Wise Women

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a
stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise
woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious
stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was
worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
I've been thinking, he said. I know how valuable this stone is, but I give
it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give
me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.

Sometimes it's not the wealth you have but what's inside you that others
need.

Leadership Skills- Learning from Napoleon

FRIEDRICH Hegel, the famous German philosopher, said, “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history”. This is true, when you consider the fact that the greatest lessons are taught by history. In spite of great strides registered in science and technology, the human nature, skills and qualities required for fruition of endeavours remain the same and this is a domain in which lessons from history are particularly timeless. Hence, a study of great men who made a mark in history helps us fathom some of the timeless ingredients of leadership. In this article, from an in depth study of Napoleon and his life, we identify and present some of his qualities which paved the way for his great achievements.

Continuous self-education

Reading and learning from books was the only way one could continuously learn in those days. Ever since his boyhood days, reading was Napoleon’s first love. His quest for knowledge continued with the same vigour even at the height of his busy tenure as Emperor and remained aglow till his last days as a prisoner of war in St. Helena. Education, Napoleon believed, should be useful to one’s position. As emperor, he knew that he could not afford to lack the knowledge he needed.

Napoleon maintained a well-stocked home library. In 1808, in the midst of hectic military campaigns, he sent a memorandum to his personal librarian to arrange for a portable library of 1000 volumes, printed in small types with no margin, so as not to waste space and loosely bound so that the books would lay flat while he read them on campaigns.

Continuous education was personally important to Napoleon. He never stopped educating himself at any stage of life. He was strongly influenced by works of Rousseau’s Confessions, and La Novella Heloise. Many of his pioneering reforms in education were based on ideas gleaned from Rousseau’s works.

During his last days of captivity in St. Helena, the golden day for him was when the ship arrived with wooden cases of books. In St. Helena, he is said to have collected 3,000 volumes and they were arranged on the bare damp shelves. How many of our leaders today continuously read and educate themselves?

Selective reading

Since Napoleon’s reading was very extensive, he had to be compellingly selective. So he regularly skipped many of the pages (including Rousseau’s) as ‘useless treatises’. He also used to read so fast that a book hardly lasted him an hour and the assistant was kept busy carrying away armful of finished books brought from the shelves.

In today’s world characterized by information explosion and overload, it is particularly important to be very selective in what we chose to read. It is also critical to cultivate the art of reading and skip unwanted reading, like Napoleon.

The great ‘Life time Manager’

In modern managerial education, time management is considered a critical topic. Time management, as we understand, however, focuses only on the optimal management of a calendar day.

But Napoleon offers himself as a great role model by the way he conducted his ‘whole life time management’ in a masterly manner. His gross life lasted 51 years, seven months and 20 days. He was taken as a prisoner of war after his decisive defeat at Waterloo and was deported to the island of St. Helena, notorious for its insalubrious climate and remained as captive for six years till his death. His net active life, therefore, was only 45 years. Within this short span of his life, he lived an extremely productive life, leaving indelible footprints on the sands of time.

Napoleonic era lasted only for 16 years from 1799 to 1815. In these limited number of years his achievements are extraordinary. Compare this with our individual life and career. With greater time at our disposal, we are unable to leave a mark. Napoleon used to admonish, “space we can recover, time never”.

Living the ‘Present Moment’

For Napoleon, the most important moment was ‘now’. When an issue was taken up for consideration, he would plug all the corners and crevices in his mind, clear all other extreme thoughts and concentrate on the issue at hand. “It is in your moment of decision that your destiny is shaped”.

Thrift

In public, Napoleon loved dazzle, splendour and pageantry. However, he was a stickler to thrift in his own private life. To his courtiers, his advice was: “Be economical and even parsimonious at home, be magnificent in public”.

Before he established a splendid royal palace as Emperor at Fontainebleau, his accommodation consisted of a bedroom, bath room, study, dining room, conference room, audience chamber and a large ante chamber. His eating consisted of two simple meals a day. His wardrobe was limited. He would drink half-a-cup of strong coffee twice or thrice in a day. He was having only two (Napoleon trade mark) velvet caps at a time and everywhere he will put it on in a diagonally tilted posture.

Savings from his personal income was a priority. In his last will and testament the entire cash apportioned represented his savings from his civil list payments for the last 14 years. Other items, including items like furniture and pieces of art, were all purchased from his own savings.

Leaving a mark

Napoleon had the innate ability to create a favourable impression in the minds of people with disparate backgrounds. Augustin, brother of Maximilien Robespierre, fiery leader of the French Revolution wrote to his brother during early spring of 1794, “I add to the names of patriots, citizen Bonaparte, an exceedingly meritorious General in Command of the Artillery”. Sir Neil Campbell, the English commissioner at Elba, wrote in his recollections, “I have never seen a man in any situation in life with so much personal activity and restless perseverance”. Even his rival British commander Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington used to say of him, “His presence on the field made a difference of 40,000 men”.

Napoleon Bonaparte is not great by virtue of his words, his speeches, his writings or by virtue of a love of liberty; he is great in that he created a solid powerful government, a code of laws adopted by various countries, courts of law, schools and a strong active and intelligent administration, which forms the basis for our living till today (Napoleonic Code is adopted in all European countries even today).

While Napoleon is known for his military victories, his enduring popularity, however, is only due to his everlasting contributions as an organiser, administrator and manager of the French state. Many a lesson is in store to be learnt from a study of his life for today’s generation.

  

Tell Problems, You Have Big God

Two men went fishing. One was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn't.
Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice
chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big
fish, he threw it back.

The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired
of seeing the man waste good fish. Why do you keep throwing back all the big
fish you catch he asked.

The inexperienced fisherman replied, I only have a small frying pan.

Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throwback the big plans, big dreams, big
jobs, big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small.

We laugh at that fisherman who didn't figure out that all he needed was a
bigger frying pan, yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith.
Whether it's a problem or a possibility, God will never give you anything
bigger than you can handle. That means we can confidently walk into anything
God brings our way.

You can do all things through God. Nothing is too big for God.

Stop telling God you've got big problems. Tell your problems, you've got a BIG GOD!

Negative People Think Negative

There was a hunter who bought a bird dog, the only one of its kind in the
world. That could walk on water. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw
this miracle. 

At the same time, he was very pleased that he could show off his new
acquisition to his friends. He invited a friend to go duck hunting. 

After some time, they shot a few ducks and the man ordered his dog to run
and fetch the birds. All day-long, the dog ran on water and kept fetching
the birds. The owner was expecting a comment or a compliment about his
amazing dog, but never got one. 

As they were returning home, he asked his friend if he had noticed anything
unusual about his dog. 

The friend replied, "Yes, in fact, I did notice something unusual. Your dog
can't swim."

Some people always look at negative side.

Keeping the Faith

 

 

Keeping The Faith

 
The fields were parched and brown from lack of rain, and the crops laywilting from thirst. People were anxious and irritable as they searched thesky for any sign of relief. Days turned into arid weeks. No rain came.

 

The ministers of the local churches called for an hour of prayer on the townsquare the following Saturday. They requested that everyone bring an objectof faith for inspiration.

 

At high noon on the appointed Saturday the townspeople turned out en-massefilling the square with anxious faces and hopeful hearts. The ministers weretouched to see the variety of objects clutched in prayerful hands - holybooks, crosses, and rosaries.

 

When the hour ended, as if on magical command, a soft rain began to fall.Cheers swept the crowd as they held their treasured objects high ingratitude and praise.

 

From the middle of the crowd one faith symbol seemed to overshadow all theothers A small nine-year-old child had brought an umbrella. 

 

When you do something in life, have complete faith that you will definitelysucceed. Never do anything with half-mind. FAITH is a great foundation tobuild your life.

 

Origin & Importance of Holi

Holi, or Holli (Hindi: होली), is a spring religious festival celebrated by Hindus. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka,  and countries with largeIndic  diaspora populations, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United Kingdom, United States, Mauritius, and Fiji. In West Bengal and Orissa of India it is known as Dolyatra (Doul Jatra) or Basanta-Utsav ("spring festival"). The most celebrated Holi is that of the Braj region, in locations connected to the god Krishna: Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana. These places have become tourist destinations during the festive season of Holi, which lasts here to up to sixteen days..

The main day, Holi, also known as Dhuli Vandana in Sanskrit, also Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. Bonfires are lit the day before, also known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad accomplished when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in South India.

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Importance of Holi

In Vaishnava Theology, Hiranyakashipu is the great king of demons, and he had been granted a boon by Brahma, which made it almost impossible for him to be killed. The boon was due to his long penance, after which he had demanded that he not be killed "during day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or in the sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra". Consequently, he grew arrogant and attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping gods and start praying to him.....

Despite this, Hiranyakashipu's own son, Prahlada, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. In spite of several threats from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued offering prayers to Lord Vishnu. He was poisoned but the poison turned to nectar in his mouth. He was ordered to be trampled by elephants yet remained unharmed. He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and survived. All of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill his son failed. Finally, he ordered young Prahlada to sit on a pyre on the lap of his demoness sister, Holika, who could not die because she also had a boon which would prevent fire from burning her. Prahlada readily accepted his father's orders, and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as Holika burnt to death, while Prahlada survived unharmed, the burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi 2011.

3 health mistakes never to make (Happy and safe Holi)

Save your skin

How colours can harm: Synthetic colours can lead to itching, rashes, swelling and irritation. Those with thin, dry or sensitive skin beware!Help yourself: "Apply oil or moisturiser followed by a barrier cream 30 minutes before you go out to play with colours," suggests Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Apratim Goel. "While washing the colours, soak your skin in mustard or coconut oil for at least an hour and then wipe off softly with a cotton cloth," Goel suggests.

Care for your hair

How colours can harm: They can make your hair dry, coarse or brittle. Your hair can also get discoloured. But fortunately no serious damage is done to the hair root or scalp.Help yourself: "Apply oil or serum liberally on your hair before and wash it with a shampoo like Sebastian Penetraitt for a deep and strengthening repair afterwards.

Protect your eyes

How colours can harm: They can lead to mild allergy, puffiness, or even severe chemical burn in your eyes. "The shining mica particles can damage the cornea while the water balloons can cause a retinal detachment," says Dr Anita Sethi, senior consultant, Ophthalmology, Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon.Help yourself: Wash your eyes with clear water the moment any colour particle enters your eyes. "Don't rub your eyes with colours on your hand. You should also avoid wearing contact lenses while playing!

Commit to do best at all the times...Excellence!!!

Most young people have similar goals. They want to be loved, healthy, happy, and successful. And rich! And here’s the problem. As we set off on the journey towards our goals, two paths emerge ahead of us. One looks like a fast and easy road – full of short cuts. It’s the path of least resistance. And the other is a long hard road, often strewn with obstacles. And - no prizes for guessing – most of us take the easy way out!

And that becomes a habit. We look for short cuts all the time. We compromise. We don’t push ourselves to succeed; we merely set ourselves the objective of not failing. We don’t play to win. We just want to avoid losing.

And so we love tips like “If you study these three sections, you can get 35 marks”. Or ‘if you attend classes twice a week, you won’t be in the black list.” Unfortunately, this attitude pervades our life and becomes a habit. We stop striving for the greatness that we are all capable of. “Chalta Hai” becomes our defining motto. And as someone rightly said, ‘Good is the enemy of Great’.

There once lived a sculptor in a small town. He was working on a huge idol of a Goddess that he was making for the local temple, when a young man walked into his workshop. As the young man marveled at the idol, he suddenly noticed another idol, almost identical, lying on the ground. “Do you need two of these?” he asked. “No,” came the reply. “We only need one. But the first one got damaged in the finishing stages. Hence I am doing it again.”

The young man looked closely at the idol on the ground. It looked perfect. He could not see any signs of damage. “Where is the flaw?” he asked. “Look carefully,” said the sculptor, “and you will notice a scratch under the left eye.” “Wait a minute!” said the young man. “Where will this idol be installed?”

The sculptor explained that it would be on a platform fifteen feet high inside the temple. And the young man quickly retorted, “At that distance, who will know there is a scratch beneath the eye?” The sculptor smiled and said, “I will.”

Now that’s a good reminder of what excellence is all about. It comes from inside, not from outside. And it’s an attitude. One we would all do well to inculcate.

Commit to doing your best at all times. Don’t compromise, ever. Whatever you do, give off hundred percent. Aim to be the best at whatever you do. And do that not because someone else tells you to do it – but because YOU want to.

And make sure you always, always do the right thing. Don’t tell yourself it’s okay, no one will notice. Remember, someone is watching all the time. And that someone is you. Your character is defined not by how you behave when you know others are watching – but by what you do when no one is looking.

If you create an idol with a scratch and think no one will notice, you will soon find another scratch appearing in your work and then another. And you will spend a lot of time and effort hiding those scratches, covering up, hoping no one notices. And instead of becoming a master sculptor, you become a patch-up artist. And your life – instead of becoming a masterpiece – becomes just another flawed piece of work. And in either case, what makes the difference is not the skill. It’s always your attitude.

Get the sculptor’s attitude. Commit to excellence. And make your life a masterpiece.