra exercise.) This is because one pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. To gain one pound of weight, increase your calorie intake by 3,500 calories.
Harris-Benedict Formula To Determine Calorie Needs for Women
The Harris Benedict equation determines calorie needs for women in two steps:
It calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calorie requirements, based on your height, weight, age and gender.
It increases your BMR calorie needs by taking into account the number of calories you burn by taking exercise. This gives you your total calorie requirement.
Drawback of Harris-Benedict Calorie Needs Formula
The only calorie variable which the Harris-Benedict formula does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be accurate for most women except the extremely muscular (these women need more calories) and the extremely fat (these women need fewer calories).
The Harris Benedict Calorie Needs Formula for Women
First, calculate your BMR according to this formula:
655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in centimetres) - (4.7 x age in yrs)
To Calculate your total calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity multiplier:
Activity Multiplier
· If you are sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) multiply BMR by 1.2
· If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days per week) multiply your BMR by 1.375
· If you are mod. active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days per week) multiply your BMR by 1.55
· If you take heavy exercise (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days per week) multiply your BMR by 1.725
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Tips for Getting A Better Night Sleep
Contributed by: Ahmed Imam (idealimam @ yahoo.com)
Tips for Getting A Better Night Sleep
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol can cause restlessness during the night. Caffeine and nicotine have substances in them that will keep you awake.
Avoid Smoking
Nicotine has substances in it that will keep you awake.
Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine has substances in it that will keep you awake.
Exercise regularly
But do not exercise near your bedtime.
Avoid sleep interruptions
Don't sleep with the pet, close your door, minimize light and noise.
Relax before bedtime
A warm bath or light snack
Avoid liquids before bedtime
Limits having to use the bathroom at night.
Avoid long naps during the day
Naps can disrupt your sleeping pattern.
Avoid trying to sleep
The more you "try" to sleep, the more difficult it becomes.
Get up at the same time each morning
Too much time in bed can lead to restless sleep.
Use your bed for sleeping
Not for unrelated activities like reading or watching tv.
Check your medications
Medications might increase your sleep difficulties.
Tips for People who Work the Night Shift
1. Share your schedule and sleep times with your family and friends.
2. Take a nap before your evening shift to help you feel more alert.
3. Prepare your bedroom for daytime sleeping.
4. Use room darkening shades or curtains
5. Use a fan or soft music to block out loud sounds
6. Eat regular meals with a balanced diet.
7. Work out before work.
8. Brisk walking, jogging or swimming can help you stay alert and keep you in shape.
9. Avoid late night caffeine.
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Free to Soar
Contributed by: Shabbir Kagalwala (kagalwalashabbir @ yahoo.co.in)
by: Wayne B. Lynn, Life, Free To Soar
One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing in the heady atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, "Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" They soared beautifully even as they fought the imposed restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. "Free at last" it seemed to say. "Free to fly with the wind."
Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. "Free at last" free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction.
How much like kites we sometimes are. The Lord gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and (pardon the pun) never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights our Heavenly Father has in store for us, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve.
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I Kept My Promise
Contributed by: Amit Goyal (amitgoyal_pau @ yahoo.com)
I stood outside the door and paced like a lion in a cage. I knew what 1 had to do. She was my friend, and she needed me. Fearful or not. I had to go inside. Opening the door. I was greeted by the smell of death. I made good on my word. I walked inside to visit my friend at her new living quarters. The place was called a nursing home.
Standing barely 5 feet tall. she was the epitome of courage. Her husband died at an early age, leaving her to raise her sons and run their ranch alone. Years of riding horses and working cattle riddled her body with aches and pains. In her 70s. she could no longer live alone. With her health falling. she knew what lay ahead - the nursing home. She hated the idea in the worst way. I asked her once, why? She said, because. nursing homes are where old people go to die.'
Before she left her home. I made a promise to her that I would come to visit her every week. She smiled and found comfort in my words. After she left. a week came and went, and I never made it up to see her. I was too busy. 1 told myself. I will next week. Three weeks came and went before I finally found the courage to keep my word. I stood outside the nursing home pacing trying to find a good excuse to tell her why I never made it up to see her.
With no excuse in mind, I walked into the nursing home. I had to be honest with her. The halls were lined with people in wheelchairs, heads hung low. some sleeping. some crying. A few looked up as I walked past and reached out to touch me. The smell was overwhelming. I had a hard time picturing my friend In a place like this, I found her room and knocked on her door. I walked Inside and found her sitting on her bed: She started smiling when she saw me. The smile quickly turned to a scowl. She asked in a sharp tone. "Where have you been?"
It was then the truth was revealed. I told her I was hiding. "I hate this place as much as you do, I said.
A smile came back across her face. She told me to sit. and I did. She then began to tell me about life in the nursing home. The food. she said, is not like home cooking. They brought her bed from home. Still It didn't feel the same.
"I feel so out of place here,- she said. "I Just want to go back home. People act funny when they come up here to visit me. They treat me like 1 am helpless because I am in here. and I am not."
After an hour of chatting, she got out her Scrabble board. We played three games that afternoon. It was almost like old times back at her home, minus the chocolate cake with cherries she always made for us. It was getting late, and I had to get going. I walked over and gave her a hug. I then stood back and told her I would see her next week and to keep the Scrabble board handy. I made it to the door and stopped and looked back at her sitting on her bed. She was crying I asked her what was wrong. She wiped her eyes and told me she was scared. I said. "Of what?- She whispered of becoming lonely and forgotten. I walked back over and hugged her once again. I grabbed her hand and squeezed It tight. I sat by her side on the bed holding her hand and letting her know someone cared while she had a good cry. She walked me out to the front door of the home. As I walked outside, I was greeted by fresh air once again. The birds were singing. and life was good. I then turned back toward the nursing home. My friend stood by the door. She was waving goodbye. I turned and waved back.
In the year to follow, my friend developed Alzheimer's disease and soon forgot who I was. I kept my promise and continued to visit. Whether she could remember me or not made no difference. I remembered her, and I always will. I remembered her as my friend, a great scrabble player and a cowgirl. I also remembered her as one of the thousands of elderly who live in nursing homes across the nation, scared of becoming lonely and forgotten.
The Scars of Life
Some years ago, on a hot summer day, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole that was behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.In the house, his mother was looking out the window. She saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.
Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed, and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms, just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began a very incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim, and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. On his arms, there were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh, in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked the boy if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. Then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go."
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly, and have caused us deep regret.
But, some wounds, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been right there, holding on to you.
We are childrens of God. He wants to protect you, and provide for you in every way. But, sometimes, we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril ~ and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That is when the tug-of-war begins.
If you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He will not ever let you go!