Once upon a time, in the heart of the Western Kingdom, lay a beautiful garden. And there, in the cool of the day, the Master of the garden was wont to walk. Of all the denizens of the garden, the most beautiful and most beloved was gracious and noble bamboo.
Year after year, bamboo grew yet more noble and gracious, conscious of his Master's love and watchful delight, but modest and gentle withal. And often when the wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would cast aside his grave stateliness, to dance and play right merrily, tossing and swaying and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon, leading the Great Dance of the garden, Which most delighted the Master's heart.
Now, once upon a day, the Master himself drew near to contemplate his Bamboo with eyes of curious expectancy. And Bamboo, in a passion of adoration, bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting. The Master spoke: "Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you."
Bamboo flung his head to the sky in utter delight. The day of days had come, the day for which he had been made, the day to which he had been growing hour by hour, the day in which he would find his completion and his destiny.
His voice came low: "Master, I'm ready. Use me as Thou wilt." "Bamboo," – The Master's voice was grave --- "I would have to take you and cut you down!"
A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo…"Cut …me… down ? Me.. who thou, Master, has made the most beautiful in all thy Garden…cut me down! Ah, not that. Not that. Use me for the joy, use me for the glory, oh master, but cut me not down!"
Beloved Bamboo,"—The Master's voice grew graver still—"If I cut you not down, I cannot use you."
The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud and glorious head. There was a whisper: "Master, if thou cannot use me other than to cut me down.. then do thy will and cut".
"Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also".
"Master, spare me. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust; but would thou also have to take from me, my leaves and branches too?" "Bamboo, if I cut them not away, I cannot use you."
The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. And Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low: "Master, cut away"
"Bamboo, Bamboo, I would yet… split you in two and cut out your heart, for if I cut not so, I cannot use you." Then Bamboo bowed to the ground: "Master, Master… then cut and split."
So did the Master of the garden took Bamboo…
and cut him down…and hacked off his branches…and stripped off his leaves…and split him in two…and cut out his heart.
And lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh sparkling water in the midst of his dry fields. Then putting one end of the broken Bamboo in the spring and the other end into the water channel in His field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo… And the spring sang welcome, and the clear sparkling waters raced joyously down the channel of bamboo's torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted, and the days went by, and the shoots grew and the harvest came.
In that day Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. For in his beauty he was life abundant, but in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master's world.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Bamboo
Once upon a time, in the heart of the Western Kingdom, lay a beautiful garden. And there, in the cool of the day, the Master of the garden was wont to walk. Of all the denizens of the garden, the most beautiful and most beloved was gracious and noble bamboo.
Year after year, bamboo grew yet more noble and gracious, conscious of his Master's love and watchful delight, but modest and gentle withal. And often when the wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would cast aside his grave stateliness, to dance and play right merrily, tossing and swaying and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon, leading the Great Dance of the garden, Which most delighted the Master's heart.
Now, once upon a day, the Master himself drew near to contemplate his Bamboo with eyes of curious expectancy. And Bamboo, in a passion of adoration, bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting. The Master spoke: "Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you."
Bamboo flung his head to the sky in utter delight. The day of days had come, the day for which he had been made, the day to which he had been growing hour by hour, the day in which he would find his completion and his destiny.
His voice came low: "Master, I'm ready. Use me as Thou wilt." "Bamboo," – The Master's voice was grave --- "I would have to take you and cut you down!"
A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo…"Cut …me… down ? Me.. who thou, Master, has made the most beautiful in all thy Garden…cut me down! Ah, not that. Not that. Use me for the joy, use me for the glory, oh master, but cut me not down!"
Beloved Bamboo,"—The Master's voice grew graver still—"If I cut you not down, I cannot use you."
The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud and glorious head. There was a whisper: "Master, if thou cannot use me other than to cut me down.. then do thy will and cut".
"Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also".
"Master, spare me. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust; but would thou also have to take from me, my leaves and branches too?" "Bamboo, if I cut them not away, I cannot use you."
The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. And Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low: "Master, cut away"
"Bamboo, Bamboo, I would yet… split you in two and cut out your heart, for if I cut not so, I cannot use you." Then Bamboo bowed to the ground: "Master, Master… then cut and split."
So did the Master of the garden took Bamboo…
and cut him down…and hacked off his branches…and stripped off his leaves…and split him in two…and cut out his heart.
And lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh sparkling water in the midst of his dry fields. Then putting one end of the broken Bamboo in the spring and the other end into the water channel in His field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo… And the spring sang welcome, and the clear sparkling waters raced joyously down the channel of bamboo's torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted, and the days went by, and the shoots grew and the harvest came.
In that day Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. For in his beauty he was life abundant, but in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master's world.
Year after year, bamboo grew yet more noble and gracious, conscious of his Master's love and watchful delight, but modest and gentle withal. And often when the wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would cast aside his grave stateliness, to dance and play right merrily, tossing and swaying and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon, leading the Great Dance of the garden, Which most delighted the Master's heart.
Now, once upon a day, the Master himself drew near to contemplate his Bamboo with eyes of curious expectancy. And Bamboo, in a passion of adoration, bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting. The Master spoke: "Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you."
Bamboo flung his head to the sky in utter delight. The day of days had come, the day for which he had been made, the day to which he had been growing hour by hour, the day in which he would find his completion and his destiny.
His voice came low: "Master, I'm ready. Use me as Thou wilt." "Bamboo," – The Master's voice was grave --- "I would have to take you and cut you down!"
A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo…"Cut …me… down ? Me.. who thou, Master, has made the most beautiful in all thy Garden…cut me down! Ah, not that. Not that. Use me for the joy, use me for the glory, oh master, but cut me not down!"
Beloved Bamboo,"—The Master's voice grew graver still—"If I cut you not down, I cannot use you."
The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud and glorious head. There was a whisper: "Master, if thou cannot use me other than to cut me down.. then do thy will and cut".
"Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also".
"Master, spare me. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust; but would thou also have to take from me, my leaves and branches too?" "Bamboo, if I cut them not away, I cannot use you."
The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. And Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low: "Master, cut away"
"Bamboo, Bamboo, I would yet… split you in two and cut out your heart, for if I cut not so, I cannot use you." Then Bamboo bowed to the ground: "Master, Master… then cut and split."
So did the Master of the garden took Bamboo…
and cut him down…and hacked off his branches…and stripped off his leaves…and split him in two…and cut out his heart.
And lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh sparkling water in the midst of his dry fields. Then putting one end of the broken Bamboo in the spring and the other end into the water channel in His field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo… And the spring sang welcome, and the clear sparkling waters raced joyously down the channel of bamboo's torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted, and the days went by, and the shoots grew and the harvest came.
In that day Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. For in his beauty he was life abundant, but in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master's world.
Friday, July 17, 2009
This is good
The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"
To which the king replied - "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.
As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened." And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."
"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"
"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and not here with you right now."
In a very unusual way, the message here unfolds into exposing the following principle about life.
"Ab solutely everything happens for a purpose; and out of what seems like adversity at the time; always comes good".
I'm sure that if any of us care to reflect back on the tragedy's, the heartaches, the 'bad times' in our lives, that we discover that we have really grown or developed during that period of time:even though the reflection may still cause us discomfort in some way.
It is in this way that we slowly gather experience and wisdom, and even though we may think or feel that it is unfair, that's the way it is.
"This is good". Many of our life's experiences have saved us from some form of cannibals; it's just that we often don't know that they have at the time.
So, for a simple example to help with awareness: next time you may begin to feel you are being 'wronged' by being stuck in a traffic jam, think about the cannibals that could be lurking down the road a bit,but will be gone by the time you get there.
One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"
To which the king replied - "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.
As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened." And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."
"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"
"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and not here with you right now."
In a very unusual way, the message here unfolds into exposing the following principle about life.
"Ab solutely everything happens for a purpose; and out of what seems like adversity at the time; always comes good".
I'm sure that if any of us care to reflect back on the tragedy's, the heartaches, the 'bad times' in our lives, that we discover that we have really grown or developed during that period of time:even though the reflection may still cause us discomfort in some way.
It is in this way that we slowly gather experience and wisdom, and even though we may think or feel that it is unfair, that's the way it is.
"This is good". Many of our life's experiences have saved us from some form of cannibals; it's just that we often don't know that they have at the time.
So, for a simple example to help with awareness: next time you may begin to feel you are being 'wronged' by being stuck in a traffic jam, think about the cannibals that could be lurking down the road a bit,but will be gone by the time you get there.
Now that's a bit different, but worth trying: "this is good" - despite the circumstances.
Remember: "What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff"!
And: "True Happiness in life isn't having what you want, but wanting what you have"!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Date With A Woman…( A Must Read Inspiring Story )
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said I love you but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
'I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.'
She thought about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much.'
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.
When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.
'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, 'she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our meeting'. We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.
After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.
'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life.
We talked so much that we missed the movie.
As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.
'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice.
Much more than I could have imagined,' I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to do anything for her.
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.
An attached note said:
'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.’
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU!' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than God and your family.
Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
'I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.'
She thought about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much.'
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.
When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.
'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, 'she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our meeting'. We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.
After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.
'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life.
We talked so much that we missed the movie.
As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.
'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice.
Much more than I could have imagined,' I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to do anything for her.
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.
An attached note said:
'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.’
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU!' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than God and your family.
Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'
It only takes a little bit of poison to kill
I was married to a wonderful man. All my life, I'd dreamed of having a happy marriage; and Charles was funny, warm, and caring. I felt that I had worked through a lot of my own insecurities and was ready to be a part of a healthy, loving relationship, but I wasn't.
Unbeknownst to me, I still had a deeply rooted feeling of unworthiness, so even though I had attracted this terrific man into my life, I was subconsciously sabotaging yet another relationship. I was afraid that if I confronted him about any of the problems in our marriage, he'd get angry and leave me; therefore, I repressed the difficult emotions of fear and low self-worth and pretended everything was fine. He didn't speak up about his needs, and I didn't voice mine.
Again, attending a seminar of Bob Proctor's sparked an epiphany for me. Bob placed two clear glasses on a table, each half full”one with coffee, the other with water. He took a teaspoon of water and stirred it into the glass that held coffee, but I could see no change in it.
He mixed in another teaspoonful of water”and another, and another. It wasn't until he'd added several spoonfuls that I began to observe the coffee becoming slightly more transparent. Bob explained that this represented the effect of positive emotions on a person who has a negative state of mind.
As I sat there, I took in his words and tried to apply them to my life. I had to admit that it did take a great deal of positive energy for me to overcome my feelings of anger, sadness, or unworthiness. Then Bob stirred one teaspoonful of the coffee into the glass of clear water. Instantly, I perceived the liquid
changing color. He explained that this is the effect of negativity on a positive mind: It's like a tiny bit of poison. Bob's words became my third epiphany:
“It only takes a little bit of poison to kill.”
It was true. While for the most part I felt as if my life was moving forward, each time I experienced something that brought a negative emotion, I immediately returned to that devastated, hopeless feeling I'd experienced when I was a teenager in misery. If someone at work criticized me, or Charles and I had an argument, all my positive feelings vanished and anger, embarrassment, and unworthiness hijacked me.
The smallest bit of poison would kill my positive attitude. Here I'd convinced myself that all these self-help gurus were living perfect lives, free from any jealousy, anger, or self-doubt, so anytime I experienced those negative emotions, I felt bad about myself. Instead of trying to be more positive, I let my toxic feelings dominate my experience, and then I felt guilty and awful for not being more in control of my emotions.
It began to dawn on me that my expectations of myself were completely unrealistic. I started to realize that all the self-help experts weren't trying to tell me that I couldn't experience negativity, but rather that I needed to manage its effect on my life and stop letting it act like a drop of cyanide, destroying my outlook. I needed to develop the habit of learning what I could from my darker feelings before quickly pulling myself out of my negative emotional state and back into a positive one. After having my third epiphany, I started to apply Bob's words to my life, but it was too late to save my marriage. I'd always been so afraid of my negative feelings that I refused to explore them, and they had acted like a poison within my relationship.
When I look back, I remember that my marriage was filled with love, caring, loyalty, and faithfulness. Still, instead of experiencing gratitude, I felt unworthiness. It wasn't an overwhelming feeling so much as a lingering sense that I didn't deserve happiness. Sadly, within a very short period of time, Charles and I were both so unhappy that our relationship began to unravel. Within four short years, we were divorced and living 20 miles apart. Of course, we both loved our little boy, Michel, deeply and wanted what was best for him more than anything else, so we shared custody. Against all odds, my ex-husband and I created a solid,
respectful, loving relationship as co-parents; in fact, to this day we're still friends.
Find out what the most destructive and poisonous emotions you may have that could be destroying your dreams in YOUR DESTINY SWITCH.
[Excerpt from the New York Times Best Seller Your Destiny Switch: Master Your Key Emotions, And Attract the Life of Your Dreams by Peggy McColl]
Unbeknownst to me, I still had a deeply rooted feeling of unworthiness, so even though I had attracted this terrific man into my life, I was subconsciously sabotaging yet another relationship. I was afraid that if I confronted him about any of the problems in our marriage, he'd get angry and leave me; therefore, I repressed the difficult emotions of fear and low self-worth and pretended everything was fine. He didn't speak up about his needs, and I didn't voice mine.
Again, attending a seminar of Bob Proctor's sparked an epiphany for me. Bob placed two clear glasses on a table, each half full”one with coffee, the other with water. He took a teaspoon of water and stirred it into the glass that held coffee, but I could see no change in it.
He mixed in another teaspoonful of water”and another, and another. It wasn't until he'd added several spoonfuls that I began to observe the coffee becoming slightly more transparent. Bob explained that this represented the effect of positive emotions on a person who has a negative state of mind.
As I sat there, I took in his words and tried to apply them to my life. I had to admit that it did take a great deal of positive energy for me to overcome my feelings of anger, sadness, or unworthiness. Then Bob stirred one teaspoonful of the coffee into the glass of clear water. Instantly, I perceived the liquid
changing color. He explained that this is the effect of negativity on a positive mind: It's like a tiny bit of poison. Bob's words became my third epiphany:
“It only takes a little bit of poison to kill.”
It was true. While for the most part I felt as if my life was moving forward, each time I experienced something that brought a negative emotion, I immediately returned to that devastated, hopeless feeling I'd experienced when I was a teenager in misery. If someone at work criticized me, or Charles and I had an argument, all my positive feelings vanished and anger, embarrassment, and unworthiness hijacked me.
The smallest bit of poison would kill my positive attitude. Here I'd convinced myself that all these self-help gurus were living perfect lives, free from any jealousy, anger, or self-doubt, so anytime I experienced those negative emotions, I felt bad about myself. Instead of trying to be more positive, I let my toxic feelings dominate my experience, and then I felt guilty and awful for not being more in control of my emotions.
It began to dawn on me that my expectations of myself were completely unrealistic. I started to realize that all the self-help experts weren't trying to tell me that I couldn't experience negativity, but rather that I needed to manage its effect on my life and stop letting it act like a drop of cyanide, destroying my outlook. I needed to develop the habit of learning what I could from my darker feelings before quickly pulling myself out of my negative emotional state and back into a positive one. After having my third epiphany, I started to apply Bob's words to my life, but it was too late to save my marriage. I'd always been so afraid of my negative feelings that I refused to explore them, and they had acted like a poison within my relationship.
When I look back, I remember that my marriage was filled with love, caring, loyalty, and faithfulness. Still, instead of experiencing gratitude, I felt unworthiness. It wasn't an overwhelming feeling so much as a lingering sense that I didn't deserve happiness. Sadly, within a very short period of time, Charles and I were both so unhappy that our relationship began to unravel. Within four short years, we were divorced and living 20 miles apart. Of course, we both loved our little boy, Michel, deeply and wanted what was best for him more than anything else, so we shared custody. Against all odds, my ex-husband and I created a solid,
respectful, loving relationship as co-parents; in fact, to this day we're still friends.
Find out what the most destructive and poisonous emotions you may have that could be destroying your dreams in YOUR DESTINY SWITCH.
[Excerpt from the New York Times Best Seller Your Destiny Switch: Master Your Key Emotions, And Attract the Life of Your Dreams by Peggy McColl]
How to handle worry
J.
Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all his worrying on
one day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that
gave him anxiety and annoyed his ulcer, he would write it down and
put it in his worry box and forget about it until next Wednesday. The
interesting thing was that on the following Wednesday when he opened
his worry box, he found that most of the things that had disturbed
him the past six days were already settled. It would have been
useless to have worried about them
Climbing 80 Floors Without a Lift
There were once two brothers who lived on the 80th floor of a tall building. One day, when they returned home, they discovered with dismay that the elevators were out of order. They had no choice but to climb the stairs to reach their apartment. Exhausted and breathless by the time they reached the 20th floor, they decided to leave their bags behind and retrieve them the following day. They left their bags and continued their climb.
As they made their way to the 40th floor, their frustration grew, and they became agitated. The younger brother began to complain, and soon they were quarreling. Despite their quarrel, they persisted in climbing, arguing all the way to the 60th floor.
At that point, they realized they only had 20 more levels to go and decided to stop their quarrel and continue their ascent in peace. Silently, they pressed on, finally reaching their home. Standing before the door, they calmly waited for the other to open it, only to realize that the key was in the bags they had left on the 20th floor.
This story serves as a reflection on our own lives and experiences.
Each one of us is on a journey through the tall building called life. Some climb all 80 floors, while others reach fewer. Along the way, we are influenced by different people. Initially, it may be our friends and parents who shape our expectations until the 20th floor. Then, it becomes our spouse and loved ones who accompany us to the next level. Often, we sacrifice our own desires and passions under the weight of pressure and stress. By the age of 20, we become weary and consider abandoning our burdens. Freed from stress, we work with enthusiasm and dream big aspirations.
By the time we reach 40 years old, our visions and dreams start to fade. We feel dissatisfied and begin to complain and criticize. Life becomes a source of misery, as we are never content.
When we reach 60, we realize there is little left to complain about, and we embark on the final phase of our journey in peace and serenity. We believe there is nothing more to disappoint us, only to realize that we still carry an unfulfilled dream – a dream we abandoned 60 years ago. So, what is your dream? Discover it and pursue it, so that you may live without regret.
Remember these key principles:
Accept yourself.
Believe in yourself.
Like yourself.
Within each of us lies immense power, abundant treasures, and limitless possibilities. If we harness these forces and put them into action, we can change the course of history.
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