Saturday, July 14, 2007

The Cracked Water Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there.

There is a lot of good in us! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life! Or as I like to think of it--if it hadn't been for the crackpots in my life, it would have been pretty boring and not so interesting...

Thank you for being my crackpot friends.

Author Unknown


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Friday, July 13, 2007

Reach Out in Faith

Sometimes life is so full of uncertainty. We live each day with the idea that things will go as planned. We plan, and work, and toil, reaching for those things hat we hope will bring happiness, and fulfillment. Yet through it all, we don't really know what a day will bring. It's like walking through your home in the dark. You're pretty sure where things are in the house, but because you can't see them, you may have to reach out in order to avoid any unforeseen obstacles.

Faith is mentally reaching out and believing that even though the present may be dark and gloomy, the future will be better because you are visualizing where you will be, what you will be doing, and the specific path that you want to take. Unfortunately many will choose to dwell and take up residence on the dark side, which will be full of negativity, discouragement, and despair.

This week you have a choice. You can go through life with the the lights turned off, and the shades pulled down. This creates a situation where you dwell on the worst that can happen. Or you can open the shades, let the sunshine in, and believe that today is going to be a great day. Your circumstances may be the worst they have ever been, but today you choose to look at it all in a better way. Though your life is not what you want it to be today, in your mind you can believe that things will get better, and that nothing stays the same.

Take a step of faith this week. Reach out by believing in something that you otherwise have been negative about. Believe that relationship will work out. Believe that job will come through. Believe your health will improve. Believe that your future will be bright. Reach out in faith.


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Faith

When you come to the edge of the known light
And are about to step into the darkness
Faith is knowing one of two things:
There will be ground beneath your feet
Or you will learn to fly.


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Thursday, July 12, 2007

TEN STEPS TO A POWERFUL LIFE AND CAREER

1. I invite you to look back five years ago. Notice where you were and what you were doing. What had you accomplished and what did you want to accomplish? Now look to today and compare what exists in your life to now to what existed in your life then. Acknowledge how far you have come and all you have learned. Notice how you have changed or not. Notice your new levels of awareness and your personal growth or not. Stop to celebrate yourself, your failures and breakthroughs. Each has provided fuel and taught you to expand and elevate your life or has kept you stuck. Each experience presented you with a choice that brought you along the path you walk today. You have the ability to source your life. You have power beyond your awareness. You are capable of creating whatever you desire. It is only a choice away.

2. Discover where you want to be in the next one, three years
and five years. Believe that anything is possible for you. It only waits to be identified and created. Empower yourself to start knocking on this door to your intentions. Knock loudly! Knock with gusto! And, knock with the intention you will get the answers. You have the ability to put your intentions into action. Intentions are the stars that guide your ship through the night to your desired destination. Name your intentions and be as specific as possible.

3. Imagine how you are going to get to the intended creation. See yourself manifesting your desires, vision, purpose, and goals. The HOW of getting to your intention is minor compared to your true desire for the intention. The HOW begins to happen automatically once your intention has been recognized and identified. However, action is the cause of all creation. You must identify a course of action and begin. If you don't know exactly how you will get there, don't let that stop you. It doesn't have to be the exact course that will get you there. You just need an idea.

4. Identify obstacles that may be getting in the way of manifesting your intentions. This is a tricky step because many obstacles are perceptions not founded in reality. The reality is they are only habits, fears, rules and beliefs that exist in your mind to hold you back. Fear is a biological mechanism for preventing us from being hurt. Most of the time when we experience fear, the only hurt comes from the meaning we may attach to an outcome. Unless you are shackled, no one is holding you back but you. Make a list of perceived obstacles. A good coaching alliance will help further your agenda by achieving clarity and stepping out of your fears and into action. A professional coach will support you and your vision while you change, grow, transform, breakdown and breakthrough.

5. Begin to act deliberately from a deep sense of inner calm. So calm that to those around you may seem slow to react. In fact, you won't react. You will respond from authentic, desired intentions within. You will not be reacting with emotions triggered by a situation or person. You will respond on a moment by moment basis from your desired intentions, values, and vision. You will respond in truth from inside, from the internal authentic YOU! Be committed to your highest good. Deliberately practice extreme self-care so you can effortlessly manifest your intentional goals.

6. Develop a pace that works for you. Periodically withdraw and recharge. Take steps to eliminate clutter, noise, distractions, and people from your life who drain your energy. Commit to gauging your success, not by how much you get done, but by how much you give in a day. Over-respond to every event and tolerate nothing that interferes with you operating at your highest good. Remember, to love thy neighbor as thyself, you must first love and care for yourself. Then service is effortless. It is a flow of love, time, and spirit so powerful within yourself that it naturally spills over onto others. You will grow when you can serve others effortlessly. First, get in relationship with yourself.

7. Embrace structure in your life as the foundation of freedom. It is through our actions and choices that our destiny is shaped. Sitting on a lotus blossom and contemplating action is different from embracing action from a state of practiced present. Live in the moment. Practice calm response to people, places and things. Live with intention. Remember that consistent, focused action is the cause of creation.

8. Remember that effective, intention based businesses and lives are not lived necessarily by "smarter" or more "talented" people. They are lived by disciplined, centered, choice making people who overcome apathy, doubt, or fear through their will to live their desired intentions and to persist in their dream to create what they believe. They are courageous people who embrace change even when there is great emotional and physical pain with it. They get the assistance and support they need to find their focus, set their intentions, know their capacities and stretch their limits.

9. Let go of your attachments to all outcomes. Just HOLD your intentions; know the outcomes will be exactly as they should be. Stay in the moment. Stay on purpose, by doing what you know is in alignment with your intended desires. You will move freely onto the freeway of exciting surprises, abundant outcomes, happier working relationships and more faith in your abilities to manifest your intentions. Make "letting go" a joyous act, not a personal sacrifice. Like wildflower seeds thrown from your hand, into the wind, to take down root and sprout into beautiful results. So you will lay down your goals and then throw them like wild flowers into the wind.

10. Know that coaching works! It empowers new thinking, new relationships, and new business practices. Coaching helps people discover new opportunities to grow and change with the times. Coaches help clients get on a fast track to success by encouraging clients to expand, grow, transform and to live a richer, well-intended life. And, as you become a great leader in your life, you influence others. Everything is possible for you. All you have to do is show up for yourself, practice the steps above and when your days are complete you will fell a sense of a life well lived. You will have emerged and created a business and a life that is an example to mankind. An example of authentic, integrity based leadership of yourself, your family, and your business. And, you will leave a contribution to mankind through your willingness to be what you say you believe!!!

by Kathleen Spike


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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The Positive Power of Forgetting

Bad habits, bad relationships, bad surroundings, bad thoughts and emotions. Many of these are things that could be hindering or holding you back from becoming the type of person you want to be.

Use your mind and your thought process to completely diffuse and wipe out any thoughts of returning to those unhealthy habits, negative behaviors, circumstances,
relationships or environments that have brought you down in the past. Close the door forever. Lock the door, and throw away the key. Turn around,walk away, and don't look
back.

Use the positive power of quitting, and the power of positive forgetting to lift you to a new level of living. Begin to dwell on the many benefits that will come into your life as a result of the positive thoughts and actions that you have made.

Forget about the old path and stay on the new path. Stay on the new path by using the positive power of forgetting. Forgetting the past, and focusing on the future will bring you a new life of success and fulfillment.

Sincerely,
David Croston
Motivational Concepts and Training


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