For the most part, we all like things we can control and things that we know well. But, as Helen Keller once said: “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” The fact of the matter is that to be alive at all involves some level of risk. Every significant activity involves uncertainty and requires us to take risks. Learning to be a wise risk taker is the key.         

Just like businesses need to have a business plan, those who have become successful all say that if you want to have your dreams come true, you need to have a plan and a plan involves risks.

If you don’t have a dream then it is about time you create one. The fact of the matter is, if you want to have a dream come true you first have to have a dream. Knowing what your dream is and taking the necessary steps to get there is exceptionally wise.

Look at Oprah Winfrey for instance. As a child she was once asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she answered without hesitation, “I want to be paid to talk.” She started out as a determined little girl who made her dreams come true and today Oprah has become a financially successful woman and she has touched many people’s lives. She took a risk when she moved from Baltimore to Chicago and took a job as a news reporter. Some didn’t think she could do it but she followed her heart she believed it was a possibility and she made it happen.

Some risks are bigger than others and so it is important that you calculate the risks involved, some are a matter of life and death. Oscar Schindler is a man who took a big risk and because of that risk, thousands of people were saved. Today there are more than 6,000 descendants of Schindler’s Jews living in the USA and Europe, and many in Israel. What would possess him, with all of his power and money, to risk his own life to save others? Somewhere along the line, Schindler decided that it was more important to follow his personal convictions than to follow Hitler’s rules. He risked it all to save lives.

The biggest leap for some is to step out of their comfort zone and reach for success. There comes a time when you have to push towards your fears and tread on new territory, push some boundaries. That is what Mother Teresa did she had a dream of helping the poorest of the poor. She took a risk and traveled to India with a vision and not much else. In the end she built a ministry that is known around the world. It wasn’t always easy and it may not have been the safest route to take but Mother Teresa stepped outside her comfort zone and made a difference.

Not everyone who takes a risk makes it big, that’s why it’s called a risk. But, if you are going to fall, fall forward. When you fall, dust off your knees and get back up. If you find yourself ship wrecked, rebuild, count your losses and move on.

Use common sense. There are times when a ship needs to come into the harbor for repairs and maintenance. There is also a time to play it safe. But, risks are a part of life and we need to realize that it’s okay to make mistakes along the way. But, never be afraid to take on a challenge, always keep focused on your dreams and do whatever it takes to achieve them.

Risks can be a good thing and they can cause us to do something that forces us to stretch ourselves, to challenge us. So, what are you waiting for? Hoist your anchor and set sail. Take a risk, map out your course and move your ship out of the harbor, after all, you are the captain of your life.

Live to make a difference, live your life to the fullest. Don’t be afraid to risk it all for the things that matter. 

                                             But have we ever thought for a second that there are millions of people across the globe that go without this basic need for days…..

Have we ever thought of those children who sleep hungry only to get up hungry the next morning??

Have we thought of reaching out to them?

I know too many questions but not a single answer .But then, do we really care to find the answer or we are just too cowardly inside to look for the answers. We spent thousands of Rupees, Dollars, Euros and pounds just to “GROOM” OURSELVES .yet we never think of sharing a little part of that with our unlucky fellow beings. Actually we do share our stuff to make contacts and for our ” friends in need”. Unfortunately our poor brethren do not have such “good friends” who would share their food with them. Why do we forget that had our government imposed the rule of income equality we wouldn’t be enjoying to this extent .Everybody would have received their share? But alas! that’s not the case; the ruling party is as indifferent to them as we are.

                                       We never feel for people we don’t know. We do not feel for people who satisfy their hunger with water .We  don’t care if they have any hope of living a normal life. As a matter of fact they do not have any silver lining in the clouds surrounding them. Because in this big,mean and heartless world ,its rich that get richer while the poor get poorer with each passing day. BUT HEY!  I SAY THERE IS A SOLUTION..

                                    There is absolutely no loss if we forgo one “Saturday night feast”. There is no harm if we “sacrifice” that desert for feeding 4 children .No expense if we give up that designer dress, jewelry or boots so that a family is fed for a day at least.

              This solution is possible if and only if we understand that true beauty and charm is in empathy, Real status is in reaching out to those who need us, Position is in eliminating luxuries to provide needs. True happiness is in making others happy. Well groomed person is he who makes strangers smile .celebrity is one who feeds the hungry. Icon is he who takes a step towards those who need support but lack the strength to ask for it.

               You don’t need to be a Saint or a Mahatma Gandhi or a Mother Teresa to take the above given steps. Little drops make an ocean. Little efforts make a human. Just give what you can and the rest will follow. Remember it is easy to discuss poverty sitting in the comfortable rooms BUT it is easier to give a little part of what you have so that no one sleeps hungry.

                        Poverty is a disease, a disease that can be cured with empathy, understanding and cooperation. The dose is transferring few morsels from our plate to those with empty plates.

                Com’n guys and gals ,go and check your pockets there must be enough money to feed a child . After reading this if even a thousand people come forward then at least few families will be fed. Enough of discussions and blame games .let us act in such great numbers and with such great strength that the so called “people in power” are ashamed of themselves. Let’s not be indifferent or relaxed because we under estimate ourselves. Each one us have the power to change the world, change for better..

Let us not get deviated from the motive. No success is success if we fail in the test of humanity. We have no right deny someone the basic need of life. It is their right and let them enjoy it without begging from anyone.

The rest is up to you.

Thought for today – it’s the animals who say “live and let live” while human beings say “live and help living “

No one better epitomizes absolute selflessness than Mother Teresa. She was probably the greatest of all givers. It would be unreasonable to expect the common man to do what she did. Spending one’s whole life being devoted to the well-being of others is impossible for most. The sad thing about today’s dog-eat-dog world, however, is that most people do not even consider reaching out to the poor or providing a helping hand for the needy. Charles Dickens’s repugnant character – Ebenezer Scrooge – has materialized in all of us and unlike him, we do not have the help of the supernatural.

Sure, you’re busy. Aren’t we all? But can you not spare a tiny fraction of your life volunteering at a homeless shelter or an orphanage? Almost everyone would rather prefer eating Doritos and watching re-runs of Two-And-A-Half-Men. But where has the innate, human quality of compassion and caring gone?

Where were you when this baby needed your help? 

Too busy, apparently.

In  Oscar Wilde’s short story – The Model Millionare,  Hughie Erskin, a “delightful, ineffectual young man with a perfect profile and no profession”, feels pity for a supposed beggar and gives him a sovereign, reasoning that the beggar wanted it more than he did.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

“The old beggar-man …..  looked so forlorn and wretched that Hughie could not help pitying him, and felt in his pockets to see what money he had. All he could find was a sovereign and some coppers. ‘Poor old fellow,’ he thought to himself, ‘he wants it more than I do, but it means no hansoms for a fortnight;’ and he walked across the studio and slipped the sovereign into the beggar’s hand.

     The old man started, and a faint smile flitted across his withered lips. ‘Thank you, sir,’ he said, ‘thank you.’ “

To his utter surprise, Hughie discovers later that the “beggar” is actually Baron Hausberg. Hughie’s act of kindness does not go unrewarded as the Baron later gifts him with 10,000 pounds:

“  ‘The Baron,’ said the old gentleman, with a smile, ‘has commissioned me to bring you this letter;’ and he extended a sealed envelope.

     On the outside was written, ‘A wedding present to Hugh Erskine and Laura Merton, from an old beggar,’  and inside was a cheque for £10,000.  “

Kindness is a two way street. When we give, not only do we help others, but we also help ourselves. I have often felt a strange surge of happiness and warmth spread through my body when I’ve offered a helping hand to a person in need. The human “helping” gene has been wired into us; all we need to do is unleash its potential.  I, for one, revere those who choose to spend their lives trying to help others, but I, like many others, do not have the determination nor the will to do so. Yet, I hope that one day, we live in a community which is bound by love and compassion, sharing and good-will.

And I hope that one day, we all find, as Mary Angelou did, that “… among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.

Peace.

Mother Teresa lived her life with deep natural sacrifice living in the atmosphere and environment of the poor. Caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, giving to the less fortunate, befriending lonely individuals and praying were miraculous testaments to her works of heart.  She expressed such beautiful passionate devotion to all of society.

Her essence and wisdom so exquisitely special and extraordinary rooted from her ultimate love and honor for God, Christ and mankind.  Mother Teresa blessed and sensitively branded humanity, our world and earth with the humble richness of her heart and life.

In honor and tribute to Mother Teresa, I would like to share 14 of her angelic quotations:

1) “The meaning of my life is the love of God.”

2) “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”

3) “Our lives to be beautiful, must be full of thought for others.”

4) “I see a big hunger for love. That is the greatest hunger, to be loved.”

5) “The world is lost for want of sweetness and kindness.”

6) “Everybody has something good inside. Some hide it, some neglect it, but it is there.”

7) “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

“You cannot give to the outside what you do not have on the inside … compassion and love have to grow from within.”

9) “The world never needed love more than today: people are starving for love.”

10) “We don’t need to look for happiness: If we have love for others, we’ll be given it. It is the gift of God.”

11) “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”

12) “Be kind to each other: It is better to commit faults with gentleness than to work miracles with unkindness.”

13) “Smiles generates smiles, just as love generates love.”

14) “We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.”

Quotations Source: 

Book: Mother Teresa Living In Love: A Compilation of Mother Teresa’s Teaching’s on Love by Glenna Hammer Moulthrop

*Your character and your personality are the same. If you have a good character, you have a good personality. If you have a bad character, you have a bad personality.

Image via Wikipedia

Gandhi, Lincoln, Vivekananda, Mother Teresa are all great personality of the world. They never did anything to get name or fame. People respected them, loved them because they practiced what they preached.

Image via Wikipedia

You all need a strong and pleasing character. You need a strong and courageous will to say no to a boy or grill who asks you to copy an answer. You need courage to say no when you are asked to smoke. You need courage to say no to yourself when feel to steal somebody’s books or money. You need courage to say yourself, “ I somebody’s books or money. You need courage to say to yourself, “I will avoid bad friends’.

You should cultivate everlasting values in your life. Such as honesty, faithfulness, forgiveness, and service –mindedness and thankfulness, Grow with these values and you will be ever accepted everywhere, thus can have a pleasing personality. These qualities reveal your real character. 

Mother Teresa

           Mother Teresa was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, on August 27, 1910, the map of the heavens at her birth has the following stellar signature: Sagittarius, Virgo and Libra. Her Sagittarius ascendant makes her attuned to philosophy, religion and she has a deep longing to understand God. Several of the planets were in Virgo, the sign of service, and her Midheaven was in Libra, the sign of equality and peace. Throughout Mother Teresa’s life she expressed the best of these signs and, which the energies of Pluto, which rules fate, and Neptune, the planet of mysticism, which actively influenced her life as they transit around her horoscope, she was able to come up with a new brand of practical spirituality.

            She took the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, made herself pure and fit for divine communication. Later in her life, as Mother Teresa, she regarded her life and works as an expression of God’s love on earth. When she was eighteen, Neptune entered her 9th house-the area of education, higher learning and yearning to be with God. There was a call to be in union with the higher forces of the universe and she heeded the call.  She left her home in Skopje, Yugoslavia and became a nun in Dublin, Ireland. She was changed forever; she came to be known as “Sister Teresa.” Her life was transformed as she dedicated it to doing God’s will. The order she joined ran convent schools in India. She later went to India to teach and eventually adopted it as her home and the base for her saintly work.

            On September 10, 1948, while on the train heading to a retreat, she had a remarkable spiritual experience. There was another message form God, instructing her to leave the convent and to help and express God’s love to those who are poor, suffering and downtrodden. In this year, she started her special mission; she left the convent to seek the poor. She attracted 12 followers who were very devoted to her cause. They sought the most miserable of society and lived with them. Early in the existence of their order they endured abuse and humiliation but they persevered. In 1950, the Vatican established the Missionaries of Charity and Sister Teresa became Mother Teresa. Unlike other missionary orders, they took and additional vow- a life of dedication to the care of the poor and the needy.

            In 1952, the House for the Dying was opened, caring for the helpless and guiding them to die in dignity. In 1957, they started to work with the outcast of society-the lepers. Wherever there was a calamity, missionaries from her order were present, giving moral support and helping raise funds for the people in distress. Mother Teresa’s strong dedication has won her many admirers and supporters worldwide. By her selfless example she has proven that despite economic issues that divide people, human beings are the same-they share the same pain and sorrow. Her work has transcended national and religious boundaries.

            She has won the support of world leaders and other benefactors form different backgrounds, hence, she did not have to worry about the source of funding for her projects. In 1985, then US President Ronald Reagan honored her with the Medal of Freedom. In 1996 a poll was made and she was voted second to Princess Diana as the World’s Most Caring Individuals.

            Mother Teresa has helped millions of people who were suffering and have inspired the rich and the poor alike into another way of compassionate living. Some individuals were born to embody a universal principle that if more people would emulate would lead to a more peaceful and spiritual planet; Mother Teresa was such a light, she pointed us a way to be closer to God, through the path of service.

Yesterday is gone and there’s nothing we can do about it, we can only do better…“Today”

What about the future?  We can only plan for it…“Today”.

Today is all we have so make “Today” the very best! (By: Scott Hallock)

The older one gets, the faster time seems to go by.  Weren’t we all just children with no worries, carefree…just two feet high?   Now we are tall, all grown up… know-it-alls.  Suddenly, things changed, got worn down, and out of order…Turn around and everything has moved on, forgotten and gotten colder.

Yesterday

Yesterday has come and gone and all the mistakes, troubles, worry and pain are dead and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.  One can only do better “Today”.

The time on your watch only just says, “Now”

Not much you can do about a ‘minute’ from now, other than sit and wait for that ‘minute’ to come.  Once that ‘minute’ has arrived, all you have is one ‘minute’ to use it and make it the very best possible.  ‘Now’ will come and go and you will not be able to get it back….It’s the way that it is meant to be….A true part of life.

In the famous song “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On” by, Jimmy Buffet the song talks about how he bought a watch that “doesn’t use numbers or moving hands” and that “It always just says… Now“. (Source: Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On Written by: Matt Betton, Jimmy Buffett Performed by: Jimmy Buffett)

‘Now’ is all we have, yet so many of us want to live in the past, hanging onto our old accomplishments talking about the “way it used to be” and never progress, move on or succeed. 

Mother Teresa once said; “Don’t talk to me about where I have been, talk to me about where I am going”.  Wise words we can all live by.  I am grateful for Mother Teresa.

Change

Since we are older now, wise and know-it-all’s, we can admit we may have been wrong and make a mighty change.  Change is good and keeps us fresh.  Why not, “Today” is all we have and we can use it to the fullest so, why not surprise everyone with a new outlook on life, a smile instead of a scowl, a happy attitude instead of negativity or be calm, kind and happy rather than angry.

Conclusion

A 93 year old man sits in a chair listening to the radio waiting to die, but all of a sudden an amazing thing happens when an old song he remembers from his past starts to play.  He rises up and stands for a moment…and then, with a smile on his face he raises up his arms, moves his body and starts to dance…celebrating a wonderful life that he has lived, rich and full of wonderful memories, good people and even a greater…“Today”.

May we all use our “Now” to live our “Today”.

For such a simple gesture like a smile has the indelible power to make the world a better place.  The art of smiling has an incredible impact on the human psyche and greatly affects our emotions. The act of smiling and laughter alone is greatly beneficial to our health. Doctors have known this for centuries. Everyone has heard of the old adage that it takes less facial muscles to smile than it does to make it awful frown. Science has proven the fact that laughter and smiling can help you live longer. It is not so astounding that a daily diet of laughter and happiness, smiles and kindness can spillover the present and make the future even more lovable. “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love,” Mother Teresa.

Indeed, people that often displays a jovial nature, full of laughter and smiles, usually has statistically less stress than a person who is frowning and always angry. Comedians know the secret of looking at life’s sometimes harsh realities with a comical gesture to help people see just how funny it really is. Taking a cue from a comic genius throughout movie history, the late Bob Hope, actor comedian, author, and golfer lived to be 100 years old, who passed away nearly 10 years ago in 2003, left us an incredible legacy of smiles and laughter that will stay in our hearts and minds forever.

Deepak Chopra talks about how God is laughing. The best-selling author and Eastern philosopher Chopra describes in his book “Why Is God Laughing: The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism” that the healthiest response to life is laughter from the heart. Even in the face of great tragedy and sorrow, a person can still obtain a sense of internal optimism. Even in the midst of doubt. There is always a reason for things and infinite possibility of promises of good opportunities that arise in the midst of uncertainties. This can easily be translated to discovering that smiling and inner happiness is residing in each and every one of us waiting to be invoked under any circumstances.

The human spirit is kindred to happiness and laughter, and very natural to us in seeing the humor in everything around us and not to take ourselves so seriously. Humor is God’s way of saying “There, I told you so. Now enjoy the joke and lighten up.” Laughter is the spontaneous reaction to something so pleasurable and comical that our bodies shake and shimmer with uncontrollable spasms of pleasure. Smiles manifest upon our faces as pleasant reminders that we feel suddenly touched and overjoyed by experiencing life around us, between the land and the air, between other people, and ourselves equally, experiencing the same joyous reactions of our present surroundings and memories of times past, creating a wonderful timeless moments that lingers on our brains and our hearts for our entire lives.

The gift of a smile to a stranger you do not know is in itself an extremely magnanimous gesture of goodwill and compassion to another deserving entity. Have you ever gone through the routines of your daily life and have yourself in a sort of in a humdrum kind of mood, for whatever reason, barely looking at anyone’s face, passing people and strangers, and then quite shockingly and pleasantly, someone looks at you directly and flashes you a smile. Quite incredibly, in an instant every other dire thought that you were contemplating just for that moment is suddenly transformed into positive thoughts. Without quite realizing it, of course, your face begins creating its own magical gesture of a smile in response to the kind person that is smiling at you.

Nothing is simpler and nothing is freer. Nothing is more tangible than giving and receiving a smile from another individual. A smile can instantly tell the world all around you that you are in the midst of gliding into a wondrous, happy journey, on the brink of laughter and unquestionable joy of the situation and feeling that you are presently experiencing at that very moment. Smiles and compassion go hand-in-hand. Smiles are transparencies of genuine kindness. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible,” Dalai Lama. Smiles can create miracles. Smiles are usually the start of friendships. Smiles can turn a rainy day into a sunny day of possibilities. Smiles are free and nontaxable. Smiles are the silent acknowledgment of happiness. Smiles and laughter is more contagious than the common cold.

The art of smiling means your heart is open. Some compassionate people smile with just their eyes, while others smile with their mouth in a great display of gleaming white teeth. The world is a better place when all are in unison smiles. When there are lots of smiles about the mood is heightened and excited joyfully. Smiles are calming, reassuring, and leave no room for doubt. If you are going to be remembered for something, one of the best memorials that anyone can have bestow upon you is your indelible, infectious, delightful, smiles and laughter that they have witness during your entire life. The famous former Beatle, George Harrison had said when talking about love and compassion “that everyone is better for it” and “love one another” his last words before he succumbed to cancer. Give the gift of a smile and spread laughter wherever you go, and love one another. Truly words to live by.

For more interesting writing by this author:

The Consciousness of water
The Power of Healing Music
Nikola Tesla
Rhythm Lovers
Hero

T.S.Garp © Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Mother Teresa once described her life as: “By blood and origin I am Albanian. My citizenship is Indian. I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus“. The most inspiring aspect about the life of Mother Teresa is that she had a humble beginning but made a great impact on the entire society with her sheer love, dedication and passion to serve the poor and the destitute.

We expect a handsome person to behave in a genteel way. We are pained and surprised when such person turns out to be rude and mean. On the other hand, a person with plain, simple, ordinary looks can behave quite endearingly and you can learn to love and respect that person more than you would a stunningly attractive person. So, never judge a book by its cover, but by its content.

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