Sunday, November 27, 2011

Caring

News
No new updates for this week.

Story
I read this on Paulo Coelho's blog and wanted to share it with you.

The writer Leo Buscaglia was once invited to be on the jury of a school competition to find ‘the child who cared most for others’.

The winner was a boy whose neighbour, a gentleman of over eighty, had just been widowed.
When he saw the old man sitting in his garden crying, the boy jumped over the fence, sat on the man’s lap and stayed there for a long time.

When he went back home, his mother asked him what he had said to the poor man.

‘Nothing,’ said the boy. ‘He’s lost his wife and that must have really hurt.

“I just went over to help him to cry.”

Have a wonderful week.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Facing Challenges

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
"If only you could see the whole picture, if you knew the whole story, you would realize that no problem ever comes to you that does not have a purpose in your life, that cannot contribute to your inner growth. When you perceive this, you will recognize that problems are opportunities in disguise. If you did not face problems, you would just drift through life. It is through solving problems in accordance with the highest light we have that inner growth is attained."
-Peace Pilgrim

My Thoughts
Life sometimes throws unexpected challenges your way. No matter how much we try to control what happens to us, ultimately we can not. The only thing we can control is our reaction to the situation.

In my own life I have faced numerous challenges and most of them I didn't expect. I have dealt with my mother's death, my father attempting suicide, being robbed, injuries, almost bankrupt, etc.. In that moment sometimes life can seem overwhelming, but through every challenge I have faced up until now, I have learned something...usually numerous things.

People often try to plan every little detail about the future. Even six months ago I could have never predicted what my life would be like now. I am not suggesting that you shouldn't plan or have an idea regarding your future, but be careful getting too attached to that one particular path.

So, when life presents you with challenges realize that they are opportunities to grow. You may not fully learn the lesson right away, it could come to you months later. Also, do your best to stay in the present moment. Life happens now but most people miss it because of fears and worries.

Have an awesome week.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Fears

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
"Who sees all beings in his own self, and his own self in all beings, loses all fear."
Isa Upanishad, Hindu Scripture

My Thoughts
A small dose of fear can be a good thing because it can temporarily heighten your awareness and also allow you to learn things about yourself. However, when the fear is constant it can produce many negative consequences.

Fears cause us to act irrational. It blocks our ability to reason properly. A simple example of this is when someone has a phobia. I have (although it's become much better recently) a fear of spiders. It doesn't matter the size of the spider or if it's poisonous or not. So if a spider started crawling on me as I was typing this I would act very irrational. In the past I'd probably jump up and run around screaming even though logically I know the spider poses no harm to me.

We can see fear causing problems in every area of life: relationships, business, financial, health, etc..

Another example of this is someone that absolutely hates their job. The person complains every chance they get about how bad their job is. Yet, they take no action to either resolve their perception of the situation and/or move on. Why don't they move on? It stems from fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of judgment, etc..

Three years ago when I started my own business I too had to face all those fears. However, I can tell you that all my experiences over the last three years have made me grow tremendously. Has it been easy? Not at all. But it's definitely been worth it.

I encourage all of you to use this week to become more aware of your fears and see what steps you can take in order to start overcoming them. I also recommend spending some time reflecting on the quote above.

Have an amazing week.

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Littlest Firefighter

News
No new updates for this week.

Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I found this story.

Story

The Littlest Firefighter

The 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But, she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life? "

"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."

Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true. "

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six year old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat- not a toy one, but one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window and 5 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" "Yes, Billy, you are a fireman now," the chief said.

With those words, Billy smiled and closed his eyes one last time. He passed away later that evening.

Have an incredible week.