It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how a strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deed could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who's actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; because there is no effort without errors or shortcomings; but who actually strives to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst,if he fails, at least fails by daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat!

Theodore Roosevelt

The impact of Attitude

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
(Charles R. Swindoll)

Making a difference!

There was a young man walking down a deserted beach just before dawn in the distance he saw a frail old man. As he approached the old man, he saw him picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. The young man gazed in wonder as the old man again and again threw the small starfish from the sand to the water. He asked "Old man, why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?" The old man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. But there must be thousands of beaches and millions of starfish! "How can you make a difference?" The old man looked down at the small starfish in his hand and as he threw it to the safety of the sea, he said "I MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THIS ONE." - unknown

The Victor

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

(C. W. Longenecker )

Today is the day I will change my mind,
and leave all the negative things behind.
Today is the day I want to be free,
and not let life troubles get to me.
Today is the day I will do my best,
and make sure I focus to past each day's test.
Today is the day I will take a stand,
and choose to do right to my fellow man.
Today is the day I will put my foot down,
and encourage myself when I feel I want to frown.
Today is the day, no longer will I doubt
in spite of the grumblers who stand about.
You look at me and ask "How will you start?",
"Well, first there must be a change in my heart".
I will hang with new friends who want to achieve,
and who want a good education cause that's what I believe.
I will respect those around me, young and old,
for respect is the key, that's what I've been told.
I will demand excellence you see,
for I must insist to become a better me.
I will reach for the stars no matter how hard it seems,
and fly like a bird with the knowledge this journey brings.
So you see it's not impossible, I must take life day by day
and do the right things as I travel along the way!

Today

Today

I woke up early, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. My job is to choose what kind of day I will have today

Today

I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today

I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today

I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today

I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today

I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today

I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today

I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do

Today

I can complain that I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge

Today

I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my body, mind and soul.

Today

Stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. Here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Have a great day unless you have other plans.

The Little Things!

It really is the little things
That mean the most of all...
The 'let me help you with that' things
That may seem very small
The 'I'll be glad to do it' things
That make your cares much lighter,
The 'laugh with me, it's funny' things
That make your outlook brighter...

The 'never mind the trouble' things,
The 'yes, I understand,'
The interest and encouragement
In everything you've planned
It really is the little things,
The friendly word or smile,
That add such happiness to life
And make it more worth while

(Mary Dawson Hughes)

THE LION'S DAUGHTER

Four slaves stood fanning an old queen who was asleep upon her throne. And she was snoring. And upon the queen's lap a cat lay purring and gazing lazily at the slaves.
The first slave spoke, and said, "How ugly this old woman is in her sleep. See her mouth droop; and she breathes as if the devil were choking her."
Then the cat said, purring, "Not half so ugly in her sleep as you in your waking slavery."
And the second slave said, "You would think sleep would smooth her wrinkles instead of deepening them. She must be dreaming of something evil."
And the cat purred, "Would that you might sleep also and dream of your freedom."
And the third slave said, "Perhaps she is seeing the procession of all those that she has slain."
And the cat purred, "Aye, she sees the procession of your forefathers and your descendants."
And the fourth slave said, "It is all very well to talk about her, but it does not make me less weary of standing and fanning."
And the cat purred, "You shall be fanning to all eternity; for as it is on earth, so it is in heaven."
At this moment the old queen nodded in her sleep, and her crown fell to the floor.
And one of the slaves said, "That is a bad omen."
And the cat purred, "The bad omen of one is the good omen of another."
And the second slave said, "What if she should wake, and find her crown fallen! She would surely slay us."
And the cat purred, "Daily from your birth she has slain you and you know it not."
And the third slave said, "Yes, she would slay us and she would call it making a sacrifice to the gods."
And the cat purred, "Only the weak are sacrificed to the gods."
And the fourth slave silenced the others, and softly he picked up the crown and replaced it, without waking her, on the old queen's head.
And the cat purred, "Only a slave restores a crown that has fallen."
And after a while the old queen woke, and she looked about her and yawned. Then she said, "Methought I dreamed, and I saw four caterpillars chased by a scorpion around the trunk of an ancient oak tree. I like not my dream."
Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep again. And she snored. And the four slaves went on fanning her.
And the cat purred, "Fan on, fan on, stupids. You fan but the fire that consumes you."

• I AM FOREVER walking upon these shores,
  Betwixt the sand and thefoam,
  The high tide will erase my foot-prints,
  And the wind will blow away the foam.
  But the sea and the shore will remain
  Forever.
• It was but yesterday I thought myself a fragment quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life.
  Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.
• Only once have I been made mute. It was when a man asked me, "Who are you?"

• Forgetfulness is a form of freedom

• Remembrance is a form of meeting.

• We measure time according to the movement of countless suns; and they measure time by little machines in their little pockets.

  Now tell me, how could we ever meet at the same place and the same time?

• Space is not space between the earth and the sun to one who looks down from the windows of the Milky Way.

• Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?

• On my way to the Holy City I met another pilgrim and I asked him, "Is this indeed the way to the Holy City?"

And he said, "Follow me, and you will reach the Holy City in a day and a night."
And I followed him. And we walked many days and many nights, yet we did not reach the Holy City.
And what was to my surprise he became angry with me because he had misled me.

• One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night.

Footprints in the sand...

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.

The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

· It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created in years or even generations.

(Kahlil Gibran-The broken wings)

The Scarecrow

Once I said to a scarecrow, "You must be tired of standing in this lonely field.”
And he said, "The joy of scaring is a deep and lasting on, and I never tire of it."
Said I, after a minute of thought, "It is true; for I too have known that joy."
Said he, "Only those who are stuffed with straw can know it."
Then I left him, not knowing whether he had complimented or belittled me.
A year passed, during which the scarecrow turned philosopher.
And when I passed by him again I saw two crows building a nest under his hat.

(Kahlil Gibran- How I became the madman)

Seven times have I despised my soul..

Seven times have I despised my soul:

1. The first time when I saw her being meek that she might attain height.
2. The second time when I saw her limping before the crippled.


3. The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.


4. The fourth time when she committed a wrong, and comforted herself that others also commit wrong.


5. The fifth time when she forbore for weakness, and attributed her patience to strength.


6. The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.


7. And the seventh time when she sang a song of praise, and deemed it a virtue.

(Kahlil Gibran-Sand and foam)

Intellectual vs Love!

The intellectual is always showing off,

The lover is always getting lost.

The intellectual runs away.

Afraid of drowning;

The whole business of love,

Is to drown in the sea.

Intellectuals plan their repose;

Lovers are ashamed to rest.

The lover is always alone.

Even surrounded by people;

Like water and oil, he remains apart.

The man who goes to the trouble

Of giving advice to a lover

Get nothing. He's mocked by passion.

Love is like musk. It attracts attention.

Love is a tree, and the lovers are its shade.

(Jelaluddin Rumi Kulliyat-e Shams,

Usay Hum Yaad Ayenge!

Sitara dekh ker toota,

Usay hum yaad ayenge.

kisi se saath jab choota,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

Abhi to urr raha hai woh nai chahat ke par le ker,

Jo us ka Par kabhi toota,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

usay jis per yaqeen hai aaj to iman ki had tak,

wohi nikla jo kal jhoota,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

us ke ashk palkon se chune ga kon phir jaane,

Kisi se woh kabhi rootha,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

Muhabbat ke safar mein har koi mukhlis nahi milta,

kisi rahzan ne jab loota,

usay hum yaad ayenge!

Enter this house, My Love, or let me leave!

Enter this house, my Love or let me leave
I am a sculptor, a molder of form.
In every moment I shape an idol.
But then, in front of you, I melt them down
I can rouse a hundred forms
And fill them with spirit,
But when I look into your face,
I want to throw them in the fire.
My souls spills into yours and is blended.
Because my soul has absorbed your fragrance,
I cherish it.
Every drop of blood I spill
Informs the earth,
I merge with my Beloved
When I participate in love,
In this house of mud and water,
My heart has fallen to ruins.
Enter this house, my Love, or let me leave.
(Jelaluddin Rumi the Divani Shamsi Tabriz, XXXIV)

I have been Tricked!

I have been tricked by flying too close

to what I thought I loved.
Now the candle flame is out, the wine spilled,

and the lovers have withdrawn

somewhere beyond my squinting.
The amount I thought I'd won, I've lost.

My prayer becomes bitter and all about blindness.
How wonderful it was to be for a while

with those who surrender.
Others only turn their faces on way,

then another, like pigeon in flight.
I have known pigeons who fly in a nowhere,

and birds that eat grainlessness,
And tailor who sew beautiful clothes

by tearing them to pieces.
(Mathnawi, V. 346-353) Like This, Rumi, Coleman Barks, Maypop Books

Love is Reckless!

Love is reckless; not reason.
Reason seeks a profit.
Love comes on strong,
Consuming herself, unabashed.

Yet, in the midst of suffering,
Love proceeds like a millstone,
Hard surfaced and straightforward.

Having died of self-interest,
She risks everything and asks for nothing.
Love gambles away every gift God bestows.

Without cause God gave us being;
Without cause, give it back again.
(Jelaluddin Rumi Mathnawi VI, 1967-1974)

This is LOVE!

This is love: to fly toward a secret sky,
To cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.
First, to let go of life.
In the end, to take a step without feet;
To regard this world as invisible,
And to disregard what appears to be the self.
Heart, I said, what a gift it has been
To enter this circle of lovers,
To see beyond seeing itself,
To reach and feel within the breast.
(Jelaluddin Rumi the Divani Shamsi Tabriz, XIII)

Who is at the Door?

Who is at my door?
He said, "Who is at my door?"

I said, "Your humble servant.

"He said, "What business do you have?"

I said, "To greet you, 0 Lord."
He said, "How long will you journey on?"

I said, "Until you stop me."

He said, "How long will you boil in the fire?"

I said, "Until I am pure."

"This is my oath of love.

For the sake of loveI gave up wealth and position."
He said, "You have pleaded your case but you have no witness."

I said, "My tears are my witness;

the pallor of my face is my proof.'

He said, "Your witness has no credibility;

your eyes are too wet to see."

I said, "By the splendor of your justice my eyes are clear and faultless."

He said, "What do you seek?"

I said, "To have you as my constant friend."

He said, "What do you want from me?"

I said, "Your abundant grace."

He said, "Who was your companion on the 'journey?

I said, "The thought of you, 0 King."He said,

"What called you here?"I said,

"The fragrance of your wine."

He said, "What brings you the most fulfillments?"

said, "The Company of the Emperor."

He said, "What do you find there?"

I said, "A hundred miracles."

He said, "Why is the palace deserted?"

I said, "They all fear the thief."He said, "Who is the thief?"

I said, "The one who keeps me from -you.

He said, "Where is there safety?"

I said, "In service and renunciation."

He said, "What is there to renounce?"

I said, "The hope of salvation."

He said, "Where is there calamity?"

I said, "In the presence of your love."

He said, "How do you benefit from this life?"

I said, "By keeping true to myself

Now it is time for silence.

If I told you about His true essence

You would fly from your self and be gone,

and neither door nor roof could hold you back!
(Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved, Jonathan StarJeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997)