A very tired traveller came to the banks of a river.
There was no bridge by which he could cross. It was winter, and the surface of the river was covered with ice. It was getting dark, and he wanted to reach the other side while there was enough light to see. He debated about whether or not the ice would bear his weight.
Finally, after much hesitation and fear, he got down on his knees and began very cautiously to creep across the surface of the ice. He hoped that by distributing the weight of his body, the ice would be less apt to break under the load.
After he made his slow and painful journey about halfway across the river, he suddenly heard the sound of singing behind him. Out of the dusk, there came a 4-horse load of coal driven by a man singing merrily as he went to his carefree way. Here was the traveler, fearfully inching his way on his hands and knees. And there, as if whisked along by the winter's wind, went the driver, his horses, his sled, and the heavy load of coal over the same river!
The story illustrates how many of us go through life.
Some stand on the bank of decisions unable to make up their minds about the course to take. Others stand on the banks trying to muster enough courage to cross over to the other side of the task or problem encountered.
On the other hand, some individuals crawl and creep through life for fear of thin ice.
Their faith is not strong enough to hold them up. Still there are those who whisked along whistling as they go. Their faith is UNSHAKABLE.
When we face the river of difficulties, we do not have to fear, nor do we creep through life. God has promised to help, and with God's help we can merrily make our way to the other side safely.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge say they've proven crows aren't just the one of the smartest birds in the world, but even smarter than most preschoolers A video shows a crow solving eight complex puzzles in a row in order to reach food Jen Markham has the video In this BBC special, Dr Alex Taylor has set up an eight-step puzzle to try and stump one of the smartest crows he's seen in captivity They describe the puzzle as 39one of the most complex tests of the animal mind ever39 This bird, dubbed 39007 for its crafty mind, flies into the caged puzzle and spends only seconds analyzing the puzzle before getting down to business Despite the puzzle39s difficulty, the bird only seems to be stumped momentarily At the end of the puzzle is a food reward, but how he gets there is what will really blow your mind.
Once upon a time........A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked:
'Are you writing a story about what we've done? Is it a story about me?'
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
I am writing about you,... actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I'm using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.'
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn't seem very special.
'But it's just like any other pencil I've ever seen!'
'That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.'
'First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.'
'Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he's much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.'
'Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.'
'Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.'
Finally, the pencil's fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action'.
These self improvement activities will help you become more productive, get into the positive state of mind and achieve better quality of life. In this article you will also find out how to use your energy effectively, what the quickest way to achieve personal growth is and how to excel in every activity.
1st Self Improvement Activity: Use your energy on important things
If you want to succeed in life, you should not waste your energy on activities that do not bring any benefits.
Such useless activities include surfing the Internet without any purpose, watching TV, worrying and wasting money.
When you are involved in such activities, you have no or little energy left for activities that can create a better future. It is worth prioritizing and accomplishing important tasks first, and then if you still have enough energy, you may decide to do the unimportant.
2nd Self Improvement Activity: Focus on one task at a time
If you want to get perfect results, you should only concentrate on one activity. This way all your energy will go into it and you will accomplish it perfectly.
If you waste your energy on several things at the same time, you will get average results because you will divide your energy between the activities.
3rd Self Improvement Activity: Control your thinking
To avoid chaos in your mind resulting in chaos in the outside world, you should try to observe your thoughts. Once you start doing that, you will notice how many negative thoughts you get daily.
By observing negative thinking you will be able to emotionally disengage from it. As a result, negative thinking will affect you less and you will notice that your days are getting more peaceful and positive.
4th Self Improvement Activity: Get organized
When you live in an organized manner, you do not suffer from stress and your life is peaceful and balanced.
To start living this way, you should start planning your day in advance. This will eliminate any stress caused by being late to a meeting or forgetting to complete some task.
You should also live in tidiness because by keeping your home clean you also keep your mental state clear and peaceful. Such mental state will benefit you in many ways, including improved memory and less negativity.
5th Self Improvement Activity: Live in the present
Although this self improvement activity may seem strange to you, it is a very important activity that many ignore. The majority of people do not live in the present. They either dwell on their past or daydream about the future. They seem to forget the most important time of all - the present.
You should enjoy every present moment because your current state of mind always manifests in the outside world, creating your future accordingly. Therefore if your main mood is very positive, you will experience only happy days. However, if you dwell on negative thoughts, you are sure to encounter many obstacles and misfortunes in the present and days to come.
6th Self Improvement Activity: Complete each task in a perfect manner
Whenever you are working on some project, try to accomplish it in the best way possible. Always ask yourself 'Is this project turned out as perfect as it could possibly be?' If the answer is no, try to correct or add something to it until there is nothing that you can improve.
This way you will make sure that each single task you accomplish is done in an excellent manner. By doing this you will create successful future because you cannot possibly fail if you only get perfect results.
Also, when you entirely focus on one task excluding everything else, you will notice that you start enjoying the task. If you concentrate on the task but still do not enjoy it that means that you probably see the task as a means to an end rather than the process.
You should start focusing on the process itself to find enjoyment in the task. Such enjoyment will fuel motivation and you will accomplish everything quicker and better.
If you enjoy your work, you will put only positive energy into it. As a result, your completed tasks will bring you success.
7th Self Improvement Activity: Challenge yourself
Nothing develops you more than challenges. Challenges force you to shift your comfort zone, experience new situations and make you grow. Without challenges life would be very boring and depressing.
Challenges are necessary for every human being who is seeking quality life. Only through trial and error you realise who you really are, which activities you like and what preferences you have.
You can easily measure the success of a person by the amount of challenges s/he had.
8th Self Improvement Activity: Read personal development books
There is nothing more important than searching information about self improvement. Without reading any self improvement books or articles you cannot improve yourself.
I have written an article about 20 life changing personal development books. It might be worth checking them out. Many of them are available for free! Click here to read this article.
9th Self Improvement Activity: Socialize only with positive people
Positive people can inspire, empower and make you happy. It is so much worth to be at least once in a while with positive people rather than constantly spend time with negative friends or relatives.
If you spend your days with, for example, lazy people, you may notice that you are becoming lazy.
If all your friends' main qualities are negative, try to avoid all of them. This way you will not be affected in a negative way and after some time will start attracting positive people.
10th Self Improvement Activity: Exercise
Daily exercise develops determination, focus and patience. It improves your health and strengthens your body. It makes you more active, positive and invincible.
People who exercise every day are always perceived as strong-willed and disciplined.
Conclusion:
These personal improvement activities are sure to put you on the track to success. I hope that you will apply the steps in this article and, as a result, will greatly improve the quality of your life.
The story illustrates how many of us go through life.
