Unhappiness may be influenced — but certainly not controlled — by external situations. We’re unhappy because we allow ourselves to be unhappy. Often, we plant our own seeds of discontent. Sometimes we realize it, but most of the time, the seeds take root and begin to blossom completely unbeknownst to us. Until it’s too late. Until […]
That night Sue, a little girl aged 12, quarreled with her mother and then stormed out of the house. As she traveled a little distance, she realized that she did not have money; not even enough coins to make a phone call home. As she passed by a noodle shop, she suddenly felt very […]
Boredom comes when we have spare time and there is nothing to do. Boredom comes when we are unable to enjoy and appreciate solitude. Boredom comes when we can’t stand our own company and want to escape from ourselves. The greatest tragedy of anybody’s life is that one can’t stand one’s own company. And then […]
Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained. Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of […]
Miseries, failures, tragedies and disappointments in life are inevitable. But on that ground we should not sink in an endless sorrow. We have to outgrow anguish as quickly as possible. For it eats up the personality as a whole. “There’s no market for our sorrows in this world, so we should never advertise them.” “Sometimes… Hurt […]
Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree and each apple has ten seeds. That’s a lot of seeds! We might ask, “Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?” Nature has something to teach us here. It’s telling us: “Not […]
His request approved; the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight. He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport. Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger. He jumped in with his bag, slammed […]
Everyone in this world, without exception, faces some kind of challenges and struggles in one’s life that at times, one gets bog down. Sometimes the struggle so overwhelms us that we easily slip into a negative mindset. But each day doesn’t have to be a struggle. We have so much more strength in ourselves than […]
Baby giraffes never go to school. But they learn a very important lesson rather early in life. A lesson that all of us would do well to remember. The birth of a baby giraffe is quite an earth-shaking event. The baby falls from its mother’s womb, from some eight feet above the ground. It shrivels up and […]
A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. Turtles being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally, the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place for their outing. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last! For about […]
