The Farmer Who Inspired the Whole Nation

The story continues. This is a very inspiring story of how a 61 year old man inspired the whole nation.


Every professional athletes knew for certain that it took about 5 days to finish this race, and that in order to compete, you would need to run 18 hours and sleep 6 hours. The thing is, old Cliff Young did not know that!

When the morning news of the race was aired, people were in for another big surprise. Cliff was still in the race and had jogged all night down to a city called Mittagong.

Apparently, Cliff did not stop after the first day. Although he was still far behind the world-class athletes, he kept on running. He even had the time to wave to spectators who watched the event by the highways.

When he got to a town called Albury he was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. He said he would run through to the finish, and he did.

He kept running. Every night he got just a little bit closer to the leading pack. By the last night, he passed all of the world-class athletes. By the last day, he was way in front of them. Not only did he run the Melbourne to Sydney race at age 61, without dying; he won first place, breaking the race record by 9 hours and became a national hero! The nation fell in love with the 61-year-old potato farmer who came out of nowhere to defeat the world's best long distance runners.

He finished the 875-kilometre race in 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes. Not knowing that he was supposed to sleep during the race, he said when running throughout the race, he imagined that he was chasing sheep and trying to outrun a storm.

When Cliff was awarded the first prize of $10,000, he gave away the prize to the other competitors. He did not keep a single cent for himself. That act endeared him to all of Australia. Cliff was a humble, average man, who undertook an extraordinary feat and became a national sensation.

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible - Doug Larson

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Area of Control in Life

Quite an interesting analogy I got in my mailbox today and thought I would like to share with you this interesting analogy. Choosing what to focus on in life can indeed make a different in your life.


Every day every second we are bombarded with different incident that need our attention. Have we observed closely how we respond to each incident? I realized there is always 2 areas of focus, that is area within and not within my control. For instance, I might I have taken a wrong route to a destination. By keep blaming myself for taking the wrong route and still feeling bad for the wasted time, I'm focusing on area not within my control as what has happened cannot be reverted through blaming myself. If I spend time revising my route for the return the trip, I will avoid the wrong route, Here I'm focusing on area within my control. Making the
right focus made me more intelligent and more efficient.

For majority of thet people in the world, their main focus is to complete 9 - 6 regular working the same routine every day. I would describe them as tree cutter who would reuse the same axe, even though edges are blunt, cutting tree from morning till evening,. They are focusing on area not within their control as they restrict themselves within a routine. There is another kind of people who spend morning sharpening their axe and cut more trees in the afternoon within a shorter time. The sharper the edge of axe is, the more efficient the work is going to be carried out. They are focus on their sharpening their skill and hence area within their control. Do you belong to first kind of people or second one?

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A Farmer who Inspired the Whole Nation

This story was originally posted at: My Inspirational Quotes. I have also Googled and verified some of the things written on the story and had made slight changes to the original article.


Every year, Australia hosts an 875-kilometer endurance racing from Sydney to Melbourne – considered to be the world's longest and toughest ultra-marathon. It's a long, tough race that takes five days and normally participated by world-class athletes who train specially for the event. Backed by big names in sports like Nike, these athletes are mostly less than 30 years old men and women equipped with the most expensive sponsored training outfits and shoes.

In 1983, these top class runners were in for a surprise. On the day of the race, a guy named Cliff Young showed up. At first, no one cared about him since everybody thought he was there to watch the event. After all, he was 61 years old, showed up in overalls and galoshes over his work boots.

As Cliff walked up to the table to take his number, it became obvious to everybody he was going to run. He was going to join a group of 150 world-class athletes and run! Most of the other runners did not even know who was Cliff Young.

Everybody thought that it was a crazy publicity stunt. But the press was curious, so as he took his number 64 and moved into the pack of runners in their special, expensive racing outfit, the camera focused on him and reporters started to ask:

"Who are you and what are you doing?"

"I'm Cliff Young. I'm from a large ranch where we run sheep outside of Melbourne."

They said, "You're really going to run in this race?"

"Yeah," Cliff nodded.

"Got any backers?"

"No."

"Then you can't run."

"Yeah I can." Cliff said. "See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn't afford horses or four wheel drives, and the whole time I was growing up -- until about four years ago when we finally made some money and got a four wheeler -- whenever the storms would roll in, I'd have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 head, and we have 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I'd catch them. I believe I can run this race; it's only two more days. Five days. I've run sheep for three."

When the marathon started, the pros left Cliff behind in his galoshes. The crowds smiled because he didn't even run correctly. Instead of running, he appeared to run leisurely, shuffling like an amateur.

Now, the 61-year-old potato farmer from Beech Forest with no teeth had started the ultra-tough race with world-class athletes. All over Australia, people who watched the live telecast kept on praying that someone would stop this crazy old man from running because everyone believed he’ll die even before even getting halfway across Sydney.

The inspiration continues ...

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False Information about Tommy Hilfiger

I received this email in my inbox this morning and I feel there is a need to clear this up. If ever you receive this email. Please do not ... do not forward it out because the information is not true.

In a January 2001 press release, the Tommy Hilfiger company denies that their founder ever made such a statement:

"The facts remain simple and cannot be disputed. Tommy Hilfiger did not make the alleged comments, he has never appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and, in fact, Ms. Winfrey herself, on her January 11, 1999 program, stated Tommy Hilfiger has never been on her show nor has she ever met him.

"Most importantly, Tommy Hilfiger wants his clothing to be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds and his collections are put together with the broadest cross-section of individuals in mind. To reinforce this, he features models of all ethnic backgrounds in his fashion shows and advertisements."

So pervasive is this rumor that, by 2004, the company had set aside an entire section on their corporate web site to deny it, featuring statements from Hilfiger, Winfrey, the Anti-Defamation League and Hilfiger customers.

Tommy Hilfiger is not the first or last famous person to be falsely accused of publicly telling certain ethnic groups to not buy their products. Liz Claiborne, Lauren Hill and Shakira all stand accused. None of the accusations stand up to scrutiny. Some are based on misunderstandings, while others, like the one above, are complete fabrications built on favorite elements of urban legendry. Break this Chain.


SAMPLE CHAIN LETTER TEXT
Subject: Tommy Hilfiger on Oprah

Hello, please read.... and pass on if you haven't already! Everyone needs to see this.

Good for Oprah!!!! I'm sure many of you watched the recent taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where her guest was Tommy Hilfiger. On the show, she asked him if the statements about race he was accused of saying were true. Statements like"...if I'd known African-Americans, Hispanics, Jewish and Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have made them so nice. I wish these people would *NOT* buy my clothes, as they are made for upper class white people."

His answer to Oprah was a simple "YES". Where after she immediately asked him to leave her show. My suggestion? Don't buy your next shirt or Perfume from Tommy Hilfiger. Let's give him what he asked for. Let's not buy His clothes, let's put him in a financial state where he himself will NOT be able to afford the ridiculous

prices he puts on his clothes.

BOYCOTT PLEASE...., & SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ANYONE YOU KNOW

Nothing empowers people quite like their own survival!

END CHAIN LETTER TEXT

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Empowering Thoughts by Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate;
Our deepest fear is not that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?

You're a child of God --- Your playing small doesn't serve the World.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that others won't feel insecure around you

We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone!

And, as we let our own candle shine, we consciously give others permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

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It's Your Choice

Yet another story from me. i believe some of you will have read this story before. Just like what is in the story, life is always about making choices; even without making any choice is a choice itself. The good thing is the power to make the choice is in you: whether you choose to be happy or sad, to be positive or negative etc, it's all up to you.

BK


Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs,so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it. Everytime someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life." "But it's not always that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jerry said "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations.

You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. It's your choice how you live your life." Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business: left the back door of his restaurant open one morning and was robbed by three armed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me. I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.'I knew I need to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything." 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it. The only thing that is truly yours that no one can control or take from you is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.

Symphony of Love
Let Us Spread Love Wherever We Go!

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There is a price to everything in life!

I got this in my inbox many years ago and thought it is a good idea to share this with you. In life there are a lots of ups and downs. If you are going through the downs at this moment of your life, hold it there because these are challenges to prepare you for greater things that will follow. Always remember, "when the sky is the darkest, it means that soon the day will break." Press on fearlessly ...

BK
Symphony of Love


There was this museum laid with beautiful marble tiles, with a huge marble statue displayed in the middle of the lobby. Many people came from all over the world just to admire this beautiful
marble statue.

One night, the marble tiles started talking to the marble statue. Marble tile: Marble statue, it's just not fair, it's just not fair! Why does everybody from all over the world come all the way here just to step on me while admiring you? Not fair!

Marble statue: My dear friend, marble tile. Do you still remember that we were actually from the same cave?

Marble tile: Yeah! That's why I feel it is even more unfair. We were born from the same cave and yet we receive different treatment now. Not fair!"

Marble statue: Then, do you still remember the day when the designer tried to work on you, but you resisted the tools?

Marble tile: Yes, of course I remember. I hate that guy! How could he use those tools on me, it hurt so badly.

Marble statue: That's right! He couldn't work on you at all as you resisted being worked on.

Marble tile: So???

Marble statue: When he decided to give up on you and start working on me instead, I knew at once that I would be something different after his efforts. I did not resist his tools, instead I bore all the painful tools he used on me.

Marble tile: Mmmmmm.......

Marble statue: My friend, there is a price to everything in life. Since you decided to give up half way, you can't blame anybody who steps on you now."

The moral of the story is .... ...

It simply means that the more hard knocks you go through in life, the more you'll learn and the more you'll become stronger and put them to use in the future!! Do not be discouraged by setbacks and failures. Past is past, you can't change it but it might actually be a blessing in disguise.

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Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!

A book which I read a few year back too by Robert H. Schuller which is called Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do. And I just have to share with you something I think quite powerful, positive and motivating. Feels free to share it with anyone who you know might be going through tough times too.

BK
www.symphonyoflove.net

"The ability to share and to give yield greater pleasure than to receive"

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!

What makes a person survive and thrive? Why are some people tough enough to win over their tough times? These questions have never before been as important as they are today because we are going through some of the toughest times that our country has ever faced. We cannot merely talk about the strategies for success. We have to get down to hardcore principles that will work. And the only principles that we can believe in are principles that are tested, tried, and proven.

The first step will be to put your problems in proper perspective. Sure, you have problems. They may be the worst you've ever faced. But chances are they are not the worst thing that could possibly have happened. No matter how bad it is, it could always be worse. Be glad it's not. Put your problem in proper perspective. Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Everybody has problems. No life is problem-free.

Now you must learn to solve and manage problems. And there is not necessarily a solution for every problem; however every problem can be managed positively. .... To do so, it is necessary to take charge and control of your problems.

These times we're going through are tough, but if you are going to get through them, it's up to you. You must begin to act.

I say to you: you can do anything you want to do. You can be anything you want to be. You can go anywhere from where your are ----- if you are willing to dream big and work hard.

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! by Robert H. Schuller

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Symphony of Love
Let Us Spread Love Wherever We Go!

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A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle

What I like best from this passage "deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course." In fact by doing that, we will win too :-)

BK
www.symphonyoflove.net

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry.

They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them.

One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.

Why?

Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle"

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It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life

I would like to share a good book I read a few years back by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins, "It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life." Pardon me for my language.


This is an Autobiography of Lance Armstrong. So who is he? What is so great about him? Lance Armstrong is a Four-time winner of the Tour De France, a cancer survivor, husband, father and a son. It is a very inspiring book.

The book goes about how as a young teenager, he discovered his future as an athlete. At 15, he was already competing against a field of experienced older athletes in Triathlon event and finished 32nd, shocking the other competitors and spectators, who couldn't believe a 15 year-old had held up over the course. During a press coverage, he said that in a few years he'll be right at the top and within 10 years he'll be the best.

People thought he was hilariously cocky. However the following year, he finished 5th. From there, he started his career as a cyclist; how from an amateur cyclist who do not know much about the concept of pacing or tactics and offending other riders and making enemies in the competition where everyone 'gang' up to prevent him from winning the competition. Very interesting culture I got to know from the book about cycling competition, the teamwork in the races; how each and everyone in the race got a part to play.

From there, he went on to become a Professional cyclist in Europe where most of the cycling scene is. Where he eventually won one stage in the Tour De France (a race around the perimeter of France which consists of many stages stretching across week and having to make some of the worse climbs) at the young age of 21 and being the youngest in history to win a stage in Tour De France.

It was when he about to reach his peak that he discovered he has cancer.

Straight away, everything turned upside down. First it was his career as a rider, then it was his life at state. Suddenly he realised everything was gone.

Read about his fight against cancer; the Chemotherapy treatment and you think through, "Hey, what's the big deal about the things I am going through now compared to him."

Of cos, he survived cancer. But read about how life gotten worse after that. How he lived in fear of it coming back again. How it nearly ruined his life. How the support of the people around him pulled him through and how the journey back was like for him to go back riding and eventually winning the Tour De France and not only win but a four-time winner of it. All from his own experience.

A great inspiring story of Courage, Love and Support.

It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins

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SUCCESS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT by Brian Tracy

Success is not a miracle. Nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, positive or negative. When you are absolutely clear about what you want, you only need to copy others who have achieved it before you, and you will eventually get the same results that they
have.

This is referred to in the Bible as the Law of Sowing and Reaping which says that, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap."

Sir Isaac Newton called it the third principle of motion. He said, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

For you and me, the most important expression of this universal law is that, "Thoughts are causes and conditions are effects."

Put another way, "Thought is creative." Your thoughts are the primary creative forces in your life. You create your entire world by the way you think. All the people and situations of your life have only the meaning you give them by the way you think about them. And when you change your thinking, you change your life, some times in seconds!

The most important principle of personal or business success is simply this: You become what you think about most of the time. It is not what happens to you but how you think about what happens to you that determines how you feel and react. It is not the world outside of you that dictates your circumstances or conditions. It is the world inside you that creates the conditions of your life.

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Taking Risk

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The people who risk nothing, do nothing, have nothing, are nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.

Chained by their attitudes they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

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Success Is The Quality Of Your Days by Dr. Philip E. Humbert

If the events of this week have taught us anything, they have reminded us to live each day to the fullest. We were never promised our full "four score and ten."

Even before the attack this week, I was reminded that our lives are too often cut short. My wife is a nurse, and she told me about a young man, age 44, who recently went to his doctor with a summer cold. He had a cough and couldn't get rid of it, so the doctor gave him some pills and told him to come back if it didn't get better.

It didn't get better, so the man went back. They ran some tests, and discovered that the man has been walking around with lung cancer for months, perhaps years. He is married, with three small children, and now knows that he has only two or perhaps three, weeks to live.

There is a wonderful quote that urges us to make plans as if we'll live forever, but to live as if we'll die tomorrow. The truth is that today - this one day - is the only one we really have. Let us use it well!

The rubble of lower Manhattan sends a wake-up call to live with enthusiasm and to do the things you must do in this life! It sends a challenge to love with gusto and to tell the people you love how much you treasure them! Out of the dust comes challenge to say the words, take the risks, make the investments, and experience the richness of life!

It reminds us that life is short, and we often get on advance notice when our ticket expires,

True success is combination of "having" and "being." Success includes earning money and buying nice things, having a home we are proud of, and leaving something to our children and those who follow.

But success is also about "being." It's about being a person others can love and respect. It's about living and loving every moment of our lives, and being honest with ourselves, and with others. It's about being silly, being in love, being proud, and about grieving when it is our turn to grieve.

There is a huge lie in modern culture that claims, "He who dies with the most toys wins." It is NOT true, my friends!

The truth is that "Those who die with some nice toys, lots of friends, fond memories, a few embarrassments, and a smile on their face, are the true winners in life."

There will be many ways to honor those who were killed and injured this week. It is vital that we support them and their families in very tangible ways, and it will be important that we come together for memorials and times of remembrance.

But I propose that an even greater way to honor their memory is to commit ourselves to living up to our fullest potential. In this moment of sorrow and tragedy, challenge yourself to care, to live, and to love with renewed and outrageous enthusiasm. Pursue your dreams as if you could not possible fail! We can not turn back the clock, but we can live our lives with passion, with honor, with integrity and vigor!

Let us truly live every moment of our lives.

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$20

Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

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Definition of Success

I would like to share a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, To find the best in others;

To leave the World a bit better whether by
a garden patch, a healthy child
or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived.

That is to have succeeded

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The Man Behind Honda

Let me give you a great example of a man who understood the power of real decision, someone who once decided, would not give up. His name is Soichiro Honda: founder of the Honda Corporation, the maker of Honda cars and motorcycles.

Mr. Honda never allowed tragedy, problems, challenges or the twists and turns of circumstance to get in his way. In fact, he often decided to see some of the biggest Obstacles in his way as mere hurdles in the race to reach his Goals.

In 1938, Mr. Honda was a poor student who had a dream of designing a piston ring that he would sell to and manufacture for Toyota Corporation. Every day he would go to school, and all night long he would work on his design, up to his elbows in grease. He spent what little money he had on his project, and it still wasn't finished. Finally, he hocked his wife's jewelry to continue.

After years of effort he finally designed the piston ring he was sure Toyota would buy. When he took it to them, they rejected it.

He was sent back to school to suffer the humiliation of his teacher's and friend's telling him what an idiot he was for designing such a ridiculous gadget. Was he frustrated? You bet. Was he broke? Yes. Did he give up? No way. Instead he spent the next two years continuing to find ways to make the piston ring better. He had the key formula to Success.

He decided what he wanted. He took action. He noticed whether it was working or not, and when things weren't working out. He kept changing his approach. He was flexible in the way he went about things. Finally after two more years, he refined his design, and Toyota actually bought it!

In order to build his piston factory, Mr. Honda needed concrete, but the Japanese government was gearing up for World War II, so none was available. Once again it looked as if his dream would die. It seemed no one would help him. Again did he quit? Absolutely not! He had decided to build this factory. Since giving up was not an option, he got together a group of his friends, and for weeks they worked around the clock trying different approaches until they found a new way to manufacture concrete.

He built his factory and was finally able to produce his piston rings.

During the war, the United States bombed his factory, destroying most of it. Instead of feeling defeated, Mr. Honda rallied all his employees. He said, "Quickly! Run outside and watch those war planes. What they'll do is drop their fuel cans out of the sky. We need to find out where they drop them and get those Cans, because they contain the raw materials we needed for the manufacturing process. These were the materials they couldn't get anywhere in Japan. Mr. Honda found a way to use whatever life gave him. Finally an earthquake leveled his factory and he was forced to sell his piston operation to Toyota.

But God never closes a door without opening another one, so we need to say alert to see whatever new opportunities life presents us....

When the war ended, Japan was in total turmoil. Resources were scarce in all parts of the country - gasoline was rationed and in some cases nearly impossible to find - and Mr. Honda couldn't even get enough gas to drive his car to the market to buy food for his family. But instead of feeling defeated or helpless, he made a new decision. He decided he would not settle for this quality of life. He asked himself a very powerful question: "How else can I feed my family? How can I use things I already have to find a way to get there?"

He noticed a little motor he had, one that was the size and type to drive a traditional lawn mover, and he got the idea of hooking it up to his bicycle. In that moment, the first motorized bike was created.

He drove it to and from the market, and pretty soon his friends were asking him to make some for them too. Shortly thereafter, he had made so many 'motorbikes' that he ran out of motors, so he decided to build a new factory to manufacture his own. But he had no money, and Japan was torn apart. How would he do it?

Instead of giving up and saying, "There's no way", he came up with a brilliant idea. He decided to write a letter to every single bicycle- shop owner in Japan, telling them that he thought he had the solution for getting Japan moving again, that his motorbike would be cheap and would help people get where they needed to go.

Then he asked them to invest. Of the 18,000 bicycle shop owners who received a letter, 3000 gave Mr. Honda money, and he manufactured his first Shipment. And then he was success, right? Wrong!

The motorbike was too big and bulky, and very few Japanese bought it. So once again, he noticed what wasn't working, and instead of giving up, he changed his approach again. He decided to strip his motorbike down and make it much lighter and smaller.

He called it The Cub, and it became a "overnight Success", winning Honda the Emperor's Award.

Every one looked at him and thought how "Lucky" he was to have come up with this idea. Was he lucky? May be, if L.U.C.K means Labor Under Correct Knowledge. Today Mr. Honda's company is one of the most successful in the World. Honda Corporation now employs over 100,000 people - all because Mr. Honda never gave up.

From the Book "Awaken The Giant Within"

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped" - Anthony Robbins

Stumble It!

The Snooze Button

I read this in my inbox quite some time ago and thought I will share it with you.


What if life had a snooze button? It does. It is labeled procrastination.

A snooze button simply allows you to stay where you are a little while longer instead of getting up and going. That's exactly what procrastination is. There is a funny thing about sleeping after you hit the snooze button on an alarm clock; it seems like that sleep is more precious. Not only is it more precious, it seems like time speeds up approximately three fold. Fifteen minutes becomes five minutes, ten minutes seem like three minutes.

Why do we hit the snooze button? Because we can. Imagine if you hit the lotto and you have to be there by 8 A.M. to pick up your check or it is forfeited; the alarm goes off and you look at the clock and it is 7 A.M. No matter how sleepy you are, do you think you would even consider hitting the snooze button?

Some people are just not good in math in school, but it seems like those same people become math geniuses when it comes to calculating the absolute latest time they can get up, get ready and make it to work or school, even with a foggy waking brain.

In life the snooze button is not usually in minutes. We may know we need to go back to school and hit snooze for two years later. We may know we need to start exercising; we hit snooze for next year. We may know we want to travel and see some place in the world; we hit snooze for five years later. We may know we have an idea for a business; we hit snooze for ten years later.

The other thing about the snooze button is that you can hit it more than once to get a longer delay of getting moving. Have you ever hit the snooze button while still sleep and didn't remember hitting it? Have you ever meant to do something in your life and didn't realize it had been so long since you were supposed to get started on it? The two hardest things about doing something is getting started and getting finished.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.

This is your wakeup call. Get your finger off of that button.

Stumble It!

The Race between Hare and Tortoise

Something Interesting about the race between the hare and the tortoise which I am sure many would have already read before. This is something more.

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

A few lessons from the story of the hare and tortoise:
Chief among them are that fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady; work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with failure; & finally, compete against the situation - not against a rival.

Stumble It!

The Science of Getting Rich

Just like to share with you all a book which I read. Just downloaded a FREE copy of The Science of Getting Rich by subscribing to the Ezine from Science of Getting Rich Network and I am reading and digesting the content of the book now. The best thing about this is you do not have to pay for the subscription too.

The Science of Getting Rich is a powerful book and timeless classic from 1910, in the same realm of similar classic book like "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen. Although this book has been written for almost a century ago, the lessons inside the book are still much applicable to our life today.

In his book, The Science of Getting Rich, Mr. Wallace wrote that there is a certain way to follow for people to get rich and for people, who follow these rules, they too will be able to become rich and otherwise, no matter how hard you work at it, you would not be rich. I truly believe that there is a certain way or formula, just like what the book mentioned, for people to get rich too. However this is certainly not an easy book to read and digest.

You can download a FREE copy of The Science of Getting Rich and print it out and read it and follow it. It is just an 80 pages book which I believe most avid readers would be able to finish in one reading. The advice is for you to read and digest the content in the book in whatever pace that is most suitable to you. You do not have to rush. Like what is mentioned in The Science of Getting Rich, there is enough richness to go to everyone.


An Excerpt from the book

“There are three motives for which we live: We live for the body, we live for the mind, we live for the soul. No one of these is better or holier than the other; all are alike desirable, and no one of the three - Body, mind, or soul - can live fully if either of the others is cut short of full life and expression. It is not right or noble to live only for the soul and deny mind or body, and it is wrong to live for the intellect and deny body or soul.

We are all acquainted with the loathsome consequences of living for the body and denying both mind and soul, and we see that real life means the complete expression of all that a person can give forth through body, mind, and soul. Whatever he can say, no one can be really happy or satisfied unless his body is living fully in its every function, and unless the same is true of his mind and his soul. Wherever there is unexpressed possibility or function not performed, there is unsatisfied desire. Desire is possibility seeking expression or function seeking performance.

A person cannot live fully in body without good food, comfortable clothing, and warm shelter, and without freedom from excessive toil. Rest and recreation are also necessary to his physical life.”

Stumble It!

The Seed That Waited

Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil. The first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust above me. I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring. I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!"And so she grew.

The second seed said, "I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me, I may damage my delicate sprouts. What if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe."And so she waited.

A hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.

If we are bold and adventurous like the first seed, we may indeed encounter the dangers described by the second seed. But then, we would develop stable roots in the ground, and grow tall and mighty. Our lives would be rich and dynamic. Every day would open up fresh horizons for us, and we would taste the marrow of life before death eventually claims it.

If, like the second seed, we are timid, overly-cautious and self-preserving, it may be possible to avert certain disasters. But you only need one chicken to finish you off. Even if that doesn't happen, we would live a life of fear and suspicion. We would remain a seed, incapable of benefiting others with the huge potential for growth that's trapped inside us. And what is a life lived vainly slinking around in the shadows?

Life is unfathomable and complex. One way or the other, we cannot tell what will come to pass. Risk does not increase simply because we choose to take it. It is ever present in the same amount, whether we trudge intrepidly forward or struggle to remain where we are.

So fuel your dreams with the courage to make them real. Allow your fragile heart to love without restraint in order to make it strong. Acknowledge your ignorance so you will continue to learn. And experience the vibrancy of life so that when it ends, you will not be burdened by regret.

Which would you choose to be? The POWER is in you to choose!

Stumble It!

Bill Gate's 11 Rules of Life

Just thought I will share this with you before I go to bed. Got this in my mailbox today. However, I'm not sure if it is really from Mr. Bill Gates. Then again, there are certain truths in all these rules. So lets learn something together :-)


Bill Gate's 11 Rules of Life

Rule 1: Life is not fair — get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect You to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping — they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and Very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your Own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Stumble It!

The Law of Seed

A very interesting story about the law of seed. Whenever you are feeling down because of failures and mistakes you made in life, do take time out to think about this law of seed. I am sure it will make you feel much better and ready to get up and get going.

The Law of the Seed

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples
on the tree, each with ten seeds.

That's a lot of seeds! We might ask, "Why would you need so many
seeds to grow just a few more trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Most
seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen,
you had better try more than once."

This might mean:

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.
You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, car, vacuum
cleaner, insurance policy, idea.
And you might meet a hundred acquaintances to find
one special friend.
When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't
get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims.
Laws of nature are not things to take personally.
We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL

"Successful people fail more often. They plant more seeds."

Stumble It!