Can I borrow $25?‏

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.

SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "If you must know, I make $50 an hour."

SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $25?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard everyday for such childish frivolities."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn’t ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.

"No daddy, I’m awake," replied the boy.

"I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man. "It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $25 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.

"Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

A Story To Share...

There was once a young man who's dad was a jockey and had won many trophies before. He was in awed of his dad's success, thus determined to be like his dad and be a jockey and to win many trophies and to be the best in what he does. He went up to his dad and said, "Dad, I want to be a jockey too, i want to emulate your success."

Since then, he has been training very hard everyday so that he is able to improve himself so much that he will one day, be as good as his dad. And his dad was the one who helped him everyday in his training. His dad, with all the positive intention, had been pushing him and pushing him very hard during the trainings.

There were times when this young man wanted to give up, but he always reminds himself of his dream and goal to emulate his dad's success and that pushes him on. He will be willing to do whatever it takes for him to be as good as his dad is, and to be the best that he can be.

During the trainings, he never understood what it meant, and whenever he asked his dad, the response will be, "Just do, and you will understand later." And so, he followed the dad's training, because he was told to trust what the training will do for him in the future. He knew that other than following the trainings, he is also responsible to find out more about what he can do better to achieve his goal at a faster speed.

Indeed, with all perseverance and initiative, this young man is moving towards his goal steadily. He is flexible enough to be able to change his strategy whenever one doesn't work for him. He is taking every obstacle as his learning experience for him to improve himself further.

With all the refining and testing and measuring all the strategies, he has slowly found what works for him. And with that, he is enjoying what he is doing, and is moving towards his goals..

A Wise Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided that is was not worth retrieving the donkey as the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway.

He invited his neighbours to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly.

Then, to everyone's amazement, it quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

As every shovel of dirt hit its back, the donkey did something amazing. It would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, it would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off to everyone's amazement!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you-all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of a hole is to shake it off and take a step up.

Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest holes just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

FAITH - The Two-Legged Wonder Dog!

A dog named Faith was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which need to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. Therefore she named him 'Faith'.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfing board to let him feel the movements. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and rewarded him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dogs at home also helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him. He is even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps one will feel better if one changes the point of view from another direction and see things from another perspective. I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows. Faith is the continual demonstration of the Strength of Life.

Believe in yourself! Never lose faith!

The Emperor's Seed

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different.

He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully.

Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about 3 weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. 6 months went by; still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.

Ling didn't say anything to his friends. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.

Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot but his Mother said he must be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his Mother was right.

He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.

He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.

Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring the emperor a pot with the emperor's seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

The Morale behind this Story is:

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

What u sow is what u really reap...

What are u sowing today?

Surviving Hard Times by Matt Rawlins

HOLOCAUST survivor Viktor Frankl studied prisoners in the Nazi death camps he found himself in during World War II.

He wanted to understand how people dealt with pain and suffering. He observed how some of the prisoners just gave up and died while others hung on and made it through incredibly difficult situations.

He theorised that one of the primary differences between those who survived and those who perished had to do with finding meaning in pain, suffering and life. Those who saw no meaning or purpose to life or pain and could see no good coming out of it, lost hope and quickly died.

There were others who persevered, who would not give up, who believed that good could come out of extremely painful situations. They were able to look beyond the "moment" of suffering and into the future. These people had a higher chance of surviving and moving on.

Very few of us will be confronted with the depth of painful choices those prisoners had to make, but we all face difficult situations of one kind or another.

An example of this is the current financial crisis, which has already affected so many lives. People have lost their money, jobs and homes and the worst, we are told, is still to come.

How will you deal with it?

There is an anonymous quote that says: "Every time I find the meaning of life, they change it."

This can be true only if you have never personally found the meaning of your own life.

The meaning of life in its beauty and wonder is rarely discovered in financial and career success alone. It is suffering and hardship that seem to teach us about the meaning of life with its truth and beauty.

I know many successful professionals who look back at the pain and suffering of different seasons of their lives and remember the lessons they learned in those times. The common response they give is: "I wouldn't change any of it, because it made me who I am today."

Here is how you can find meaning in the midst of a potentially painful time in your life:

Value yourself

Remember, your meaning and value as an individual is not linked to a job or a relationship. It is not linked to success or wealth. Your value is in the very nature of who you are as a human being. Nothing can take that away.

Room for growth

See it as the beginning of new opportunities for growth, greater self-awareness and a new season in your life. Remember, you are probably still better off than two-thirds of the world right now.

Count your blessings

Here is a simple secret of happiness - learn how to be thankful for what you have. A thankful heart is like medicine to a suffering soul. It can heal you of bitterness and negativity.

Be people-centric

Reconnect with those you have been too busy to spend time with. Fulfilling, joyful relationships are a great source of personal happiness. Very often, we get so distracted by our busy schedules that it takes a crisis to remind us how important our loved ones are.

Slow down, go for a walk, laugh and let those key relationships "catch up" with you.

Jack Canfield’s Top 7 Success Tips

1.) Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life.

One of the greatest myths that is pervasive in our culture today is that you are entitled to a great life-that somehow, somewhere, someone is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time and blissful personal relationships simply because we exist. But the real truth is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live. That person is YOU.

2.) Be Clear Why You’re Here.

I believe each of us is born with a life purpose. Identifying, acknowledging and honoring this purpose is perhaps the most important action successful people take. They take the time to understand what they’re here to do-and then they pursue that with passion and enthusiasm.

3.) Decide What You Want.

One of the main reasons why most people don’t get what they want is they haven’t decided what they want. They haven’t defined their desires in clear and compelling detail...What does success look like to you?

4.) Believe It’s Possible.

Scientists used to believe that humans responded to information flowing into the brain from the outside world. But today, they’re learning instead that we respond to what the brain, based on previous experience, expects to happen next...In fact, the mind is such a powerful instrument, it can deliver to you literally everything you want. But you have to believe that what you want is possible.

5.) Believe in Yourself.

If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen...Whether you call it self-esteem, self-confidence or self-assurance, it is a deep-seated belief that you have what it takes-the abilities, inner resources, talents and skills to create your desired results.

6.) Become an Inverse Paranoid.

Imagine how much easier it would be to succeed in life if you were constantly expecting the world to support you and bring you opportunity. Successful people do just that.

7.) Unleash the Power of Goal Setting.

Experts on the science of success know the brain is a goal-seeking organism. Whatever goal you give to your subconscious mind, it will work day and night to achieve...To engage you subconscious mind, a goal has to be measurable. When there are no criteria for measurement, it is simply something you want, a wish, a preference, a good idea.

Adapted from THE SUCCESS PRINCIPLES: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Jack Canfield is America's #1 Success Coach, co-founder of the billion-dollar Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, and a leading authority on Peak Performance.

10 Tips For A Better Year by Neen James

Hi readers,

Here's an article I've found useful and would like to share it with you.

Make the most of the coming year by staying positive and productive.

Here are 10 tips on how to make 2009 a fulfilling year.

1. Set realistic goals

Many people make new year resolutions but do not fulfil them. Make this year different. Write down your goals and be committed to achieving them. Ensure your goals are realistic. List your goals and stick it on your fridge where you can see them every day.

2. Focus on your health

This can be your greatest asset or your greatest liability. Make an appointment for a check-up with your doctor, implement an exercise programme if you don't have one, take vitamins if you need to and resolve to kick unhealthy habits like smoking.

3. Invest in your development

I recently read that people who spend a thousand dollars or more on their personal development will increase their business by 20 per cent. Read books, attend workshops, find a new network, listen to tapes or CDs in your car, take up online courses or enrol at a university or learning centre. Keep your brain active.

4. Know your priorities

After you have set your goals, you can begin to focus on what is important to you -- family, self development, profitability, building your profile, health, gaining new clients or more relaxation time. Prioritising will help you focus on how you spend your time.

5. Eliminate time robbers

Make a list of the things that rob you of your time. For example, are you watching too much TV, running unproductive errands, checking your e-mail too often or having long phone calls? Can you use long waiting times more effectively? Focus on controlling your time and get rid of the things in your life that are not a high priority.

6. Surround yourself with VIPs

Find very inspiring people (VIP) whom you can learn from, bounce ideas with and spend time with. Minimise your time with the very draining people (VDP) in your life. You will feel more positive when you are surrounded by VIPs.

7. Plan your next holiday

Allocate a specific time in your calendar for your next holiday so you have something to look forward to.

8. Make time for those you care for

Balancing work and home life is a challenge for most people. Be focused on those you love and do not forget to remind them how much they mean to you. Promise yourself you will not take anyone for granted this year. For instance, each day you can tell one person that he or she is special.

9. Create an "attitude" to-do list

Instead of making "to-do" lists for work, consider creating an "attitude" to-do list you can use every day.

My list includes the following:

Send a thank-you note,

Sit in the sun for 15 minutes,

Find something funny,

Get some exercise, and

Choose to be positive.

So, what will your list say?

10. Choose to be amazing

Make a commitment to yourself each morning that you will have an amazing day. This might include trying some of these tips like reading your "attitude" to-do list, focusing on your health, eliminating time robbers or finding more VIPs in your life. Remember life is not a dress rehearsal -- you only get one performance, so give it your best.