What goes around comes around

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education.
If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia.
What saved him? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said what goes around comes around.

How To Handle Rejection

On the way to reaching any worthwhile goal, chances are you will be faced with rejection. How you deal with this rejection is often the deciding factor that will determine whether or not you reach your goal.

Many people unfortunately take rejection very personally and view it as a reflection of their self worth. For example, when you apply for a job and are not successful, it is easy to start thinking things like, "I guess I’m just not good enough…"

In order to overcome the ‘rejection barrier’ and reach your most important goals, you must learn to dismiss these negative thoughts.

But of course that is easier said than done!

Today I’d like to share with you a simple idea that can help you eliminate the negative feelings often associated with rejection.

Imagine for a moment that you are facing a very large wall. In front of you are a number of bright red doors.

Behind one of these doors lies your goal. This could be your perfect job, your ideal partner etc. Your job is simply to keep opening doors until you find the right one.

Now let me ask you a question…If you were single and you knew that your perfect partner was waiting for you behind one of these doors, how much sense would it make to open one door and then say, "I’m not good enough to find someone special so I’m not going to open any more doors…"

In this simple example it’s quite clear that the act of opening doors should have absolutely no bearing on your personal self image. It is simply something you have to go through in order to find what you are looking for.

If you can adopt a similar approach to dealing with rejection in the real world, you will become unstoppable!

Achieving your dreams is a numbers game. If you have the courage and determination to knock on enough doors, you will find the right one.

Action Steps:

The next time you are faced with rejection, instead of taking it personally and criticizing yourself, think of the red doors and say out loud, "This was just a wrong door" and move on to try the next door.

The Dream Cycle

The process of transforming your dreams into reality is the same regardless of what your specific goals are. I’d like to share with you The Dream Cycle..

The Outer Circle

There are six stages in the Dream Cycle and each one of them is very important.

Stage 1: Dream
Every man-made item you see around you began as the spark of an idea in the mind of a single individual. The greatest architectural monuments, the most famous works of art, the most stirring pieces of music, the most profound works of literature – they all began as a thought…an idea…a dream.

We all have flashes of inspiration from time to time, but sadly, many people let these ideas fade away. Successful people however are different. They realise how precious these ideas truly are and they are not afraid to dream BIG dreams.

Stage 2: Plan
Imagine for a moment that you want to travel from your home to the supermarket. You get into your car, drive to the nearest intersection and flip a coin to decide which way to turn. If it’s heads you turn right, if it’s tails you turn left. At every intersection you come to you repeat this process of flipping a coin and choosing a direction. How long do you think it will take you to reach the supermarket using this navigational approach? Clearly it is unlikely that you will ever reach your destination unless you know how to get there. Unfortunately this is how many people navigate through life. They make random decisions from day-to-day and hope that somehow they will reach their destination.
In order to make your dreams a reality you must take the time to formulate a plan which will act as your ’street directory’ to guide you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow.

Stage 3: Work Hard
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that success is easy.

It isn’t.

True success in any area of life involves focused and consistent hard work. A good way to gauge your chances of achieving success is simply to count the number of hours each week that you are actively working on achieving your goal. If you don’t put in the work – you won’t get the result.

Stage 4: Achieve
The feeling of achievement that comes from working hard and transforming your dream into reality is one of the most satisfying feelings you can ever experience. This is why the Olympic Games are so popular. Elite atheletes are a great example of people who are prepared to put in the hard work necessary to achieve their dreams.

Stage 5: Celebrate
It is very important when you achieve a major goal to take the time to really enjoy and celebrate your achievement. Don’t make the mistake of trying to launch straight into your next goal. Take a break and enjoy your success. Go out with someone you love, do something you enjoy or buy yourself something special. By doing this you will reinforce the positive energy associated with achievement and be ready to move on to your next dream.

Stage 6: Give Back
The final stage of the Dream Cycle is to give something positive back to the Universe. If you’ve achieved a monetary goal, give 10% of your profits to a worthy cause.
This idea of giving back does not only relate to financial goals however. For example, if you’ve just lost 30 pounds and reached your ideal goal weight, share your knowledge and experience with others. Tell them how you achieved your goal and encourage them to pursue their own dreams.

The Inner Circle

You will see that the inner circle of the Dream Cycle contains two items:

(1) Visualise
Visualising your goal in every detail is the best way to clarify your dream. It also helps you to create your plan and keeps you motivated while you work hard to make your dream a reality.

(2) Enjoy
Don’t be afraid to really enjoy your success and achievement. Celebration and giving back to the Universe helps you create a positive mindset which in turn helps you achieve bigger and better dreams.

Action Steps:
This weekend, review your major goals and see where you are in the Dream Cycle. Ask yourself these questions:

(1) Do I have a clear plan for transforming my dream into reality?
(2) Am I putting in the regular hard work necessary to make my dream a reality?
(3) Am I visualizing my dream daily?

A Tribute to Washington Augustus Roebling

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Augustus Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular suspension bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before. Everything started with a simple sketch below.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.


"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do. Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

For more information about John Roebling please visit this link :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Roebling

A Lesson of Love !

There was once a lonely girl who longed desperately for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving song birds. She took them home and put them in a small glided cage. She nurtured them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a marvelous song. The girl felt great love for the birds. She wanted their singing to last forever.

One day the girl left the door to the cage open. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl watched anxiously as he circled high above her. She was so frightened that he would fly away and she would never see him again that as he flew close, she grasped at him wildly. She caught him in her fist. She clutched him tightly within her hand. Her heart gladdened at her success in capturing him. Suddenly she felt the bird go limp. She opened her hand stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate clutching love had killed him.

She noticed the other bird teetering on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. His need to soar into the clear, blue sky. She lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the air. The bird circled once, twice, three times.

The girl watched delighted at the bird's enjoyment. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest melody, she had ever heard.

"The fastest way to lose love is to hold on too tight, the best way to keep love is to give it -- WINGS!"

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell was a prominent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first “practical” telephone, although some believe he stole the idea from Elisha Gray. Bell’s father, grandfather, and brother were all involved with work on speech and elocution, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell’s life’s work.

Bell’s research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices. These experimentations eventually resulted in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876. Interestingly enough, Bell considered his invention an interference with his “real” work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study. Bell is also known for many other landmark inventions including his work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell:

1. Development
“A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with – a man is what he makes of himself.” You are what you make of yourself!This is why self-development is so important; you are “exactly” what you have spent your time developing into.You decide what you become. You can develop into success or failure. You can get better or worse, you decide. A man, or woman, is what they make of themselves.

2. Preparation

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Les Brown said, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, then to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Are you prepared to succeed? If the opportunity you’ve been waiting for suddenly appeared, would you be ready for it? The first step to success is to be prepared.

3. Concentration

“Concentrate all of your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” Alexander Graham Bell said, “What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.” Are you concentrating? Are you focusing all of your power on the work at hand? You’ll never know your potential if you don’t focus your power.

4. Look for Open Doors

“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” Every time a door closes another one opens, look for the open doors, look for the opportunities that are in front of you. Are you looking for opportunities? It’s hard to find an opportunity if you’re not looking for it. With every closed door there is a seed for something greater.

5. Steady Progress

“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion.” Most people want overnight success, however, those who succeed, succeed as a result of many years of steady progress. Are you making progress? Are you closer to your goal this year in comparison to last year? To succeed you have to make progress, you have to be consistent to win the race. As the quote goes, “The race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end.

For more information about Alexander Graham Bell please visit this link :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell

Dealing With Mistakes

We all make mistakes in life, however, different people deal with their mistakes in different ways. Many people try hard to avoid mistakes but in fact, mistakes can often lead to valuable learning experiences if you approach them in the right way.

Here is a simple 3 step approach for dealing with mistakes.

Step 1: Admit that you made a mistake

First admit you made a mistake to yourself. Then, if there is someone else involved, admit you made a mistake to them and apologise. The words, "I made a mistake and I’m sorry" are a great first step to resolving a conflict. Denying that you made a mistake does not solve anything and simply prolongs the negative energy associated with the situation.

Step 2: Identify the lesson that comes with your mistake

The good news is that every mistake comes with a built in lesson that can help you improve your life in the future. To find your hidden lesson ask yourself, "What can I learn from this situation?". By finding the hidden lesson within your mistake, you immediately transform the situation from a negative experience to a useful learning experience.

Step 3: Forgive yourself and let it go

All too often we dwell on our mistakes and continue to beat ourselves up over what happened. Once you have admitted your mistake and identified the lesson it carries, let go of the mistake, forgive yourself and move on. If a similar situation arises in the future, you are now better prepared to choose the right course of action.

When you make MISTAKE, don't look back at it too long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of Wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The Future is yet in your Power. Hugh White (1773-1840)

 Mistakes are a part of being human. Aprreciate your mistakes for what they are; precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake,which, at least, others can learn from. Al Franken "Oh,The things I Know", 2002



A Lovely Story - Perfect Peace !!

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest-in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.