Motivational Monday

Believe in yourself, take on your Challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got to keep going - Chantal Sutar

 Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. – W. Clement Stone

 Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. – Les Brown

If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t, you will see obstacles. – Wayne Dyer

 Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. – Thomas Carlyle

Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be. – Zig Ziglar

If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you. – Les Brown

Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed. – Bob Riley

Believe you can and you’re halfway there. — Theodore Roosevelt

 Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change.

Smartest Man In The World (Inspirational)

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. Inspite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute and yelled to the passengers that they better jump, and he himself bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said “I am a doctor, I save lives, so I must live,” and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, “I am a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live. “He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I have lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace.”

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worry father. The smartest man in the world just took off with my back pack.”
Moral: Your Job doesn’t always define you, but being a Good Human being Does.

Little Boy's Meeting With God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkies. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was, and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But, before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” But, before her son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

Moral: God is everywhere.  We just need to share our happiness and make others smile to feel him.

keeping the roots Stronger

Once upon a time, there were two neighbours living next to each other. One of them was a retired teacher and another was an insurance agent who had a lot of interest in technology. Both of them had planted different plants in their garden. The retired teacher was giving a small amount of water to his plants and didn’t always give a full attention to them, while the other neighbour interested in technology, had given a lot of water to his plants and looked after them too well.

The retired teacher’s plants were simple but looked good. The insurance agent’s plants were much fuller and greener. One day, during the night, there was a heavy rain and a wind due to a minor storm. Next morning, both of the neighbours came out to inspect the damage to their garden. The neighbour who was an insurance agent saw that his plants came off from the roots and were totally destroyed. But the retired teacher’s plants were not damaged at all and were standing firm.

The insurance agent neighbour was surprised to see it, he went to the retired teacher and asked, “We both grew the same plants together, I actually looked after my plants better than your after my plants better than you did for yours and even gave them more water. Still, my plants came off from the roots, while yours didn’t. How is that possible?

The retired teacher smiled and said, “You gave your plants more attention and water, but because of that they didn’t need to work themselves for it. You made it easy for them. While I gave them just an adequate amount of water and let their roots search for more. And, because of that, their roots went deeper and that made their position stronger. That is why my plants survived.

MORAL:  This story is about parenting where children are like plants. If everything is given to them, they will not understand the hard work it takes to earn those things. They will not learn to work themselves and respect it. Sometimes it’s best to guide them instead of giving them. Teach them how to walk, but let them follow their path.

A man with a Lamp

Once Upon a Time, There was a small town, There lived a man by Himself He was Blind. Yet, he carried a lighted lamp with him whenever he went out at night.

One Night as he was coming after having a dinner outside, he came across a group of young travelers. They saw that he was blind, yet carrying a lighted lamp. They started passing comments on him and made a fun of him. One of them asked him, "Hey man! You are blind and can’t see anything! Why do you carry the lamp then?!

The blind man replied, Yes unfortunately, I am blind and I can’t see anything but a lighted lamp which I am carrying is for the people like you who can see. You may not see the blind man coming and end up pushing me that is why I carry a lighted lamp"

The group of travelers felt ashamed and apologized for their behaviour.

Moral: We should think before judging others. Always be polite and learn to see things from others point of view

25 Ways you can show respect to your partner

To have a great relationship, there needs to be a high level of respect on the part of both partners. Couples who are less intentional and accomplished in this area will find that their lack of respect holds their partnership down to a lower level of well-being. There are some simple steps one can take to stop habituated patterns that are disrespectful and replace them with more responsible ways of relating. The following steps, although not necessarily easy, will enhance the level of respect in your relationship so that it can grow and thrive:

·        Listen attentively to your partner's needs, desires, and concerns.

·        Show that you notice your partner's needs, desires, and concerns by acting on what you discover about partner.

·        When your partner is direct with requests, respond to what he or she asks for and act on those requests in a timely fashion. Leave no room for procrastination; really show up.

·        Speak words of acknowledgment, appreciation, and gratitude not only for what your partner does, but for who your partner is.

·        When using humor to enliven the relationship, be careful to only playfully tease and not to wound with sharp barbs.

·        Only make comparisons to others for the purpose of calling attention to your partner’s strengths and talents.

·        There are intimate details that only you are privileged to know; never violate confidentiality.

·        Carefully spar with your partner to work out differences during conflict.

·        When bringing a complaint, be careful not to go over the line to criticism.

·        Replace cutting sarcasm with gentle language.

·        Speak directly to your partner rather than sharing your complaints with others.

·        Banish all forms of contempt, including rolling of the eyes.

·        Omit impatient and irritable tones from your communication.

·        When your partner makes unskillful choices, be compassionate and reassuring by saying something like, “We all make mistakes and can learn from them.”

·        Validate your significant other's offerings with encouraging words, such as, ”You’re full of good ideas.”

·        Make room for your partner's style. There are many ways to get things accomplished.

·        Assure your partner that there is room for many opinions.

·        Support your partner’s choices whenever you can.

·        Acknowledge whatever level of financial contribution your partner makes to the family expenses.

·        Acknowledge how much your partner contributes to you and your family on the non-material, emotional level.

·        When you make an unskillful choice, apologize as soon as possible.

·        Take responsibility for the ways you harm your partner. Get busy learning from your breakdowns so that you don’t continue to harm your relationship.

·        Be quick to offer forgiveness when your partner makes unskillful choices.

·        Tell your partner that you are proud of her or him.

·        Declare your respect for your partner in front of others.

Rekindling the Love in a Relationship

Plan a vacation together. Even if you can’t afford a vacation right now, sitting down for a few hours and discussing your dream vacation will help you to reconnect. It will also provide you both with something to look forward to and daydream about. If you get to take the vacation someday, it will be extra special because of all of the time you spent planning it together. If you never get a chance to take the vacation together, you will still have many happy memories of planning the vacation

Create traditions. Having shared traditions is a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your partner. Brainstorm with your partner to create some traditions that will strengthen your bond. You can look forward to these traditions and create new ones as your relationship continues to progress.

·         Many traditions evolve over time as a result of your mutual likes and dislikes. For example, you might both enjoy watching the Oscars and start a tradition of having an Oscar watching party where you both dress up and present each other with an award.

Create moments together. Make a conscious effort to do things together. Even if your schedules are tight, make sure that you set aside some time to spend together every week. You can cook a meal together, go shopping together, or watch a movie. Try to have a date every week to stay connected

Spice up your life in the bedroom. Things can become boring between couples that have been together for a long time, but you can always do things to spice up your sex life. If you are willing to try something new, you can reinvigorate your sex life and breathe passion into the relationship.

·         Be open and honest about your desires – you should always talk with your partner before trying something new.

Show how much you love someone with gifts, surprises, or adventures. It is too easy to take someone for granted when you’ve been with them for years, but you need to take the time to acknowledge how much your partner matters to you.Bring flowers home from work, bake a cake just because, or buy those new shoes your lover has been eyeing. Showing that you think about your partner even when you are not together is a fantastic way to keep your love alive.

·         Remember that you cannot buy someone’s love. Any gifts you buy should be thoughtful, not just expensive

Dealing With Conflicts In A Relationship

DEALING WITH CONFLICTS IN A RELATIONSHIP

View each other as a team. Loving couples refer to their partners as their “other half” for a reason: they work together. You should feel comfortable chasing your dreams and helping your partner realize his or her dreams. Working on projects together, like starting a garden or redecorating the house, teaches you to respect and trust each other while fostering a loving attitude.

Listen to your partner when he or she wants to discuss something or needs your support. Make sure that your partner knows that you are on his or her side and that you want to offer your support in any way that you can.

Accept responsibility for your role in conflicts. In every relationship, conflicts will arise and you will need to find ways to work through them. One of the best things you can do to deal with conflicts is to know when you are at fault (or at least a little at fault) and try to find a way to compromise with your partner. Taking responsibility for your role in the conflicts that arise in your relationship will help to make it easier to find areas for compromise.

For example, if you and your partner are having an argument about the best way to use your tax refund, consider whether you are part of the cause of this conflict. Have you fully considered your partner’s perspective? Why don’t you agree with him/her? What might be a good compromise that could help resolve the conflict?

Forgive your lover for their flaws. No one is perfect, but people often forget this about the ones they love. Your partner is going to make mistakes and hurt your feelings sometimes. While it may be difficult to forgive them, it is something that you need to learn how to do in order to maintain a loving relationship. To avoid developing animosity in your relationship, accept that your partner is not perfect and forgive them when they are wrong.

Remember, you have to be willing to give forgiveness to get forgiveness, and you are going to make your share of mistakes too.

Be willing to make sacrifices for each other. When you love someone, your life becomes joined with theirs. Things you did when you were single become harder, and you need to think about your partner’s feelings when considering your plans. You can’t always do exactly what you want to do when you are in a relationship, so you have to get used to sacrificing for each other now and then.

For example, if you and your partner both want to see a different movie on your date night, one of you may have to sacrifice and say, “Okay, let’s see the one you want to see this week.” Then the next time there is a conflict of choice, the partner who sacrificed last time should get to choose.

You may encounter bigger sacrifices at some point in your relationship as well. For example, if you are offered a job in another state, your partner would have to decide if he or she is willing to sacrifice his or her job, friends, etc. to enable you to take that job.

Accept your partner’s quirks. As you get to know someone, you find out new little things about them that you may find strange. Everyone has different preferences and habits, and you cannot expect your partner to do everything just like you do. Do your best to accept and appreciate their quirks instead of trying to change them.

If something your partner does truly bothers you or causes you anxiety, then you need to talk to your partner about it. Avoid putting your complaint into critical terms or demanding your partner to change. Instead, say how the behavior makes you feel and ask if there is anything that your partner thinks might help to solve the problem.

For example, try saying, “When you leave your dirty clothes on the floor it makes me feel frustrated and anxious. Is there anything we could do to make it easier to put clothes in the hamper?”

Motivational Monday

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. — Confucius

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius

 Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. — George Addair

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny. – C.S. Lewis

Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine. ― Roy T. Bennett

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. – Nelson Mandela

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. ― Paulo Coelho

Your true success in life begins only when you make the commitment to become excellent at what you do. — Brian Tracy

10 Signs You’ve Falling In Love

Many species find a mate for the purpose\ of having babies, but the process of pair bonding in humans begins with falling in love. If you think you’ve avoided the common mistakes people make when searching for their soul mate and you’re ready to find out if you’re falling in love, keep reading.

10 SIGNS YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE

1. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOU HAVEN’T LAUGHED THIS HARD IN A LONG TIME.

Your partner is the funniest person you know. They’ve made you laugh so hard that you almost peed your pants but when you try to tell someone else, you realize it was an inside joke after all. Having your own joyful, playful romantic talk as a couple is a great sign that you’ve fallen in love.

2. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOU SAY ‘YES’ TO THINGS YOU WOULD HAVE SAID ‘NO’ TO BEFORE.

Your date asks if you’d like to go to a museum for a showing of some artist you’ve never heard of. Your brain screams ‘No!’ but your mouth says ‘I’d love to!’ Changing your actions to suit your partner’s preferences is an excellent sign that you’re in love.

3. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOUR PARTNER ISN’T EVEN YOUR TYPE

He’s dark and you like fair. She’s too tall for your usual taste in women. Settling for something other than your usual set of traits that you look for in a partner is a good sign you’re in love.

4. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOUR PARTNER DRIVES YOU CRAZY.

Finding your perfect match can be stressful and the one that you’re currently coupled with is driving you crazy. They leave their stuff everywhere, they pick their teeth with a fork at the table, or they’re always 10 minutes late for the movie, and you hate that! When we focus on the negative, it’s a sign that we are testing ourselves to see if this is really the right person for us.

Researchers who studied couples who had recently fallen in love found that ‘Cortisol levels were significantly higher amongst those subjects who had recently fallen in love, as compared with those who had not. The increased cortisol levels ‘are suggestive of the “stressful” and arousing conditions associated with the initiation of a social contact. ‘In other words, if your hormones are sending distress signals, you could be falling in love.

5. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOU KEEP LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SHOW YOU CARE.

Your partner likes a clean car, so the last time you fueled up for them you took their car through the car wash. And maybe on the way home from work you’ll stop to pick up a chocolate surprise, just for them. You’re just so thoughtful lately, and thinking of ways to express that you care means you’re falling in love.

6. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOU NOTICE THINGS WITH YOUR SENSES MORE.

The scent of your partner’s hair after they wash it, the shape of their chin when they turn their head, and the way they touch your lower back sends chills up your spine; your senses are heightened when you’re falling in love. Touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight are all tuned in to your partner and everything about them.

7. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOU’RE MENTALLY PLANNING A FUTURE WITH THEM.

Well it’s not your fault that you’ve already moved in with your partner in your mind, it could be Oxycontin to blame. Oxycontin is released during sex, and it is thought that it plays a role in monogamous pair bonding in couples. Oxycontin is responsible for us feeling trust and a sense of security. That s

ecurity makes you feel like this will be a lasting love.

8. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOU’RE NOT GROSSED OUT BY THEIR BODILY FLUIDS.

Since you’ve already had long make out sessions, your partner’s runny nose when they have a cold doesn’t bother you. Holding their hair while they puke is just fine with you too. You wouldn’t do this for just anyone, and that’s a good sign that you’re falling in love.

9. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF EVERY ROMANTIC MOVIE AND SONG MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR PARTNER.

You’re singing along to the radio and making a playlist named after your partner. You wonder if your partner is a Sleepless in Seattle fan like you are. When every romantic word or scene makes you think of your partner, it’s a sign.

10. IT’S A SIGN YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE IF YOUR PARTNER’S SMILE IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD TO YOU.

Although your partner has that one tooth that’s not quite straight, the sight of their smile just melts your heart. Knowing that your partner is happy makes you feel joy too.