MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

1. When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal, you do not change your decision to get there - Zig Ziglar

2. The Secret of Change is to Focus All of your Energy, Not on fighting the Old, But on Building the New - Socrates

3. The Pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty - Winston Churchill

4. You will never find time for anything. if you want time you must make it. - Charles Buxton

5. The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. - Michaelangelo

6. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why- Mark Twain

THANKFUL THURSDAY

A Story with a Moral - Being Thankful

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, Please help."
There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you theone who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it"
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. Teh second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be suprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral: Be thankful for what you have... Be creative, Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future with out fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.... And even more beautiful, Knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

10 BEHAVIOURS THAT KEEP YOU FROM FINDING A RELATIONSHIP THAT WORKS

10 Behaviours That Keep You From Finding A Relationship that works

1. YOU ARE YET TO HEAL FROM THE HURT OF YOUR CHILDHOOD

Psychologist call your adult relationship style your 'attachment style' and they say that the way you bond with a romantic partner is based on how you learned love as a child. If your childhood years were not happy ones, it takes a lot of healing before you can find a relationship that works. Psychologists at Texas A&M University who looked at 144 Dating couples found that those with  anxious or avoidant attachment styles had more negative emotions and fewer emotions in their relationships. The partners with secure attachment styles were the ones who had the most positive emotions and the least negative emotions during their relationships. 

2. YOU APPLY THE DEAL BREAKER RULE TO EVERY DATE

Man Hands, Close talker, and the Double Dip were all reasons that Characters on the TV show Seinfield had to dump their dates. If you give dates deal- breaker status based on their negative behavior that is totally unfair. Sure, we all have deal breakers that will just get under our skin so we know to so we know to avoid those types of people, but you are not perfect either. Labeling your partner's negative behaviour while ignoring their positive traits is not giving them a fair deal. It's possible that this is one behavior that is keeping you from finding a relationship that works. Try focusing on the positive aspects of your next partner.

3. YOUR STANDARDS ARE TOO HIGH

You are looking for the never married lawyer in his 30's Who Graduated from Harvard University and have mansion in Banana Island, Rolls Royce and Perfect abs? Looking for someone who is either out of your league or who would have no reason to find value in you as a partner is one possible reason you haven't found a relationship that works.

4. LOVE HAS MADE YOU JADED

You are stuck in the negativity, regret and resentment about your past relationships, which is keeping you from finding a relationship that works. Who wants to be with someone who is only focused on the negativity? No one you should want to be with, that's for sure. Try to find the lesson from these past loves, let go, grow and open yourself up to only positivity

5. Low Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem is one possible trait that keeps you from finding a relationship that works. Its hard to love someone else fully until you can say the same about your relationship with yourself. (You cannot give out what you dont have) Lets focus on you for a while and then look for romance.

6. YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU DIDN'T FIND THE RIGHT PERSON

Fear is not Uncommon for those who are single, and in this case it's fear of finding a relationship that works. Sometimes you fear losing your freedom, or losing the potential for another romantic partner who could be even better and who might come along when you aren't available. Sometimes, it is fear of success that keeps you from true love 

7. YOU ARE PURSUING SOMEONE WHO ISN'T SINGLE

Maybe he or she will leave their spouse, but in the meantime, you are trying yourself up with someone who isn't available, which means you are also not available to find someone who is looking for you.

8. YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP WHO YOU ARE TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP

You should never have to sacrifice your personality for a romantic partner, so resolve to never let that happen and be ready for the possibility of a love where you can still be yourself and be in a relationship that works.

9. YOU KEEP REPEATING THE SAME PATTERN IN RELATIONSHIPS 

Similarly to your attachment style, if you are repeating old patterns of unhealthy relationship behavior, you may have some personal growth to do before you can be in a relationship that works. Living in the past just will not work for you in a relationship. Your partner wants you to live in the here and now with them, and if you can't let go of old, negative habits that don't serve you, you can't have a healthy relationship.

10. YOU FIND IT HARD TO TRUST

We get it, putting yourself out there to potentially be hurt can be emotionally scary, but you have to take a risk if you want the big payoff. It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. in order to have a deep love, you first must have trust, because the vulnerability to be hurt is a requirement of love. Otherwise, you are just sharing a closed heart with someone, which will keep you from finding a relationship that works.

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

1. Challenges are what makes Life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful - Joshua Marine


2. I never dreamed about Success. I worked for it - Estee Lauder


3. You cannot afford to live in potential for the rest of your life; at some point, you have to unleash the potential and make your move. - Eric Thomas


4. It is never too late to be what you might have been- George Eliot


5. There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more - Robert M. Hensel


6. The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do - Swati Sharma

The Praying Hands (Inspirational)

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for his big family, the father, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his shop and any other paying work he could find in the neighbourhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the eldest children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. The winner of the toss will attend the academy first and complete his study. Once, the first winner of the toss completes his study, he will help the other brother to attend the academy and support him financially by selling arts or working at the mines if necessary.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer, one of the brother won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert, the other brother went to work at the mines and for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than most of his professors. By the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honoured position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfil his ambition. His closing words were, “And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream and I will take care of you.”

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed.

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately, I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. My brother, for me, it is too late.”

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolours, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.”

Moral: The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Remember the sacrifice others may have made for your success in life. Always, respect them and care for them as what they could have done for themselves, they did that for your happiness.

HAPPY VALENTINE DAY

Valentine's Day is the Holiday of Romance. Romance is love in its active state, ignited and inspired. Valentine's Day may feel like a holiday forced on us by the Greeting Card, Jewelry and Floral industries, but the truth is that we have accepted it because we recognize and value its purpose. Love that never inspires romance is stagnant and stale.
Valentine's Day is an opportunity to ignite our existing relationship with romance, and love with an added dose of romance will result in a stronger, longer lasting and far more satisfying relationship

So take time out of your busy schedule to wish your loved ones a happy Val day and At least buy them something.


HAPPY VALENTINE DAY TO YOU ALL FROM PAB.

The Seven Wonder (Inspiration)

Anna was a 9-year-old girl from the small village. She finished attending elementary school till 4th grade at her village. For the 5th grade onward, She will have to get an admission in a school at a city nearby. She got very happy knowing that she was accepted in a very reputed school in a city. Today was the first day of her school and she was waiting for her school bus. Once the bus came, She got in it quickly. She was very excited.

Once the bus reached to her school, all students started going to their classes. Anna also made it to her classroom after asking fellow students for direction. Upon seeing her simple clothing and knowing she is from a small village, other students started making fun of her. The teacher soon arrived and she asked everyone to keep quiet. She introduced Anna to the class and told that she will be studying with them only from today.

Then the teacher told the students to be ready for the surprise test now! She told everyone to write down the 7 wonders of the World. Everyone started writing the answer quickly. Anna started to write the answer slowly. When everyone except Anna had submitted their answer paper, the teacher came and asked Anna, "What happened Dear? Don't Worry, Just write what you know as other students have learned about it just a couple of days back".

Anna replied, "I was thinking that there are so many things, which 7 I can pick to write!" And, then she handed her answer paper to the teacher. The teacher started reading everyone's answers and the majority had answered them correctly such as The Great Wall of China, Colosseum, Stonehedge, Great Pyramid of Giza, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Tajmahal, Hanging Gardens of Babylon etc.

The teacher was happy as students had remembered what she had taught them. At last the teacher picked up Anna's answer paper and started reading

"The 7 Wonders are - To be able to See, To be able to Hear, To be able to Feel, To laugh, To Think, To be Kind, To Love!"

The teacher stood stunned and the whole class was speechless. Today, a girl from the small village reminded them about the precious gifts that God has given us, Which are truly a wonder.


Moral: Value what you have, use what you have, trust what you have. You don't always have to look away to find an inspiration. God has given you all the strength to reach your goals.

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

Let these words motivate and inspire you

1. We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated - Maya Angelou

2.  Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did - Mark Twain

3. Believe in yourself! Have Faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy - Norman Vincent Peale

4. In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision - Dalai Lama

5. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life- Steve Jobs                                      

6. Be happy so when others look at you they become happy too- Unknown                                            

A story that can change your life (Inspiration)

In 1972, Jim Cathcart was working at the Little Rock, Arkansas Housing Authority, making $525 a month, with a new wife and baby at home, no college degree, no past successes, and not much hope for the foreseeable future.

One morning, he was sitting in his office listening to the radio, to a program called "Our Changing World" by Earl Nightingale, who was known as "the Dean of Personal Motivation." That day, Nightingale, in his booming voice, said something that would change Jim's life forever: "If you will spend an extra hour each day in study of your chosen field, you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less."

Jim was stunned, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Although he had never given a speech, he had always wanted to help people grow in areas of personal development and motivation. He began his quest to put Nightingale's theory to the test by reading books and listening to tapes whenever he could. He also started exercising, became better organized, and joined a self-improvement study group. He persisted through weeks of temptations to quit, just by doing a little more each day to further his goal. Within six months he had learned more than he had in his few years of college, and he began to believe he could turn his goal of becoming a motivational speaker into reality. All the hard work, the discipline, and study paid off. Jim now has delivered more than 2,500 speeches worldwide and has won every major award in the speaking industry.

Just like companies have market value, so do people. In the simplest terms, your market value increases by knowing and doing more. Knowledge is power, not only for your career, but also to improve your family and spiritual life. I once heard a quote that sums it up well, "Knowledge is like climbing a mountain; the higher you reach the more you can see and appreciate."

I love stories because for me, they can bring an idea to life.

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

1. Setting goals is the first step into turning the invisible into the visible- Tony Robbins

2. Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly

3. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck                        

4.  Staying positive does not mean that things will turn out okay. Rather it is knowing that you will be okay no matter how things turn out. 

5. No matter how hard times may get, always hold your head up and be strong; show them you are not as weak as they think you are.

10 Essential Secrets to Making a Relationship work

Relationship Friday

1. Accept conflict as Normal

Perfection only exists in Nollywood, Bollywood and Hollywood. Disagreements happen. Unless you are embroiled in severe problems (i.e Unfaithfulness, abuse, addictions, legal problems or violence), Don't throw away a relationship because you have hit a rough patch. Trust and commitment deepen as you travel storms together.

2. Grow yourself up emotionally

Many people behave in dysfunctional manner. What you consider normal" Behaviour may actually be destructive to yourself or others. if you are confused as to whether you behavior is emotionally mature ask yourself: Am i enjoying fulfilling, intimate relationships? Am i feeling vibrant and healthy? Am i living my life with purpose and meaning? if the answer is "no, "be brave and face your issues. Talk with a skilled therapist, pastor, or counselor.

3. Take (or give) Space

Partners may choose to separate (either physically or emotionally) While they work on their own individual issues. Healing Childhood wounds is difficult enough without having to be accountable to a partner. If your partner asks for space, give him the world. stop all stalking- Peering at Facebook, driving by his work, or asking friends for information. Stop obsessing about anyone else's life except your own.

4. Learn to fly solo

Your happiness resides within you- not a relationship, a job or a perfect set of circumstances.

Forgo being in a relationship until you can learn to be happy with yourself.... Right now... Today with or without a partner

5. Develop an "I'm Awesome" Attitude

You (and only you) determine your self worth. I've seen far too many women curl up into the fetal position and lose their power upon the whims and moods of a man. It doesn't matter whether he stays or goes or compliments or criticizes. Your self-esteem needs to be like nonstick cookware - a third party opinion (regardless of whether it's good or bad) slides right off. 

6. Take Care of  Your own Needs

You are an adult, not a child. As a result, you call the shots. Need a nap? Take it. Want ice cream? Have some. Want to go to the movies? Enjoy. In partnership, you can ask the other person to help you meet your needs. But, like you, they have their own needs and problems. They may say "No"
This is not a rejection instead, its an invitation- to be self reliant or reach out to your community (i.e, Friends or family) for help. if you make one person your end-all-be-all, they will resent it. And so will you.

7. Communicate boundaries

More relationships die from silence than violence. Did you bite your tongue until it bled? Did you turn away from bad behaviour? Did you nag instead of enforcing consequences? If you acted "Complaint" to keep the peace, you contributed to the inauthenticity of the relationship. Decide to forge a different path: speak up, Say no. Don't allow anyone to treat you like a doormat.

8. Never Reward Bad Behaviour

Psychology may explain bad behaviour. but it doesn't excuse it. Have you been doling out positive reinforcement (i.e Sex, food, housing, favors) in hopes your beloved will change for the better? Is it working? if not, it's time for a new ground rules. If your love doesn't change him, your independence might.

9. Heed the wisdom of your internal voice.

When your relationship is in crisis,. it's natural to beg your friends for advice. But the symphony of opinions is likely drowning out the only voice that matters- your own. Get quiet, Meditate. Pray. Clear mental space, so you can hear your intuition. Can this relationship be saved? is it in your best interest? Are you being pushed to grow? Your heart will never fail you, so learn to listen.

10. Be Patient but also Realistic

So, when is it time to give up? Look to your partner's actions- not words- for a clue. Has he committed to counseling? is he making a commitment to change? Or simply paying lip service? You have only one life to live. Don't waste it on a promise and a dream, especially absent a real commitment. Relationships can be like old shoes-we stay in them even when they are no longer functional because they are comfortable. But comfort is rarely an indication of a life well- lived

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

When Mrs. Klein told her first graders to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful, she thought how little these children, who lived in a deteriorating neighbourhood, actually had to be thankful for. She knew that most of the class would draw pictures of turkeys or bountifully laden Thanksgiving tables. That was what they believed was expected of them.

What took Mrs. Klein aback was Douglas's picture. Douglas was so forlorn and likely to be found close in her shadow as they went outside for recess. Douglas's drawing was simply this:

A hand, obviously, but whose hand? The class was captivated by his image. "I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food" said one student. 

"A farmer, "Said another, "because they grow the turkeys"

"It looks more like a policeman, and they protect us. "I think, said Clara, who was always so serious, "that it is supposed to be all the hands that help us, but Douglas could only draw one of them."

Mrs Klein had almost forgotten Douglas in her pleasure of finding the class so responsive. When she had the others at work on another project, she bent over his desk and asked whose hand it was.

Douglas mumbled, "It is yours, Teacher."

Then Mrs. Klein recalled that she had taken Douglas by the hand from time to time; She often did that with the children. But that it should have meant so much to Douglas....

Perhaps, she reflected, this was her Thanksgiving and everybody's thanksgiving- not the material things given unto us, but the small ways that we give something to others.