It costs nothing, but creates much.
It enriches those who receive without
impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash, and the memory of
it sometimes lasts forever.
None are so rich they can get along without
it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.
It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill
in a business, and is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged,
sunshine to the sad, and nature's best antidote
for trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,
for it is something that is no earthly good to anyone
until it is given away.
And if in the course of the day some of your friends
should be too tired to give you a smile, why don't
you give them one of yours?
For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have
none left to give!
The Integrity of a Smile
The Man in the Glass
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn’t your father or mother or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum
And think you’re a wonderful guy.
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.
He’s the fellow to please—never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end.
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
Excellence
Excellence is never an accident. It is achieved in an organization or institution only as a result of an unrelenting and vigorous insistence on the highest standards of performance. It requires an unswerving expectancy of quality from the staff and volunteers. Excellence is contagious. It infects and affects everyone in the organization. It charts the direction of a program. It establishes the criteria for planning. It provides zest and vitality to the organization. Once achieved, excellence has a talent for permeating every aspect of the life of the organization.
Excellence demands commitment and a tenacious dedication from the leadership of the organization. Once it is accepted and expected, it must be nourished and continually reviewed and renewed. It is a never-ending process of learning and growing. It requires a spirit of motivation and boundless energy. It is always the result of a creatively conceived and precisely planned effort. Excellence inspires; it electrifies. It potentializes every phase of the organization’s
life. It unleashes an impact which influences every program, every activity, every committee, every staff person. To instill it in an organization is difficult; to sustain it, even more so. It demands imagination and vigor. But most of all, it requires from the leadership a constant state of self discovery and discipline. Excellence is an organization’s life-line. It is the most compelling answer to apathy and inertia. It energizes a stimulating and pulsating force. Once it becomes the expected standard of performance, it develops a fiercely driving and motivating philosophy of operation. Excellence is a state of mind put into action. It is a road-map to success. When a climate of excellence exists, all things—staff work, volunteer leadership, finances, program—come easier. Excellence in an organization is important—because it is everything.
Who am I ?
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,
And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done,
And after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though
I work with all the precision of a machine
Plus the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin;
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me
And I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am habit!
Don't walk your talk, talk your walk
Starting with a phrase like that really ushers in a bunch of questions in your mind. But be patient and hold your asking tool a little. Yes, when this particular idea came into my mind, I also felt the need to exercise the asking muscles. So I started digging into my mind. Dig, dig, dig. Then I got the explanation with which I am now ready to share.
Here, my explanation. Everyone in this world loves to tell stories and dreams about their greatest fantasies. Very few of them actually can prove the point that they are not only audio clips, but their video clips are also aligned with their audios. Very few persons actually do the things they say. It's not new. But, what I want you to consider is that first work on your video then when the film is ready, add audio clips. Actually people judge us not what we think we can become, but by what we have already done. So first become, then tell your life stories. I think this is more profound than just opening your heart to everyone. Sometimes when you have some major goals and dreams, just maintain this secrecy. It will benefit you enormously that you can reap its benefit afterward. So, first walk, then talk. Analyze your goals and dreams, prove your point. Then go ahead and offer your artistic magnificence. Believe me, I will be one of your audiences.
Responding is in our hands
In life only we can expect the unexpected. It's true to be surprised by life's sudden happenings which usher in the worst mental condition. But the most important thing is that we are the greatest living being on earth. We are not like other animals who do what they are destined to do. Because we can think, we can decide, we can judge. So why can't we respond in the way we want to a sudden setback? Yes, life can throw any of its curves to us anytime, anywhere. But the responding is in our hands. The reaction is up to us. And this particular gesture or shift of mind actually distinguish the best from the rest. Someone says so brilliantly than I ever could - Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% what we happen to them. So today whatever happens to you, stand up, go, move, begin, maintain, respond in the way you want. Not at the whims of the situation. Not at the wishes of others. It's your life. Live it. Because, you will only able to live your life in the way you want, if you can RUN your OWN race. So, begin now.
Be in relation but don't be addicted...
Life is true to me. I always try to be true to life. I love my life and all the people who are reason and cause of my life. And they love me as well. But when life sends us some curves, then we shrink, we complain, we excuse. We can't understand that it's the way of life which always teaches us the way we should live. Sometimes ago, a very good friend of mine said me something which had hurt me a lot. But, I know, it's part of life. I got become so much engrossed with her that I had no control. Life taught me there. A very profound lesson - "Be in a relation, don't be addicted to it." I learned. No worries. No tension. No hard feeling. Absolutely great lesson. Often we don't realize that life always teaches us the lessons we need to learn. Each and every time we have a lot more opportunities than problems. We have to fight that urge to get them at the right time. Because, no learning is a waste. No growth is a waste.
