For some people, prayer is easy and its something they look forward to. For me, being brough up with strict Christian parents, prayer was the norm in the family but it was forced in order to build dicipline.
That explains my reluctance to pray.
Now that I am married, I am free to pray as I wish. And I prefer to pray in solitude. My wife on the other hand loves to pray with music and songs praising the Lord. I dont really like that way of praying. I prefer to talk to my Creator in silence so that I can listen when he speaks.
Today, I received a small note from JesusandYou.com :
1. Preparation
Prepare your heart for prayer.
2. Find a place alone - away from outside distracting influences
If you can't find a good place in your house, go to a park or some place where there is quitness.
3. Wait quietly before the Lord
Wait until you feel his presence.
4. Play worship Music
Music is always a part of a prayer. If you can't sing, play worship music. The anointing will flow.
5. Become totally dependent on the Holy Spirit
Bury you self and depend on Holy Spirit alone.
6. Open yourself to God.
Don't hide anything. Talk to your father freely.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Quote by CEO of Verizon
Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon, on Hard Work
"My first boss - he was the building superintendent, and I was a janitor - watched me sweep floors and wash walls for almost a year before he mentioned that I could get tuition for college if I got a job with the phone company. When I asked him why he'd waited so long, he said, 'I wanted to see if you were worth it.' The message: Work hard, have high standards, and stick to your values, because somebody's always watching."
How To Save Water-Logged Electronics
By Lori Appling
You're on vacation in France. You lean over the reflecting pool in the Versailles garden, and plop! Your cellphone lands in the water.
Don't fret. You may be able to save water-logged electronics with this simple trick: Before you test your phone, camera, or PDA to see if it's all right, stick it in a bag of rice and let the rice draw the water out overnight. If the device doesn't work in the morning, the damage is done. But there's a good chance the rice will do the trick.
You're on vacation in France. You lean over the reflecting pool in the Versailles garden, and plop! Your cellphone lands in the water.
Don't fret. You may be able to save water-logged electronics with this simple trick: Before you test your phone, camera, or PDA to see if it's all right, stick it in a bag of rice and let the rice draw the water out overnight. If the device doesn't work in the morning, the damage is done. But there's a good chance the rice will do the trick.
The Six Pillars of Inner and Outer Balance
By Ineke Van Lint
Many people are building their inner balance and happiness on one single pillar. This is a dangerous situation! What's going to sustain them if for some reason the only pillar they rest upon collapses? There are six pillars that support your inner balance. If you want to live a life of inner calm and peace, don't just lean on one or two pillars, but make sure to invest in all six of them. When you are resting on six pillars and one of them crumbles, there will be no need for drama. You can still support yourself with the other five pillars while you start repairing the one that broke down.
Compare it to a table. Which one will be the most solid one: the one with only one or the one with six legs? Do you think a table resting on only one leg will be stable? Would you dare to put your cup of coffee on it? How do you dare to put your whole life then on the one and only pillar?
What are these six pillars that support inner balance? Here they are in random order:
1. Your intimate relationship. A warm, supportive, nourishing and loving relationship with that significant other, will substantially contribute to your inner balance and happiness. Be careful, however, not to bet all your money on this one pillar alone, while neglecting the others! If your happiness depends completely on your relationship, then you are taking a big risk: what will you do when your partner is gone? When that significant other leaves, dies, or loves somebody else, your entire life will collapse because you have nothing else to support you. Don't link your happiness to just one person!
2. Your job. A meaningful job where you can express your talents is a valuable source of well-being. However, what would happen if you put all of your time and energy in your job, and then some day your employer dismisses you? Your world will fall apart and you are headed for a serious depression. Does it feel like you are married to your job? It is too dangerous to entirely identify yourself with your job without paying attention to the other pillars. You are much more than your business card!
3. Your children. God knows it's a wonderful gift to have children. I have four of them myself and every day I thank the Universe for choosing me as their mother. But what happens if you focus too much on your children? A parent who lives only for his children will suffocate them. He puts too much pressure on the child, which then feels obliged to live up to the parent's expectations. The child may feel solely responsible for fulfilling the need for love and affection of the parent. This is a burden too heavy for any child to bear, and it jeopardizes the child's free development and individuality. One day the children will leave to start their own life somewhere else. If your children are your only pillar of happiness, then your whole world will fall apart. What's left is emptiness, depression, dependency, and trying to make the grown-up children feel guilty for not caring enough about their parents. Don't take your kids hostage. They are entitled to a life of their own.
4. Your house and material possessions. Creating and enjoying a beautiful house brings a lot of pleasure into your life, but what are the dangers of making property your most important life goal? When it's all about having, buying and possessing "stuff," the only guarantee you have is that of dissatisfaction. You don't know how much stuff you need to possess before you will find peace, and therefore you will never find it. There is no end to "having." As long as you are convinced you need to have things in order to be happy, you will be restless and a slave of your own attitude. Being rich is okay, of course, but it should not be a goal in itself, otherwise you are doomed to be unhappy, always waiting until you possess another car, another house, more money, more stuff.... Not a good recipe for happiness!
5. Meditation. Meditation is good, you say! Of course it is! But what if all you do is meditate, and hope everything will be fine? You will not get much satisfaction or happiness that way. You will feel useless and restless. Your body needs action, and your energy needs a goal to strive for, so that it can flow through your veins and direct your life. Meditation will only get you nowhere. There's more to life!
6. Your friends. Good friends are essential. They are the pepper and salt that give taste to life. They share your experiences and make them worth living. They give you feedback and back you up when you need help. But what if you need to share everything with them? They have their own life, their own experiences to live. Relying on friends for every single thing you do is a ticket for disaster. You need to be able to sometimes do things by yourself. If your friends leave you or break up with you, and they are everything your life is built upon, then your world will fall apart.
I think you are getting my point: every pillar is good and a valid source of energy and happiness, but it's dangerous to rely too heavily on only one of them. Leaning on your relationship too much makes you dependent on the other. Identifying with your job too much transforms you into a workaholic. Chasing after material possessions makes you a materialist. Relying on your kids too much suffocates them. Thinking meditation will fulfill all your needs makes you an isolated stranger. Relying on your friends too much makes you a needy person, always turning to somebody else for rescue.
You will however find inner balance in the combination of all these aspects. Every one of them can be a source of happiness, as long as you enjoy each of them with moderation.
Do you have kids? Wonderful! But don't forget to also invest some time in your relationship, your work, your friends, your house and your inner silence.
You have a good job? Great, but do take time to play with your kids, to spend some romantic time with your partner, to go out and have fun with your friends, to take care of your house and to meditate.
You are a meditation freak? Don't forget to clean the house, to help the kids with school, to do your job, to meet your friends and to listen to your partner when he comes back from work.
You invest a lot of time and energy in your house and other material possessions? Fine! Just don't forget to spend some time with your children, your partner, your friends, enjoy your work and meditate!
You are committed to freedom and friends? Ok, no problem! Now balance your life by taking some time to experience the inner silence, to play with your kids (or somebody else's), to invest in a particular loving relationship (even if it scares you), to take care of your house and possessions and to excel at your job.
You love someone and that person loves you back? Great! Now don't forget about your friends, your job, your children (or someone else's), your house and your inner silence, if you want this relationship to last!
Imagine a peace temple, built on six pillars. If your personal peace temple is supported by one pillar only, then surely the first tornado that comes along will bring it all down! Too dangerous! The stability of your temple depends on the support of all six pillars. If one of the pillars is temporarily out of service, nothing catastrophic will happen because you still have the five other pillars to carry you on.
If you lose your job, but you still have five other solid pillars to hold you up, you will find the strength to find a new job. Your children are leaving the house? No panic! You still have five other pillars to support your temple! One of your friends has let you down? Your significant other has left you? You have to leave your house? You will be able to handle all of this, if you can revert to other pillars that continue to support you.
Don't build your happiness on one pillar, but invest in the solid combination of all six of them. Everybody knows about the importance of a balanced diet, as well as the danger of an overdose! In the same way, your inner peace depends on your ability to find the right balance between the six pillars.
About the Author:
Written by Ineke Van Lint, psychologist. My goal is to help you achieve success and happiness. Accomplish your mission on earth and love yourself. Two free e-courses at http://www.theenthusiasm.com
Many people are building their inner balance and happiness on one single pillar. This is a dangerous situation! What's going to sustain them if for some reason the only pillar they rest upon collapses? There are six pillars that support your inner balance. If you want to live a life of inner calm and peace, don't just lean on one or two pillars, but make sure to invest in all six of them. When you are resting on six pillars and one of them crumbles, there will be no need for drama. You can still support yourself with the other five pillars while you start repairing the one that broke down.
Compare it to a table. Which one will be the most solid one: the one with only one or the one with six legs? Do you think a table resting on only one leg will be stable? Would you dare to put your cup of coffee on it? How do you dare to put your whole life then on the one and only pillar?
What are these six pillars that support inner balance? Here they are in random order:
1. Your intimate relationship. A warm, supportive, nourishing and loving relationship with that significant other, will substantially contribute to your inner balance and happiness. Be careful, however, not to bet all your money on this one pillar alone, while neglecting the others! If your happiness depends completely on your relationship, then you are taking a big risk: what will you do when your partner is gone? When that significant other leaves, dies, or loves somebody else, your entire life will collapse because you have nothing else to support you. Don't link your happiness to just one person!
2. Your job. A meaningful job where you can express your talents is a valuable source of well-being. However, what would happen if you put all of your time and energy in your job, and then some day your employer dismisses you? Your world will fall apart and you are headed for a serious depression. Does it feel like you are married to your job? It is too dangerous to entirely identify yourself with your job without paying attention to the other pillars. You are much more than your business card!
3. Your children. God knows it's a wonderful gift to have children. I have four of them myself and every day I thank the Universe for choosing me as their mother. But what happens if you focus too much on your children? A parent who lives only for his children will suffocate them. He puts too much pressure on the child, which then feels obliged to live up to the parent's expectations. The child may feel solely responsible for fulfilling the need for love and affection of the parent. This is a burden too heavy for any child to bear, and it jeopardizes the child's free development and individuality. One day the children will leave to start their own life somewhere else. If your children are your only pillar of happiness, then your whole world will fall apart. What's left is emptiness, depression, dependency, and trying to make the grown-up children feel guilty for not caring enough about their parents. Don't take your kids hostage. They are entitled to a life of their own.
4. Your house and material possessions. Creating and enjoying a beautiful house brings a lot of pleasure into your life, but what are the dangers of making property your most important life goal? When it's all about having, buying and possessing "stuff," the only guarantee you have is that of dissatisfaction. You don't know how much stuff you need to possess before you will find peace, and therefore you will never find it. There is no end to "having." As long as you are convinced you need to have things in order to be happy, you will be restless and a slave of your own attitude. Being rich is okay, of course, but it should not be a goal in itself, otherwise you are doomed to be unhappy, always waiting until you possess another car, another house, more money, more stuff.... Not a good recipe for happiness!
5. Meditation. Meditation is good, you say! Of course it is! But what if all you do is meditate, and hope everything will be fine? You will not get much satisfaction or happiness that way. You will feel useless and restless. Your body needs action, and your energy needs a goal to strive for, so that it can flow through your veins and direct your life. Meditation will only get you nowhere. There's more to life!
6. Your friends. Good friends are essential. They are the pepper and salt that give taste to life. They share your experiences and make them worth living. They give you feedback and back you up when you need help. But what if you need to share everything with them? They have their own life, their own experiences to live. Relying on friends for every single thing you do is a ticket for disaster. You need to be able to sometimes do things by yourself. If your friends leave you or break up with you, and they are everything your life is built upon, then your world will fall apart.
I think you are getting my point: every pillar is good and a valid source of energy and happiness, but it's dangerous to rely too heavily on only one of them. Leaning on your relationship too much makes you dependent on the other. Identifying with your job too much transforms you into a workaholic. Chasing after material possessions makes you a materialist. Relying on your kids too much suffocates them. Thinking meditation will fulfill all your needs makes you an isolated stranger. Relying on your friends too much makes you a needy person, always turning to somebody else for rescue.
You will however find inner balance in the combination of all these aspects. Every one of them can be a source of happiness, as long as you enjoy each of them with moderation.
Do you have kids? Wonderful! But don't forget to also invest some time in your relationship, your work, your friends, your house and your inner silence.
You have a good job? Great, but do take time to play with your kids, to spend some romantic time with your partner, to go out and have fun with your friends, to take care of your house and to meditate.
You are a meditation freak? Don't forget to clean the house, to help the kids with school, to do your job, to meet your friends and to listen to your partner when he comes back from work.
You invest a lot of time and energy in your house and other material possessions? Fine! Just don't forget to spend some time with your children, your partner, your friends, enjoy your work and meditate!
You are committed to freedom and friends? Ok, no problem! Now balance your life by taking some time to experience the inner silence, to play with your kids (or somebody else's), to invest in a particular loving relationship (even if it scares you), to take care of your house and possessions and to excel at your job.
You love someone and that person loves you back? Great! Now don't forget about your friends, your job, your children (or someone else's), your house and your inner silence, if you want this relationship to last!
Imagine a peace temple, built on six pillars. If your personal peace temple is supported by one pillar only, then surely the first tornado that comes along will bring it all down! Too dangerous! The stability of your temple depends on the support of all six pillars. If one of the pillars is temporarily out of service, nothing catastrophic will happen because you still have the five other pillars to carry you on.
If you lose your job, but you still have five other solid pillars to hold you up, you will find the strength to find a new job. Your children are leaving the house? No panic! You still have five other pillars to support your temple! One of your friends has let you down? Your significant other has left you? You have to leave your house? You will be able to handle all of this, if you can revert to other pillars that continue to support you.
Don't build your happiness on one pillar, but invest in the solid combination of all six of them. Everybody knows about the importance of a balanced diet, as well as the danger of an overdose! In the same way, your inner peace depends on your ability to find the right balance between the six pillars.
About the Author:
Written by Ineke Van Lint, psychologist. My goal is to help you achieve success and happiness. Accomplish your mission on earth and love yourself. Two free e-courses at http://www.theenthusiasm.com
Monday, September 04, 2006
How Malaysians & British Speak English.
WHEN GIVING A CUSTOMER BAD NEWS
Britons: I'm sorry, Sir, but we don't seem to have the sweater in your size
but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.
Malaysians: No Stock.
RETURNING A CALL
Britons: Hello, this is John Smith. Did anyone page for me a few moments
ago?
Malaysians: Hello, who page?
ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE WAY
Britons: Excuse me, I'd like to get by. Would you please make way?
Malaysians: S-kew me
WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO PAY
Britons: Hey, put your wallet away, this drink is on me.
Malaysians:No-need, lah.
WHEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Britons: Excuse me, but do you think it would be possible for me to enter
through this door?
Malaysians: (pointing the door) can ar?
WHEN ENTERTAINING
Britons: Please make yourself right at home.
Malaysians: Don't be shy, lah!
WHEN DOUBTING SOMEONE
Britons: I don't recall you giving me the money.
Malaysians: Where got?
WHEN DECLINING AN OFFER
Britons: I'd prefer not to do that, if you don't mind.
Malaysians: Don't want la...
IN DISAGREEING ON A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Britons: Err. Tom, I have to stop you there. I understand where you're
coming from, but I really have to disagree with what you said about the
issue.
Malaysians: You mad, ah?
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE TO LOWER THEIR VOICE
Britons: Excuse me, but could you please lower your voice, I'm trying to
concentrate over here.
Malaysians: Shut up lah!
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF HE/SHE KNOWS YOU
Britons: Excuse me, but I noticed you staring at me for some time ... Do I
know you?
Malaysians: See what, see what?
WHEN ASSESSING A TIGHT SITUATION
Britons: We seem to be in a bit of a predicament at the moment.
Malaysians: Die-lah!!
WHEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
Britons: Will someone tell me what has just happened?
Malaysians: Wat happen Why like that....
WHEN SOMEONE DID SOMETHING WRONG
Britons: This isn't the way to do it ... here let me show you
Malaysians: like that also don't know how to do!!!!
WHEN ONE IS ANGRY
Britons: Would you mind not disturbing me
Malaysians:Celaka u
Britons: I'm sorry, Sir, but we don't seem to have the sweater in your size
but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.
Malaysians: No Stock.
RETURNING A CALL
Britons: Hello, this is John Smith. Did anyone page for me a few moments
ago?
Malaysians: Hello, who page?
ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE WAY
Britons: Excuse me, I'd like to get by. Would you please make way?
Malaysians: S-kew me
WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO PAY
Britons: Hey, put your wallet away, this drink is on me.
Malaysians:No-need, lah.
WHEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Britons: Excuse me, but do you think it would be possible for me to enter
through this door?
Malaysians: (pointing the door) can ar?
WHEN ENTERTAINING
Britons: Please make yourself right at home.
Malaysians: Don't be shy, lah!
WHEN DOUBTING SOMEONE
Britons: I don't recall you giving me the money.
Malaysians: Where got?
WHEN DECLINING AN OFFER
Britons: I'd prefer not to do that, if you don't mind.
Malaysians: Don't want la...
IN DISAGREEING ON A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Britons: Err. Tom, I have to stop you there. I understand where you're
coming from, but I really have to disagree with what you said about the
issue.
Malaysians: You mad, ah?
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE TO LOWER THEIR VOICE
Britons: Excuse me, but could you please lower your voice, I'm trying to
concentrate over here.
Malaysians: Shut up lah!
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF HE/SHE KNOWS YOU
Britons: Excuse me, but I noticed you staring at me for some time ... Do I
know you?
Malaysians: See what, see what?
WHEN ASSESSING A TIGHT SITUATION
Britons: We seem to be in a bit of a predicament at the moment.
Malaysians: Die-lah!!
WHEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
Britons: Will someone tell me what has just happened?
Malaysians: Wat happen Why like that....
WHEN SOMEONE DID SOMETHING WRONG
Britons: This isn't the way to do it ... here let me show you
Malaysians: like that also don't know how to do!!!!
WHEN ONE IS ANGRY
Britons: Would you mind not disturbing me
Malaysians:Celaka u
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Seven Things That Jesus Taught
Jesus always stopped what He was doing to help those in need. He was constantly thronged by people, but He always found time to stop what He was doing at the moment. This is hard for us to do because we are so busy, but it is a lesson we must learn if we are really going to show people we care about them.
Jesus always acknowledged the person he was helping. He cared enough to do this. This is a type of how God cares about each of our needs no matter how small when we pray to Him. We must learn to acknowledge others who are hurting and in need of our help so we may be a good example as ambassadors of God's love.
Listen to the person who needs help. You won't get very far if you have preconceived ideas about what they need without listening. You will miss the mark of what they really need unless you care enough to listen. This was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn as a hospital chaplain---to listen and care and love that person I am talking to. I am still learning it.
Look for needs, voiced and unvoiced. The need the person is bringing to your attention may not be the need that really is driving them. We must care enough to look beyond the obvious as Jesus did in His ministry. Sometimes the person He was helping needed more faith beyond what they already had, but He loved them enough to help them with all of their needs, not just the most apparent ones.
Care enough, love that person enough to do something about the need presented. Even if you can't do anything personally, you can help them toward a solution. God does not expect us to meet every need in the world, but He expects us to help those He sends our way.
In Luke 8:41-56 Jesus was on the way to help Jairus' need of healing for His daughter. But He encountered another need along the way and helped both the woman and Jairus toward greater faith as a result. The point is that distractions are not always to be considered bad. They seem like a nuisance sometimes but it could be that God has a reason for that distraction to happen. We must be close to Him so we can see His hand in these types of situations.
Give God the glory for what you do. In John 7:14-18 Jesus admonishes us to do just that. There are other passages of Scripture that teach this also. If you notice the ministry of Jesus, He always gave His Father the glory for what He did. We must learn from this so we can be good examples of Christ's love.
Further study: Matt. 10:8: Mark 9:23: Mark 16:17-18. These are a challenge for us to use the tools God has given us so we may be instruments of love and caring in His hands. Now let's get going and look for needs as we go about our daily lives to show the Love God has for others. God loves you, but pass it on also.
"And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34)
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Puma's 3 Keys to Success
By Michael Masterson
I saw a short interview with Jay Piccola, the president of athletic-wear giant Puma. He's a very interesting guy. He comes from a family of doctors - a 400-year tradition. When he joined Puma, the company was technically bankrupt. He said the problem was that it was run like a bureaucracy, with all the ideas and directives coming from the top. "Besides that, there was this idea that Puma was a German company and that the rest of the world should be happy to buy whatever German products it decided to create."
Piccola changed the business dramatically. First, he changed its nature from a German, inwardly focused company to an international, market-focused business. Next, he gave Puma a vision. They would reinvent their brand, combining sports (which had until then been primarily a functional idea) with fashion and lifestyle.
It worked very well - but that's not what Piccola attributes his company's success to. He gives credit to three factors - three very good business practices:
1. Giving his employees a great deal of liberty in design and marketing
Giving your employees the authority to make lots of decisions is essential if you want your business to grow big. Most managers are comfortable letting their subordinates make the ordinary, quotidian decisions but reluctant to allow them equal freedom in the creative and marketing spheres. That's a mistake, because product creation and marketing are the keys to growth.
Unless your employees can practice making good decisions in these key areas, your business will always be dependent on you for growth. That may feed your ego in the short term, but after a while you'll get tired of having to come up with all the answers, and sales will suffer because of it.
2. Listening to the market rather than dictating to it
Deciding what the market needs may be the most common and most deadly mistake entrepreneurs make. It's interesting that, according to Piccola, this was also a problem with Puma.
When you are new to a market, you are seeing it from the outside. Coming at it with fresh eyes, you may see a product gap that you want to fill. Usually, you will get very excited about your idea, because "nobody else is doing it right now." So you do everything you can to protect the idea. Later, when you launch your advertising campaign, it flops. So you try again. And again. A million dollars later, you are broke ... and you still haven't figured out what went wrong. It was because you never asked, "Why isn't someone already doing this?"
In Puma's case, the company was sturdily positioned in its market. But the executives who were running it insisted on sticking to the old marketing and design formulas because "they had always worked before." Yet market conditions change over time. The essential human personality doesn't change ... but the market does. To keep an existing business at a competitive advantage, you must be aware of what your competitors are doing and pay extra attention to the new businesses that are growing fast. Once a year, you should sit down with your creative team and ask, "What has changed? What is the same?"
3. Pushing the company forward on a Ready-Fire-Aim basis
Piccola doesn't believe in getting everything perfect before he launches a product. He understands something that all experienced businesspeople eventually learn: You can never get it completely right when you are starting out. There will always be after-market modifications. Trying to "do it right the first time" can slow your business down.
Be happy when you have 75 to 80 percent right ... and then test the idea in the marketplace. When it comes to staying ahead of the competition, speed is critical.
Do You Have an Hour to Become the Person You Want to Be? – By Amy Potavin
Did you know that, according to Michael Sky, "the real challenge (in life) is to choose, hold, and operate through intelligent, uplifting, and fully empowering beliefs"? Well, I believe him. Recognizing and believing in your own abilities is the core of self-image, and self-esteem.
The greatest hindrance to recognizing and developing your natural tendencies into talents and skills is fear: fear of uncertainty; fear of moving beyond your comfort zone; fear of disapproval; fear of loss; and, of course, self-doubt. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that these fears are counterproductive, self-destructive, and limit your ability to live a rich and rewarding life. So how do you move beyond fear to action? How do you face the fear and REFUSE to allow it to rule your life choices?
The answer lies in simply taking small steps and making daily, conscious choices to create new habits. Here is a guide that will show you how to assess your hidden talents, and set you on a path to purposeful living, in less than and hour!
To begin, you will need to get a journal or new notebook. This will be your "Life Lessons Workbook." Your first lesson will to determine what natural abilities you currently possess. To do so, create an "Activities List" by asking yourself these basic questions and writing down your answers in your Workbook.
1) What is your life's passion? (What have you always wanted to do?)
2) What activities make you happy and bring you joy?
3) What talents would you like to develop?
4) What things were you good at as a child?
Do not agonize over these questions. You should write down what immediately comes to mind, and you should not spend more than 10 minutes answering the questions.
Next, evaluate your Activities List. What talents and skills were needed (or will be needed) to engage in activities? As a child, did you need to be energetic, fearless, competitive, or creative to participate in the sports you liked or the clubs you belonged to? Are you now required to be a good communicator, fair, and nurturing to manage your own household and settle sibling disputes?
Are you the office problem-solver and decision maker? Are you ambitious and confident as the leader of your PTA? Have you adapted to change easily by moving? Do your neighbors see you as the fun-loving social coordinator?
During your evaluation, create an "Abilities List" on the next page. Create the list by answering the questions outlined above, and any others you believe are appropriate. Write down your answers, and don't be surprised when the list grows longer than you thought possible!
Now, your second lesson is a simple exercise: look at that growing list of abilities. Beside each item, write the sentence, "I AM (fill in the ability here.)" For example, if you have "problem-solver" on your Abilities List; write the sentence, "I AM a problem-solver."
You are probably asking yourself, why am I doing this? The reason is that the simple statement of "I AM" sets forth your intentions and your beliefs. It declares to yourself, your peers, your friends, your family, and the universe your self-image, and it allows you to OWN the abilities you have listed.
Once you own those abilities, you are then able to move beyond your fear. (Why be afraid when you KNOW you are dedicated, fun-loving, creative, and a good communicator?) You are able to look toward the highest vision of your greatest aspiration rather than sabotaging yourself with self-doubt and fear of failure.
The next lesson in this process is to create your "Personal Priorities List." To do so, you must again ask yourself some basic questions.
1) What are your current priorities? Is your family most important? Are you currently committed to advancing your career?
2) What do you most value about yourself and your life? Is honesty and integrity most important to you? Are you more motivated by status and prestige? Is it your spirituality, or your relationships?
3) Who do you most admire and why? What values guide their behavior? Do you agree? Do you want the same outcomes in your life that they have had theirs?
You should not spend more than 10 minutes answering these questions. The key here is to work with your first, true response. This response is usually an authentic response; a response from the person you truly are.
It is important to follow your authentic self, your authentic responses, because these are your true values, beliefs, priorities, and guiding principles. By knowing what they are, you have created a road map for your future. These keystones serve as the benchmarks of your future success and the beacons of your life's journey.
Your final lesson is to assess your current lifestyle. Are you using your abilities and talents to achieve your Personal Priorities? Ask yourself these questions to find out. Again, do not agonize over these questions. You should write down what immediately comes to mind, and you should not spend more than 10 minutes answering the questions.
1) Are you devoting your energies to your priorities, values, and guiding principles?
2) Where is realignment needed?
3) What skills need to be re-learned, improved, or attained to fully achieve realignment?
Again, write down these answers in your Workbook. This will now become your Life Lessons Workbook, your tool to document your current status and will serve to gauge your future progress.
Now, when you have completed this exercise, if you are like 99% of the world's population, you WILL find discrepancies between where you are now, and where you want to be. You WILL find inconsistencies between what you value and what you believe are priorities in your life, and where you are devoting your energy.
This is natural and normal. Each one of us is growing, learning, and changing every day. The question to ask yourself is whether you want to grow, learn, and change with direction. Or do you want to be ruled by the sea of society? Do you want to own the purpose for your life's journey? Or do you want to be a passenger who is along for the ride and does not know your destination?
If you want to own your own direction and take control of your life's course, then you simply need to continue working your Workbook lessons.
Go back to your Final Lesson. What discrepancies and inconsistencies did you find? Are there abilities that you need to develop, improve, or re-learn? Developing your natural abilities into talents can be as easy as trying out something new every month.
Each activity you undertake should be one that is aligned with your values, beliefs, priorities, and guiding principles. You should document each new activity in your Life Lessons Workbook, taking special note of the abilities that you are seeking to attain, improve, or re-learn. For example:
* To develop your communication and networking abilities, join your local Rotary or Toastmasters Club.
* To develop your nurturing and commitment abilities, join the local YM(W)CA or Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association.
* To develop your abilities to focus your energy and attention, learn karate, tai chi, or yoga.
* To develop your creative abilities, try your hand at painting, writing, or gardening.
* To develop your organizational abilities, choose a section of your office or your home each week to de-clutter and organize.
* To develop your time-management abilities, create a COMPLETE (business and personal) daily, weekly, and monthly schedule and ensure that you schedule time for self-development.
By working your Life Lessons, you will find that each time you complete this exercise, there will be less distance between where you are, and where you want to be. There will be less discrepancy between the person you are, and the PERSON YOU KNOW YOU CAN BE.
If you are faithful to your own Life Lessons and you consciously make choices aligned with your values, beliefs, priorities, and guiding principles, you will begin to live fully and purposefully. You will find talents and skills that you never knew you had, and you will be able to use those talents to succeed both professionally and personally.
© Copyright 2006 Amy M. Potavin
About the Author:
Ms. Potavin assists managers, executives, and entrepreneurs as a Professional Business and Life Coach to gain success through coaching, management consulting, e-learning, and on-site training. Her business provides the means to allow you to discover, unlock, and harness your hidden talents, inspiring you to live fully AND purposefully, and allow yourself to BELIEVE in your abilities and SUCCEED in your professional and personal life.
God's Quotes
May out motto be: To look up and not down, To look forward and not back, To look out and not in, and To lend a hand.
Hold on to your dreams; achieve them diligently and honestly. Never take the easy way or surrender to deceit. Remember others on your way and take time to care for their needs. Enjoy the beauty around you. Have the courage to see things differently and clearly. Make the world a better place one day at a time, and don't let go of the important things that give meaning to your life.
If we have God in all things while they are ours, we shall have all things in God when they are taken away.
Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.
There are times when God asks nothing of His children except silence, patience, and tears.
I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.
I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.
You are what your deep driving desire is; As your deep driving desire is, so is your will; As your will is so is your deed; As your deed is so is your destiny.
Hold on to your dreams; achieve them diligently and honestly. Never take the easy way or surrender to deceit. Remember others on your way and take time to care for their needs. Enjoy the beauty around you. Have the courage to see things differently and clearly. Make the world a better place one day at a time, and don't let go of the important things that give meaning to your life.
If we have God in all things while they are ours, we shall have all things in God when they are taken away.
Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.
There are times when God asks nothing of His children except silence, patience, and tears.
I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.
I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.
You are what your deep driving desire is; As your deep driving desire is, so is your will; As your will is so is your deed; As your deed is so is your destiny.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Joke - Waking Up for Church
One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church, to which he replied, "I'm not going."
"Why not?" she asked."I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "One, they don't like me, and two, I don't like them."
His mother replied, "I'll give YOU two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church. One, you're 54 years old, and two, you're the pastor!"
"Why not?" she asked."I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "One, they don't like me, and two, I don't like them."
His mother replied, "I'll give YOU two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church. One, you're 54 years old, and two, you're the pastor!"
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Joke : Tech Support Horror Stories
Here are some "real-life" stories...
A woman called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer.
The tech asked her if she was "running it under Windows."
The woman responded, "No, my desk is next to the door. But that's a good point. The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his is working fine."
**********
Tech Support: "OK Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter 'P' to bring up the Program Manager."
Customer: "I don't have a 'P'."
Tech Support: "On your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "What do you mean?"
Tech Support: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "I'm not going to do that!"
**********
**********
Overheard in a computer shop:
Customer: "I'd like a mouse mat, please."
Salesperson: "Certainly sir, we've got a large variety."
Customer: "But will they be compatible with my computer?"
**********
I once received a fax with a note on the bottom to fax the document back to the sender when I was finished with it, because he needed to keep it.
**********
Customer in computer shop: "Can you copy the Internet onto this disk for me?"
**********
I work for a local ISP. Frequently we receive phone calls that start something like this:
Customer: "Hi. Is this the Internet?"
**********
Customer: "So that'll get me connected to the Internet, right?"
Tech Support: "Yeah."
Customer: "And that's the latest version of the Internet, right?"
Tech Support: "Uhh...uh...uh...yeah."
**********
Tech Support: "All right...now double-click on the File Manager icon."
Customer: "That's why I hate this Windows - because of the icons - I'm a Protestant, and I don't believe in icons."
Tech Support: "Well, that's just an industry term sir. I don't believe it was meant to-"
Customer: "I don't care about any 'Industry Terms'. I don't believe in icons."
Tech Support: "Well...why don't you click on the 'little picture' of a filing cabinet...is 'little picture' OK?"
Customer: [click]
**********
Customer: "My computer crashed!" Tech Support: "It crashed?"
Customer: "Yeah, it won't let me play my game."
Tech Support: "All right, hit Control-Alt-Delete to reboot."
Customer: "No, it didn't crash-it crashed."
Tech Support: "Huh?"
Customer: "I crashed my game. That's what I said before. I crashed my spaceship and now it doesn't work."
Tech Support: "Click on 'File,' then 'New Game.'"
Customer: [pause] "Wow! How'd you learn how to do that?"
**********
Got a call from a woman said that her laser printer was having problems: the bottom half of her printed sheets were coming out blurry. It seemed strange that the printer was smearing only the bottom half.
I walked her through the basics, then went over and printed out a test sheet. It printed fine. I asked her to print a sheet, so she sent a job to the printer.
As the paper started coming out, she yanked it out and showed it to me. I told her to wait until the paper came out on its own.
Problem solved.
**********
I had been doing Tech Support for Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet division for about a month when I had a customer call with a problem I just couldn't solve. She could not print yellow. All the other colors would print fine, which truly baffled me because the only true colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. For instance, green is a combination of cyan and yellow, but green printed fine. Every color of the rainbow printed fine except for yellow.
I had the customer change ink cartridges. I had the customer delete and reinstall the drivers.
Nothing worked. I asked my coworkers for help; they offered no new ideas. After over two hours of troubleshooting, I was about to tell the customer to send the printer in to us for repair when she asked quietly, "Should I try printing on a piece of white paper instead of this yellow paper?"
**********
A man attempting to set up his new printer called the printer's tech support number, complaining about the error message: "Can't find the printer."
On the phone, the man said he even held the printer up in front of the screen, but the computer still couldn't find it.
**********
And another user was all confused about why the cursor always moved in the opposite direction from the movement of the mouse. She also complained that the buttons were difficult to depress.
She was very embarrassed when we asked her to rotate the mouse so the tail pointed away from her.
**********
Customer: "Hello? I'm trying to dial in. I installed the software okay, and it dialed fine. I could hear that. Then I could hear the two computers connecting. But then the sound all stopped, so I picked up the phone to see if they were still connected, and I got the message, 'No carrier,' on my screen.
What's wrong?"
**********
An unfailingly polite lady called to ask for help with a Windows installation that had gone terribly wrong.
Customer: "I brought my Windows disks from work to install them on my home computer."
Training stresses that we are "not the Software Police," so I let the little act of piracy slide.
Tech Support: "Umm-hmm. What happened?"
Customer: "As I put each disk in it turns out they weren't initialized."
Tech Support: "Do you remember the message exactly, ma'am?"
Customer: (proudly) "I wrote it down. 'This is not a Macintosh disk. Would you like to initialize it?'"
Tech Support: "Er, what happened next?"
Customer: "After they were initialized, all the disks appeared to be blank. And now I brought them back to work, and I can't read them in the A: drive; the PC wants to format them. And this is our only set of Windows disks for the whole office. Did I do something wrong?"
**********
For a computer programming class, I sat directly across from someone, and our computers were facing away from each other. A few minutes into the class, she got up to leave the room.
I reached between our computers and switched the inputs for the keyboards. She came back and started typing and immediately got a distressed look on her face. She called the tutor over and explained that no matter what she typed, nothing would happen.
The tutor tried everything. By this time I was hiding behind my monitor and quaking red-faced. I typed, "Leave me alone!"
They both jumped back as this appeared on their screen. "What the..." the tutor said. I typed, "I said leave me alone!"
The kid got real upset. "I didn't do anything to it, I swear!" It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud.
The conversation between them and HAL 2000 went on for an amazing five minutes.
Me: "Don't touch me!"
Her: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit your keys that hard."
Me: "Who do you think you are anyway?!"
Etc. Finally, I couldn't contain myself any longer, and fell out of my chair laughing. After they had realized what I had done, they both turned beet red. Funny, I never got more than a C- in that class.
**********
This guy calls in to complain that he gets an "Access Denied" message every time he logs in. It turned out he was typing his username and password in capital letters.
Tech Support: "Ok, let's try once more, but use lower case letters."
Customer: "Uh, I only have capital letters on my keyboard."
**********
Email from a friend: "CanYouFixTheSpaceBarOnMyKeyboard?"
**********
My friend was on duty in the main lab on a quiet afternoon. He noticed a young woman sitting in front of one of the workstations with her arms crossed across her chest, staring at the screen.
After about 15 minutes he noticed that she was still in the same position, only now she was impatiently tapping her foot.
He asked if she needed help and she replied "It's about time! I pressed the F1 button over twenty minutes ago!"
A woman called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer.
The tech asked her if she was "running it under Windows."
The woman responded, "No, my desk is next to the door. But that's a good point. The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his is working fine."
**********
Tech Support: "OK Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter 'P' to bring up the Program Manager."
Customer: "I don't have a 'P'."
Tech Support: "On your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "What do you mean?"
Tech Support: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."
Customer: "I'm not going to do that!"
**********
**********
Overheard in a computer shop:
Customer: "I'd like a mouse mat, please."
Salesperson: "Certainly sir, we've got a large variety."
Customer: "But will they be compatible with my computer?"
**********
I once received a fax with a note on the bottom to fax the document back to the sender when I was finished with it, because he needed to keep it.
**********
Customer in computer shop: "Can you copy the Internet onto this disk for me?"
**********
I work for a local ISP. Frequently we receive phone calls that start something like this:
Customer: "Hi. Is this the Internet?"
**********
Customer: "So that'll get me connected to the Internet, right?"
Tech Support: "Yeah."
Customer: "And that's the latest version of the Internet, right?"
Tech Support: "Uhh...uh...uh...yeah."
**********
Tech Support: "All right...now double-click on the File Manager icon."
Customer: "That's why I hate this Windows - because of the icons - I'm a Protestant, and I don't believe in icons."
Tech Support: "Well, that's just an industry term sir. I don't believe it was meant to-"
Customer: "I don't care about any 'Industry Terms'. I don't believe in icons."
Tech Support: "Well...why don't you click on the 'little picture' of a filing cabinet...is 'little picture' OK?"
Customer: [click]
**********
Customer: "My computer crashed!" Tech Support: "It crashed?"
Customer: "Yeah, it won't let me play my game."
Tech Support: "All right, hit Control-Alt-Delete to reboot."
Customer: "No, it didn't crash-it crashed."
Tech Support: "Huh?"
Customer: "I crashed my game. That's what I said before. I crashed my spaceship and now it doesn't work."
Tech Support: "Click on 'File,' then 'New Game.'"
Customer: [pause] "Wow! How'd you learn how to do that?"
**********
Got a call from a woman said that her laser printer was having problems: the bottom half of her printed sheets were coming out blurry. It seemed strange that the printer was smearing only the bottom half.
I walked her through the basics, then went over and printed out a test sheet. It printed fine. I asked her to print a sheet, so she sent a job to the printer.
As the paper started coming out, she yanked it out and showed it to me. I told her to wait until the paper came out on its own.
Problem solved.
**********
I had been doing Tech Support for Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet division for about a month when I had a customer call with a problem I just couldn't solve. She could not print yellow. All the other colors would print fine, which truly baffled me because the only true colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. For instance, green is a combination of cyan and yellow, but green printed fine. Every color of the rainbow printed fine except for yellow.
I had the customer change ink cartridges. I had the customer delete and reinstall the drivers.
Nothing worked. I asked my coworkers for help; they offered no new ideas. After over two hours of troubleshooting, I was about to tell the customer to send the printer in to us for repair when she asked quietly, "Should I try printing on a piece of white paper instead of this yellow paper?"
**********
A man attempting to set up his new printer called the printer's tech support number, complaining about the error message: "Can't find the printer."
On the phone, the man said he even held the printer up in front of the screen, but the computer still couldn't find it.
**********
And another user was all confused about why the cursor always moved in the opposite direction from the movement of the mouse. She also complained that the buttons were difficult to depress.
She was very embarrassed when we asked her to rotate the mouse so the tail pointed away from her.
**********
Customer: "Hello? I'm trying to dial in. I installed the software okay, and it dialed fine. I could hear that. Then I could hear the two computers connecting. But then the sound all stopped, so I picked up the phone to see if they were still connected, and I got the message, 'No carrier,' on my screen.
What's wrong?"
**********
An unfailingly polite lady called to ask for help with a Windows installation that had gone terribly wrong.
Customer: "I brought my Windows disks from work to install them on my home computer."
Training stresses that we are "not the Software Police," so I let the little act of piracy slide.
Tech Support: "Umm-hmm. What happened?"
Customer: "As I put each disk in it turns out they weren't initialized."
Tech Support: "Do you remember the message exactly, ma'am?"
Customer: (proudly) "I wrote it down. 'This is not a Macintosh disk. Would you like to initialize it?'"
Tech Support: "Er, what happened next?"
Customer: "After they were initialized, all the disks appeared to be blank. And now I brought them back to work, and I can't read them in the A: drive; the PC wants to format them. And this is our only set of Windows disks for the whole office. Did I do something wrong?"
**********
For a computer programming class, I sat directly across from someone, and our computers were facing away from each other. A few minutes into the class, she got up to leave the room.
I reached between our computers and switched the inputs for the keyboards. She came back and started typing and immediately got a distressed look on her face. She called the tutor over and explained that no matter what she typed, nothing would happen.
The tutor tried everything. By this time I was hiding behind my monitor and quaking red-faced. I typed, "Leave me alone!"
They both jumped back as this appeared on their screen. "What the..." the tutor said. I typed, "I said leave me alone!"
The kid got real upset. "I didn't do anything to it, I swear!" It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud.
The conversation between them and HAL 2000 went on for an amazing five minutes.
Me: "Don't touch me!"
Her: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit your keys that hard."
Me: "Who do you think you are anyway?!"
Etc. Finally, I couldn't contain myself any longer, and fell out of my chair laughing. After they had realized what I had done, they both turned beet red. Funny, I never got more than a C- in that class.
**********
This guy calls in to complain that he gets an "Access Denied" message every time he logs in. It turned out he was typing his username and password in capital letters.
Tech Support: "Ok, let's try once more, but use lower case letters."
Customer: "Uh, I only have capital letters on my keyboard."
**********
Email from a friend: "CanYouFixTheSpaceBarOnMyKeyboard?"
**********
My friend was on duty in the main lab on a quiet afternoon. He noticed a young woman sitting in front of one of the workstations with her arms crossed across her chest, staring at the screen.
After about 15 minutes he noticed that she was still in the same position, only now she was impatiently tapping her foot.
He asked if she needed help and she replied "It's about time! I pressed the F1 button over twenty minutes ago!"
Joke : Weather Predictions
A film crew was on location deep in the desert. One day an Old Indian went up to the director and said, "Tomorrow rain."
The next day it rained. A week later, the Indian went up to the director and said, "Tomorrow storm." The next day there was a hailstorm. "This Indian is incredible," said the director. He told his secretary to hire the Indian to predict the weather. However, after several successful predictions, the old Indian didn't show up for two weeks. Finally the director sent for him. "I have to shoot a big scene tomorrow," said the director, "and I'm depending on you. What will the weather be like?"
The Indian shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know," he said. "Radio is broken."
The next day it rained. A week later, the Indian went up to the director and said, "Tomorrow storm." The next day there was a hailstorm. "This Indian is incredible," said the director. He told his secretary to hire the Indian to predict the weather. However, after several successful predictions, the old Indian didn't show up for two weeks. Finally the director sent for him. "I have to shoot a big scene tomorrow," said the director, "and I'm depending on you. What will the weather be like?"
The Indian shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know," he said. "Radio is broken."
Joke : Baked Beans
Once upon a time, there lived a woman who had a maddening passion for baked beans. She loved them but, unfortunately, they had always had a very embarrassing and somewhat lively reaction to her.
Then one day she met a guy and fell in love. When it became apparent that they would marry she thought to herself, "He is such a sweet and gentle man, he would never go for this carrying on." So she made the supreme sacrifice and gave up beans.
Some months later her car broke down on the way home from work. Since she lived in the country she called her husband and told him that she would be late because she had to walk home. On her way, she passed a small diner and the odor of the baked beans was more than she could stand.
Since she still had miles to walk, she figured that she would walk off any ill effects by the time she reached home. So, she stopped at the diner and before she knew it, she had consumed three large orders of baked beans.
All the way home, she putt-putted. And, upon arriving home, she felt reasonably sure she could control it. Her husband seemed excited to see her and exclaimed delightedly, "Darling, I have a surprise for dinner tonight."He then blindfolded her and led her to her chair at the table. She seated herself and just as he was about to remove the blindfold from his wife, the telephone rang. He made her promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned. He then went to answer the phone.
The baked beans she had consumed were still affecting her and the pressure was becoming almost unbearable, so while her husband was out of the room she seized the opportunity, shifted her weight to one leg andlet it go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a pulpwood mill. She took her napkin and fanned the air around her vigorously. Then, she shifted to the other cheek and ripped three more, which reminded her of cabbage cooking.Keeping her ears tuned to the conversation in the other room, she went on like this for another ten minutes.
When the phone farewells signaled the end of her freedom, she fanned the air a few more times with her napkin, placed it on her lap, and folded her hands upon it, smiling contentedly to herself. She was the picture of innocence when her husband returned, apologizing for taking so long, he asked her if she peeked, and she assured him that she had not. At this point, he removed the blindfold.
There were twelve dinner guests seated around the table to wish her a Happy Birthday!
Then one day she met a guy and fell in love. When it became apparent that they would marry she thought to herself, "He is such a sweet and gentle man, he would never go for this carrying on." So she made the supreme sacrifice and gave up beans.
Some months later her car broke down on the way home from work. Since she lived in the country she called her husband and told him that she would be late because she had to walk home. On her way, she passed a small diner and the odor of the baked beans was more than she could stand.
Since she still had miles to walk, she figured that she would walk off any ill effects by the time she reached home. So, she stopped at the diner and before she knew it, she had consumed three large orders of baked beans.
All the way home, she putt-putted. And, upon arriving home, she felt reasonably sure she could control it. Her husband seemed excited to see her and exclaimed delightedly, "Darling, I have a surprise for dinner tonight."He then blindfolded her and led her to her chair at the table. She seated herself and just as he was about to remove the blindfold from his wife, the telephone rang. He made her promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned. He then went to answer the phone.
The baked beans she had consumed were still affecting her and the pressure was becoming almost unbearable, so while her husband was out of the room she seized the opportunity, shifted her weight to one leg andlet it go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a pulpwood mill. She took her napkin and fanned the air around her vigorously. Then, she shifted to the other cheek and ripped three more, which reminded her of cabbage cooking.Keeping her ears tuned to the conversation in the other room, she went on like this for another ten minutes.
When the phone farewells signaled the end of her freedom, she fanned the air a few more times with her napkin, placed it on her lap, and folded her hands upon it, smiling contentedly to herself. She was the picture of innocence when her husband returned, apologizing for taking so long, he asked her if she peeked, and she assured him that she had not. At this point, he removed the blindfold.
There were twelve dinner guests seated around the table to wish her a Happy Birthday!
Robby's Night
(True Story)
At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa. I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years.
Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a prodigy though I have taught some talented students.
However I've also had my share of what I call "musically challenged" pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.
But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor.
As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.
Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed hopeless He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.
Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons.
I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!
Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. "Miss Hondorf I've just got to play!" he insisted.
I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my "curtain closer."
Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?"
Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. From allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.
Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it? " Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf . .. remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well, she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special."
There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.
No, I've never had a prodigy but that night I became a prodigy. . . of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil For it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.
Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995. And now, a footnote to the story.
At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa. I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years.
Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a prodigy though I have taught some talented students.
However I've also had my share of what I call "musically challenged" pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.
But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor.
As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.
Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed hopeless He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.
Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons.
I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!
Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. "Miss Hondorf I've just got to play!" he insisted.
I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my "curtain closer."
Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?"
Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. From allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.
Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it? " Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf . .. remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well, she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special."
There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.
No, I've never had a prodigy but that night I became a prodigy. . . of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil For it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.
Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995. And now, a footnote to the story.
Judgement
Judgement means a stable state of mind. And the mind always wants judgement, because to be in an unknown process is always hazardous and uncomfortable. Be very, very courageous, don't stop growing; live in the moment, simply stay in the flow of life.
This story happened in the days of Lao Tzu in China, and Lao Tzu loved it very much:
There was an old man in a village, very poor, but even kings were jealous of him because he had a beautiful white horse. Kings offered fabulous prizes for the horse, but the man would say, "This horse is not a horse to me, he is a person. And how can you sell a person, a friend?" The man was poor, but he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered and said, "You foolish old man! We knew that someday the horse would be stolen. It would have been better to sell it. What a misfortune!"
The old man said, "Don't go so far as to say that. Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. This is the fact; everything else is judgement. Whether it is a misfortune or a blessing I don't know, because this is just a fragment. Who knows what is going to follow it?"
People laughed at the old man. They had always known he was a little crazy. But after fifteen days, suddenly one night the horse returned. He had not been stolen, he had escaped into the wild. And not only had he return, he brought a dozen wild horses with him.
Again the people gathered and they said, "Old man, you were right. This was not a misfortune, it has indeed proved to be a blessing."
The old man said, "Again you are going too far. Just say that the horse is back... who knows whether it is a blessing or not?" It is only a fragment. You read a single word in a sentence - how can you judge the whole book?"
This time the people could not say much, but inside they knew that he was wrong. Twelve beautiful horses had come.
The old man had an only son who started to train the horses. Just a week later he fell from a horse and his legs were broken. The people gathered again, and again they judged. They said, "Again you proved right! It was a misfortune. Your only son has lost the use of his legs, and in your old age he was your only support. Now you are poorer than ever."
The old man said, "You are obsessed with judgement. Don't go that far. Say only that my son had broken his legs. Life comes in fragments and more is never given to you."
It happened that after a few weeks the country went to war, and all the young men of the town were forcibly taken for the military. Only the old man's son was left because he was crippled. The whole town was crying and weeping, because it was a losing fight and they knew that most of the young people would never come back. They came to the old man and they said, " You were right, old man - this has proved a blessing. Maybe your son is crippled, but he is still with you. Our sons are gone forever."
The old man said again, "You go on and on judging. Nobody knows! Only say this, that your sons have been forced to enter the army and my son has not been forced. But only God, who sees the total picture, knows whether it is a blessing or a misfortune."
Judge not, otherwise you will never become one with the total. With fragments you will be obsessed, with small things you will jump to conclusions. Once you judge you have stopped growing. Judgement means a stale state of mind. And the mind always wants judgement, because to be in a process is always hazardous and uncomfortable.
In fact, the journey never ends. One path ends, another begins: one door closes, another opens. You reach a peak; a higher peak is always there. God is an endless journey. Only those who are so courageous that they don't bother about the goal, but are content with the journey, can be content to just live in the moment and grow into it; only those are able to walk in the total.
This story happened in the days of Lao Tzu in China, and Lao Tzu loved it very much:
There was an old man in a village, very poor, but even kings were jealous of him because he had a beautiful white horse. Kings offered fabulous prizes for the horse, but the man would say, "This horse is not a horse to me, he is a person. And how can you sell a person, a friend?" The man was poor, but he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered and said, "You foolish old man! We knew that someday the horse would be stolen. It would have been better to sell it. What a misfortune!"
The old man said, "Don't go so far as to say that. Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. This is the fact; everything else is judgement. Whether it is a misfortune or a blessing I don't know, because this is just a fragment. Who knows what is going to follow it?"
People laughed at the old man. They had always known he was a little crazy. But after fifteen days, suddenly one night the horse returned. He had not been stolen, he had escaped into the wild. And not only had he return, he brought a dozen wild horses with him.
Again the people gathered and they said, "Old man, you were right. This was not a misfortune, it has indeed proved to be a blessing."
The old man said, "Again you are going too far. Just say that the horse is back... who knows whether it is a blessing or not?" It is only a fragment. You read a single word in a sentence - how can you judge the whole book?"
This time the people could not say much, but inside they knew that he was wrong. Twelve beautiful horses had come.
The old man had an only son who started to train the horses. Just a week later he fell from a horse and his legs were broken. The people gathered again, and again they judged. They said, "Again you proved right! It was a misfortune. Your only son has lost the use of his legs, and in your old age he was your only support. Now you are poorer than ever."
The old man said, "You are obsessed with judgement. Don't go that far. Say only that my son had broken his legs. Life comes in fragments and more is never given to you."
It happened that after a few weeks the country went to war, and all the young men of the town were forcibly taken for the military. Only the old man's son was left because he was crippled. The whole town was crying and weeping, because it was a losing fight and they knew that most of the young people would never come back. They came to the old man and they said, " You were right, old man - this has proved a blessing. Maybe your son is crippled, but he is still with you. Our sons are gone forever."
The old man said again, "You go on and on judging. Nobody knows! Only say this, that your sons have been forced to enter the army and my son has not been forced. But only God, who sees the total picture, knows whether it is a blessing or a misfortune."
Judge not, otherwise you will never become one with the total. With fragments you will be obsessed, with small things you will jump to conclusions. Once you judge you have stopped growing. Judgement means a stale state of mind. And the mind always wants judgement, because to be in a process is always hazardous and uncomfortable.
In fact, the journey never ends. One path ends, another begins: one door closes, another opens. You reach a peak; a higher peak is always there. God is an endless journey. Only those who are so courageous that they don't bother about the goal, but are content with the journey, can be content to just live in the moment and grow into it; only those are able to walk in the total.
Microsoft CEO discusses keys to success
Steve Ballmer visited Fargo on Thursday
Teri Finneman
Forum Communications
One of the world's richest men says there are four main reasons for his success in life.
Passion. Hard work. Seeing the big picture.
And the fourth?
"It doesn't hurt to go to college with Bill Gates," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, roaring with laughter. "In my case, that was helpful."
A vibrant man with an impish sense of humor, Ballmer spent Thursday in Fargo meeting with local employees and listening to updates on work being done at the Fargo campus.
Since 2000, Ballmer has served as Microsoft's CEO and assumed full management responsibility for the Redmond, Wash.,-based company. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and headed several of the company's divisions before being promoted to president in 1998.
He is now the 24th richest person in the world with a net worth of $13.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Ballmer, 50, grew up near Detroit before attending Harvard University to study math and economics. It was there he met Gates.
Ballmer later attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business in California, where he met Doug Burgum, who grew up in Arthur, N.D.
Burgum is now senior vice president of the Microsoft Business Solutions group based in Fargo.
Ballmer sat down with The Forum for an exclusive interview last week in Burgum's office.
(This story has been edited for length.)
Talk about why you're in Fargo.
I decided shortly after we acquired Great Plains (Software) that with as many people, as much important work as we're doing here in Fargo, it was important for me to try to get in regularly.
Basically, the time is kind of Doug's. He decides what we get into and talk about. If I have a particular topic of interest, we raise it.
This morning, I saw some fantastic demonstrations of work that's going on here that will show up in our Dynamics product line.
It's a pretty full day.
It's been five years since Microsoft acquired Great Plains. Do you still think that was the right choice?
I certainly am very convinced that the move to get into business applications was, for us, a necessary and right and important move.
I think that we certainly got ... not only a great product, but more importantly, we got a great set of talent in the Great Plains team.
Twenty-twenty hindsight, things haven't gone exactly the way we'd sketched out. We thought that some things that we'd be able to do in the marketplace we could do faster than we have.
But I'm still very, very pleased with the progress and incredibly happy that we did the acquisition.
What do you see for the future of the Fargo campus? How likely is an expansion within the next few years?
We've been growing the Fargo campus in a sense, I think, fairly steadily over the last several years.
We're always going to be smart about what's best done here, what's best done in other parts of the U.S., what's best done in other parts of the world. We have to be intelligent about that.
We also have to ask ourselves, in different disciplines, how much could we grow if we wanted to here?
But we've been growing steadily. We just added 30 new jobs that we're recruiting for here in Fargo.
I was teasing the guys here, that on a percentage of all people working basis, we employ a higher percentage of all people working in the state of North Dakota than we do any other geography. North Dakota is already No. 1.
Bill Gates announced this summer he's going to step back from the company's day-to-day operations over the next two years. What are your thoughts on that and what impact do you think that will have on the company?
Bill will be stepping out of the company and being part time.
He'll be chairman of the board. He'll be an adviser, and I know he'll be generous with me and the rest of the senior team with his time.
Two things I would say, which seem contradictory.
No. 1, you don't replace somebody like Bill Gates. Both because he's so famous and has so much history in the company and in the industry and has such a range of knowledge and is such a bright and talented person.
But with that said, I think our company is in better shape for the future than ever before in terms of the people and the talent that we have.
I don't think the company will in any way do anything but continue to accelerate in momentum.
How closely do you work with Gates?
I see Bill basically 80 percent, 90 percent of the days when we're both in town.
I've worked more closely with Bill Gates than any other person I've ever worked with, and he's worked with me much more closely than any other person he's ever worked with.
What is a typical work week like for you?
I sort of have two kinds of work weeks: one when I'm in Seattle, and one when I'm on the road.
I'm away from family about 68 nights a year - I keep a little spreadsheet budget on that.
When I'm in town, I drop my kids at the school bus or at school. I'm usually at work by about 8 a.m. Most of the time would be meetings, unfortunately, although I try to keep about one-third of my time in Seattle for myself - to think, to read, to work on projects.
My wife would tell you I'm home at 7 p.m. I would tell you I'm home at 6:30 p.m. The truth is probably someplace in between.
I do an occasional bit more work after the kids go to bed. I certainly always work Sunday night. After about 5 p.m., my wife and kids know they lose me because I'm going to go back into work mode.
I'm working 80, 90, 100 hours a week when I'm on the road. I'm mostly with customers, business partners and the like.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I do exercise fairly regularly, four or five days a week. I'm pretty good about that, whether on the road or in Seattle.
I enjoy playing golf ... that would be my only other hobby. I don't have a long list to give you, I'm afraid. (laughs)
What do you think is Microsoft's greatest achievement?
In a historical sense, I think you'd have to say somehow between us and Intel, we are the father and mother of modern computing and I think that's a great accomplishment
Teri Finneman
Forum Communications
One of the world's richest men says there are four main reasons for his success in life.
Passion. Hard work. Seeing the big picture.
And the fourth?
"It doesn't hurt to go to college with Bill Gates," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, roaring with laughter. "In my case, that was helpful."
A vibrant man with an impish sense of humor, Ballmer spent Thursday in Fargo meeting with local employees and listening to updates on work being done at the Fargo campus.
Since 2000, Ballmer has served as Microsoft's CEO and assumed full management responsibility for the Redmond, Wash.,-based company. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and headed several of the company's divisions before being promoted to president in 1998.
He is now the 24th richest person in the world with a net worth of $13.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Ballmer, 50, grew up near Detroit before attending Harvard University to study math and economics. It was there he met Gates.
Ballmer later attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business in California, where he met Doug Burgum, who grew up in Arthur, N.D.
Burgum is now senior vice president of the Microsoft Business Solutions group based in Fargo.
Ballmer sat down with The Forum for an exclusive interview last week in Burgum's office.
(This story has been edited for length.)
Talk about why you're in Fargo.
I decided shortly after we acquired Great Plains (Software) that with as many people, as much important work as we're doing here in Fargo, it was important for me to try to get in regularly.
Basically, the time is kind of Doug's. He decides what we get into and talk about. If I have a particular topic of interest, we raise it.
This morning, I saw some fantastic demonstrations of work that's going on here that will show up in our Dynamics product line.
It's a pretty full day.
It's been five years since Microsoft acquired Great Plains. Do you still think that was the right choice?
I certainly am very convinced that the move to get into business applications was, for us, a necessary and right and important move.
I think that we certainly got ... not only a great product, but more importantly, we got a great set of talent in the Great Plains team.
Twenty-twenty hindsight, things haven't gone exactly the way we'd sketched out. We thought that some things that we'd be able to do in the marketplace we could do faster than we have.
But I'm still very, very pleased with the progress and incredibly happy that we did the acquisition.
What do you see for the future of the Fargo campus? How likely is an expansion within the next few years?
We've been growing the Fargo campus in a sense, I think, fairly steadily over the last several years.
We're always going to be smart about what's best done here, what's best done in other parts of the U.S., what's best done in other parts of the world. We have to be intelligent about that.
We also have to ask ourselves, in different disciplines, how much could we grow if we wanted to here?
But we've been growing steadily. We just added 30 new jobs that we're recruiting for here in Fargo.
I was teasing the guys here, that on a percentage of all people working basis, we employ a higher percentage of all people working in the state of North Dakota than we do any other geography. North Dakota is already No. 1.
Bill Gates announced this summer he's going to step back from the company's day-to-day operations over the next two years. What are your thoughts on that and what impact do you think that will have on the company?
Bill will be stepping out of the company and being part time.
He'll be chairman of the board. He'll be an adviser, and I know he'll be generous with me and the rest of the senior team with his time.
Two things I would say, which seem contradictory.
No. 1, you don't replace somebody like Bill Gates. Both because he's so famous and has so much history in the company and in the industry and has such a range of knowledge and is such a bright and talented person.
But with that said, I think our company is in better shape for the future than ever before in terms of the people and the talent that we have.
I don't think the company will in any way do anything but continue to accelerate in momentum.
How closely do you work with Gates?
I see Bill basically 80 percent, 90 percent of the days when we're both in town.
I've worked more closely with Bill Gates than any other person I've ever worked with, and he's worked with me much more closely than any other person he's ever worked with.
What is a typical work week like for you?
I sort of have two kinds of work weeks: one when I'm in Seattle, and one when I'm on the road.
I'm away from family about 68 nights a year - I keep a little spreadsheet budget on that.
When I'm in town, I drop my kids at the school bus or at school. I'm usually at work by about 8 a.m. Most of the time would be meetings, unfortunately, although I try to keep about one-third of my time in Seattle for myself - to think, to read, to work on projects.
My wife would tell you I'm home at 7 p.m. I would tell you I'm home at 6:30 p.m. The truth is probably someplace in between.
I do an occasional bit more work after the kids go to bed. I certainly always work Sunday night. After about 5 p.m., my wife and kids know they lose me because I'm going to go back into work mode.
I'm working 80, 90, 100 hours a week when I'm on the road. I'm mostly with customers, business partners and the like.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I do exercise fairly regularly, four or five days a week. I'm pretty good about that, whether on the road or in Seattle.
I enjoy playing golf ... that would be my only other hobby. I don't have a long list to give you, I'm afraid. (laughs)
What do you think is Microsoft's greatest achievement?
In a historical sense, I think you'd have to say somehow between us and Intel, we are the father and mother of modern computing and I think that's a great accomplishment
Sunday, August 20, 2006
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