Thought 31MAR2010

THE ART OF FEELING WELL (4 of 7)
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ILL : Don't Live by Appearances
Who hides reality, pretends, poses and always wants to give the impression of being well. He wants to be seen as perfect, easy-going, etc ... but is accumulating tons of weight. A bronze statue with feet of clay. There is nothing worse for the health than to live on appearances and facades. These are people with a lot of varnish and little root. Their identity is the pharmacy, the hospital and pain.
By Dr Drauzio Varella - got this from Tuan Alhadi of Body Fashion, Kulim
Bla flus la tghannaq u lanqas tbus / Without money you can neither hug nor kiss - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 30MAR2010

THE ART OF FEELING WELL (3 of 7)
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ILL : Find Solutions
Negative people do not find solutions and they enlarge problems. They prefer lamentation, gossip, pessimism. It is better to light a match than to regret the darkness. A bee is small, but produces one of the sweetest thaings tha exist. We are what we think. The negative thought generates negative energy thatwhish is transformed into illness.
By Dr Drauzio Varella - got this from Tuan Alhadi of Body Fashion, Kulim
Il-mewt ma tahfirha 'l hadd / Death spares no one - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 29MAR2010

THE ART OF FEELING WELL (2 of 7)
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ILL : Make Decisions
The undecided person remains in doubt, in anxiety, in anguish. Indecision accumulates problems, worries and aggressions. Human history is made of decisions. To decide is precisely to know to renounce, to know to lose advantages and values to win others. The undecided people are victims of gastric ailments, nervous pains and problems of the skin.
By Dr Drauzio Varella - got this from Tuan Alhadi of Body Fashion, Kulim
Work as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 26MAR2010

THE ART OF FEELING WELL (1 of 7)
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ILL :
Speak Your Feelings
Emotions and feelings that are hidden, repressed, end in illnesses as : gastritis, ulcer, lumbar pains, spinal. With time, the repression of the feelings degenerates to the cancer. Then, we go to a confidante, to share our intimacy, our "secrets", our errors! The dialoque, the speech, the word, is a powerful remedy and an excellent theraphy!
By Dr Drauzio Varella - got this from Tuan Alhadi of Body Fashion, Kulim
Quien quiera saber, que compre un viejo / If you wish good advice, consult an old man - Spanish Proverb

Thought 24MAR2010

LESSONS FOR LIFE
- Giving Blood
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?". Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood.
Source Unknown - Got this from Norazlina Amran of AFFIN Bank many many many moons ago
La prudencia es la madre de la ciencia / Discretion is the better part of courage - Spanish Proverb

Thought 23MAR2010

THE ART OF CREATING IDEAS
Ideas are the beginning of all things. The world we live in today first existed as ideas in the minds of men... bridges, skyscrapers, automobiles, airplanes, religions philosophies, governments, symphonies, painting, poems... everything! Man's future is vast because God has given him unlimited power to create ideas. Man's greatest freedom is freedom to think. Man's mind has immense scope. "The mind," wrote Lewis Mumford, "is a power station, a storage warehouse, a library, a theatre, a museum, a hall of archives, a court of justice, a seat of government."

Ideas make men giants. The art of creating ideas is man's most challenging quest... First, a man must win the battle against his own inertia. "There is no expedient to which man will not resort to avoid the real labour of thinking," wrote Joshua Reynolds. Second, he will learn from Edison, who said, "I am more of a sponge than an inventor." He will sponge up all the data and facts about a problem, look at it from every angle, attack it with power and penetration. Third, he will harness the power of his subconscious mind. When intense concentration on the conscious level fails to reveal the answer, he will relax, play golf, fish, listen to music, or sleep on the problem. He will use what Oliver Wendell Holmes called "the underground workshop of the mind."

Fourth, he will keep alert to the stream of thought continuously flowing through his mind. Like a prospector panning for gold, he will watch the idea-nuggets that flash in his consciousness. Fifth, he will evaluate the ideas he receives. He will reject the inferior ones and polish and improve the good ones. Sixth, he will turn ideas from dreams into realities. He will make them servants of man. Millions of ideas are awaiting discovery by the minds of men ... ideas that will change the world, build the peace, conquer man's common enemies. Every man can contribute more if he will think more.
Winferd Peterson - Got this from S Vijayakumaran of AFFIN Bank; many many many moons ago
Gharusa gdida, kull ma tmiss kollu jfuh / Whatsoever a new bride touches is fragrant - Maltese Proverb

Thought 19MAR2010

A JOURNEY OF FRIENDSHIP
Curt and I have the kind of friendship that I wish everyone would be able to experience. It embodies the true meaning of partnership - trust, caring, risk-taking and all else that friendship could embrace in our hurried and harried lives. Our friendship began many years ago. We met while attending different high schools, through competitive sports and we had a mutual respect for each other's athletic abilities. As the years progressed, we became the best of friends. Curt was best man in my wedding and I was his a few years later when he married my sister's room mate. He is also the godfather of my son, Nicholas. And yet the event that most exemplifies our partnership and solidified our friendship happened over 25 years ago, when we were young and in our carefree 20s.

Curt and I were attending a pool party at the local Swim and Racquet Club. He had just won the door prize, a beautiful new watch. We were walking to the car, joking about the party and Curt turned to me and said, "Steve, you've had a few cocktails, buddy - maybe I should drive." At first I thought he was joking, but since Curt is definitely the wiser of us, I respected his sober judgement. "Good idea," I said, and handed him the keys. Once I was settled in the passenger seat and Curt behind the wheel, he said, "I'm going to need your help because I'm not sure how to get to your house from here." "No problem," I responded. Curt started the car and we were off - not without the usual first-time shifting jerks and stalls, stops and starts. The next ten miles seemed like a hundred as I prompted Curt with directions - left now, slow down, right pretty soon, speed up and so on. The important thing is that we got home safely that night.

Ten years later at my wedding, Curt brought tears to the eyes of 400 guests as he told the story of our partnership and how we drove home together that night. Why such a remarkable story? We've all, I hope, offered our keys when we knew we shouldn't drive. But you see, my friend Curt is blind. He has been since birth and never sat behind the wheel of a car before that night. Today, Curt is one of the top executives at General Motors in New York and I travel around the country inspiring salespeople to form long-lasting partnerships and friendships with their clients. Our willingness to take risks and trust in each other continues to bring meaning and joy to the journey of friendship.
Steven B Wiley - extracted from 'Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss, Health Communications, Inc., 1996.
Stairs are climbed step by step - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 18MAR2010

POINTS TO PONDER
by Lord Chesterfield
Knowledge is a comfortable and necessary retreat and shelter for us in an advanced age; and if we do not plant it while young, it will give us no shade when we grow old.
Extracted from Reader's Digest, November 1995 - Points to Ponder
Id-dbielet twal ikarkru t-trab, imma d-dbielet qosra jkarkru l-erwieh / Long skirts carry dust, but short skirts carry away souls - Maltese Proverb

Thought 17MAR2010

POINTS TO PONDER
by Ulysses S Grant
One of my superstitions has always been when I started to go anywhere, or do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished.
Extracted from Reader's Digest, November 1995 - Points to Ponder
Boghod mill-ghajn, boghod mil-qalb / Far from the eye far from the heart - Maltese proverb

Thought 16MAR2010

POINTS TO PONDER
by Edwin Diamond
The true role of management is to make risk-taking possible. Executives can't order their staffs to be creative - they have to provide the conditions where creativity flourishes. Such conditions include strong staff morale, the feeling that someone is listening and the conviction that good work will be rewarded.
Extracted from Reader's Digest, November 1995 - Points to Ponder
Il-flus ghandhom il-gwienah / Money has wings - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 15MAR2010

THE COOKIE THIEF
A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
hat the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.

She read, munched cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy "cookie thief" diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I'd blacken his eye!"

With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he'd do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, "Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he's also rude,
Why, he didn't even show any gratitude!"

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing so look back at the "thieving ingrate."

She boarded the plane and sand in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her luggage, she gasped with surprise.
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!"

If mine are here," she moaned with despair,"
Then the others were his and he tried to share!"
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!
Valerie Cox - extracted from 'a 3rd serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul', Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, Health Communications, Inc; 1996
Hay mas felicidad en dar que en recibir / It's more blessed to give than to receive - Spanish Proverb

Thought 12MAR2010

THE TOOTH FAIRY
As parents, we always hope to develop character traits in our children that will enhance their success in life. When our daughter Meegan, the eldest of five children, lost her front tooth at the age of six, we found the following note wrapped around the tiny tooth: "Der Tooth Fary. Pleze leve me yor majik wand. I can help. I want to be a tooth fary too." Luv, Meegan.

Recognizing potential leadership skills, precious opportunity and the teachable moment, the "Tooth Fary" left the following note for little Meegan: "Dear Meegan, I have worked hard to be a good Tooth Fairy and I love my job. You are too young for the job now, so I cannot give my wand. But there are something's that you can start to do to prepare yourself for the job: 1) Always do your best in every job that you do. 2) Treat all people as you wish to be treated. 3) Be kind and helpful to others. 4) Always listen carefully whenever people speak to you. I will interview you one day when you are older and ready for the job. Good luck, Meegan - The Tooth Fairy.

Meegan was thrilled at the response from the Tooth Fairy. She took the message to heart and carefully followed the instructions. always working to improve as she grew. Her character, her strength and her leadership skills grew right along with her. After graduating magna cum laude from college, Meegan accepted a challenging management position. She excelled and by age 27, she was the top manager of the company. One day Meegan and I were talking about her success. She told me that the company president had once asked her what influences had motivated her towards success. "What did you tell him?" I asked. She replied, "My parents, my teacher and my friends. And, of course, the Tooth Fairy!"
Suzanne Moustakas - extracted from 'Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne and Marci Shimoff, Health Communications, Inc; 1997
Il-grazzja aqwa mill-gmiel / Charm is stronger than beauty - Maltese Proverb

Thought 11MAR2010

HOW TO TELL WHEN YOU'RE RICH
When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was a delicacy. One of my father's buddies, Bernie, was a prosperous fruit-and-vegetable wholesaler, who operated a warehouse in St. Paul. Every summer, when the first watermelons rolled in, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie's warehouse and take up our positions. We'd sit on the edge of the dock, feet dangling and lean over, minimizing the volume of juice we were about to spill on ourselves. Bernie would take his machete, crack our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we'd bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart - the reddest, juiciest, firmest, most seed-free, most perfect part - and throw away the rest.

Bernie was my father's idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that what my father admired about Bernie's wealth was less its substance than its application. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon. What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. Others are rich without ever being more than a paycheck ahead.

If you don't take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and chomp into life's small pleasures, your career is probably overwhelming your life. For many years, I forgot that lesson I'd learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could. Well. I've learned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the accomplishments of others and to take pleasure in the day. That's the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away. Finally, I am rich.
Harvey Mackay - extracted from a 4th course of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty, Health Communications, Inc.,1997
Quddiem il-mewt kulhadd xorta / We are all equal before death - Maltese Proverb

Thought 10MAR2010

BIG FEET - BIGGER HEART
It was an unseasonably hot day. Everybody it seemed, was looking for some kind of relief, so ice cream store was a natural place to stop. A little girl, clutching her money tightly, entered the store. Before she could say a word, the store clerk sharply told her to get outside and read the sign on the door and stay out until she put on some shoes. She left slowly and a big man followed her out of the store.

He watched as she stood in front of the store and read the sign: No Bare Feet. Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she turned and walked away. Just then the big man called to her. Sitting down on the curb, he took off his size-12 shoes and set them in front of the girl saying, "Here, you won't be able to walk in these, but if you sort of slide along, you can get your ice cream cone."

Then he lifted the little girl up and set her feet into the shoes. "Take your time." he said, "I get tired moving them around and it'll feel good to just sit here and eat my ice cream." The shining eyes of the little girl could not be missed as she shuffled up to the counter and ordered her ice cream cone. He was a big man, all right. Big belly, big shoes, but most of all, he had a big heart.
Anonymous - From Brian Cavanaugh's The Sower's Seeds - extracted from 'a 4th course of chicken soup for the soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty, Health Communication Inc, 1997
Meta ddahhal ic-curkett tat-tieg, tghaddas rasek ghal kull m'hu mehtieg / Once you put on the wedding ring you must submit to all that is necessary - Maltese Proverb

Thought 09MAR2010

CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT A MICKEY MOUSE AFFAIR
Not too long ago, a guest checking out of our Polynesian Village resort at Walt Disney was asked how she enjoyed her visit. She told the front-desk clerk she had a wonderful vacation, but was heartbroken about losing several rolls of Kodak colour film she had not yet developed. She was particularly upset over the loss of the pictures she had shot at our Polynesian Luau, as this was a memory she especially treasured. Now, please understand that we have no written service standards covering lost luau snapshots. Fortunately, the hostess at the front desk understood Disney's philosophy of caring for our guests. She asked the woman to leave her a couple of rolls of fresh film, promising she would take care of the rest.

Two weeks later, this guest received a package at her home. In it were photos of the entire cast of our luau show, personally autographed by each performer. There were also photos of the parade and fireworks in the theme park, taken by the front-desk hostess on her own time, after work. I happen to know this story because this guest wrote us a letter. She said that never in her life had she received such compassionate service from any business establishment. Heroic service does not come from policy manuals. It comes from people who care - and from a culture that encourages and models that attitude.
Valerie Oberle, Vice President Disney University Guest Programs - extracted from 'Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss, Health Communications, Inc., 1996
Min ihobb ibati / He who loves suffers - Maltese Proverb

Thought 08MAR2010

PASSING ON SMALL CHANGE
The pharmacist handed me my prescription, apologized for the wait and explained that his register had already closed. He asked if I would mind using the register at the front of the store. I told him not to worry and walked up front, where one person was in line ahead of me, a little girl no more than seven, with a bottle of Children's Motrin on the counter. She clenched a little green and white striped coin purse closely to her chest.

The purse reminded me of the days when, as a child, I played dress-up in my grandma's closet. I'd march around the house in oversized clothes, drenched in costume jewelry and hats and scarves, talking "grownup talk" to anyone who would listen. I remembered the thrill one day when I gave a pretend dollar to someone and he handed back some real coins for me to put into my special purse. "Keep the change!" he told me with a wink. Now the clerk rang up the little girl's medicine, while she shakily pulled out a coupon, a dollar bill and some coins. I watched her blush as she tried to count her money and I could see right away that she was about a dollar short. With a quick wink to the checker, I slipped a dollar bill onto the counter and signaled the clerk to ring up the sale. The child scooped her uncounted change into her coin purse, grabbed her package and scurried out the door.

As I headed to my car, I felt a tug on my shirt. There was the girl, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. She gave me a grin, wrapped her arms around my legs for a long moment then stretched out her little hand. It was full of coins. "Thank you." she whispered. "That's okay," I answered. I flashed her a smile and winked, "Keep the change!"
Nancy Mitchell - Extracted from a '4th course of Chicken Soup for the Soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty, Health Communications, Inc.,1997
Piensa mal y acertaras, (aunque alguna vez te equivocaras) / If you think the worst, you won't be far wrong - Spanish Proverb

Thought 05MAR2010

POINTS TO PONDER by Philip K Howard
Smart people spend time alone. They don't fill their days with appointments from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm as many politicians and executives do. Great science does not emerge from hard logic and grinding hours. It comes from the mysterious resources of the human brain and soul. Inspiration is nurtured by activities like chopping wood and raking leaves, preparing dinner and reading to the kids. These activities soften the rigid pace of the day's pursuits and allow all our God-given intuition to work its illogical magic. Only then can we reach our fullest potential. Only then can we leap from thinking to understanding.
Extracted from Reader's Digest, November 1995 - Points to Ponder
Lo poco agrada y lo mucho enfada / A constant guest is never welcome - Spanish Proverb

Thought 04MAR2010

THE 11TH BOX
What is your most memorable Thanks giving? For me, it was on the eve of the day. The church had the names of 10 families scheduled to receive food baskets. A local merchant donated hams and groceries were purchased from the food bank. As we packed the boxes in the fellowship hall, these families were excited over the food they were taking home. It would be the best meal many had enjoyed in months. As they were picking up their boxes, another family arrived. Father, mother and three children piled out of an old pickup truck, not on our list. They had just heard there was food being distributed by a church.

I explained that we did not have enough for an extra family. And as I tried to assure them that I would do what I could, an amazing thing happened. With no prompting, a woman put down the box she was carrying and quickly found an empty box to place beside it. She began removing items from her box to share. Soon others followed her lead and these poor people created an 11th box for the new family.
Pastor Bill Simpson - submitted by M'Shel Bowen -extracted from 'a 4th course of chicken soup for the soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty, Health Communication Inc, 1997
Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind - Bruce Lee

Thought 03MAR2010

DON'T PUNISH EVERY MISTAKE
In one of my assignments as a young infantry officer, I was sent to the 48th Infantry near Frankfurt, Germany. In those days our prize weapon was a huge 280-mm atomic cannon. Guarded by infantry platoons, these guns were hauled around the forests on trucks to keep the Soviets from guessing their location. One day Captain Tom Miller assigned my platoon to guard a 280. I alerted my men, loaded my .45 caliber pistol and jumped into my jeep. I had not gone far when I realized that my .45 was gone.

I was petrified. In the army, losing a weapon is serious business. I had no choice but to radio Captain Miller to tell him. "You what?" He said in disbelief. He paused a few seconds, then added, "All right, continue the mission." When I returned, uneasily contemplating my fate, Miller called me over. "I've got something for you," he said, handing me the pistol. "Some kids in the village found it where it fell out of your holster."

"Kids found it?" I felt a cold chill. "Yeah," he said. "Luckily they only got off one round before we heard the shot and took the gun away." The disastrous possibilities left me limp. "For God's sake, son, don't let that happen again." He drove off. I checked the magazine and found it was full. The gun had not been fired. Later I learned that I had dropped it in my tent before I ever got started. Miller had fabricated the scene about the kids to give me a good scare.Today the army might hold an investigation, call in lawyers and likely enter a bad mark on my record. Miller gave me the chance to learn from my mistake. His example of intelligent leadership was not lost on me. Nobody ever got to the top without slipping up. When someone stumbles, I don't believe in stomping on him. My philosophy is "Pick 'em up, dust 'em off and get 'em moving again."
Collin Powell - Extracted from the "Chicken Soup Series", Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery & Nancy Mitchell, R.N., Health Communications, Inc., 1996
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change - Charles Darwin

Thought 02MAR2010

TWELVE LIFE VALUES
The Value of Time
The Success of Perseverance
The Pleasure of Working
The Dignity of Simplicity
The Worth of Character
The Power of Kindness
The Influence of Example
The Obligation of Duty
The Wisdom of Economy
The Virtue of Patience
The Improvement of Talent
The Joy of Origination
extracted from 'Management Thoughts' by Promod Batra, Golden Book Centre Sdn Bhd, reprinted 1995
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often - Winston Churchill

Thought 01MAR2010

COLD HANDS
I was cleaning out the pockets of my six-year-old's winter coat, when I found a pair of mittens in each pocket. Thinking that one pair must not be enough to keep her hands warm, I asked her why she was carrying two pairs of mittens in her coat. She replied, "I've been doing that for a long time, Mom. You see, some kids come to school without mittens and if I carry another pair, I can share with them and then their hands won't get cold."
Joyce Andresen - extracted from 'a 4th course of chicken soup for the soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty, Health Communication Inc, 1997
Be the change you want to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi