Truly Motivational...

14 short stories worth reading, feeling and forwarding to all those dear to you..

1. FALL AND RISE

Today, when I slipped on the wet tile floor a boy in a wheelchair caught me before I slammed my head on the ground.  He said, “Believe it or not, that’s almost exactly how I injured my back 3 years ago .

2. A FATHER'S ADVICE

Today, my father told me, “Just go for it and give it a try!  You don’t have to be a professional to build a successful product.  Amateurs started Google and Apple.  Professionals built the Titanic

3. THE POWER OF UNIQUENESS

Today, I asked my mentor – a very successful business man in his 70’s – what his top 3 tips are for success.  He smiled and said, “Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.

4. LOOKING BACK

Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I’m working on for my Psychology class.  When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, “Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.

5. TRY AND YOU SHALL KNOW

I am blind by birth. When I was 8 years old, I wanted to play baseball. I asked my father- "Dad, can I play baseball?" He said "You'll never know until you try." When I was a teenager, I asked him, - "Dad Can I become a surgeon?". He replied "Son, you'll never know until you try." Today I am a Surgeon, just because I tried!

6. GOODNESS & GRATITUDE

Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug.  When I tensed up, she realized I didn’t recognize her.  She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, “On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center.”

7. LOVE CONQUERS PAIN

Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying.  And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.

8. A DOOR CLOSES TO OPEN ANOTHER

Today at 7AM, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3PM I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too. A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job.  I start tomorrow.

9. LOOKING BACK

Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother’s hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, “I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often.”

10. AFFECTION

Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed.  About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.

11. INNOCENCE

Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and asked, “Why?” She replied, “So you can help me save the planet.”  I chuckled again and asked, “And why do you want to save the planet?” “Because that’s where I keep all my stuff,” she said.

12. JOY

Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter’s antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.

13. KINDNESS

Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me.  He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, “I hope you feel better soon.”.

14. SHARING

Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe.  He said he hadn’t eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy.  Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating.  The first thing the man said was, “We can share it.”

Cheers to life...!


By dEEV Ankush Patodi 

The Way Of Life

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten."
So God agreed.

On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks and make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?"
And God agreed.

On the third day God created the cow. "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves, and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty."
And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."
Man said, "What? Only twenty years? Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"

Okay," said God, "You've got a deal."

So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves; the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.


- Aajay Bundela

8 Lies Of A Mother

Born into a very poor family, often there was not much to eat in the house. Whenever there was some food, the Mother would give her portion of rice to the child and say ‘eat this rice son, I’m not hungry.’

As the child grew, the mother started using up all her spare time to go fishing in a river near the house, hoping that from the fish she would catch, she could provide a little nutrition to her child. Every time she caught two fish, she would make a fish soup and give it to her child. As the child drank the soup and ate the fish, the mother would sit beside and eat the bone from what was left. The child felt really sad seeing its mother eating just the leftover bones, so one day it gave a piece of fish to the mother, but the mother said ‘eat this fish son, I don’t like fish.’

As the son was growing up, the mother began working harder to fund his education. She went to a Match factory to bring home used matchboxes which she would fill with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money that she could use towards her son’s education. One late winter night the son woke up and saw his mother was still filling the matchboxes by candlelight. He asked her to go to sleep. ‘Go to sleep son, I’m not tired,’ she smiled.

When it was time for the son’s final exam, the mother accompanied him and after dawn, she waited for long hours in the sun for her son to finish the exam. When he came out and ran to his mother, she gave him a cup of tea she had brought for him. He could see his mother was covered in sweat, so he gave her the glass and asked her to drink. But she said ‘Drink son, I am not thirsty.’

After the death of his father, his mother had to take on the role of a single parent, working, trying to meet the expenses, battling starvation. The neighbours, who saw that the family was stuck in poverty, often advised the mother to marry again, but she refused, saying ‘I don’t need love.’

After he finished his studies, he got a job and asked his mother to stop working. But she continued going to the market each morning just to sell a few vegetables. She kept sending back the money that her son sent her, saying ‘I have enough money.’

The son got a big jump in salary and decided to bring his mother with him to America, where he was now living. But his mother didn’t want to bother the son and said ‘I’m not used to high living.’

In her old age, the mother got ill with cancer and had to be hospitalised. The son, who lived oceans away from her, rushed to her, who was bedridden after an operation. She tried to smile, but the son was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble, but mother said, ‘Don’t cry son, I’m not in pain.’ And saying this, her eighth lie to her son, she died.

- Aajay Bundela

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

       “Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.”

 -  Phaedrus

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied... "Things aren't always what they seem".

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel "how could you have let this happen!? The first man had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.

Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."


- Aajay Bundela

Music To My Ears...

A recent poll on our Company page titled 'What Helps You Focus While At Work?' led to the surfacing of some surprising results. While many thought 'Taking Notes' was the biggest helper when it came to increasing concentration at work, a significant 37% chose music to be the portentous element in influencing levels of focus at work.  

While some may deem music to be a workplace distraction, calling it detrimental to employee productivity, there are many who feel that the strains of soft music entering your ears as you go about doing your daily tasks is beneficial and even proves to add to your constructive efforts.

Years ago, the term Mozart Effect was coined to explain the favorable effects of Mozart's compositions helped in healing and development of the brain as well as an increased IQ. In addition to the the aforementioned facts, Dr Amit Sood with the Mayo Clinic(Minnesota), says that melodious sounds help encourage the release of dopamine(a neurotransmitter or a chemical messenger that helps in the transmission of signals in the brain and other vital areas) in the reward area of the brain, as would eating a delicacy, looking at something appealing or smelling a pleasant aroma. Music has also been found to reduce stress hormone levels by as much as 41%.

While science has proven time and again how advantageous music can prove to be to one and all, some of us still take a cautious approach when it comes to dealing with music being played at work. Hence, compiled below are some reasons that might establish the positive outcome of music on productivity:

•  Blocks Distractions - Music helps to occupy that part of the brain that gets easily distracted. While you are focused on the task at hand, your brain's attention tends to get diverted to other places. At times like these playing soft background music like instrumentals can really elevate your attention span. 
• Gets You On The Moon -  Listening to good music gets you in the mood! One of the most prolific horror writers of our time, Stephen King, likes listening to a little bit of rock n' roll to churn out the wonderful books that generations have come to love and appreciate. While heavy metal may not be the most apt for an office environment, light instrumentals or film scores can definitely set the vibe.
• Makes You Fall In Love With Your Work - Music has the power to make work more enjoyable. Haven't we heard the proverb about all work and no play that made Jack a dull boy? Sitting in front of the computer all day long may make days monotonous and boring. A enjoyable tune floating in the air can totally change your attitude and get you all revved up for the day.
• Boosts Creativity - Music inspires creativity. When you are focused, in a good mood and enjoying your work your brain starts breeding creativity. 

So is music really one of the factors that motivates you to concentrate better? Or do you still belong to the school of thought that thinks music is just another distraction and would lead to time and energy wastage thereby hampering productivity?

Do  tune in to drop in a line and give us your take on the subject.

For Your Reference ~ Studies That Evaluate The Effect of Music On Productivity

Lesiuk 

Blood & Ferriss 

Climbing The Mountain

"All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, 

those that are movable, and those that move..."

- Benjamin Franklin

Much of our selling life is like climbing a mountain. Each year we have a new mountain to climb to reach our goals and we struggle to meet progress expectations each month. We have a choice, we can grumble about how unfair it is to be forced to start over from the bottom of the mountain or we can just get busy.

Sometimes, we stumble on the way up and lose ground.

We have a choice. We can stop at the end of the secured rope and grumble at what progress we have lost ... or we can plant our stake and begin the climb again.

We can't start from where we were, we start from where we are or we spend the rest of our lives looking up at where we used to be.... never reaching that height again, much less climbing to our original goal.

Many will waste time worrying, "Can I reach my ultimate goal?"

That's not the question, the question is, "Can I take the next step in the right direction?"

One step at a time. Set your sights today on the next goal that will take you in the direction of your ultimate dream.


- Aajay Bundela

The Paradox of Our Time in History

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers;
Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints;
We spend more, but have less;
We buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families;
More conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
More knowledge, but less judgment;
More experts, but more problems;
More medicine, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space;
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes, but lower morals;
We've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character;
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare;
More leisure, but less fun;
More kinds of food, but less nutrition.
Fancier houses, but broken homes.
It is a time when there is much in the show window
And nothing in the stockroom;
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
And a time when you can choose either to make a difference
Or just hit delete.


- Aajay Budela