Tortoise and the Hare

Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.

The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he’d sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ.

The hare woke up and realized that he’d lost the race.

The moral- “Slow and steady wins the race. This is the version of the story that we’ve all grown up with.”

THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE

there are few more interesting things…..it continues as follows……

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching.

He realized that he’d lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax.

If he had not taken things for granted, there’s no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race.

The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral – ” Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. It’s good to be slow and steady; but it’s better to be fast and reliable.”

THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE

The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there’s no way it can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted.

It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometres on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral – “First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.”

THE STORY STILL HASN’T ENDED

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together.

Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.

They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they’d felt earlier.

The moral – “It’s good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you’re able to work in a team and harness each other’s core competencies, you’ll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you’ll do poorly and someone else does well.

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could.”

In life, when faced with failure,

sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort.

Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different.

And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.

The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson

When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

Enjoy life

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer. The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups – some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The Lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves.

When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke: “If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups.”

“Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold/maintain Life, but the quality of Life doesn’t change.”

“If we only concentrate on the cup, we won’t have time to enjoy/taste the water in it.”

CHINESE STORY

A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married & Went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by Many of her mother-in-law’ s habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li Constantly.
Days passed and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law Never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even Worse was that,
According to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow To her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and Unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li’s poor husband great distress. Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law’ s bad temper And dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about It.
Li-Li went to see her father’s good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison So that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought For a while,and finally said, ” Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, But you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.”

Li-Li said, ” Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to Do.”
Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few Minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, ” You can’t use a quick-acting Poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people To become suspicious .
Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly Build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and Put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure That nobody suspect you when she dies.
You must be very careful to act very friendly towards her.

Don’t argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like A queen.”

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to Start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks went by and months Went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her

Mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about Avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her Mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset.

She hadn’t had an argument with her mother-in-law in six Months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with. The Mother-in-law’ s attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li Like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the Best daughter-in- law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law Were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see what was happening. One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help Again.
She said, ” Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from Killing my mother-in-law! She’s changed into such a nice woman, and I Love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.”
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. ” Li-Li, there’s Nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave You were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your Mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the Love which you gave to her.”

HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how They will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: ” The person who loves Others will also be loved in return.”

The Most Important Body Part

My mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.”

She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.”

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer. So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be “Our eyes.”

She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.”

Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry.

My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my Grandfather. She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”

I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important.” It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.”

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears.

She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”

I asked, “Is it because it holds up my head?”

She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.

Good friends are like stars…You don t always see them, but you always
know they are there.

Unconditional love

Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 4 year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the small child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said ” This is for you Daddy.”

He was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction… He opened the box and his anger flared again when he found the box was empty.

Then he yelled at her:

DON’T YOU KNOW when you give someone a present there’s supposed to be something inside of it???

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,

Oh Daddy it’s not empty, I blew kisses into the box , all for you Daddy.

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her for forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box near his bed for years.

Whenever he was discouraged he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense each of us has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses.

There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

Where to tap !

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster.

He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer.

He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life.

He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

“What?!” the owners exclaimed. ” He hardly did anything!”

So they wrote the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill.”

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer .. $ 2.00

Knowing where to ……… $ 9998.00

YOU CAN DO IT

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work.
His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation.

Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year.

I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot.If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren’t in prison.

Love, Dad

………

Shortly, the old man received this telegram:
” For Heaven’s sake, Dad,don’t dig up the garden!! That’s where I buried the GUNS!” At 4a.m.

The next morning,

A dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.
Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and a sked him what to do next.
His son’s reply was: “Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It’s the best I could do for you from here .”
********
– Moral Of the Story

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD,

IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART, YOU CAN DO IT.

*********

God was standing at the window

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.

He Practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.

Getting A little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was
Walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck Square in
the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved.

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see His
sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the
Dishes.” But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help
in The kitchen.” Then she whispered to him, ” Remember the duck?” So
Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go Fishing
and Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I need Sally to help make Supper.”

Sally just smiled and said,” Well that’s all right because Johnny
told Me he wanted to help.” She whispered again, “Remember the
duck? ” So Sally Went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, He
finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and
confessed that he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know.
You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but
because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long You
would let Sally make a slave of you. “

**********

Thought for the day and every day thereafter?

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done… And the devil
Keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad
Habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) ….whatever it is….You
need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole
thing….. He has seen your whole life.

He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.

He’s just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave Of
you .

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He
Not only forgives you, but He forgets . It is by God’s grace and
Mercy that we are saved.

Go ahead and make the difference in someone’s life today. Share This
with a friend and always remember : God is at the window.

********

Shake it off and step up… A Short Story (A PARABLE)

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ – or – whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

“Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

You’re right! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him…all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity…THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS–FAITH–PRAYER– PRAISE and HOPE…all are excellent ways to “SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP” out of the wells in which we find ourselves!

This Too Shall Pass

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, ” Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances, in every place and in every time. In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? One answer for all questions? Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me? Tell me is there any mantra?”

All the wise men were puzzled by the King’s question. They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper, with a condition that the king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

Some time later, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. The King had to flee on his horse. The enemies were following him. getting closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road – that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…the sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. The King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was – ” THIS TOO SHALL PASS”

The King read it . Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes ! This too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies.

Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm came on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom.

The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were near him.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fanfare. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in festive mood.
Flowers were being showered on King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself,” I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me. With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”.

He became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by. We are witnesses of all this. We are the perceivers. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass away.

Life just passes away. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. The problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

You are just a witness of change. Experience it, understand it, and enjoy the present moment –
this too shall pass!