I know don’t plan to fail, sounds so familiar but I know it will help some people if not all and planning is a part of our daily life.

Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Sir Winston Churchill is credited with another, saying: “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” And along that same vein there’s the phrase we hear often, “learn from your mistakes.” 2017 promises to be a great year for us all, I agree but something’s need to be in place. Like planning, Write the vision, make it known, set goals for yourself and watch your goals come true. Learning from your mistakes in 2016 will help you set a better and more excellent goal in 2017, but Don’t spend your time pondering the past, focus on the wins not the losses−the lessons learned from doing something right will provide a better chance of continuing your success.  What have you done right? What worked? Why did it work? How you can repeat it? Instead of making something worse a little better, how about making something good a little better? Don’t spend so much time looking down. Look up more.” So focus on the good times and build your strength from there. Trust God to give you grace, surrender your goals and plans to him and watch all your goals come true.

 If you fail to plan for success you are planning to fail.

Happy New Year 2017, it’s our year of possible achievements.

Many of us spend all our lives searching for the perfect partner. But it can be really easy to know how to find your soul mate if you understand these tips.

At times, it takes a bit of an adventure to meet the one who can take your breath away.

If you really do want to know how to find your soulmate, start taking chances in love.

The sooner you start to take an initiative to find that elusive soulmate, the sooner you’d find your knight or damsel.

Confused about the way forward? Here are ten little things you can change in your life, and we assure you, you’ll meet your soulmate sooner than you can imagine. And the happy journey to finding your soulmate would be an experience of a lifetime too!

Use these ten steps and you’ll walk closer to your soulmate with every passing day.

#1 Be the best you can be

Look into the mirror. Are you happy with what you see? If you do want to find your perfect soulmate, you need to take steps to be perfect too. After all, all of us wear rather tinted glasses that make us shallow at first sight. It’s always easier to get the attention of soulmate potentials when you look your best and feel confident about it.

There’s a perfect ‘you’ waiting to be chiseled out inside your body. Bring that attractive looker out and you’ll see your confidence soar through the roof. And when you’re confident and happy with your appearance, it shows.

2. Kiss few frogs

Life isn’t a movie, and unlike a movie shoot, you can’t have retakes when you find yourself in the company of someone who’s definitely not your soulmate.

But that isn’t really a bad thing. It takes a bit of trying, testing, dating and falling in love to understand what you really need from a potential soulmate. Be prepared to kiss a few frogs and soon enough, you’re going to be standing in front of your true soulmate. But that’s only if you take chances in love.

3 Live your passion

Do you like dancing, cooking or even mountain climbing? Live your passion if you want to know how to find your soulmate. When you participate in activities that you like with other people, you’re bound to meet a lot of people who share the same passion as you. If you do find someone you like when you’re living your passion, it’ll bring you a step closer to finding your soulmate.

4. Try new experiences

Are you having a hard time finding someone who excites you? Are you looking in all the right places? Are you even looking outside your own little world?

Most of us like the comfort of our own little world. We don’t like to try new things or meet new people. But if you do want to find your soulmate, you need to step out into the big world and experience new things. If your friends invite you to white-water raft or trek a hill, don’t back out. Try new things, explore possibilities and live your life to the fullest. And almost always, you’d end up meeting the love of your life at a new experience, when you least expect it.

The best part of all this is that you don’t really need to put a hold on your life while searching for love. Instead, you can live your life to the fullest. Life has a great way of throwing happy surprises when you least expect it.

5 Be willing to change your mind

You may be looking for your soulmate for a while now, and you may have your own list of requirements. But don’t ever use a list of pointers to pick your lover. Always be willing to compromise. As you grow and evolve as a person, your idea of the perfect soulmate would change too. Don’t ever be rigid when you’re looking for love. Just go with the flow and listen to what your heart tells you.

 6. Don’t turn down opportunities

Is a good friend of yours trying to fix you up on a blind date? Don’t brush the thought away. Whether it’s about dating someone new or meeting a new group of friends, don’t turn down opportunities to interact.

To understand how to find your soulmate, you need to keep your eyes open. Love is mysterious, and it’s completely unpredictable. And that’s what makes finding your soulmate so magical and exciting!

7 Look out and don’t settle unless you’re happy

Compromise in love, but don’t bend over backwards trying to please your current partner. Love is about compromise, but it has to be both ways.

8.  Date someone who understands you

When you’re searching for your soulmate, you may have to end up diving headfirst into a few relationships. If you’re lucky, you may find your soulmate the very first time you fall in love, or perhaps, it may take a few more times than that.

LEARN TO APPRECIATE

Once upon a time, there was a man who was very helpful, kindhearted, and generous. He was a man who will help someone without asking anything to pay him back. He will help someone because he wants to and he loves to.  One day while walking into a dusty road, this man saw a purse, so he picked it up and noticed that the purse was empty. Suddenly a woman with a policeman shows up and gets him arrested.

The woman kept on asking where did he hide her money but the man replied, “It was empty when I found it, Mam.” The woman yelled at him, “Please give it back, It’s for my son’s school fees.”  The man noticed that the woman really felt sad, so he handed all his money.  He could say that the woman was a single mother.  The man said, “Take these, sorry for the inconvenience.”  The woman left and policeman held he man for further questioning.

The woman was very happy but when she counted her money later on, it was doubled, she was shocked.  One day while woman was going to pay her son’s school fees towards the school, she noticed that some skinny man was walking behind her.  She thought that he may rob her, so she approached a policeman standing nearby.  He was the same policeman, who she took along to inquire about her purse.  The woman told him about the man following her, but suddenly they saw that man collapsing.  They ran at him, and saw that he was the same man whom they arrested few days back for stealing a purse.

He looked very weak and woman was confused.  The policeman said to the woman, “He didn’t return your money; he gave you his money that day.  He wasn’t the thief but hearing about your son’s school fees, he felt sad and gave you his money.”  Later, they helped man stand up, and man told the woman, “Please go ahead and pay your son’s school fees, I saw you and followed you to be sure that no one steals your son’s school fees.”   The woman was speechless.

Moral: Life gives you strange experiences, sometime it shocks you and sometimes it may surprise you. We end up making wrong judgments or mistakes in our anger, desperation and frustration. However, when you get a second chance, correct your mistakes and return the favour. Be Kind and Generous. Learn to appreciate what you are given.

Evening Dinner with Father

A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner.  Father being very old and weak, while eating dropped food on his shirt and trousers.  Other diners watched him in disgust while his son was calm.

After he finished eating, his son who was not at all embarrassed, quietly took him to the wash room, wiped the food particles, removed the stains, combed his hair and fitted his spectacles firmly.  When they came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that.  The son settled the bill and started walking out with his father.

At that time, an old man amongst the diners called out to the son and asked him, “Don’t you think you have left something behind?”

The son replied, “No sir, I haven’t”.

The old man retorted, “Yes, you have!  You left a lesson for every son and hope for every father”.

The restaurant went silent.

Moral: To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours.   We all know how our parents cared for us for every little thing.  Love them, respect them, and care for them.

Better Days Are Coming 

If you fear losing somebody you love 
like rejection would be no surprise 
even if they never said it out loud 
you just knew by the look in their eyes 
accept that anxiety is due to some action 
we took while sleepwalking through life 
we would be lying if we tried denying 
we cause our own misery and strife. 

There is a voice inside of our heads 
that tells us of what is to come 
dejavu turned upside down 
is what it may seem like to some 
whether it's foresight or just premonition 
it leaves you feeling quite strange 
whisper or shout, it allows for no doubt 
that your fortunes are due for a change. 

The cyclical nature of the human condition 
prevents us from being at ease 
it bars the door to the peace that we seek 
it's a lock without any keys 
hope and fear are two sides of a coin 
a little like Abel and Cain 
it's not every day that just one will hold sway 
in the end it adds up to the same. 

Listen to this then, if you should find 
your emotions won't give you a breather 
I'm telling you, dreams don't often come true 
but the nightmares rarely do either. 


"Exaggeration is a blood relation to falsehood and nearly as blamable.

Better days are sure ahead have this in mind

	Allow Yourself To Fight
	There are some days you may feel, As if things just aren't going right. No amount of attempts to avoid, You step into the big mud puddle despite! On these days to give up would be easy, You'd like to just walk away. And sometimes taking a step back, May be exactly the right way. But at a point you'll have to decide, If you're going to let them win. This is the time that you'll look deep inside, And see if you have it within. When you are ready to take the next step, And show that you are ready to fight. Avoid what you can and it's okay if you can't, Cause no matter what, you'll be all right. Editors Note - On the days I feel like giving up, on the days I feel like I have stepped into a big puddle, I read the wisdom ofAnthony Robins. He said, "Sometimes, things don't work out exactly as planned - but if you trust in the cycle of the seasons, you know that in the long term you will reap the harvest you have sown." These words encourage me to keep going, to not to quit. Sometimes it just takes time to achieve the goals you are working towards. And we all have setbacks as we move toward achieving our goals. We cannot let these setbacks orchallenges stop us. Keep moving forward!

The Mother with One Eye

My mother had only one eye. When I was growing up, I hated her for it. I hated the uninvited attention it got me at school. I hated how the other children stared at her and looked away in disgust. My mother worked two jobs to provide for the family, but I was just embarrassed by her and didn't want to be seen with her.

Every time my mother came to visit me at school, I wanted her to disappear. I felt a surge of hatred towards the woman who made me the laughing stock of the school. In a moment of extreme anger, I even once told my mother I wanted her to die. I was completely unconcerned about her feelings.

As I grew up, I did whatever was in my power to distance myself from my mother. I studied hard and got a job overseas so I wouldn't have to meet her. I got married and started raising a family of my own. I got busy with my job and family and with providing a comfortable life for my beloved children. I didn't even think about my mother anymore.

Out of the blue, my mother came to visit one day. Her one-eyed face scared my young children and they started crying. I was angry at my mother for showing up unannounced and I forbid her to ever return to my home and new family life. I yelled and screamed, but my mother quietly apologized and left without saying another word.

An invitation to a high school reunion took me back to my hometown after decades. I could not resist driving past my childhood home and stopping by the old shack. My neighbors told me my mother had passed away and left a letter for me.

"My dear child:

I must begin by apologizing for visiting your home unannounced and frightening your beautiful children. I am also deeply sorry that I was such an embarrassment and source of humiliation to you when you were growing up.

I have learned that you may be coming back to town for your reunion. I may no longer be there when you come, and I think it is time to tell you an incident that happened when you were a young child. You see, my dear child, you were involved in an accident and lost one eye. I was devastated at the thought of my beloved child growing up with only one eye. I wanted you to see the beautiful world in all its glory, so I gave you my eye.

My dear child, I always have and always will love you from the bottom of my heart. I have never regretted my decision to give you my eye, and I am at peace that I was able to give you the ability to enjoy a complete life.

Your loving mother."

THE ELEPHANT ROPE

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

Everyone Has a Story in Life

A 24 year old boy seeing out from the train’s window shouted…

“Dad, look the trees are going behind!”

Dad smiled and a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year Old’s childish behavior with pity, suddenly he again exclaimed…

“Dad, look the clouds are running with us!”

The couple couldn’t resist and said to the old man…

“Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor? “The old man smiled and said…“I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today.

Every single person on the planet has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you.

Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.             

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.

However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “

Moral: In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

Which one are you?

 

46. Say thanks. 
Let him know that you notice the little things he/her does by saying thank you
47. Cook a meal together.
Come up with a menu, shop, and prepare the food together.

48. Have fun with hypotheticals.
Conversation can become routine. Break from the ordinary and have a silly dinner conversation made entirely of imaginary situations—for example, “If you were on an island and could only bring five movies, which movies would you bring?

49. Keep a couple’s journal. 
Write down your desires and fantasies and leave them out for your significant other to find—encourage him to write back.

50. Agree to disagree. 
This is one of the most important relationship tips, as you both have strong opinions and therefore some issues will never be resolved. Respect each other’s point of view and agree not to argue about the same issue, unless it’s something that could get in the way of your future, like politics, religion, or values.

51. Set goals. 
In addition to setting life goals, set relationship goals. For example: We aim to spend more time together outside rather than in front of the TV.

52. Take responsibility for your own happiness
Love is grand, but at the end of the day the only person we can hold accountable for our happiness is ourselves. Do volunteer work, exercise, host dinner parties—find what satisfies you, and go from there.

53. Learn each other’s conflict habits.
Make an effort to understand you and your partner’s conflict habits so you can break bad patterns and find a middle ground that’s productive and respectful.

54. Define love. 
While “I love you,” is an extraordinary thing to say—and an equally wonderful thing to hear—it means something different to each person. Tell each other what you’re saying when you declare these magic words. It could be a list of many sentiments such as, “I would do anything for you,” and “I trust you completely.”

55. Take turns planning date nights that are actual, real, capital-D Dates 
Takeout and TV doesn’t count.

56. Approach your partner’s issues in the context of how they affect the relationship.
It’ll reduce the chances they feel personally attacked for no reason.

57. Cuddle.
Make ample time for cuddling. Whether or not it leads to sex, physical affection is important.

58. Don’t forget to say “I Like You.”
The greatest compliment you can give a partner (especially a long-term partner) is reminding them that not only do you love them, but also like them.

59. Have a spontaneous midday tryst. 
Send him a text as he’s about to go on his lunch break, take time out on a Saturday, however you want to play it.

60. Travel together.
Seeing the world together creates amazing shared memories.

31. Small gifts go a long way.
Bringing home a pack of their favourite candy/magazine/book by a favourite author never gets old.

32. Graham Parsons has a song lyric that says “I just want to hold you, I don’t want to hold you down.”
Let that be your motto when you’re giving your partner advice.

33. Log onto Instagram and like all their photos.
Just because.

34. Plan a date where you revisit the spot you went on your first date.
Remember all the amazing things that brought you from then to now.

35. Go on a walk together somewhere beautiful.
And don’t forget to turn off your cell phones.

36. Surprise them with dinner.
One unexpected night, surprise your partner with a home-cooked meal, and a nicely-set table.

37. Review your top five favourite funny things your partner has done.
Because your partner is funny! That’s part of why you like them.

38. Go to gym class together.
Or other exercise class together. Your body and relationship will thank you!

39. Go on a road trip, even if you’re not going anywhere far. 
It’s nice to get out of town sometimes.

40. Pick up a six-pack of toilet paper or (even better) a six-pack of beer.
Without even being asked.

41. Keep the surprises coming.
Think of your relationship as a creative challenge. To keep the romance fresh, come up with new date ideas, new sex positions, and new ways to demonstrate your love.

42. Plan small outings.
Whether its brunch this weekend, or a trip to a new neighbourhood.

43. Make out.
Kissing is something that is often set to the side the longer a couple has been together. Out of blue one day, initiate a high-school style make-out session.

44. Let it go.
Don’t hold onto that thing your lover said or did six months ago and bring it up each time you get mad at him. Do both of you a favour and let it go

45. Don’t interrupt. 
Even if what you think your significant other is saying is uninteresting, don’t bulldoze over his or her words. Being able to listen to each other—even when the details are mundane

RELATIONSHIP TIPS ARE BOTH FOR THE MARRIED AND PEOPLE IN RELATIONSHIP

6. Stop complicating things that aren’t complicated enough.
Don’t pull a Carrie Bradshaw during the Aiden years: If you bemoan the fact that your relationship is going too well, you might need to revisit why you’re constantly seeking out drama.

17. Assume that if something was said that hurt your feelings, it wasn’t intended that way.
Why would they want to upset you or hurt you? Give your partner the benefit of the doubt, but if it’s really bothering you, don’t be afraid to bring it up.

18. Write notes.
Whether you have study hall together or live together, handwritten notes are personal touches in today’s highly digital world.  

19. Pitch in.
Help each other with chores and other necessary, if banal, activities — cooking, cleaning, re-organizing, etc. Not doing them if you live together can create tension, and always doing them can create unfair expectations. Act as team of equals.

20. Disconnect.
Step away from the laptop during quality time. Everything on the Internet will still be there later.

21. Allow things to be what they are.
Sometimes bad days and bad moods happen. Don’t go crazy trying to make everything better. Just be supportive and loving, because just being there at the end of a bad day can make it better for both of you.

22. Create mini-traditions.
Creating small rituals can really help hold up a couple because they become “your thing.” Whether it’s a fancy night out during the holiday season, or watching a certain show every week, these are things that’ll give you both something to look forward to, and it’ll bring you closer together.

23. Be an open book.
They can either deal with it or they can’t, but if you can’t be your most honest self with this person, it’ll come out eventually.

24. Compliment, and often.
You’re there to make each other feel like your best selves, so let the genuine praise flow freely. Like his outfit? Tell him! Like her hair today? Let her know!

25. Make promises that you really can keep.
Say things that you want to follow through with out loud. It’ll make you work harder to make them happen. Having—and setting—levels of reasonable expectations for your relationship is a healthy way to keep it strong.

26. Acknowledge positive actions.
When you and your partner see positive actions, solutions, or behavior in one another, acknowledge it and remind each other to keep it up.

27. Establish genuine connections with the other’s friends and family.
Hang out together with both of your friends and family. This is the stuff that makes the world go ’round, people!

28. Pay attention to the tiny things that bother your partner, and if it’s painless for you, work to change them. 
We’re not talking changing your laugh or your style, but if you know that your partner really hates it when you leave the kitchen counter cluttered, try to make a point of clearing it off before he gets home. It’s an easy enough thing to do and it makes their day better, so why not?

29. Never, never forget to ask about the other person’s day. 
It’s such an easy slight to avoid!

30. Only one person gets to have the bad day. 
If your partner’s day sucked and yours was just “eh,” let them have the pity (and the control of the remote, and the choice of take-out). If it’s you, announce it early and let them know you need the support. If it’s a toss-up, trade stories about why your days were so awful and you’ll end up laughing while trying to figure out who wins.

RELATIONSHIP TIPS CONTINUES

6. Create a checklist.
Jot down new and fun things you want to accomplish for a day as a duo.

7. Talk to couples over 65 years old. 
Get relationship tips from them, and see what you can take away to apply to your relationship.

8. Stop and appreciate all that your relationship is this very second.
Stop living for what it can be.  This person is choosing to be in your life every day, not every day in the future.

9. Revisit the questions you asked in the beginning.
What are you hoping to accomplish in the next year? What are you scared of? These answers change, so we need to keep asking these questions.

10. Find 10 things you really love about them and tell them. 
Guys need confidence boosters, too!

11. Stop nagging. 
Seriously, stop. Take a step back and figure out the big things about your partner that truly bother you, and approach them from a place of concern and support instead of nitpicking for sport. That’ll get you nowhere.

12. Get over needing to be right.  
Learning to say “I was wrong” is a skill worth learning.

13. Take care of yourself. 
No relationship can be successful if you don’t feel good about yourself, both inside and out.

14. Know what you need and then ask for it.
You’re dating a human, not a magical psychic.

15. Take a class.
It’s proven that couples who learn together connect deeper. Find some common ground (cooking? art? science?) and go from there. 
stay tuned for more tomorrow

Relationships are hard. Finding somebody you want to spend time with can be difficult enough, but once that happens, you’ve got to deal with the task of maintenance: keeping things fresh, finding time for each other, and generally just coming up ways to navigate the tricky ups and downs every partnership faces. Lucky for you, we’ve come up with 101 relationship tips—some big, some small—that’ll help you improve any partnership. 

From how to deal with jealousy to how to get over a potentially deadly lull, I

’ve got 101 relationship tips that you can start implementing right now, so start reading!

1. Listen.
It might sound obvious, but when you really allow yourself to listen—and ask questions about—what your partner says, it not only leads to better conversations, but also better communication.

2. Take a few days apart.
Missing each other is a great way to reconnect. Try grabbing some girlfriends for an overnight or a weekend getaway every few months.

3. Find a support team.
Have a handful of great friends or family members you can call so your significant other doesn’t have to hear every small grievance going on your life.

4. Put away your phones.
One of the biggest relationship tips is to give your undivided attention when your partner is speaking. It’s is one of the most important things you can do.

5. Volunteer together.
Giving back is a great way to keep perspective of how great your relationship is, and how lucky you both are

Stay tuned for more tomorrow

The Mirror of Life    Life is but a mirror, Looking back at us. Everything we do each day, Should lead us to impress. And sometimes when we need, To see life differently. We have that mirror to help us, Change our view gently. The eyes of everyone, Also reflect back. Mirrors come in different ways, To show us what we lack. But most importantly, Don't forget to always look. Be your best  And life will look after the rest. What we see and what we do  Are reflections of what is true Don't let your mirror reflect the things That you do not want to come true. Instead each day set your goals Strive to complete, it is good for your soul. Give life all you've got Never look in the mirror and stop.