Are you a Sheepish Lion

I recently heard a story and it set me off thinking on how well this compares to our daily lives. I will share the story first –

Once a Shepherd while taking his flock of sheep for grazing near a forest, hears a whining sound. He traces himself towards it, only to find a lion cub and its dead mother. Feeling pity, he picks up the cub and takes it home along with his flock of sheep. Soon the lion cub starts growing with the other sheep’s. The lion cub fed itself on grass and also started bleating like a sheep. It eventually grew into a big strong – SHEEPISH LION.

One day the Shepherd took his flock including the sheepish lion for grazing. Suddenly a wild lion jumped from its hiding and attacked the flock. On seeing the lion all including the sheepish lion flees. Seeing a big grown up lion running at his sight, the wild lion chases down the sheepish lion and asks-

Wild lion: I know why the man and sheep are running but why are you running from me? 

Sheepish lion: I am a sheep too, Please don’t kill me !!

Wild lion: Are you crazy, you are a lion

Sheepish Lion: No I am a sheep no…

How much ever the wild lion tried reasoning with the sheepish lion, it wouldn’t agree. To prove his point, the sheepish lion even says - look I eat grass and bleats out like a sheep. The wild lion now determined pulls the sheepish lion to a nearby pond and tells it to look at the reflection. Now the sheepish lion is startled. It realizes that it too looked like the WILD LION. The wild lion now encourages the REALIZED LION to roar. Though initially only bleating sound came, on constant practice the natural roar of a lion eventually resonates and it moves into the forest to live like a lion.

Here the sheepish lion is ourselves, wild lion can be either our well-wisher or intellect. Pond represents all the available resources we have. Bleating is akin to our mind meekly projecting our fears and weaker side. Roar is the call we get to rise above the ordinary.

The modern man seems to be comfortable leading a miserable life, often bleating and undermining the true strength in him. Our mind which is often the one directing us, is both the friend and foe. Mind is misled by the power of imagination. It forces one to either detest what is ‘’imagined’’ to be unfavourable or court what it ‘’imagines’’ to be favourable. We console ourselves to live with our fears, and stay put in our comfort zones. Thus many times we fail to exploit the true strength/talent in us or opportunities that come by. The knowledge we have is the pond. It is obsolete unless it comes to use when needed – and when used at the right moment, it is called wisdom. Seek help to realize the true potential in us. Reach out to self-help books, pep talks, coaches, motivational speakers etc or follow some great people we have here on Linkedin. Wisdom leads one to give all our experiences the right value and thereby giving us a roar to rise above the situations we face in life and act.

As we close the year, it’s a great time to introspect and find the sheepish lion in us, only to make it realize the true nature – the REAL LION.

THE BUS STOP DOESN’T MATTER; YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DRIVER DOES

A boy stood on a sidewalk waiting for a bus. A man walking by spotted the boy and gave him some gentle advice. “Son,” he said, “if you’re waiting for the bus you need to move to the street corner. That’s where the bus stops for passengers.”

“It’s OK,” said the boy. “I’ll just wait right here and the bus will stop for me.” The man repeated his advice, but the boy never moved. Just then, the bus appeared. Amazingly, the bus pulled over to where the boy stood and he hopped in. The man on the sidewalk stood speechless. The boy turned around in the doorway and said, “Mister, I knew the bus would stop here, because the bus driver is my dad!”

When you’ve got a relationship with the bus driver, you don’t need a bus stop. If you’ve given your heart to the King of Kings, you’re in a royal family of unspeakable proportions.

Today I would like to remind you that when you know the Driver of your life you can take the bus of life anywhere. He will stop and pick you up where people think it is not possible.

Whether some are thinking that you are not in the right frame of mind, or the right position or the right career to succeed but this will change when the success giver is your father and friend.

Whether you are unemployed, broke, single or married, or childless or divorced, or widowed. What matters is that you know Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above what we can think or even imagine.

However, the BIG question is : “Is the Driver your Father?” “Are you still His child? You can only get that privilege if He is your Father.

He can bypass protocols because you are His child. He has done it before. He can do it AGAIN and AGAIN. And guess what? It does not matter what anybody feels or thinks.

*Enjoy the ride with your Father.*

God knows the best, He does the best, He gives the best because He is the best. May He make you achieve the best in everything you do in life now and forever.

*Stay Blessed,* *God Loves You/Yours/All of Us*

*Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar*

I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport in Dubai. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said: 'I'm Abdul, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, I read the card. It said: Abdul's Mission Statement:

To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Abdul said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

I said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Abdul smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, I said, 'I'll take a Lassi.'

Handing me my drink, Abdul said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The NST , Star and Sun Today.'

As they were pulling away, Abdul handed me another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Abdul told me that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.

Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know that he'd be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

'Tell me, Abdul ,' I was amazed and asked him, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Abdul smiled into the rear view mirror. "No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about POWER OF CHOICE one day."

Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle.

'If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining!'

'Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me. really hard' said Abdul.

'It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes, slowly ... a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that it has paid off for you,' I said.

'It sure has,' Abdul replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.'

Abdul made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and start soaring like an eagle.

Start becoming an eagle today ... one small step every week..next week... And next...And....

A great Thought..

"You don't die if you fall in water, you die only if you don't swim.

Thats the Real Meaning of Life.

Improve yourself and your skills in a different way.

Be an eagle. .not a Duck

Show me your ways, Lord

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.(Psalm 25:4-5)                   

When we wait on God it shows a spirit of trust and humility, of loving obedience, of hope and confidence, of a most intimate friendship and of the deepest reverence for our Creator. 

Waiting on God was one of the reasons David was called “a man after God’s own heart”. God was his security and he trusted Him in every aspect of his life. He trusted Him for guidance and instruction (v. 5), for help and defense (Psalm 33:20), for victory over his enemies and vindication (Psalm 37:7-9), for deliverance from trouble and destruction (Psalm 40:1), and so much more.    

Nothing proves our faith like waiting on God for answers to prayer, because when we wait we are demonstrating our submission to Him. 

Waiting does not necessarily mean abstaining from all activity; it is obedience to God because He has the right plan for us. Waiting on God means that all of our life is brought under God’s authority and direction. If we run ahead of God, we will experience anxiety, exhaustion, and failure. When we take matters in our own hands there can be some irreparable consequences and there are many examples in the Bible like Abraham and Sarah getting ahead of God and Saul’s usurping the role of a priest. 

The Word says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). So what do we learn while we are waiting? We learn to trust in God in expectation of His revelation because God is in charge of every detail of our life. His timing is perfect if we really want Him to show and teach us His ways. He is omniscient, and gives us confirmation of His omnipresence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who guides us and teaches us if we let Him. 

God gives us assurances of His real power and He gives the grace to await His purposes until the precise moment when He gives evidence that He was working all along. Without this faith, it is impossible to please Him, for all who come to God must believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) 

The answer to waiting is through prayer, with strength and courage (Psalm 27:14). And we rejoice and trust in His Holy Name and in His unfailing love (Psalm 33:18-24).  

Our greatest desire should be to learn to be patient and obedient, desiring to know God’s truth. We need to expectantly and faithfully believe His promise and know that if we ask and expect with the right motive we will receive. 

The Lord declared: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12) 

And Isaiah 40:31 tells us: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” 

Waiting is not easy but, if we can learn to wait on God we will live a more rewarding and stress free life. Having patience and trusting in the Lord is one of the greatest life principles we can ever learn.  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

At times, it can be hard for you to believe in yourself, especially if you have developed negative feelings, like you have nothing to offer or are unworthy of things, only until you realize that the contrary can be true. If you are having trouble introspecting and seeing all the amazing things you possess and all the beautiful things you could offer to make this world a better place, there are simple things that you can do to start believing in yourself. You can take stock of all the things you have already accomplished and set goals for future, you can make new friends, have good discussions, get fresh perspective of things, look for opportunities to use your skills, you can take good care of yourself to build your confidence 

1 Make a list of your past accomplishments. Writing out a list of your accomplishments will help you begin to believe in yourself. Sit down and make a list of all of the things that you feel you have excelled at during some point in your life. Include even the most minor activities, like putting together furniture from IKEA or organizing a party for a friend or family member.

• After you’ve compiled a short list, try to find patterns in the activities. Identify what you have done well over and over again to understand your skills.
• As you identify the skills that helped you accomplish things, begin to list those skills in a separate column. You can also make a list of stuff that you admire about yourself in a third column.^[1]
• For example, if you notice that you’ve been successful at caring for dogs or cats, this could mean that you are naturally a compassionate person. In which case, try to find more activities that will help you to use this skill--such as volunteering at a local animal shelter.

 2 Talk to people who love you. If you're having trouble seeing all the wonderful things about yourself, you can always talk to someone who loves you. Sometimes we have difficulty seeing the best things about ourselves, but the people who love us will never struggle to see those things.

• Say something like, “Lately I have felt like I am not good at anything, but I am trying to move past that and identify my skills. What do you 2think I am good at?”

3 Find a cause that you believe in. It may be difficult to believe in yourself if you are always trying to please others. Make sure that you look for causes and projects that appeal to you and that you actually believe in. The passion that you feel for these causes and projects will help you to work harder and see how much you can achieve.

4 Set realistic goals. Setting realistic goals will help you to believe in yourself and your ability to accomplish things. Make sure that you develop goals that are in line with your skills and that are attainable. For example, if you have decided that you want to work towards a long-term goal of becoming a veterinary assistant because of your animal handling skills, start by setting a small attainable goal of applying to a veterinary assistant program. Once you accomplish that goal, you can move on to another small, attainable goal that helps to get you closer to your long-term goal.^[2]

• Be prepared to go outside of your comfort zone now and then. Even though you are setting realistic goals, you might need to do things that you don’t normally do to accomplish your goals.
• After you set a goal, work hard until you achieve it. Don’t abandon a goal because it becomes too difficult. If a goal seems too difficult, try breaking it into a series of smaller goals and focus on one at a time.

6 Reflect at the end of each day. Self-reflection is an important component of self-improvement. It helps you to take stock of what you are doing well and what you still need to work on. Take a few moments at the end of each day to reflect on your experiences. If you have a day where you don’t accomplish as much as you hoped you would try to learn what you can from the situation to avoid repeating any mistakes you might have made.^[3]

• For example, if you can’t seem to get yourself up in the morning to go on a hike as planned, you may have learned that you have trouble getting motivated in the morning. Try setting multiple alarms, and maybe even place one of them a few feet away from your bed, so you have to get up and turn it off. Or, you could try to find a different time to hike, instead of forcing yourself to do it in the morning

I have a choice about today

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today and I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school oreagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can appreciate that I have a place to call home.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Have a GREAT DAY ... unless you have other plans and please remember, a 'Smile' will make the days go better.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE – OUR CHOICE !

First of all, we need to understand that Happiness is a choice, our choice.

Yes, Happiness is a choice, we have got the choice on how we want to live our life.

It doesn’t really matter the circumstances in our life, we have still got the choice to live an unhappy life, at the mercy of our emotions, events etc., which could be quite miserable sometimes, or we can choose to live a happy life, be a happy person, whatever the circumstances are, the choice is ours.

Happiness is a kind of choice that we make and create for ourselves. It is not something that depends on other people or getting their approval.

In reality, the level of our life’s happiness has nothing to do with the things that other people say or do, even if we feel like it.

Happiness is not something that we capture through the affirmation or actions of others. We can be inspired by others, but Happiness comes from within.

I am in charge of how I feel, today I choose Happiness

I am in charge of how I feel, today I choose Happiness

Nothing will make us Happy until we choose to be Happy!

Can we really make up our mind to be happy?

The answer is YES.

The empowered happiness mindset is set on the principle that despite the things that happen to us or whatever dire circumstances we might be in today, we can still be happy.

At the end of the day, it’s all about making a decision, the right one, if we don’t choose to be a happy person, it’s like indirectly we have made a decision to be a person that doesn’t give importance to happiness, therefore, the moments of happiness might not be many…

As we will see in the next step Happiness is also an attitude of mind and we have got the choice to have a wrong attitude that takes us to having a not easy and unpleasant life or we can make the decision to have a good attitude through life. A good attitude can create happiness, I let you think what a bad attitude can create… Once again the choice is ours.

We can start to be happy any moment we want, all we need to do is make a decision, choose to be happy, write it down on paper in capitals: “I decide I want to be happy”, “from now on I am going to be happy person, no matter what”.

It has to be a clear and conscious decision and nothing like “I would like to be happy or I wish to be happy” these are just wishes…. and they are not taking us anywhere.

Once we have made the decision to be a happy person, then we need to do whatever it takes to be happy. Happiness is a journey.

It’s a bit like when we start a fire, if we don’t fan the fire, the fire at one point will die. So once we have turned our happiness on, which I like to think of as a candle, we need to keep it on, otherwise, it will die, this is something we will see in the next few steps.

The good thing is the:

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha

So if we make a decision to live a happy life, no matter what life can present to us, is more likely we will have a happy life, because this is what we want and because we don’t want to accept anything else. It is our choice, we have made a decision and we want to stick to it.

Once we have understood and accepted that happiness comes from within, it is not impossible to be happy even during the toughest of times because we already know how we should hold on to those good times and chase all the bad away.

With an empowered happiness mindset, we will know how we should let life to happen and stay open to wallowing in the bliss of happiness whatever our circumstances might be.

It is never too late to make happiness your choice of life

Happiness is a choice

One of the first thing we need to understand and accept if we want to live a happy life, is that Happiness is a choice. Let that sink in.

A lot of people find this notion hard to believe simply because they have gone through so many challenges in their lives that they most probably have been close to giving up on happiness altogether and probably because they give a wrong meaning to happiness. (What Happiness is Not)

Whatever you went through in your life, you need to remember, that it is never too late to make happiness your choice.

Making the choice

Starting down the path of attaining happiness is done by simply telling yourself that happiness is a choice you are willing to make and commit to. Arguably, making this choice is the biggest and most important step that you can take to being happy. Studies show that a person can greatly affect their perspective in life by changing their attitudes and mindsets about things.

The act of making the choice is done by looking deep into yourself: realize and appreciate the little things that make you feel peace and, at the same time, clearly define to yourself those that do not. (Things we need to let go to be happy)

Happiness is a state of being

A lot of people tend to make a list of things they would like to achieve (end goals, if you may). While the practice in itself is not bad, it may affect the way you think about the practice altogether.

Sometimes, making a list gives the impression that, unless you have reached these goals, you are not allowing yourself to be happy.

Instead, reflect on your life and ask yourself this question: What are the things that make me smile these days?

No matter how small they may be, give yourself a little time each morning and appreciate these things. Remember: a key contributing factor to being happy is having a positive attitude towards your day the moment you wake up.

Happiness is a choice – so is sadness

A lot of people lose sight of their happiness because of the tension the daily grind brings. Money, work, relationships, even traffic can be cause for you to feel down. A single instance of such may not be that hard, but constantly and consistently exposing yourself to these is an act on itself of choosing sadness.

Being busy is nice. Being overly busy is a bad thing. Why not go for a vacation or a break? Giving yourself some time to breathe and reflect will do you a lot of good.

Keep your friends and family close

Another great example of attaining and maintaining happiness is by expressing your gratitude. Happiness is near impossible if you are selfish about it.

There are a lot of people out there in the world who have riches and fame to their name but have no happiness to claim at all. Always be thankful for the people around you. Better yet, thank them and tell them how exactly they have been a contributor to your happiness.

Not only does this affirm the validity of your happiness with yourself, this also makes the people around you happy.

A study on happiness conducted by Dr. Robert Waldinger has suggested that maintaining good relationships is, at the very least, a major contributor to a person’s happiness. The study was conducted by periodically interviewing their participants about their life over the course of 75 years. It was shown that happiness is rooted to how much we invest on the people we consider as essential to our being, as well as those who invest in ourselves.

In hindsight, this gives a deeper meaning to the phrase “no man is an island”.

Hard work pays off

Nothing good in life comes easy — happiness is no exception.

Happiness is a choice you have to commit to. Difficult choices must be made at certain points in your life if you wish to maintain it. Are you in an abusive relationship? You might want to part ways for the benefit of your soul. Do you feel like there is nothing else for you at work? Maybe it is time to reconsider.

It is always best for you to move on and take on challenges than to let fear grip your heart that sit and wallow in complacency.

Take it slow

Happiness is a choice you decide on in a fraction of a second. Working on it takes an entire lifetime.

Take it slow; stop and smell the roses along the way. Try not to rush yourself into getting to your definition of happiness. Mistakes may happen along the way and that is fine! That is life’s way of teaching you a lesson about your choice. These moments are best spent slowly, thinking and understanding why life treated you that way.

Stay in control… or not

In many cases, people fall into a state of anxiousness because of their constant need to stay in control. Now, a lot of people are not aware of this.

The next time you are feeling anxious about something, why don’t you ask yourself this question: is this something I can control?

If your answer to the question is no, respect the outcome as it is.

If the answer is yes, however, commit to figuring out a way to control it. Examples of things you cannot control are other people’s emotions. Introspectively, you can control yours. Do not set yourself up for failure by always looking into taking control.

In conclusion, happiness is a choice that revolves around how you manage yourself around the environment you are currently in.1 Always be grateful and generous to the people who make you smile. Never try to take control of things beyond your understanding and always take the time to savor and appreciate the little things that brighten up your day.