It's Your Life

Genius

Truth & Lies

Let Me Help

The best of friends see a need and try to fill it.

When they spot a hurt they do what they can to heal it.

Without being asked, they pitch in and help

Lean on me, when you're not strong,

and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on,

for it won't be long,

'til I'm going to need somebody to lean on

Let Me Help..

Go For It

Some of your friends may be non conformists.

They may have unique projects and unusual hobbies.

Remember..

Everyone has dreams..

that might differs from all others

And when despair sets in and their inner fire goes out..

Be there to help rekindle the spirit

Thus support them in pursuing their interests..

Rather than urging your loved ones to conform..

It'd be better to encourage their uniqueness..

I would not be the stone that stand in your path..

But will be the wind that whispers in your ear..

Go For It, Dear Friend, Go For It!

Going Home Alone..

..The flight was well under way when I wake up and saw my seatmate watching me. I introduced myself and asks him all the normal questions that people asks kids: age, school, name and lastly if his parents are on board the plane.
Suddenly, his big blue eyes were locked on mine and his expression grew strangely stiff. Then I realized that he was trying to control his face muscles. The harder he tried to hold his chin up, the harder it quivered.

"What's wrong?", I asked. By then tears were no longer secret between us. His watery gaze unbroken, he answered my question with the rawest and most naked statement that I have ever heard 'I want my Mommy!"
The boy had said goodbye to his mother at the airport and was en route to his father who had custody of him. "I miss her so much" he quaked as he sobs. "She cried too" he said as though to justify the outpouring emotion. This explained the boy's late entry on the plane.

"This is ridiculous. I can't cry the whole trip", he said interrupting his sobs. He then told me how his mom and him had took a taxi, stayed up late, seen a movie, went to the best toy store in town and used all the money that his father had given her.
Putting on a brave face, he tried to talk of other things..but he kept coming back to the realization that the plane was carrying him farther and farther from his mom. "I just wish she was here" he kept saying. "But I can't go on crying like this", he said wiping his tears on the already wet sleeves of his sweater.

Clumsily I tried to offer him the few truths that I have learned in turbulent times: life can be really hard but you'll always feel better after you felt bad. But I didn't know how to tell him that there are no ready remedies for the sorrows of goodbyes. This child was one of the many who travel solo from one home to another, the lost luggage of parents who couldn't stand each other and now have to divide their children between them. Perhaps it's not fair of me to question the domestic arrangements of others. Yet, as I listened to the story coming from this little child, I couldn't help but wonder if the parents would have tried harder if they had seen this pain.....
*********************************

Cat feels just like the child..oo.I do miss him so much..i do..

Please Forgive Me

Many broken relationships could be restored and healed
if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness..
All of us have faults, foibles and failures.
A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong,
which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

Remember..
Anger makes you smaller..
while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven.
Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on.

Please Forgive Me..

Someone Had A Dream

The car you drive was designed and built because someone had a dream..
The highway on which you travel is there because someone had a dream..
The telephone you talk on and the worldwide network to which it is connected,
was constructed because someone had a dream..
Achievement begins with a dream..

Yet..
There are many, many dreams which whither and die without ever coming to pass..
We will never know the benefits which they could have brought..
Great accomplishments come about not only because someone dreamed of them..

But..
Also because someone believed in the dream enough..
To walk the long, hard road of making that dream a reality..

It takes a dream..
And then it takes more than a dream..
What is yours?
What are you doing about it?
Stop and think for a moment about all the great things that have been achieved..

Someone had a dream..
Someone just like you..
The world is filled with possibilities today..
Take your pick
And make it happen

I believe in you.

MAYBE YOU'RE RIGHT

In life, there will always be a time when we disagree on something..
It might be a little error.. It might be a huge mistake..
Each side will try to defend what they believe is right
Remember..
To take a deep breath
To think and try to see the other side's point of view

Maybe You are Right..
is highly effective in diffusing an argument and restoring frayed emotions.
The flip side of "maybe you're right"
is the humility of admitting that "maybe I'm wrong."...

I Thank You

Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy.

People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness.

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention

Thank you for being my friend..
Thank you for thinking about me..
Thank you for caring about me..
Thank you for everything you did for me..
You shouldn’t have done it..
But I’m so glad you did

Thank You...

Friends

Don't spend most of your time on the voices that don't count,
voices that are going too add little worth to your future.
Don't waste time on the shallow and the silly.
Tune those voices out
and tune in the voices
that are going to add something to your life.
-Jim Rohn-

Some friends have the ability to lift you up till you touch the sky..
Others only bring you down into the mud..and then laugh at your condition..
Know choose your friends wisely..

I Miss You

I miss you..

Perhaps more relationship could be salvaged and strengthened, if people could simply and sincerely said to each other, "I miss you"..whenever they miss someone..

Trying to act tough or cool would only give the impression that you did not even notice the person is not around..

On the other side, the 3 words above is telling that someone that he/she is wanted.., needed..., desired... and loved.

I miss you..

I miss you..

Yes.. I do miss you.. a lot. :)

I Understand You

People become closer and enjoy each other more..
if they feel the other person accepts and understands them.
Listen... to what the person is saying and not saying..
Do not cut in, make fun or scold the person when he/she is telling you of their hopes and dreams..
It might sound silly or foolish to you.. whereas it's a serious thing to that person..

Letting others know in so many little ways that you understand him or her is one of the most powerful tools in a relationship.

Friendship has opened a link between two hearts..
And time has given me the chance to get closer to you..

Do believe me when I say..
I understand you, I really do..

Cauliflower Love

I had imagined that our 25th wedding anniversary gala to have a large white tent decorated with flowers and with a six piece orchestra playing a romantic song. Several hundreds of guests would be mixing around. My husband and I would be exchanging diamond studded matching bracelets. He would romantically feed me a piece of the anniversary cake and then we would sway on the dance floor to the music of 'Our Love is Here to Stay'.

The reality was here we are two 47 years old adults sitting together in the backyard with party hats strapped under our chins.

25 years. There had been a time where we would have gotten a standing ovation for being married that long. Now, kids look at you as if you are a prehistoric animal.

When I read the newspaper, I found myself searching to the anniversary section, looking for people who had survived 50 to 60 years of marriage. I knew that it would be a matter of time before anyone would be able to tell us apart. Already, our ideas, our stories and our attitudes have blended to such a degree where we barely knew where one began and the other left off. Whenever he told a joke, I knew the exact moment he was going to say 'Help me with the punch line, honey'.

He was still late all the time and still left handed. He was with his cronies less, but had replaced them with other distractions such as jogging and fishing. I had cut his hair and turned 33488 pieces of his underwear right side out. He had washed my feet when I was pregnant and couldn't see them. He had also put his car seat back to it's original position 18675 times after I used the car.

We had shared toothpaste, debts, closets and relatives. We had given each other honesty and trust.

He came over to where I was seated and said, 'I got a present for you. Close your eyes.' When I opened my eyes, he was holding a cauliflower that comes packed in a pickle jar.
'I hid it from the kids'. he said, 'because I know how much you like the cauliflower.' Maybe love is as simple as this.

Enjoy the Day

There was once a man who lived in a house with the back facing a golf course.
Friends asked him why there were no windows at the back of the house.
For security, he said.
Then, he explained : How many times do you actually sit on the balcony at the back of the house and watch the greens, the monkeys and the birds.

The question hit the nail on the head.

How many times? Hardly ever. So, we blocked out the beauty that God has given us because we have no time. We are always doing things on the run. And even when we lie on the bed , the hundreds of things that we think are important to us runs in our head.

It is when you have no time left and when you are sick or dying that you wonder : Why did I not slow down...

The lucky ones are those who learn to dance slow and take time to watch kids playing on the swings, and listen to the sound of rain falling on the ground. They would never want to be filled with hate, bitterness and ill will ever, more so when they reach the age of 59, 60, 65, 70 or 80..

Choices

If you have 100 things to do, do one.

Now you only have 99 things left to do.

Don’t try to do it all. Not all of it matters anyhow.

What is important to you? Do it. There’s nothing to it but to do it.

Yesterday is a canceled check.

Tomorrow is a promissory note.

Today is cash in the bank.

Time is life.

Don’t waste it. No one has a lease on life.

The greatest gift you can give someone else is your own happiness..

Life is becoming who you are.

Life isn’t about what you get … it’s about what you give.

Give others the best you’ve got.

Shooting Star

Lawrence Woodruff: You know why I like to teach children, Jack? So I don't get so wrapped up in being an adult. So I can remember there are other things that are important in life - like riding a bike, playing in a tree house, splashing in water with your good shoes on. And you, my friend, were my most special student. And until recently, you were everything I ever wanted in a student. You were a shooting star amongst ordinary stars. Have you ever seen a shooting star, Jack?

Jack: No...

Lawrence Woodruff: It's wonderful. It passes quickly, but while it's here it just lights up the whole sky - it's the most beautiful thing you'd ever want to see. So beautiful that the other stars stop and watch. You almost never see one.

Jack: Why not?

Lawrence Woodruff: Because they're very rare. Quite rare. But I saw one. I did.

Jack: I just... want to be a regular star.

Lawrence Woodruff: Jack, you'll never be regular. You're spectacular.
*****************************

C: I just want to be a regular star too...

Friendship

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books.

I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd.' I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.
His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes . My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks. ' They really should get lives. ' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.

As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends and He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!

He just laughed and handed me half the books. ver the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous!

Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. 'Thanks,' he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends.. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.'

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.' I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.
God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for God in others.

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

There is no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Little Things in Life

Too often we don't realize

what we have until it is gone

Too often we wait too late to say

"I'm sorry... I was wrong."

Sometimes it seems we hurt the ones

we hold dearest to our hearts

And we allow foolish things to tear

Our precious lives apart

We always hurt the one we love

The one we shouldn't hurt at all

We always take the sweetest rose

And crush it till the petals fall

We always break the kindest heart

With a hasty word we can't recall

We often forget to act with right

To the one we love most of all

Too often we listen to others word

Putting away trust to our beloved

Suspicious and doubts then arise

At last we have to pay the price

Far too many times we let

Unimportant things into our minds

And then it's usually too late

To see what made us blind

So be sure that you let people know

How much they mean to you

Take that time to say the words

Before your time is through

Be sure that you appreciate

Everything you've got

And be thankful for the Little Things

In Life that mean a lot...

From A Child's Mouth

A primary school teacher asked her students to write an essay about what they would like God to do for them. At the end of the day, while marking the essays, one made her very emotional.

Her husband, who had just walked in, saw her crying and asked 'What Happened?'
The teacher read the essay that had touched her heart loudly to her husband:

'Dear God, today I would like to request something very special. Please turn me into a television set. I want to take its place. I want to have a very special place in my house and have my family around me.

I want to be taken seriously when I talk, to be the center of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions. I want to receive the same special care the TV gets when it is not working. I want to have the company of my dad when he comes home from work, even when he is tired.

And I want my mom to want me when she is sad or upset, instead of ignoring me. I want my brothers to fight to be with me. I want to feel the family leaving everything aside , every now and then, just to spend some time with me.

And last but not least, please make it that I can make them all happy and entertain them. Dear God, I don't want to ask you for much..I just want to live like a television set.'

The husband was horrified and said: 'Poor kid! What horrible parents!'
The teacher cried harder and said: 'That essay belongs to our son..'

Thank you My Friend

Thank you, friend,

for all the things that mean so much to me

For concern and understanding

You give abundantly.

Thanks for listening with your heart;

For cheering me when I'm blue;

For bringing out the best in me;

And just for being you.

Thanks for in-depth conversation

That stimulates my brain;

For silly times we laugh out loud;

For things I can't explain.

For looking past my flaws and faults;

For all the time you spend;

For all the kind things that you do,

Thank you;

thank you,

friend.

(By Joanna Fuchs)

It's A Long Way Up

Once you find what matters in your life
Keep on pushing through the darkness
Till you see the light
You're gonna find it
You're no longer behind it

Once you learn what you've been doin' wrong
You can make the change
You need to make to carry on
Now and forever
The sooner the better, just remember now . . .

It's a long way up
When you're coming from nowhere
It's a long way up
When you're coming from nowhere
You gotta fight a little harder
You gotta push a little more
You gotta gamble everything you got
To get you through the door
'Cause it's a long way up

You've been down before but that's okay
You can rest assured
That every dog will have his day
And life is a jungle
But you ain't gonna crumble, remember now . . .

It's a long way up
When you're coming from nowhere
It's a long way up
When you're coming from nowhere
You gotta fight a little harder
You gotta push a little more
You gotta gamble everything you got
To get you through the door
'Cause it's a long way up

Don't give up the dream
Hey don't you know it's dark before the dawn
When you think you just can't take it
That's when you'll make it

Decide What You Want

In the summer of 1984, a young sky diver's parachute failed to open fully. The young man fell and slammed into a dry lake at 60 miles per hour. He broke almost every bones in his body and the doctors thought that the young man could never leave the hospital bed ever. When they told him the bad news, the young man sank into a deep despair.

While lying in the bed, the young man got an unexpected visit from another patient, whose spinal cord has been severed in a bad automobile accident. The older man could never walk or life a finger again in his whole life. In spite of his condition, the older man was always cheerful.

'I certainly wouldn't recommend my condition to anyone else,' said the older man. 'I do not want anyone to pity me either. I am happy that I can still read and listen to beautiful music. I can also talk to people. There are others in much better condition than me but they do not enjoy their life.'

These words gave hope to the sky diver that he decided not to give up and quit. He focused not on what he has lost but more on what he could do with what he has left. He started thinking of what he could gain by not giving up. He concentrated on what he wanted to do and that ambition kept his attitude positive and gave him hope.

To the amazement of the doctors, in one year, the sky diver managed to walk again and without a trace of a limp.

We all have dreams for a reason. And if we decide exactly what we want in life and go after it as hard as we can, we would surely achieve our dreams. If you cannot decide, that is what makes you go around in circles.

Being Tested

At some time in our lives, we each must face despair : Loss of a job, death of a loved one, getting cancer, break up of a marriage and even unbearable financial burden. There is also a time in our lives, when we wake up , we suddenly realized that we were not the success that we have always wanted to be.

Problems just keep on piling one after another, worries added upon worries. Fear slowly began to dominate our lives. Tears flow more frequently. Sleep came less easily. We may began to wonder why God doesn't seem to care, if God is really listening. There may even be a time that you just wanted to run away or that you have thought of suicide.

This is a time which can make a person bitter or better. How do you get up when you are knocked down? How not to admit defeat when all hope seems lost? Some people, when they reach this point, they just give up. Others refused to admit defeat and keep on going trying to overcome all difficulties.

Lewis Timberlake's answer was: It's always too soon to quit. No matter how many times you stumble, no matter how many difficulties you met on your journey, remember that the only time you fail is when you fail to try again.

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you are trudging, seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

You want to smile but you have to sigh..

When care is pressing you down a bit..

Rest! if you must but never quit!

Rocky

There are times when a scene in a movie moves and leave you with an everlasting impression. One of the movies is the scene where Rocky Balbao was confronted by his son , Robert, who was against him fighting for the last time with heavyweight champion Mason Dixon.

Walking out of an Italian restaurant, Robert blamed Rocky for all his failures in life.
Much calmer than he was when he first started out as a club fighter and debt collecter in Rocky I, Rocky tried his best to understand his son. Disappointed with Robert's perception of him, Rocky taught Robert a lesson about life :

You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you that you are no good.
When things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow.
You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit.
It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
It's about how much you can take and still keep moving forward!
That is how winning is done!

Listening Well

Like most young people, I felt unsure of myself and I was afraid that people would judge me each time we met. Actually, others were also worrying about how I would judge them.

From that day on, instead of thinking that others were judging me, I now recognized the need people have to make a connection and to share something about themselves. Thus, I discovered a world of people I never would have known otherwise.

On a train going home, I began talking to a man everyone was avoiding because he was weaving and slurring his speech as if drunk. It turned out that he was recovering from a stroke.

He had been the train's engineer and long into the night he revealed to me the history beneath every mile of the railway track. As the morning sun began to show itself, he grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes. 'Thank you for listening. Most people would not bother.' Actually, he did not have to thank me. The pleasure was all mine.

Each encounter became an adventure. Each person, a new lesson in life. The wealthy, the poor, the powerful and the lonely, all were as full of dreams and doubts as I. And each had a unique story to tell, if only I had the ears to hear.

How often to allow such opportunities to pass us by. The girl who everyone thinks is stuck up, the boy with the odd clothes: those people have stories to tell, as surely as you do. And like you, they dream that someone is willing to hear.

Like people first, asks questions later. See if the light you shine on others is not reflected back on you a hundred fold.

Feeling Sorry

Fanny Crosby was born totally blind. She lived up to 95years old and all that time she has never seen the light of the day. One thing that people admire about her was her determination to be independent. At the age of 8, Fanny wrote the below poem :

Oh What a happy child am I..

Although I cannot see..

Even the face of my sweet dear mother..

Nor make out the difference between light and night,

I am determined that in this world..

Happy shall I be..

For all the blessings I enjoyed..

That other people don't.

To weep inside my heart just because I am blind..

No, That I cannot and .. that I will not!

Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Most people do not care about your troubles and the rest are just glad that you have them. When you come to that point in your life where you want to weep inside because something bad happened, say loudly to yourself: 'I cannot cry... and I will not cry!'

It is certainly easier to just give up and feel sorry for yourself. But that's it: Life is sometimes just flat tough. Stick to your dreams and go for it!

Gonna Get Better

We do what we do
To try and get us through
Our darkest days ..
A time in life that's not so bright
And there will be days when we cry
And we don't know why
You've gotta fight it
Coz..those days will pass you by

It's gonna get better
Everybody knows there's brighter days
It's gonna get better
Live your life, and take it day by day

Be positive in mind or you'll
Fall before you even try
Sometimes it takes a helping hand
To show you that life goes on
There's a brand new dawn
When you're feeling down
There's always a reason
To hold on

You gotta live your life
Cause life is for the living
And you don't know
If you'll get the chance again
You gotta find a way to hold on maybe
Faith will help you carry on
Just fight it
Take it in your stride
It's gonna be alright

It's gonna get better, pick yourself up and start again
And maybe when you find yourself alone
You'll have the time
To gather all your thoughts
And when you find
You're not so strong
You'll have the strength
To carry on
And even when you find yourself in doubt
You'll never lose sight
Of what your life's about
And when you find you're losing faith
You'll get the strength to help you
Tell yourself it's gonna get better
Just tell yourself that
It is gonna get better
It is gonna get better..

The Strategy

They say that one day, there was a blind man sitting on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read: "I am blind, please help".

A creative publicist was walking by him and stopped to observe - he only had a few coins in his hat, he dropped a few more coins in his hat and without asking for his permission took the sign, turned it around, and wrote another announcement. He placed the sign by his feet and left.

That afternoon the creative publicist returned by the blind man and noticed that his hat was full of bills and coins. The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was him who had re-written his sign and he wanted to know what did he write on it?

The publicist responded: "Nothing that was not true, I just rewrote your sign differently". He smiled and went on his way.

The blind man never knew but his new sign read: "TODAY IS SPRING AND I CANNOT SEE IT".

Change your strategy when something does not go your way and you'll see, it will probably be for the best.

Success

Success - "knowing the right people," "being in the right place at the right time," and "using the right tools" - Anthony Robbins. Your career is not everything; your life is. But then, what is life without a career or a career without a life?

1. You are always on your own. Even if you work for a big company, you will always be on your own. Companies aren't people. They're things and they don't have feelings. If you are expecting the company to "take care of you or "do the right thing", you'll be often disappointed. There are no strong bonds in a company. No one cares more about your career than you do.
Remember that, and don't expect the company to take care of you.

2. Certain jobs fit certain people best. You do have special gifts that fit you for some, disqualify you for others. Take time to assess your skills, temperament and aptitude in depth.

3. Careers are short-term. Your present job can end anytime, even if you own the company! Therefore, think short term. Don't take your present career for granted. Someone once described a consultant as a person who wakes up every morning unemployed. You should feel the same way. Wake up every morning feeling unemployed so that you'll appreciate your present job more and figure out what you're going to do next. Always have a "Plan B." (No kidding!!)

4. It's more important to be a "people person" than an "achievement-oriented person who always win at the cost of others. People skills are more important than technical skills. Even in technical jobs you have to deal with someone. The average performer who are easier to get along with last longer in his job.

5. What you accomplish today will be your calling card tomorrow. Your accomplishments will determine your marketability. In marketing yourself, it's the results that count. A soccer forward who scores in every game is easier to market than one who doesn't. So make sure you're contributing something substantial and measurable every day. And make sure you keep a written record of your results, in case you forget!

6. If you lose your job, 80% of your marketing for a new position is already done. That's right. Your reputation, results, accomplishments, people skills, contributions, friendships are all a matter of record. If you've been a contributor, if you've been kind to others and easy-to-work-with, you'll be in better demand. If not, you won't. Nobody can create friendship for you if you haven't created it for yourself.

7. Changing fields, industries, and functional specialties is difficult.
The more difficult it is, the bigger the change will be. Therefore, choose your career path carefully. As management expert Peter Drucker says, "The best way to predict the future is to plan it."

8. If you're fired or laid off, don't sue your former employer. Ask yourself why you didn't see it coming; or if you did see it coming. Ask yourself why you didn't do something about it. Figure out your part in causing the problem. Then set about creating a new, better life for yourself. There is a better life in your future.

9. Don't stay in a job you hate. Hating your job can kill you.

10. Success is difficult. If success were easy, everyone would be successful.

11. There's a special place for everyone. You can create the kind of future you want.

12. The workplace is fun and challenging. It can also be cruel and heartless. It rewards effort and planning, but tends to punish indifference and lack of preparation. Those who don't manage their careers, who just let things happen - often end up in painful, dead-end jobs and lifestyles.

13. You are in full control of your own future. No one can deny you a happy life if you decide to plan it and work for it. No one can stop you from becoming successful, but yourself.

14. It's never too late for a new beginning.

15. Align yourself with winners. Hang around with winners. Success really does rub off from others. "If you keep doing what you have always been doing, you're going to get what you've always gotten"

Just Do It

If you're mad with someone , and nobody's there to fix the situation... You fix it .
Maybe today, that person still wants to be your friend . And if you don't, tomorrow can be too late .

If you're in love with somebody , but that person doesn't know...Tell her/him.
Maybe today, that person is also in love with you .And if you don't say it, tomorrow can be too late .

If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you...Tell her/him.
Maybe that person have always loved you. And if you don't tell her/him today , tomorrow can be too late.

If you need a hug of a friend... ask her/him for it.
Maybe they need it more than you do. And if you don't ask for it today, tomorrow can be too late.

If you really have friends who you appreciate... tell them.
Maybe they appreciate you as well. That if you don't and they leave or go far away today , tomorrow can be too late.

If you love your parents, and never had the chance to show them... do it .
Maybe you have them there to show them how you feel. That if you don't and they leave today , then tomorrow can be too late.

A Walk to Remember

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.
During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, 'After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?'
The other friend replied 'When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.'

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Keep In Touch

How Does A Friendship Breaks?

Firtly, Both Friends Will Think That The Other Is Busy

And Will Not Contact One Another

Thinking It May Be Disturbing Him/Her

As Time Passes

Both Will Think : 'Let Him/Her Contact Me First'

After That, Each Will Think: 'Why Should I Make The First Move ?'

Then..The Like Will Be Converted To Resent

And Finally, Without Contact, The Memory Began To Fade..

And They Forget Each Other...

So Please Keep In Touch..

Wherever You Go..

Homesick

How many of us can leave home and stay far away from their parents when they are only 5 years old? I know I wouldn't have that kind of courage..

At 30 I thought that I was way past that stage of feeling homesick but I was wrong. Recently, I had had to relocate because of a new job and I planned to rent a room on weekdays and only rush home for a visit on weekends. Little did I anticipate the feeling of homesickness would envelop me soon.

As I cleaned the rented room and unpack my things, I had to battle with my ambivalent feelings : between happiness to begin a new chapter in my life and the sadness of leaving home. The pouring rain outside the window did nothing to soothe my feelings. When the rain finally cleared later in the evening, the smell of a neighbour coking fried mee brought thoughts of mom's cooking and immediately the sense of sadness increased. How weird it was, as I had just said goodbye to her this morning.

As night approached, I began to have second thoughts about moving to this new place. Images of dad reading the newspaper and mom watching the television played in my mind. I would just give anything at that moment to be back at home. I wish I could say that things got much better the next few days. Instead my longing for home just grew stronger. I wonder why.

This was not the first time I lived far away from home. Neither was this my first experience at being alone. But then, why did my heart feels so heavy and why did I keep counting the hours till Friday?

It was then that I realised the true meaning of homesickness. It is when we are forced to do ordinary things in an unfamiliar setting. I have still to go to work, eat, have dinner and sleep the same as I did at home. However, without the familiarsettings: Family , friends and home. This is truly homesickness..

Who Could Wish For More

Even by standards of long ago, it was a primitive place.
There were no electricity and the roads were not paved. The houses there did not have any plumbing. A dirt road heads to the mountain, while another heads down to the creek.

Lacking electricity, we went to bed early and rose each morning while dew was still on the grass. Kerosene lamps were cleaned early morning by the gossiping women and children were sent to the well or small river to get fresh water.

The best time would be in summer. Hummingbirds with tiny wings fluttering so fast were feeding from the flowers. To avoid the mid afternoon heat, the women would draw window shades and spread blankets on the floor for a nap. In the fields, the herds crowded under the shade of spreading trees. Everything seemed to stand still in the afternoon, and yet you could hear small sounds..bees buzzing, birds whistling nearby the porch. You could walk to the hen house and watch a hen perform the mystery of laying an egg.

As the sun was falling, men drifted back to their own houses hot and tired. They took their bath from the water that we, kids, had hauled up earlier from the river. Asdusk deepened, you could see fireflies flying towards the kerosene lamps, just waiting to be caught and bottled by us. As twilight changed to night, an owl's hoot can be heard from nearby. I was not afraid of owls at that time.

As the 4 of us sat on the porch 1 night, we saw a shooting star. Someone said, 'Make a wish!'I did not know what he meant at that moment. I did not know anything that I would wish for.

The Last..

Only after the last tree has been cut down

Only after the last river has been poisoned

Only after the last fish has been caught

Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten..

Regret would be just a tad too late...

Balancing A Life

Today was one of those days that a working mum would dread.

First thing in the morning, my son hurt his leg while jumping up and down on the bed. I had to cancel all my appointments and went to the doctor with a limping child. The x-rays showed that no bones broken. We stopped at a drive thru McD and I was still thinking about all those work at the office, while ordering the burgers and coke.

I passed the fries and drinks to my son, who's sitting at the back seat, and pulled into the highway. My son was yelling that he spill his drink on the seat. I tightened my left hand on the steering while trying to hand him the tissues with the right hand and looking at road all at the same time. I was so busy that I did not notice the abandoned car at the side of the road.

Suddenly the world exploded with a loud sound of tearing metal. Then everything went still. My car had turned 180 degrees and I was looking through a broken windshield towards the oncoming traffic. Crying, hurting all over my body, and mouth full of blood, I crawled out of the car and search for my son. He was thrown far out from the car. I grabbed and hug him tightly. He was conscious and shocked.

We were lucky that we came away with our lives. Another mother who had driven at 90 km per hour last winter were not so lucky. She and her 2 out of 3 children would never see tomorrow.

There is no easy answer about what a driver should do when he/she has children fighting, screaming or yelling for food when he/she is driving. There is also no answer to how a working mother can meet all the demands and pressures on her. But I do know driving and tending children at the same time can be fatal ..unless you are very very lucky.

Drive safely, you are in charge with the safe keep of those who are in your car.

The Troubles Tree

A businessman hired his old carpenter to help him restore a farmhouse.
The carpenter had a rough first day on the job. A flat tire then made him lose an hour of work and now his ancient pick up truck refused to start.

While the businessman drove him home, the carpenter sat beside him in stony silence.
On arriving, he invited the businessman in to meet his family. As they walked to the front door, the carpenter paused briefly at a small tree, touching at the tips of the branches with his fingers.

When the carpenter opens the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was all in smiles as he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

At the end of dinner, the carpenter walked the businessman to his car. They passed the small tree again and the businessman's curiosity got the best of him. He asked the carpenter about what he had seen the carpenter did earlier.

'Oh that is what I called my 'Trouble Tree', the carpenter told him. 'I know I can't help having troubles when I am working and in my life'. But one thing that I am sure of: troubles do not belong in the house with my wife and kids. So, I just hang my problems up on the tree every night when I come home. Then, in the morning, I pick them up again as i left the house.'

'Funny thing is, ' the carpenter smiled as he explains, 'when I come out in the morning to pick my troubles up, there are not nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.'

11 Lessons from Bill Gates

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

**Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

**Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

**Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

**Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

**Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

**Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

**Rule 7**: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

**Rule 8**: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

**Rule 9**: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
Do that on your own time.

**Rule 10**: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

**Rule 11**: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Shouts in Anger

Once a professor asked his students: 'Why do some people shout when in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'

The students thought for a while before one of them said 'We shout because we lose our calm.'

'But why shout when the other person is just next to you? Isn't it possible to speak with a soft voice?'

The students gave many answers but none of it satisfied the professor.

Finally, the professor explained:'When 2 people are angry with each other, their hearts became distanced. To cover that distance, they shout so that each can hear the other. The angrier they are, the louder they shout.'

Then the professor asked again 'What happens when 2 people fall in love? They do not shout but talk softly to each other. Because their hearts are too close to each other. The distance became very small'.

'What happens when they love each other even more? What happens? They do not speak. They only whisper. And in the end, finally, they do not even need to whisper. They only have to look at each other, that's all. '

So, when you argue, do not shout and let your hearts get distant. There will come a day when the distance is so great that you might not find the path back to each other.

Fail To Try

As you walk along life's path,

No matter how many times you stumble,

No matter how many obstacles you encounter,

You will realize that failure is never final

Because

the only time that you fail is

when you fail to try..

Give Your Best Shot

Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.

This is one of the earliest lessons my dad ever taught me.
He used to say this repeatedly to all of us :

"If you are not going to do it properly, then don't do it at all.
It's not a question of winning or being the No 1.
It's more about putting your heart and soul in what you are doing; making sure that you have given it your best shot."

What I Need

I thought I knew all the answers

The way My life should go

And when I say my prayers

I would tell God so..

At times, It seems like God did not listen

And I thought God did not care

But looking back at it now

It's plain to see that God has always been there...

I had prayed for strength

But I got pain instead to make me strong

I had prayed for courage

But I was given fear to overcome..

I had prayed for faith..

Until my empty heart brought me to my knees

I do not always get what I want

As God gives me only what I need

It's not as easy as it seems

And sometimes it hurts so much

Especially when nothing seems to go my way

Or when nothing seems to work

They tell me that to get better

I must go with the flow

Accepting that sometimes

The answer to a prayer is 'No'

 I had forgotten the lesson

That everytime I had a door slammed in my face

In time, a better one was opened in its place

Oh, I don't get what I want

But I get what I need....

Sometimes

Sometimes...

I do not do all the things that I should

Sometimes...

I do make a mess out of things

Sometimes..

I do get tied up with work and all my worries

But..

All the time..

I always think of you...

Moving Thoughts

Never Too Late

At the age of 19, I was in my second year of college and not sure what my major should really be. I was currently enrolled in liberal arts, not very exciting. All along I had in the back of my mind the desire to be just like the stewardess I had observed 2 years prior.

I decided to embark on the application process to the airlines. I pursued this painstaking process for 3 years and back then, there was no computers, no email, and all forms were obtained by hand typed letters and the mail service.

To my surprise I received 5 requests to be interviewed. Every airline interview I undertook I was well versed in the airline, their "stewardess" colors, their routes, etc. I made sure when presenting myself at an interview that I was dressed in their colors to look as close to being one of their own.

Letter after letter came stating "thank you but we regret to inform you the position has been filled" came to my mailbox. Year after year I continued my pursuit until I finally realized I must lack something that prevented my acceptance.

This was a devastating reality. I stopped sending out applications and pushed my deepest desire, my passion deep down inside me and went on with what life was to bring to me without the airlines. My future careers, from the age of 21 through 50, all held one common denominator; Customer Service related duties.

Whether I was a receptionist or in management, I always dealt with the public. During this time period, at the age of 31, I had my first child, a set of identical twin boys. Two years later I had my third son.

One year later I was divorced. Life was hard. I was financially devastated, overwhelmed with massive responsibilities, and three beautiful sons who made it possible for me to endure all of it. I reminded myself every morning to keep my faith in God and myself that I could be successful in anything I pursued, but the reality of my suppressed desire to fly was still ever present.

Unfortunately my responsibilities as a mother came first and not what I personally wanted to fulfill for myself. They WERE my life, and so it went on. The twins grew up, graduated from high school and left for college. 

When my third son was approaching high school graduation, in the Spring '05, I was currently unemployed from a company that did not understand compassion for their customers. It was all black and white style of business for them. I couldn't endure this cold environment anymore. In November '04, I left.

In January '05, I watched a T.V. program called "Airline" that depicted the everyday happenings of Southwest Airlines travelers. They profiled a Flight Attendant (not "Stewardess" anymore) that was a 50 year old widow, living alone since all her children were grown and had left home. She said she loved working with people and needed to get out of the house, her name was "Billy".

She said she had seen an advertisement for a Southwest Airline open house for flight attendants. She decided to attend and see what the position entailed. After going through the extensive application process, to her surprise, she was hired and sent to training.

Because of her exuberance and excitement for the job I realized that she was the same age as I was and if she could get in - so could I! And so it began again. I pursued a locally based airline so that I did not have to relocate. It took three months for this airline to have an open house in my area but I was ready to go. This open house took two hours and no matter what they said about any of the "torture" I would experience performing this job, I didn't care.

I knew from the time I decided to go the open house I was going to be a flight attendant. I knew I wouldn't fail and this was it. At the end of the open house we were told we would receive a call within the next two days, if they wanted to see us again for a second interview. I received one. One week later I was back doing the infamous "airline interview" but I wasn't nervous this time. I knew the path I had traveled through life had prepared me for this endeavor.

They once again told us we would receive a phone call within the next two days, if they had chosen us for training. My phone call came the next morning at 9 a.m. This was the end of March '05 and I was in training in Memphis, TN on April 9, 2005. Enduring a three week training program, which included a massive amount of studying, (which I hadn't done in 30 years) evacuations, testing, and watching fellow classmates being sent home one by one kept your emotions strung out so tight you felt like a rubber band ready to snap.

On top of all of this, we lived in a hotel but the special bond that was created between us all who survived this torture still lives. While in training, on April 26th, I turned the young age of 51 and on April 27th, I took my final exam - in uniform and passed. Graduation is a very special event and our bond with our trainers is embedded in our hearts forever.

They make graduation very memorable and special for every class. I am still a flight attendant and have been enjoying every minute for the past 5 years. I realize that I had made the right choice by leaving a job I hated with a passion to pursue a "last" career that would fulfill me and I could say I truly loved.

When I arrived at my home airport, my three sons and my mother were all lined up waiting for me and each one was holding a red rose. They were there to show me their enduring love and support for a woman (their mother and daughter) who took the biggest risk of her life to pursue her dream (at 50), who believed in herself strong enough to try, and to see her in uniform for the first time; the uniform she had been waiting a lifetime to wear.

A true story about the life of Denice B. - Flight Attendant, for life

Woman to Woman

Woman to woman encouragement 

Someone will always be prettier 

Someone will always be smarter. 

They will drive a better car. 

Their husband will fix more things around the house. 

So let it go, and love you and your circumstances. 

Think about it..... 

The prettiest woman in the world can have hell in her heart

The most highly favored woman on your job may not have anyone in her life 

The richest woman you know -- she's got the car, the house, the clothes - might be lonely 

So.......love yourself. 

Love who you are right now. 

Tell yourself "I am too blessed to be stressed.

Be blessed ladies and pass this on to encourage another woman. 

To the world you might be one person, but to one person you may be his/her world".