2014 New Year Resolution

If  your 2014  New Year resolution is to change your way of thinking about life and
Iiving, the remaining five days of 2013 could be just about what you need to start rehearsing it.

Fear

The most powerful weapon for controlling human behaviours is Fear. The rich uses the fear of poverty and suffering to control the behaviours of the poor. The poor uses the fear of insecurity of life and property to control the behaviours of the rich. Fears can put both the rich and the poor in bondage. To be truly free, both must overcome their fears. As clearly put by Aristotle; "He who has overcome his fears will truly be free." And the only way to overcome fears is for the rich and the poor to develop genuine love, compassion, trust and respect for each other. As the bible teaches us in the book of 1 John 4:48, "There is no fear in love."

Christmas Day Affirmation

"I love myself"
"I love my family"
"I love my neighbours"
"I am a peacemaker"
"I am happy"
"I am a champion"
"I am blessed"
"And I thank the Lord.

Present Moment Ministry

Present Moment Ministry

"The Kingdom of God is available to you in the here and the now. But the question is whether you are available to the Kingdom. Our practice is to make ourselves ready for the Kingdom so that it can manifest in the here and the now. You don't need to die in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. In fact, you have to be truly alive in order to do so." Thich Nhat Hanh

Every act of love, every gesture of goodwill, every smile, every expression of gratitude, every happy feeling you share with others, every kind word spoken, every little help rendered, every act of care and compassion, every time you make peace with others, everything and anything you do that brings peace, happiness, joy, comfort, relief and succour to another person, counts toward living the kingdom of God in the here and the now. It is called the Present Moment Ministry. That is what Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas!

The Storms Of Life

The storm in the lives of some of us can sometimes be more turbulent than the one that raged across Britain last night. Another way to cope with such stormy weather is to stay calm knowing that God is in the centre and becoming aware that it too will soon pass away, just as the storm of last night has. That is what makes Him our Shepherd in the time of storm.

The best victory

The best and sweetest victory in life is the one achieved when people are already thinking and acting as if it is all over.

Non-action

The most powerful action you can take against those who hurt you is...........non-action.

Be patient but observant

Let your patience exceed that of the farmer who, as the bible tells us, "Waits patiently for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains." Everything you need will eventually come to you in the right moment. So, be patient but observant.

Changing life from inside out

You can move away from anything, anyone  or any place you don't like. However, the thing that lets you dislike them resides inside you.  It will move with you anywhere you go. To change your outside, you must first change your inside.

Making all fingers equal

All fingers may not be equal, but when trying to reach out to one another, each makes itself to be equal to the others.

The true meaning of life

The true meaning of life is service to one another. In your service to others, how people label you, either a Saint or a Sinner, does not really matter. In any case, we will probably never know until we all get to heaven or hell. What is important is to keep serving one another in whatever area of life that aligns with the calling of your soul.

Blessing others attracts your own blessing

People will be missing out of so many other ways we can use our God's given talents to bless others if we keep thinking and acting as if money is the only means of solving all human problems. When you start to think of the different ways you can be of blessing to another person and act on them unconditionally, you will begin to attract your own blessings.

You Are The Light of the World

"You are the light of the world," so says the Bible. Each new birth is a light coming into the world. Each death is a light going out of the world. Light is life. It is the energy for living. You are meant to be the light that shines in the lives of others, to help keep their flames burning. When the light of one person goes out, it is rekindled by a spark of light from another.  There are two ways this happens: (a) to be the candle that bears the light or (b) the mirror that reflects it.

Humanness

"In our country, we speak of something called 'UBUNTU.' When I want to praise you, the highest praise I can give you is to say, you have 'ubuntu,' this person has what it takes to be a human being. This is a person who recognises that he exists only because others exist; a person is a person through other persons. When we say you have 'ubuntu', we mean you are gentle, you are hospitable, you want to share, and you care about the welfare of others. This is because my humanity is caught up in your humanity. So when I dehumanise others, whether I like it or not, inexorably, I dehumanise myself. For we can only be human, we can only be free, together. To forgive is actually the best form of self-interest.".

Archbishop Desmond Tutu in "The Power of Forgiveness by HH Dalai Lama

The spirit of abundance

Each time you celebrate the success of others, you are laying the foundation for the celebration of your own imminent success. They call it the spirit of abundance. This is knowing that the universe has abundant and inexhaustible supply of everything out there for everybody.

Is the level of IQ the criteria for happiness

Boris Johnson's suggestion that some people cannot do well in life because of their low IQ may be right to some extent if "doing well" is measured only by material possession. Doing well can also be measured by how we make others feel with our possessions.

How to avoid criticism

There are three ways you can avoid criticism: (1) Saying nothing, (2) Doing nothing and (3) Being nothing.

"Compassion In Action" Dr. Wyane Dyer

HOW MAY I SERVE? Asking this question can turn your life around. Thinking of others first—reaching out to them despite how it might inconvenience you—causes you to feel joy. This gift of feeling good (or feeling God) within comes from serving and surrendering rather than asking and demanding.

There’s no room for blame in your life as long as you live with kindness. Blaming your past. Blaming the economy. Blaming your perceived personal flaws. Blaming God. Blaming your parents. Blaming your children or your spouse. Blaming your DNA. There’s no shortage of circumstances, people, and events to blame—and there’s no shortage of blame itself.

When you shift to compassion, all blame disappears. So no matter what you may want for yourself, discover how you can want it more for someone else, and then make that shift. In that contemplative moment, compassion will eradicate finger-pointing. And you’ll begin to think like God thinks: serving, offering, giving, and loving freely.

I’ve certainly found that when I remember to nurture kindness and courtesy, everything in my life seems to move toward more harmony and peace, to say nothing of how much better I feel when I’m giving rather than wanting.

I heard the Dalai Lama speak on compassion some years back, and the essence of his message contained these two points:

1. Compassion is the single most important quality that humanity needs to learn. This is the way to find happiness and health and to feel successful.

2. War and violence would become extinct in one generation if, beginning at the age of five, children were taught to meditate on compassion for an hour a week for the rest of their lives. Such is the power of a compassionate approach to life, which is truly thinking of others and living by the ancient Golden Rule.

The very second you feel yourself retreating to blaming and making excuses, repeat the mantra How may I serve? Then act upon the answers you receive. You’ll become aligned with the universal mind, which is always giving, and the bonus is that you’ll notice the universe asking you back, “How may I serve you?” As your compassion for others flows back to you, remember the truth I’ve written about many times: You do not attract what you want; you attract what you are. So make compassion be what you are.

Suggestions for Living from Compassion

Upon awakening, let the words Thank you flow from your lips, for this will remind you to begin your day with gratitude and compassion. Make it a practice to begin each day by thinking first of someone else and then making a decision to actively do something, anything, that will bring a smile to his or her face. When you become conscious of wanting to do something kind for another human being, you move into a higher way of being. It takes your thoughts off yourself and What’s in it for me? and puts them on How may I serve? which is precisely how the universal mind we call the Tao or God is always operating. When you’re aligned with a compassionate outlook, your entire day will reflect this kind of awareness.

If you believe as Martin Luther King, Jr. did that our culture needs restructuring and that compassion is the way, I urge you to work toward electing people to public office—at all levels—who relate sensitivity and kindness in their messages to the public. Look for the compassionate heart, rather than the one that excludes, punishes, seeks revenge, or manipulates with government power. The more our institutions reflect this humane attitude, the fewer collective excuses we will call upon to explain why we haven’t been able to create the heaven on earth that is our true calling.

As I’ve frequently stated, the active repetition of an inner mantra reinforces and creates exactly what you’re saying to yourself. Therefore, repeat the following to yourself for at least five minutes: I am a being of compassion. I extend love outward everywhere because this is my nature. Affirm this to yourself continually, and post it in a prominent place in your home, your office, or even your car.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us the ultimate words of compassion. If our world today would put them into practice, we’d all be living in peace. But even if the rest of the world hasn’t yet caught on, you can. I urge you to put these words to work in your life today; if you do, all excuses will most certainly vanish:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)

This is compassion in action!

Happiness is contageous

A study of Personal Happiness published in the British Medical Journal in January 2009 found that:

(1)  Having  happy people in a person's social network can dramatically increase that  person's chance of being happy.

(2) If you become happy, you increase your next-door neighbour's odds of being happy by 34%, and increase your friend's odd of being happy by 25% if that friend lives withing a mile of you.

(3) On average, every happy person in your social network increases your own chance of being happy by 9%.

(4) Having happy family or friends in your social network increases your odds of being happy too.

(5) Happiness spreads in a person's social network up to "three degrees of separation."

(6) Your happiness can affect not only your friend, but also a friends of your friend and even a friend of a friend of your friend- someone you may never even meet or hear of.

(7) The effect of catching happiness from someone else can last up to one year

(8) As the happiness and positive emotions spread throughout social networks, communities and societies, the social benefits will spread and take root in a society right along with the personal benefits.

Source: The Art of Happiness in A Troubled World by HH the Dalai Lama and Dr Howard Cutler

Don't let anyone or anything take your happiness from you without your permission.

Tip toe if you must, but take the step

In your journey to success, there's no right step or wrong step. Every step you take counts towards your success. The right step takes you to the next level. The wrong step lets you step aside to learn more yourself. The only step that does not count is the one not taken. The smallest step in the right direction often ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must. But you must take the step. As Lao Tzu would say, "Great acts are made up of small deeds." A million mile journey starts with a step.

The Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God is in your heart. It just needs that you keep reminding yourself at all times of its awesome presence in you.

Once you have become more actively aware of its presence, you can start to imagine the type of future you want the kingdom to feel and look like. This lets you think and act in ways that keep the Kingdom of God in you alive and well on a daily basis.

Every act of love, every gesture of goodwill, every expression of gratitude, every kind word spoken, every little help rendered, every act of care and compassion, everything and anything you do that brings comfort, relief and succour to another person, counts toward keeping the kingdom of God in your life alive and flourishing.

Buddha Quote

There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. ~Buddha

Lao Tzu

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~Lao Tzu

The Power of Your Spirituality

"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security, does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."  Confucius

Thought of the day

To keep thinking that you have to change your nature in order to start a new relationship is like thinking that water has to change its nature before it can perform its natural role as water. Any action resulting from this way of thinking amounts to self-deceit. When you start to act naturally, things begin to happen naturally. 

Thought of the day

Never can we assume the full knowledge of a man and what he truly  stands for until we have observed how he lives his life in time of scarcity and in time of abundance. A man can change his action in time of scarcity and in time of abundance. But a man cannot change is nature. When you live your life closest to your Source of being, neither scarcity nor abundance can change your nature.

Six Mystical Techniques for Accessing Divine Guidance

1. Letting God in and letting out your ego

2. Aligning yourself with your Source

3. Becoming Godlike in all your ways - he knows nothing of struggle, hatred, revenge, frustration, fear, tension, or excuses.

4. Acting like you imagine God does

5. Suspending your intellect

6. Using the Law of Attraction to bring godly things to yourself by keep thinking and doing only the things you would imagine that God would be thinking about or doing.

From Excuses Begone by Dr Wayne Dyer

S.T.O.P

Each time you are pursuing a goal, and you have done everything you can but still not getting the desired outcome, have the courage to practice "STOP," a tried and tested coaching technique:

1. Step aside for a while and take stock of what is going on;

2. Think and find out what went well and what did not;

3. Organise yourself based on lessons learnt;

4. Proceed from where you stopped or start something new.

Thought of the day

What’s that old expression? “If you want to hide something from a Black person, put it in a book.” (or some people would say, "write it down").

To put a permanent lie to this stereotypical expression, start cultivating the habit of reading at least one book a month. It is the food that feeds your brain, that trains your mind, that changes your thinking, that gives you the audacity to make the change you so much desire in your life.

The Ordered Steps

When God decides to move you in one direction or another, neither your action or inaction can stop it. Just step back and become a keen observer of what is unfolding and give thanks to Him each step of the way.

The Empty Cup

A great Japanese master received a university professor who came to enquire about wisdom. The master served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself saying: "the cup is overflowing, no more water will go in!" "Like this cup," the master said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you wisdom unless you first empty your cup?"

To gain a deeper understanding of the knowledge of the Source, you must learn to empty your cup. You must suspend your intellect.

The Patient Widow

In a certain town in biblical time, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought about him. There was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with a plea for justice, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

The judge refused. The widow persisted. She never felt any rejection. She kept knocking on the door of justice. Finally, and really finally... the judge reneged, changed his mind and said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

The fact that the judge finally favoured the widow for his selfish purpose was irrelevant. What gave justice to the widow was her Patience and Persistence.

When your determination to achieve anything in any area of your life is greater than any obstacle put in your way, you can count on Patience and Persistence to overcome them.

The Sage Who Never Gave Up

There was once a renowned sage. He used to pray fervently in front of his Lord each day. One day, while he was praying, one of his followers came and sat beside him. As the two sat silently together, the sage received a message from God, which was overheard by the follower. However, the follower, out of respect for the sage, kept quiet.

The next day, the pious man was once again busy praying. The same follower was by his side when he received another message. Once again, out of respect, the follower did not ask the sage any question.

On the third day, the same thing happened. But, this time the follower decided to speak out and asked, "God has constantly been telling you that your prayer is not accepted, so why do you keep praying?" The sage, with a feeling of surprise in his face, responded and said, "You have only heard this rejection for three days and are suggesting that I give up praying, whereas I have heard this rejection for thirty years and I have not given-up or become discouraged. Anyway, who are you to interfere? It is simply my job to pray and it is for God to accept prayers as He pleases."

We should never be discouraged if our prayers are not being answered as quickly as we want. God will never let our seeds go to waste as long as we keep working hard to make them grow.

Extracted and adapted from A sufi Story

The secret of happiness

Matthew Medupin

Tuesday via mobile

"A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest sage in the world.

The boy wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high on top of a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, the boy, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity. Tradesmen and women were coming and going out. People stood in small groups conversing in the corner. A small orchestra was playing soft music. There was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world.

The wise man was chatting with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to see the wise man. When the finally met, the wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come. The wise man told him that it was not the right time to explain the secret of happiness.

He suggested that the boy first look around his palace and return in two hours. “Meanwhile I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you and make sure you do not spill the oil."

The boy began ascending and descending the many flight of stairs in the palace. He kept his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. “Well,” asked the wise man, “did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchment in my library?”

The boy was embarrassed. He confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,” said the wise man.

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time, he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. When he returned to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

“But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"The secret of happiness," the wise man explained, "is in seeing all the marvels of the world around you while still remaining focused on the things that are most important to you in life."

Extracted from the novel on ”The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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The Unchangeable Changer.

Nothing is permanent; life is a flux. They say, "You cannot step twice in the same river." This is impossible because the river has flowed on. So have you. You are no longer as you were yesterday. You are now a different person. You are like a flowing river with a lot of things moving in your life. From a moment of happiness to that of suffering. From a time of pain to that of pleasure. From a depressive event to that of excitement. From a thing of joy to that of sorrow. Everything is moving at the top of your life. But something inside you is never changing and is omnipresent. Through regular moments of silence meditation you can find that 'god-place' inside you. It never changes but lets you change anything in your life. That is why they call it the "Unchangeable Changer." Scienetists call it the Catalyst. 

Thought of the day

If there were no GOAL posts in place, what one word would you use to describe the behaviours of 22 people chasing one small round object on a playing field? As a popular quote emphasising the benefits of setting specific, achievable and self-empowering goals goes, "If you don't know specifically where you're going, then you'll never get there. And if you don't set the bar high enough, you'll never live up to your potential." A goal gives you something to aim at. It also lets you know how you are doing.

Thought of the day

Happiness is a feeling you cannot enjoy alone. To experience real happiness, the people around you must be happy too. That is why they say, "Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it."

Thought of the day

To live without the knowledge of one’s past history, origin and culture is to exist like a tree that has no root. To borrow a quote by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the author of “The Phenomenon of Man, "Each thing extends itself and pushes its roots into the past, ever farther back, by that which makes it most itself.” To know yourself, you must know where you came from.

To Open The Pandora's Box

The following story tells of the origin of the phrase, "The Pandora's Box." It comes from a Greek myth encouraging mankind to think carefully before doing anything:

In most of the ancient Greek myths, man was created first, then woman. The first mortal woman was created by Hephaestos from earth and sea. She was named Pandora, on account of the fact that she was endowed with every gift, including beauty, grace, sweetness, persuasiveness, perceptiveness, intelligence and, generally, all the positive elements of womanhood. However, after that, Hera added curiosity while Hermes added craftiness and lies to the endowment.

Zeus sent Epimitheas to Pandora as a gift and won by her charms, he married her. At the wedding, along with other gifts, Pandora was given a beautiful gift box by the immortals, locked, with a key, and she was commanded never to open it, if she wanted to remain completely happy.

So the couple lived many years together, in bliss, until Pandora's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box. What flew out from it were all the misfortunes of the world: sickness, pain, calamity and whatever else. The last to emerge, however, was a little bird, "hope," which gives solace and courage to mankind.

Source: Greek Mythology - Gods, Heroes, Iliad, Odyssey

Thought of the day

There are three possible places you can live at any point in your life: You live in the past. You can live in the present. You can also live in the future. You cannot live in the three places at the same time. You cannot live in the past or in the future and experience the present. To be a present moment being is to become aware that it's all you have n7ow!

Thought of the day

You cannot postpone experiencing happiness to the future. You cannot return to the past and pick up. It is something designed to be experienced in the present moment. Happiness is finding something to be grateful for on a daily basis.

Quote of the day

According to Lao Tzu, "A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step." The first faulty step is not a reason to step back. But it is a reason to step aside and ask, "What happened?"

Thought of the day

A person whose steps have been ordered by God can never take a wrong step even when it has to be unavoidably taken backward. That is why we hear such words as, construction, destruction and reconstruction. Remember the quote by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, in "The Phenomenon of Man: "What is gained on one side is lost on the other. Nothing is constructed except at the price of an equivalent destruction."

There is nothing either so good or bad, Our thinking make it so

When you become a keen observer of
events as they come in and go out of your life on a daily basis, you will begin to see how much you can learn from each. Every passing event in your life is a potential teacher when you:

(a) become a keen observer of each as it comes and go;

(b) stop judging and labeling none as either "good" or "bad";

(c) remember that nature uses both to teach you something about yourself and others;

(d) find at least one learnable thing from each and learn it;

(e) put into practice what each has taught you;

When the next event arrives, either good or bad, remember the following popular quote by William Shakespeare:

"THERE IS NOTHING EITHER GOOD OR BAD BUT THINKING MAKES IT SO."

Hard as this may appear to be for most of us to grasp, the way we think determines how much we learn from each event as one ending forms the beginning of the next. This, in my view, is the nature of life and living; needing both to experience the fullness of the earth.

Fear Factor

Fear and self-pity are habits. Prolong experience of both can attract the feeling of defeat. A persistent feeling of defeat can lead to anxiety. Long periods of anxious moments can produce feeling of despair, hopelessness and resignation. You have the capacity to get rid of all of these negative habits with two simple self-affirmative statements: “I can" and "I will.”

Self Pity

You can pity others as much as you can but never pity yourself. Self-pity is your enemy number 1. This is more so when you surrender to it. To achieve your full potential in every sphere of your life, you must never surrender yourself to self-pity. Hard as it might sometimes appear to be, never ever give in to self-pity.

Stability

Stability is your inner strength to withstand adversity. It is your ability to stand firm and remain hopeful even when the situation appears to be hopeless. Remember, as the time of storm provides the palm tree the opportunity to showcase their strength and stability, so is the time of your crisis designed to demonstrate the strength of your character and stability.

Success Factor

The bigger the amount of suffering you have to experience in order to achieve great success, the more juicy and entertaining your life story will become.

University of Life

Education gives you knowledge. Life gives you experience. Life lets you experience what it is to be a human being. Education opens up various options and opportunities from which you are free to select the type of human being you wish to become, good or bad.

Every Step Counts

In your journey to success, there's no right step or wrong step. Every step you take counts towards your final destination. The right step takes you to the next. The wrong step lets you step aside to learn more about yourself and the purpose of the journey. The only step that does not count is the one not taken.

The Power of Intention

In life, anyone, driven by a reason to live and the meaning of life, who is able and willing to do just about anything, will keep lacking nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, irrespective of the prevailing economic downturn. The Source of your being will keep meeting your needs. When your reason for doing something is bigger than anything you have to do, doing it attracts a sense of inner peace and happiness naturally.

Excuses! Excuses!! Excuses!!!

Mr Pessimist says “It’s raining.” Mr Optimist says “It will soon stop.” Mr Realist says “I’ll find something else to do.” As the Yiddish saying goes, “if you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.” There’s always something to do, if you really want to.

If you've done something before, you can do something again.

Take a moment to look back in time and think of things you've done so far.
What's one thing you're most proud of?
What made it so important to you?
How did you do it?
What did you feel the moment you knew you've done it?
What particular skill was key to the success?
What could you do now with that skill?
What is stopping you now from doing it?
What would you feel if you could just do it?

The past created the present. The present creates the future. Success is using what you've got to get what you want. If you've done something before, you can do something again.

What would you do if you had no limitation?

Imagine a world in which you feel no limitations; a world in which your status in life makes you feel no less or more important than your next door neighbour; a world in which the colour of your skin gives you not feeling of advantage or disadvantage over your colleague; a world in which there is no boundaries or no walls; a world free of any form of discrimination on the basis of the person you are; a world in which every person is seen and treated as a person and each person is free to be the person he or she is meant to be in life:

What would you do?
Who would you be?
What would you have?

As humans, we use our minds to create these barriers to give ourselves some differential advantages over others. What could we do if we had none of these limitations?

The Story Teller -The price of disobedience

This story is about disobedient tortoise, and his wife. They lived together for many years without a child. Their situation was becoming unbearable. They both desperately wanted a child of their own. His wife started to give him a lot of pressure. One day tortoise decided to visit the village priest for help.

The village priest was famous for his ability to help women get pregnant. After the initial greetings, tortoise explained his mission. The priest then asked tortoise to come back the next day.

The following day, tortoise was back to the village priest very early in the morning as agreed. The priest went into his inner room and came back with a pot of soup which he had specially prepared for tortoise’s wife. The priest told tortoise that his wife should drink the soup. Tortoise was very pleased with the priest and thanked him for the help. He was assured that his wife would be pregnant after drinking the soup. Before tortoise left, the priest warned him that under no circumstance must he drink the soup himself. Tortoise assured the priest that he would not drink the soup.

However, on his way home, the aroma of the soup made his mouth water so much that he decided to stop and had a small taste of the soup. One tasty sip led to another as he made his way home. Before he arrived home the pot was empty. Suddenly, he noticed that his stomach had protruded forward like a pregnant woman. He didn’t know what to do. He went into his house but could not tell his wife what had happen. His wife was confused. They both panicked. She advised tortoise to return to the village priest.

They returned to the priest for help. As they entered the priest’s compound, the tortoise started to sing distressfully saying that the priest had warned him not to drink the soup. He said as he was walking home with the pot of soup in his hand, he suddenly slipped and fell over. As he tried to save the pot, his finger touched the soup. He then touched his lip with his finger by accident. He then looked towards the ground and noticed his big tummy. He cried and cried and cried begging the priest to save his life.

The priest told them emphatically that the medicine had no remedy. The soup that was meant to boost his wife’s pregnancy was not now boosting tortoise’s glands. The priest was enraged and kept saying, “Is obedience not better than sacrifice? Did I not warn you?”

Keep enjoying the mystery moment by moment,

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Toa. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Toa is both named and nameless. As nameless, it is the origin of all things; as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one can see the manifestation. The mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding."

From the 1st verse of the Toa Te Ching by Lao-tzu

To keep enjoying the mystery moment by moment, practice letting go of always naming and labeling things.

Becoming aware of the forces that control each aspect of your life

Today, I want you to find a few moments and a quiet space where you can become still and find some silence. I want you to become aware of the force that controls your ability to move every part of your body: your arm, your finger, your legs, your toes, etc. I want you to imagine the energy that allows the movement of each of these parts of your body. I want you to go into meditation for just a few minutes or so. I want you to reflect on the mystery behind your ability to hear with your ears, see with your eyes, smell with your nose and feel something by simply touching it. I want you to go inside of you and create a space between each thought you have about the mystery of your being.

What makes you see?
What makes you hear?
What makes you speak?
What makes you feel?

What is the mystery behind all of this?

Appreciating the mystery of life and living

Today, I want you to find a few moments and a quiet space where you can become still and find some silence. I want you to become aware of the force that controls your ability to move every part of your body: your arm, your finger, your legs, your toes, etc. I want you to imagine the energy that allows the movement of each of these parts of your body. I want you to go into meditation for just a few minutes or so. I want you to reflect on the mystery behind your ability to hear with your ears, see with your eyes, smell with your nose and feel something by simply touching it. I want you to go inside of you and create a space between each thought you have about the mystery of your being.

What makes you see?
What makes you hear?
What makes you speak?
What makes you feel?

What is the mystery behind all of this?

Three core virtues to have: Simplicity, patience, compassion

“Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.”. ― Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

How emotionally intelligent are you?

Social science researchers have found, in recent studies, that even more than your IQ, your emotional intelligence (EI), defined as your awareness and your ability to handle feelings, can determine your success and personal happiness in all walks of life, including parenting, social, work and family relationships.

WILLPOWER

WILLPOWER is the strength of your character in action. It gives you the spiritual capacity to keep resisting short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals.

Are we heading towards a new evolutionary journey?

Scientists are now claiming that by 2030 there will be an artificially intelligent machine that will be indistinguishable from a human being. This will include the capacity for self-reproduction. I belief God did not set any limit on human intelligence. He needs more human brains to reduce human sufferings, increase personal and societal happiness, create and build a better world where all His people can live in harmony with one another in good health. To embark on creating a human machine that is capable of self-reproduction is perhaps not a wise way to use human intelligence. Is this the start of a new evolutionary journey? What do you think?

Living with gratitude for every functioning part of our bodies

Come to think of it, are we not all miracles? Just imagine how you breathe in and breathe out ceaselessly 24/7 without effort. Think of how one part of your body responds to the needs of the other with little or no thought. Consider how every part of the same body connects seamlessly with one another and the work of the whole body gets done. If you think these are no miracles, take a visit to the nearest hospital. I belief we are all miracles unfolding every moment of our lives. Is this not enough justification to express gratitude to your Source on a daily basis?

Free Will vs Determinism

Free Will is human's freedom to make CHOICES. Determinism is God telling humans to exercise their freedom RESPONSIBLY. The two are compatible. When we have freely decided and are innately determined to be successful in any area of life, I belief Determinism is God's voice affirming to us that, "It is written."      ~ MAM

You can create your own Garden of Eden

Everyone can create their own Garden of Eden. It starts by sowing just a seed of love in the rich soil of your heart and nourish it with a daily act of good deed to yourself and others.

Unlearning is the heart of change.

Beware what you teach your children. Remember, it is easier to learn something than to unlearn it. That is why they say unlearning is the heart of all changes.

Time is an equal opportunity employer.

“Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.”  - Denis Waitley

Making Every Day Count in the journey of life

What we are today is a function of the choices and sacrifices we made in the past. What we will become in the future is a function of the choices and sacrifices we are are making today.

Seven Deadly Sins:

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Science without humanity
4. Knowledge without character
5. Politics without principle
6. Commerce without morality
7. Worship without sacrifice

- by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

A weary mother returned from the store.
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.
"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."
She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.
She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.
Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!
She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.
Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall

Author Unknown

Change is constant

"Nothing is permanent; life is a flux. Heraclitus has said that you cannot step twice in the same river. It is impossible to step twice in the same river because the river has flowed on; everything has changed. And not only has the river flowed on, you have also flowed on.

You are also different; you are also a river flowing. Like River you also have quite a lot of things moving in your life, Happiness , Depression, Joy and Sorrow all are moving at the top of your life. But something inside you is never changing and omnipresent. The moment you can find that centre which never changes, then everything about your life also changes.

If any of you have ever dived into sea( scuba-dive) and explored underneath then there is one thing which becomes very clear underneath the roaring sea-top ; there is utter calmness under the sea. The deeper inside you go under the sea , you will find more stillness.

That’s why Scuba diving is such a meditative experience. Meditation is nothing but finding centre inside you which is never changing. Meditation is art of staying calm at sea top. Once you realize your centre, then you are just an actor at top. You will know everything you know and feel now also will pass.

The moment you find centre you will also find Love! Love radiating from you and it is never changing! Meditation is way to find that never changing Love."

Unknown Author

Living excuse-free lifestyle:

7 Principles for living excuse-free lifestyle:

1. Become aware of your potential for greatness, understand the power of your mind and use it to develop your spirituality;

2. Align yourself with the universe by thinking like God thinks and keep returning to your Source;

3. Live here and now in your mind as well as in your body by being in the Present;

4. Contemplate what you are, rather than what you want to become, meditate on what already is and keep thinking in the present not in the past or in the future;

5. Be willing to allow health, happiness, and success to flow into your life, taking personal responsibility for your actions and be willing to surrender instead of resisting, committed instead of excuses, change instead of stagnation;

6. Be passionate about everyone and everything that enters your life, showing enthusiasm;

7. Show compassion by wanting more for others than you do for yourself.

Extracted from the book, Excuses Begone! By Dr Wayne Dyer.

Who says happiness is not contagious?

A study of Personal Happiness published in the British Medical Journal in January 2009 found that:

(1) Having happy people in a person's social network can dramatically increase that person's chance of being happy.

(2) If you become happy, you increase your next-door neighbour's odds of being happy by 34%, and increase your friend's odd of being happy by 25% if that friend lives withing a mile of you.

(3) On average, every happy person in your social network increases your own chance of being happy by 9%.

(4) Having happy family or friends in your social network increases your odds of being happy too.

(5) Happiness spreads in a person's social network up to "three degrees of separation."

(6) Your happiness can affect not only your friend, but also a friends of your friend and even a friend of a friend of your friend- someone you may never even meet or hear of.

(7) The effect of catching happiness from someone else can last up to one year

(8) As the happiness and positive emotions spread throughout social networks, communities and societies, the social benefits will spread and take root in a society right along with the personal benefits.

Source: The Art of Happiness in A Troubled World by HH the Dalai Lama and Dr Howard Cutler

7 Questions and possible answers to help you make Excuses Paradigm shift:

1. Is it true? Most probably not
2. Where is it from? I allowed them
3. What's the payoff? I get to avoid risks and stay the same - get stuck
4. What would my life look like if I couldn't use the excuses? I'd be free to be myself
5. Can I create a rational reason to change? - Easily
6. Can I access universal cooperation in shedding old habits? - Yes, by simply aligning with my Source of being
7. How can I continuously reinforce this new way of being? - By being vigilant

Source: Excuses Begone! by Dr Wayne Dyer

It takes a series of small goals to produce a big Goal

We all have the capacity to achieve BIG GOALS. BUT, we must first develop our competencies for achieving SMALL ONES. Instead of focusing on a big victory, focus on small victories. Small goals are your agencies or your road maps for achieving your big goals. As the saying goes, “It takes a series of small steps to produce a big step.

There is time for everything under the sun

When something does not work out according to your plan, it does not necessarily mean your intention was wrong. It does not necessarily mean your plan was wrong, It does not necessarily mean you did anything wrong. It simply means it was not the time for the thing to happen at that critical point in your life. Remember the old saying goes, “There is time for everything under the sun.”

Train journey times in different parts of the world

Following a recent news report that a train journey from Zaria to Lagos in Nigeria now takes approximately 26 hours, I decided to carry out a quick review of train journey times in different parts of the world using information available online for the selected sample countries. The idea was to establish any developmental disparities in train journey times across the countries. The following is my finding:

Britain
From Glasgow to London - 1043 km takes approximately 5 hours 57 mins travelling at a speed of about 175 km per hour.

Holland
From Amsterdam to Rotterdam - 79.7 km takes approximately 39 mins
travelling at a speed of roughly 122.6 km per hour.

India
Mumbai to Delhi - 1384 km takes approximately 22 hours
travelling at a speed of approximately 63 km per hour.

Japan
Tokyo to Kobe - 524.3 km takes approximately 10 hours
travelling at a speed of about 52.4 km per hour.

Nigeria
From Zaria to Lagos - 848 km takes approximately 26 hours
travelling at a speed of around 32.6 km per hour.

China
From Beijing to Shanghai - 1318 km takes approximately 5 hours
travelling at a speed of approximately 263.6 km per hour.

The Eurostar International Passenger train service between London, Paris and Brussels runs at a speed of up to 300 km per hour

In China, the fastest running train can reach a top speed of 350 km per hour.

The world speed record for conventional high-speed rail built in France clocked 574.8 km per hour.

The normal running speed in 1869 for a train on the transcontinental railroad was about 48 km per hour.