Power to change you within by Yusuf Patanwala

POWER TO CHANGE YOU WITHIN
Yusuf Patanwala graduated from Mumbai
University and pursues Business Management.
Currently a skill coach and founder of
iskillbox.com, an education-venture for
assessment of 21st century education. Spent two
decades working his way up the ladder of power
in the exciting and adrenaline-pumping world of
education sector in India.

Acknowledgements
Any accomplishment requires the effort of many
people and this work is no different. I thank my
daughter and especially my wife, whose patience
and support was instrumental in accomplishing
this task.
Many examples, stories, anecdotes are the result
of a collection from various sources, such as
newspapers, magazines, other speakers, and
seminar participants, over the last 10 years.
Unfortunately, sources were not always noted or
available; hence, it became impractical to provide
an accurate acknowledgement. Regardless of the
source, I wish to express my gratitude to those
who may have contributed to this work, even
though anonymously.
Every effort has been made to give credit where it
is due for the material contained herein. If
inadvertently we have omitted giving credit,
future publications will give due credit to those
that are brought to the author's attention.

Author’s Note
It is difficult to translate the spirit of a live
presentation into the written word. Stories we tell
every day have had to be rewritten five times to
work as well in print as they do live. When you are
reading these stories, please forget everything you
ever learned in your speed-reading classes. Slow
down. Listen to the words in your heart as well as
in your mind. Savor each story. Let it touch you.
Ask yourself, what does it awaken in me? What
does it suggest for my life? What feeling or action
does it call forth from my inner being? Let yourself
have a personal relationship with each story.
Some stories will speak louder to you than others.
Some will have deeper meaning. Some will make
you cry. Some will make you laugh. Some will give
you a warm feeling all over. Some may hit you
right between the eyes. There is no right reaction.
There is only your reaction. Let it happen and let it
be.
Don’t hurry through this book. Take your time.
Enjoy it. Savor it. Engage it with your whole being.

Contents
1. This was bound to happen 1
2. Wealth without a Value 3
3. The Woodcutter and the Axe 5
4. The Reflection of Your Actions 7
5. The Wolf and the Crane 9
6. The Needy King and a Sage 11
7. Sometimes just let it be 13
8. Choose Your Words Wisely 15
9. The Kite without a thread 17
10. The King and Macaw Parrots 19
11. A King’s Painting 21
12. The Last Delivery 24
13. The Lion and a Clever Fox 27
14. Keeping the roots stronger 29
15. The Lazy Man and the God’s Plan 31
16. Love and Marriage 34
17. Believe in yourself 37
18. A Blind Man’s Love 39
19. Developing a Relationship 41
20. Four Wives 44
21. Never go back on your promise. 47
22. Balloon Name 50
23. Rain Dance 52
24. Dirty clothes 54
25. Wooden Goose 56
26. Change is within 58
27. The Mice in Council 60
28. The Elephant Rope 62

29. Practice to be perfect 63
30. It May Not Be a Dead End 64
31. Prayer for Contentment 65
32. Struggles of our Life 66
33. The 99 Club 69
34. How much do you earn? 72
35. Use all your strength 74
36. Stop being a glass, Become a lake. 75
37. Put the Glass down today 77
38. Hospital Window 79
39. Really glad 82
40. Remembering and Example to live by 84
41. Mayonnaise Jar 85
42. A Person is known by his words 87
43. Final Whistle 90
44. Live and Work 91
45. Deferred Results 94
46. Back in the Line 95
47. The Bee and the Spider 97
48. The Passion of Anger 99
49. Overcome Fear 101
50. Enjoy the happiness 103
51. A Pound of Butter 105
52. The Obstacle in Our Path 106
53. The Blind Girl 107
54. Soil Heart 108
55. Berry Trees 111
56. Happens For Better 114
57. King and the Wise Man 116
58. Sir Alexander Fleming 118

59. The Angry Monk 120
60. Doctor’s Dedication 121
61. Are You Hurt 123
62. Bank Robbery 124
63. Better Opportunities 126
64. This too shall Pass 128
65. Clever King 131
66. Never Cheat 134
67. Doubts of Soldiers 135
68. Task of Stealing 137
69. Black Spot 138
70. Courage 140
71. Imperfections 143
72. Group of Frogs 144
73. Spiritual life 146
74. Gurudaakshina 149
75. Monkey Business 152
76. Lie everyday a year 154
77. Use Your Three Bones 157
78. Positive Thinking 158
79. Black Balloon 159
80. Rich lady and Little Kid 160
81. Hard Work vs. Smart Work 162
82. Bad Habits 164
83. Bucket of milk 166
84. Value 168
85. Recognition of Ability 169
86. Salesman Job 171
87. Friend Reply 173
88. Seize Opportunities 175

89. Respect 176
90. All the Difference in the World 177
91. Shark Bait 179
92. Nudge the Balance 181
93. Like to be remembered? 182
94. Unnecessary Doubts 183
95. ROSE 184
96. The Seasons of Life 187
97. Building Your House 188
98. Most Powerful 189
99. Move Aside 190
100. Find a Use of Everything 191
101. Happiness and Sorrow 193

1
1
1
This was bound to happen
Once a highly successful businessman, running a
health insurance company was getting ready to go
to his office. When he reached into his car and
opened a door, a stray dog sleeping under his car
suddenly came out and bit on his leg! The
businessman got very angry and quickly picked up
a few rocks and threw at the dog but none hit the
dog. The dog ran away.
Upon reaching his office, the businessman calls a
meeting of his managers and during the meeting
he puts the anger of dog on them. The managers
also get upset by the anger of their boss and they
put their anger to the employees working under
them. The chain of this reaction keeps going till
the lower level of employees and finally, the anger
reaches to the office peon.
Now, there was no one working under the peon!
So, after the office time is over, he reaches his
home, and wife opens the door. She asked him,
“Why are you so late today?” The peon upset due
to anger threw at him by the staff, gives one slap

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2
to his wife! And says, “I didn’t go to the office to
play football, I went to work so don’t irritate me
with your stupid questions!”
So, now the wife got upset that she got a scolding
plus a slap for no reason. She puts her anger on his
son who was watching tv and give him a slap,
“This is all you do, you have no interest in
studying! Turn off the TV now!”
The son gets upset now! He walks out of his house
and sees a dog passing by looking at him. He picks
up a rock and hits the dog in his anger and
frustration. The dog, getting hit by a rock, runs
away barking in pain.
This was the same dog that bit the businessman
early morning.
This was bound to happen. Reap as one has sown.
This is how the life works. While we all worry about
hell and heaven based on our deeds, we should
concentrate more on how we are living and
behaving. Do good, Good will come, Do Wrong,
Wrong will come.
--------------------------------------------------

3
3
2
Wealth without a Value
A Miser had buried his gold in a secret place in his
garden. Every day he went to the spot, dug up the
treasure and counted it piece by piece to make
sure it was all there. He made so many trips that a
Thief, who had been observing him, guessed what
it was the Miser had hidden, and one night quietly
dug up the treasure and made off with it.
When the Miser discovered his loss, he was
overcome with grief and despair. He groaned and
cried and tore his hair. A passerby heard his cries
and asked what had happened.
“My gold! O my gold!” cried the Miser, wildly,
“someone has robbed me!”
“Your gold! There in that hole? Why did you put it
there? Why did you not keep it in the house where
you could easily get it when you had to buy
things?”
“Buy!” screamed the Miser angrily. “Why, I never
touched the gold. I couldn’t think of spending any
of it.”

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4
The stranger picked up a large stone and threw it
into the hole. “If that is the case,” he said, “cover
up that stone. It is worth just as much to you as
the treasure you lost!”
Saving, Spending wisely and appropriately is a good
sign if you do it for a good purpose. Otherwise, a
possession is worth no more than the use we make
of it.
--------------------------------------------------

5
5
3
The Woodcutter and the Axe
Long ago, there lived a woodcutter in a small
village. He was sincere in his work and very
honest. Every day, he set out into the nearby
forest to cut trees. He brought the woods back
into the village and sold them out to a merchant
and earn his money. He earned just about enough
to make a living, but he was satisfied with his
simple living.
One day, while cutting a tree near a river, his axe
slipped out of his hand and fell into the river. The
river was so deep, he could not even think to
retrieve it on his own. He only had one axe which
was gone into the river. He became a very worried
thinking how he will be able to earn his living
now! He was very sad and prayed to the God. He
prayed sincerely so the God appeared in front of
him and asked, “What is the problem, my son?”
The woodcutter explained the problem and
requested the God to get his axe back.
The God put his hand deep into the river and took
out a silver axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The

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Woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. So
the God put his hand back deep into the water
again and showed a golden axe and asked, “Is this
your axe?” The woodcutter looked at the axe and
said “No”. The God said, “Take a look again Son,
this is a very valuable golden axe, are you sure this
is not yours?” The woodcutter said, “No, It’s not
mine. I can’t cut the trees with a golden axe. It’s
not useful for me”.
The God smiled and finally put his hand into the
water again and took out his iron axe and asked,
“Is this your axe?” To this, the woodcutter said,
“Yes! This is mine! Thank you!” The Goddess was
very impressed with his honesty so she gave him
his iron axe and also other two axes as a reward
for his honesty.
Always be honest. Honesty is always rewarded.
--------------------------------------------------

7
7
4
The Reflection of Your Actions
A man and his son were going through the forest
hills. Suddenly, the boy fell down on the trail and
screamed with a pain, “Aah!” Surprisingly, he
heard the same voice from the mountain, “Aah!”
Curiously, the boy shouted, “Who is this?” But the
voice replied the same, “Who is this?” He got
angry, and shouted again, “You are stupid!” And
again the voice replied the same, “You are stupid!”
Annoyed By this, the boy asked his father, “Father,
What is going on? Who is this?” The Father
replied, “Son, Pay attention”. The father shouted,
“You are very nice”. And the voice responded the
same, “You are very nice!” The father again
shouted, “Thank you”. And the voice again
responded the same, “Thank you!” The son was
very surprised but he still could not understand
what was happening.
The father explained, “Son, people call it
resonance, but this is the truth of the life. The life
is a reflection of your actions. What you will give
to others, you will receive the same in return.”

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8
What we give to others, life gives us the same in
return. Your life is not an accident or a coincidence,
but it is the shadow of your actions.
--------------------------------------------------

9
9
5
The Wolf and the Crane
A Wolf had been feasting too greedily, and a bone
had stuck crosswise in his throat. He could get it
neither up nor down, and of course, he could not
eat a thing. Naturally, that was an awful state of
affairs for a greedy Wolf.
So away he hurried to the Crane. He was sure that
she, with her long neck and bill, would easily be
able to reach the bone and pull it out. “I will
reward you very handsomely”, said the Wolf, “if
you pull that bone out for me”.
The Crane, as you can imagine, was very uneasy
about putting her head in Wolf’s throat. But she
was grasping in nature, so she did what the Wolf
asked her to do. When the Wolf felt that the bone
was gone, he started to walk away.
“But what about my reward!” called the Crane
anxiously?
“What!” snarled the Wolf, whirling around.
“Haven’t you got it? Isn’t it enough that I let you

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take your head out of my mouth without snapping
it off?”
Expect no reward for serving the one who has no
honor. Staying in a company of selfish people will
not do anyone any favor.
--------------------------------------------------

11
11
6
The Needy King and a Sage
A Sage was passing through the capital city of the
famous king. While he was walking, he noticed a
single currency coin on the road. He picked it up.
He was satisfied with his simple living and he had
no use of that coin. So, he planned to donate it to
the one who is in need of it. He strolled around the
streets throughout the day but didn’t find anyone
such. Finally, he reached the rest area and spent a
night there.
Next morning, he wakes up in the morning for his
daily activities and sees that a king is going for his
invasion of another state with his war ready army.
When the king saw the sage standing, he ordered
his army to be stopped. He came to the Sage and
said, “Oh Great Sage, I am going to war to win
another state so that my state can be expanded. So
bless me to be victorious”.
After thinking, Sage gave a single currency coin to
the king! The king was confused and annoyed with
this because what use he has for a single coin
while he is already one of the richest kings! He

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curiously asked a sage, “What’s the meaning of
this one coin?”
A Sage explained, “Oh Great King! I found this coin
yesterday while strolling around the streets of
your capital city. But I had no use of it. So, I had
decided that I will donate it to someone needy. I
strolled around till the evening in your capital, but
found no one such. Everyone was living a happy
life. It seemed that they were satisfied with what
they had. So I found no one to give this coin. But
today, the king of this state, still have the desire to
gain more and not satisfied with what he already
has, I felt you were in need of this coin.”
The King realized his mistake and gave up the
planned war.
We all should learn to be happy with what we have.
Yes, we all desire more or better than we already
have, but do not waste a chance of enjoying what
you already have. There are those who may not
have what you have, and there will be some who
have lots more than you have. Do not always
compare, be happy and lead a healthy life.
--------------------------------------------------

13
13
7
Sometimes just let it be
Once Buddha was walking from one town to
another town with a few of his followers. This was
in the initial days. While they were traveling, they
happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and
Buddha told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty.
Please get me some water from that lake there”.
The disciple walked up to the lake. When he
reached it, he noticed that some people were
washing clothes in the water and, right at that
moment, a bullock cart started crossing the lake
right at the edge of it. As a result, the water
became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple
thought, “How can I give this muddy water to
Buddha to drink?!” So he came back and told the
Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t
think it is fit to drink”.
So, the Buddha said, let us take a little rest here by
the tree. After about half an hour, again Buddha
asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and
get him some water to drink. The disciple
obediently went back to the lake. This time he

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found that the lake had absolutely clear water in
it. The mud had settled down and the water above
it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water
in a pot and brought it to the Buddha.
The Buddha looked at the water, and then he
looked up at the disciple and said, “See, You let the
water be and the mud settled down on its own.
You got a clear water. It didn’t require any effort”.
Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just
let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its
own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it
down. We can judge and take best decisions of our
life when we stay calm.
--------------------------------------------------

15
15
8
Choose Your Words Wisely
Once upon a time, an old man spread rumors that
his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young
man was arrested. Days later the young man was
proven innocent. After being released, the man felt
humiliated as he walked to his home. He sued the
old man for wrongly Accusing him.
In court, the old man told the Judge, “They were
just comments, didn’t Harm anyone..” The judge,
before passing sentence on the case, told the old
man, “Write All the things you said about him on a
piece of paper. Cut them up and On the way home,
throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come
back to Hear the sentence”.
The next day, the judge told the old man, “Before
receiving the Sentence, you will have to go out and
gather all the pieces of paper That you threw out
yesterday”. The old man said, “I can’t do that! The
wind must have spreads them and I won’t Know
where to find them”.
The judge then replied, “The same way, simple
comments may destroy the honor of a man to such

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an extent that one is not able to fix it. The old man
realized his mistake and asked for forgiveness”.
Do not malignant or blame anyone without
knowing the fact or a truth. Your words may ruin
someone’s reputation without any fault of theirs.
--------------------------------------------------

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17
9
The Kite without a thread
Once a father and son went to the kite flying
festival. The young son became very happy seeing
the sky filled with colorful kites. He too asked his
father to get him a kite and a thread with a roller
so he can fly a kite too. So, the father went to the
shop at the park where the festival was being held.
He purchased kites and a roll of thread for his son.
His son started to fly a kite. Soon, his kite reached
high up in the sky. After a while, the son said,
“Father, It seems that the thread is holding up a
kite from flying higher, If we break it, It will be
free and will go flying even higher. Can we break
it?” So, the father cut the thread from a roller. The
kite started to go a little higher. That made a son
very happy.
But then, slowly, the kite started to come down.
And, soon it fell down on the terrace of the
unknown building. The young son was surprised
to see this. He had cut the kite loose of its thread
so it can fly higher, but instead, it fell down. He
asked his father, “Father, I thought that after

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cutting off the thread, the kite can freely fly higher.
But why did it fall down?”
The Father explained, “Son, At the height of life
that we live in, we often think that some things we
are tied with and they are preventing us from
going further higher. The thread was not holding
the kite from going higher, but it was helping it
stay higher when the wind slowed down and
when the wind picked up, you helped the kite go
up higher in a proper direction through the
thread. And when we cut the thread, it fell down
without the support you were providing to the
kite through the thread”.
The son realized his mistake.
Sometimes we feel that we can progress quickly and
reach to the newer heights in our life if we were not
tied up with our family, our home. But, we fail to
realize that our family, our loved ones help us
survive the tough time in our lives with their
support and encourage us to reach higher heights
in our life. They are not holding us, but are
supporting us. Never let go of them.
--------------------------------------------------

19
19
10
The King and Macaw Parrots
Once upon a time, there was a king who had gone
to visit neighboring kingdoms. He was gifted a
pair of baby Macaw Parrots by the king of the last
kingdom where he was visiting. They were the
most beautiful birds he had ever seen. So, upon
returning to his kingdom, he called for a bird
trainer and asked him to train macaw parrots.
The king also arranged a place in the palace
garden for the parrots. He often looked at them
from his palace window. As time passed, one day
the trainer came to the palace and informed the
king that though one of the parrots was flying
majestically high in the sky, the other one was not
moving from its branch since the day it had
arrived.
Upon hearing this, the king summoned trainer and
healers from the nearby kingdoms. They all tried
their best, but couldn’t make the parrot fly! He
even asked his courtiers to try to find a way to
make the parrot fly but they all failed. The parrot
was not moving from his branch at all. Finally,

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after trying everything, the king thought that
maybe he needs someone who may be more
familiar with natural habitat. He asked his courtier
to get a farmer from the countryside and take him
to the parrot to see if he can understand the
problem with the parrot.
The next morning, the king was thrilled to see the
parrot flying high above the palace gardens. He
asked his servant to call that farmer to meet him.
The servant quickly went and located the farmer,
who came and stood before the king. The king
asked him, “How did you make the parrot fly?”
With his hands folded with respect, the farmer
said to the king, “It was very easy, your majesty. I
simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”
We are all gifted with energy to find a success in
our life, but fail to gather a courage which is
required to reach heights of success and end up
clinging to the things that are familiar to us. We
need to free ourselves from our comfort zone to
explore new opportunities and find a success
beyond our capacity.
--------------------------------------------------

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11
A King’s Painting
Once upon a time, there was a Kingdom. The king
there only had one leg and one eye, but he was
very intelligent and kind. Everyone in his kingdom
lived a happy and a healthy life because of their
king. One day the king was walking through the
palace hallway and saw the portraits of his
ancestors. He thought that one day his children
will walk in the same hallway and remember all
the ancestors through these portraits.
But, the king did not have his portrait painted. Due
to his physical disabilities, he wasn’t sure how his
painting would turn out. So he invited many
famous painters from his and other kingdoms to
the court. The king then announced that he wants
a beautiful portrait made of himself to be placed in
the palace. Any painter who can carry out this
should come forward. He will be rewarded based
on how the painting turns up.
All of the painters began to think that the king
only has one leg and one eye. How can his picture
be made very beautiful? It is not possible and if

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the picture does not turn out to look beautiful
then the king will get angry and punish them. So
one by one, all started to make excuses and
politely declined to make a painting of the king.
But suddenly one painter raised his hand and said
that I will make a very beautiful portrait of you
which you will surely like. The king became happy
hearing that and other painters got curious. The
king gave him the permission and the painter
started drawing the portrait. He then filled the
drawing with paints. Finally, after taking a long
time, he said that the portrait was ready!
All of the courtiers, other painters were curious
and nervous thinking, How can the painter make
the king’s portrait beautiful because the king is
physically disabled? What if the king didn’t like
the painting and gets angry? But when the painter
presented the portrait, everyone in the court,
including the king, left stunned.
The painter made a portrait in which the king was
sitting on the horse, on the one-leg side, holding
his bow and aiming the arrow with his one eye
closed. The king was very pleased to see that the
painter has made a beautiful portrait by cleverly

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hiding the king’s disabilities. The King gave him a
great reward.
We should always think positive of others and
ignore their deficiencies. We should learn to focus
on the good things instead of trying to hide
weaknesses. If we think and approach positively
even in a negative situation, then we will be able to
solve our problems more efficiently.
--------------------------------------------------

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12
The Last Delivery
There was a rich couple who was throwing a big
new year party at their house. So they went
shopping at the market where everything was of
high cost and fixed price. They wanted to
maintain their level of standard so didn’t mind
paying for it. After purchasing all they needed,
they called a porter to carry everything and drop
it at their home. The porter who came was of an
old age, not very healthy looking, his clothes were
torn, looked as if he wasn’t even able to meet his
daily needs.
They asked the porter about the charges for
delivering their goods at their home. The old
porter quoted just a Rs 20, a well below the
market rate for delivering goods at couple’s home
in his cart. Yet, the couple argued and bargained
with the porter and finally settled for Rs 100. The
porter was struggling to make even one time’s
meal so he needed anything he can earn.
The couple was very happy thinking how well
they bargained with the poor porter and paid him

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Rs 100 in advance and left after giving the porter
their address for delivery. They reached their
home and hour passed, two hours passed, but the
porter still hadn’t delivered their stuff.
The wife started to get angry at her husband, “I
always tell you to not to trust such person still,
you never listen to me. Such person who is not
even able to earn to feed himself for 1 time in a
day, you handed him everything we purchased for
our big party. I am sure instead of delivering at
our home, he must have disappeared with
everything. We must immediately go back to the
market to inquire and then to the police station to
file the complaint against him”.
They both left towards the market. On their way
near the market, they saw another porter. They
stopped him to inquire about the old porter and
noticed that he was carrying their stuff in his cart!
The angry wife asked him, “Where is that old
thief? This is our stuff and he supposed to deliver
it. It seems you poor thieves are stealing our stuff
and going to sell it”.
The porter replied, “Madam, Please calm down.
That poor old man was sick since last month. He

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wasn’t able to earn enough to even have a single
meal of the day. He was on the way to deliver
your stuff, but he who was hungry, sick, couldn’t
gather the strength to go any further in this heat
of the noon”. He fell down and while handing me
Rs 100, his last words were, “I had taken an
advance for this delivery, you take this and please
deliver to this address”.
“Madam, He was hungry, he was poor, but he was
an honest man. I was just on the way to complete
old man’s last delivery at your home”, the porter
said. Upon hearing this, the husband had tears in
his eyes, but the wife felt so ashamed, she had no
courage to see up in her husband’s eyes.
Honesty has no class. Respect everyone regardless
of their financial and social status. It’s always a
good deed to give the one who deserves.
--------------------------------------------------

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13
The Lion and a Clever Fox
Long ago, there lived a lion in a dense forest. One
morning his wife told him that his breath was bad
and unpleasant. The lion became embarrassed and
angry upon hearing it. He wanted to check this fact
with others. So he called three others outside his
cave.
First came the sheep. The Lion opening his mouth
wide said, “Sheep, tell me if my mouth smells
bad?” The sheep thought that the lion wanted an
honest answer, so the sheep said, “Yes, Friend.
There seems to be something wrong with your
breath”. This plain speak did not go well with the
lion. He pounced on the sheep, killing it.
Then the lion called the wolf and said, “What do
you think? Do I have a bad breath?” The wolf saw
what happened to the sheep. He wanted to be very
cautious in answering a question. So, the wolf said,
“Who says that Your breath is unpleasant. It’s as
sweet as the smell of roses”. When the lion heard
the reply, he roared in an anger and immediately

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attacked the wolf and killed it. “The flatterer!”
growled the lion.
Finally, came the turn of the fox. The lion asked
him the same question. The fox was well aware of
the fate of the sheep and the wolf. So he coughed
and cleared his throat again and again and then
said, “Oh Dear Friend, for the last few days, I have
been having a very bad cold. Due to this, I can’t
smell anything, pleasant or unpleasant”.
The lion spared the fox’s life.
Do not involve yourself in a bad company or a bad
situation else you may end up getting punished for
no fault of yours. Sometimes, It’s wise to stay away
from certain situations.
--------------------------------------------------

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14
Keeping the roots stronger
Once upon a time, there were two neighbors living
next to each other. One of them was a retired
teacher and another was an insurance agent who
had a lot of interest in technology. Both of them
had planted different plants in their garden. The
retired teacher was giving a small amount of
water to his plants and didn’t always give a full
attention to them, while the other neighbor
interested in technology, had given a lot of water
to his plants and looked after them too well.
The retired teacher’s plants were simple but
looked good. The insurance agent’s plants were
much fuller and greener. One day, during the
night, there was a heavy rain and a wind due to a
minor storm. Next morning, both of the neighbors
came out to inspect the damage to their garden.
The neighbor who was an insurance agent saw
that his plants came off from the roots and were
totally destroyed. But, the retired teacher’s plants
were not damaged at all and were standing firm.

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The insurance agent neighbor was surprised to
see it, he went to the retired teacher and asked,
“We both grew the same plants together, I actually
looked after my plants better than you did for
yours, and even gave them more water. Still, my
plants came off from the roots, while yours didn’t.
How is that possible?”
The retired teacher smiled and said, “You gave
your plants more attention and water, but because
of that they didn’t need to work themselves for it.
You made it easy for them. While I gave them just
an adequate amount of water and let their roots
search for more. And, because of that, their roots
went deeper and that made their position
stronger. That is why my plants survived”.
This story is about parenting where children are
like plants. If everything is given to them, they will
not understand the hard work it takes to earn those
things. They will not learn to work themselves and
respect it. Sometimes it’s best to guide them instead
of giving them. Teach them how to walk, but let
them follow their path.

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15
The Lazy Man and the God’s Plan
Once upon a time, there was a very lazy man who
would always look for an easier way to feed him.
One day while he was searching for something to
eat, he saw the fruit farm. He looked around and
didn’t see anyone guarding the fruits on the tree,
so he quickly decided to steal some fruits. But as
soon as he walked into the farm and started to
climb the tree, the farmer saw him and started
coming at him to catch him. The lazy man saw the
farmer coming at him with a stick, he got afraid
and ran towards the forest nearby and went inside
it to hide.
After some time when he felt he started to move
on from the forest and while passing through, he
saw the wonderful scene. There was a fox. It had
only two legs and still was crawling on them
happily. The lazy man thought, how can this fox
stay alive in such condition?! The fox can’t run,
how he must be able to feed himself or stay alive
from the threat of other animals.

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Suddenly, he saw the lion coming towards the fox
with a piece of meat already in his mouth. All the
animals ran away and the lazy man climbed up on
the tree to save himself but, the fox stayed there
only, he didn’t have the ability to run on two legs.
But what happened next surprised the lazy man.
The lion left a piece of meat which was in his
mouth for the fox!
The lazy man felt happy seeing god’s play. He
thought the god who is the creator of all, always
has a plan set to take care of what he created. He
felt that god must have something planned for him
too. So, he left that place and sat somewhere away
alone waiting for someone to feed him too. As time
starting to pass, he kept looking at the road,
waiting for his food. He waited there for 2 days
without any food! Finally, he couldn’t bear the
hunger and started to leave.
He met an old sage (a wise person famed for
wisdom) on the way. He told everything happened
to the sage. The sage first gave him some food and
water. After having it, the lazy man asked the sage,
“oh wise one, the god had shown his mercy on the
crippled fox, but why the god was so cruel to me?”

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The old sage with a smile said, “True that the
creator has a plan for everyone. You are obviously
a part of the god’s plan. But Son, You took his sign
in a wrong way. He didn’t want you to be like the
fox. He wanted you to be like the Lion”.
Often we misunderstand the signs. God has given
everyone a strength and ability to do their part.
Always learn to see the things in a positive way and
see yourself in a strong position to help the ones
who need. Don’t go for the easy choice. Make a right
choice.
--------------------------------------------------

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16
The Conversation of Love and Marriage
A student asks a teacher, “Why often people marry
a different person then they fell in love with?” The
teacher said, “in order to answer your question, go
to the wheat field and choose the best wheat and
come back. But the rule is that you can go through
them only once and cannot turn back to pick.” The
student went to the field, went through the first
row, he saw one big wheat which he instantly
liked, but he wonders that maybe there is a bigger
one further. Then he saw another bigger one, but
again he thought that maybe there is an even
bigger one waiting for him.
Later, when he finished more than half of the
wheat field, he started to realize that the wheat is
not as big as the ones he let go off, he started to
realize that he had missed the best one in the
search of a bigger. So, he ended up going back to
the teacher with an empty hand because he just
wasn’t able to forgive himself for letting go of the
best wheat and described what happened. The
teacher told him, “You kept looking for a better
one while letting go of the best one and later when

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you realize that you have missed that, you can’t go
back. This is the mistake often made by people
who fell in love and lost the best person they could
have in their life”.
So, the student said, “Does that mean, one should
never fall in love?” The Teacher replied, “No Dear,
Anyone can fall in love if they find a suitable
person. But, once you truly fall in love, you must
never let go of that person due to your anger, ego
or comparisons with others”.
“How do they end up marrying someone other
than they loved?” the student asked. The teacher
said, “in order to answer your question, go to the
corn field and choose the biggest corn and come
back. But the rule is same as before, you can go
through them only once and cannot turn back to
pick.” The student went to the corn field, this time
he was careful to not to repeat the previous
mistake. When he reached to the middle of the
field, he picked one medium corn that he felt
satisfied with and went back to the teacher. He
described how he made a choice. The teacher told
him, “This time you didn’t came empty handed.
You looked for one that is just nice, and you had

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put your faith that this is the best one you can get.
This is how one makes a choice for marriage.”
The student stood confused. The teacher asked,
“What is bothering you now?” The student
replied, “I am wondering which would have been
better, marrying a person you love or loving the
person you marry”. The teacher replied, “It’s a
very easy answer, only if you are willing to admit
it to yourself”.
Life is like a basket of fruits. Either you have to
make a choice of eating the fruit you love or be
content with something that is healthy! Choose
wisely else you may have to spend your life
wondering, what if.. As long as you stay true to
yourself and honest, you can’t go wrong with any of
these two choices.
--------------------------------------------------

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17
Believe in yourself
A nightingale was sitting in a tree, singing a
beautiful song. An ugly old crow, who sat beside
her said, “What an ugly song! Listen to my song.”
The crow proceeded to screech and shriek and
make horrible noises. Afterward, he declared,
“See? I’m the best singer in the forest!”
The nightingale politely disagreed. “No, I’m best
singer in the forest– everyone tells me so.” This
began a debate. Finally, the crow said, “I got an
idea. See those pigs there?” The nightingale looked
down from her branch and saw several pigs
wallowing in the mud below.
The crow said, “Let them decide our singing
capability. Each of us will sing for them, and they
can choose who has the most beautiful voice. The
pigs will eat the loser.” The nightingale agreed.
They flew down and asked the pigs if they’d judge
the contest, and the pigs consented.
.The nightingale cleared her tiny throat and began
to sing the loveliest song she’d ever sung. As she

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whistled her glorious tune, the forest grew quiet,
and even the flowers and trees seemed to be
listening.
Next was the crow’s turn. He puffed out his chest
and proceeded to shriek and squawk and squeal
out his ugly song. Mice scampered away, and
rabbits dove into their burrows to escape the
sound. With each horrible screeching note, the
nightingale became more confident of her victory.
But when the song was over, the pigs declared
the crow as the winner. As they began eating the
nightingale, the crow saw a little tear in
nightingale's eye. “Why are you crying?,” the crow
asked. “Is it because you’re dying?” “I’m not crying
because I’m dying,” answered the nightingale.
“I’m crying because I allowed myself to be judged
by pigs.”
You need not the judgement of others. If you know
what you are and If you believe you are right, then
go ahead. Do what you want to do. Be what you
want to be. If you want to live based on the
expectations and judgements of others, you will lose
your life.

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18
A Blind Man’s Love
A man married a beautiful girl. He loved her very
much. One day she developed a skin disease.
Slowly she started to lose her beauty. It so
happened that one day her husband left for a tour.
While returning he met with an accident and lost
his eyesight. However, their married life
continued as usual. But as days passed she lost
her beauty gradually. Blind husband did not know
this and there was not any difference in their
married life. He continued to love her and she also
loved him very much. One day she died. Her
death brought him a great sorrow. He finished all
her last rites and wanted to leave that town.
A man from behind called and said, “Now how will
you be able to walk all alone? All these days your
wife used to help you”. He replied, “I am not blind.
I was acting because if she knew l could see her
skin condition due to a disease, it would have
pained her more than her disease. I didn’t love
her for her beauty alone, but I fell in love with her
caring and loving nature. So I pretended to be
blind. I only wanted to keep her happy”.

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When you truly love someone, you will go to any
extent to keep your loved one happy and sometimes
it is good for us to act blind and ignore one
another’s short comings in order to be happy. The
Beauty will fade with time, but heart and soul will
always be the same. Love the person for what
he/she is from inside, not from outside.
--------------------------------------------------

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19
Developing a Relationship
Nita was recently married and had started living
in a joint family with her husband and in-laws.
After a few days, she started to realize that she is
not able to get along with her mother in law.
Nita’s mother in law was conservative whereas
Nita was liberal with modern lifestyle. Soon they
both started quarreling due to differences in
opinions and lifestyle. As days and months passed,
none of them changed their behavior.
Nita became very aggressive over the time and
started to hate her mother in law. She started to
think about how to get rid of her mother in law.
Once, as usual, when she quarreled with her
mother in law and her husband took his mother’s
side, she became where angry and left to her
father’s home. Nita’s father was a chemist and she
told him about everything that’s been happening.
Then she pleaded with her father that give her
something poisonous, so she can mix it up and
give it to her mother in law to get rid of her, else
she won’t go back to her husband’s home.

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Nita’s father felt pity at her situation but told her,
“If you give poison to your mother in law, you and
I both will end up in jail. It is not the right thing to
do”. But, Nita was in no mood to listen and
understand. Finally, her father gave in. He told
her, “Ok, as you wish but I don’t want to see you in
jail, so do as I tell you”. Nita agreed. Her father
brought a powder and told her, “Everyday when
you make a lunch or dinner, just mix a little pinch
of this powder in your mother in law’s meal, since
the quantity will be less, she won’t die quickly but
will slowly in few months and people will think
she has died naturally”.
He also told her, “Because no one should have
doubt on you, from today onwards, you will not
fight at all with your mother in law but instead
you will be very caring towards her, even if she
says something which you don’t like, you will not
be rude, you will simply be polite only”. Nita
agreed thinking she will be free from her mother
in law’s quarreling in few months and came back
to her in-laws and as advised by her father, she
started mixing the powder in her mother in law’s
meals and behaved very caring and polite
whenever her mother in law said something.

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As time started to pass, Nita’s mother in law’s
nature also started to change. Because Nita was
being very caring towards her, she too started to
be affectionate towards her. Five months passed
and Nita had been mixing the powder but
atmosphere of the house was changed. There
were no quarrels, both were praising each while
talking to neighbors. They got very attached to
each other like a mother and daughter. Now, Nita
started to get worried thinking due to the powder,
her mother in law may die soon.
She ran at her father’s home and told him, “Dad!
Please give me the antidote to cure the effect of
that poisonous powder you gave! I don’t want to
lose my mother in law, she is just like my mom
and I love her very much”. Her father smiled and
said, “Which poison? I had simply given you a
sweetener!”
Each person is different which may be due to their own
circumstances. This can often lead to many differences.
However, we must try to understand each other and
adjust a little to make a healthy relationship with each
other.
--------------------------------------------------

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20
Four Wives
Once upon a time there was a rich merchant who
had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most
and adorned her with rich robes and treated her
to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave
her nothing but the best. He also loved the third
wife very much. He was very proud of her and
always wanted to show her off his friends. He
loved his second wife too. She was very
considerate person, always patient and in fact was
the merchant's confidante. Whenever the
merchant faced some problems, he always turned
to his second wife and so she would always help
him out and tide him through difficult times. Now,
the merchant first wife was very loyal partner and
had made great contributions in maintaining his
wealth and business as well as taking care of the
household. However, the merchant did not love
the first wife and although she loved him deeply,
he hardly took notice of her.

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One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew
that he was going to die soon. Thus he asked the
fourth wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with
the finest clothing and showered great care over
you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and
keep my company?"
"No way!" replied the fourth wife and walked
away without another word. The answer cut like a
sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.
The sad merchant asked the third wife, "I have
loved you so much for all my life. Now, that I'm
dying, will you follow me and keep my company?"
"No !" replied the third wife. Life is so good over
here! I’m going to remarry when you die!". The
merchant’s heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the second wife, "I always turned to
you for help and you've always helped me out.
Now, I need your help again. When I die, will you
follow me and keep me company?"
"I'm sorry, I can't help you this time !" replied the
second wife. At the very most, I can send you to
your grave." The answer came like a bolt of
thunder and the merchant was devastated.

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Then a voice called out, "I'll leave with you.I'll
follow you no matter where you go."
The merchant looked up and there was his first
wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered
from malnutrition. Greatly grieved the merchant
said, "I should have taken much better care of you
while I could have!".
Actually, we all have four wives in our lives. The
fourth wife is our body. No matter how time and
effort we lavish in making it look good, it I’ll leave
when us when we die. Our third wife is our
possession, status and wealth. When we die, they all
go to others. The second wife is our family and
friends. No matter how close they had been to us
when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is
upto the grave. The first wife is in fact our soul,
often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth
and sensual pleasure. It is actually the only thing
that follows us wherever we go.
--------------------------------------------------

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21
Never go back on your promise.
In the town of Agra, there lived a rich
businessman. But he was also quite a miser.
Various people used to flock outside his house
everyday hoping for some kind of generosity, but
they always had to return home disappointed. He
used to ward them off with false promise and then
never lived up to his word. Then one day, a poet
name Ravi arrived at his house and said that he
wanted to read out his poems to the rich man. As
the rich man was very fond of poetry, he
welcomed him in with open arms.
Ravi started to recite all there poems one by one.
The rich man was very pleased and especially so
when he heard the poem that Ravi had written on
him. In those days, it was custom for rich man and
kings to show their appreciation through a reward
or a gift, as that was the only means of earning
that a poor poet possessed. So the rich man
promised Ravi some gifts and asked him to come
and collect them next day. Ravi was pleased.

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The next morning when Ravi arrived at the house,
the rich man pretended that he had never laid
eyes on him before. When Ravi reminded him of
his promise, he said that although Ravi was a good
poet he liked the poem which was written on him
and the rest of the poem were very ordinary. He
had earlier promised a reward to Ravi not because
he was really pleased or impressed, but to simply
encourage him. Ravi became very upset.
Ravi had one trustworthy friend whose name was
Madhav, So he went up to him and told him the
plan. The next day,Madhav went to the rich man's
house and invited him for dinner. He said that he
intended to serve his guests in vessels of gold,
which the guests would get to take home after the
meal. The rich was thrilled to hear this and jumper
at the offer. After the rich man arrived at Madhav
house, he was surprised to see no other guests
there but Ravi. Anyhow, they welcomed him and
started polite conversation. The rich man had
come on an empty stomach and so was getting
hungrier by minute. Finally at midnight the rich
man could not bear his hunger no longer and
asked Madhav to serve the food. Madhav sound
extremely surprised when he asked him what food
was he talking about. The rich man tried to remind

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him that he had been invited for dinner. At this
point Ravi asked him proof of invitation. The rich
man had no answer, at that point Ravi reminded
the rich man of the same treatment that he had
meted out to him. The rich man realized his
mistake and begged for forgiveness. He said that
Ravi was a good poet and had not asked him for
any reward. He himself had promised to give some
gifts and then cheated him out of them. To make
up for his mistake he took out the necklace that he
was wearing and gifted to Ravi.
--------------------------------------------------

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22
Balloon Name
Once a company has taken a seminar for its
Employees. Shortly after the seminar began, the
speaker gave each employee a balloon and said
that all of you write their name on them. Everyone
did the same.
After this, all the balloons were kept in another
room. Now the speaker asked everyone to go
together in that room and bring their name
balloon in five minutes. All Employees quickly
entered the room and started searching for their
names. But in chaotic confusion nobody found a
balloon with his name. All came out after five
minutes were completed. After this the speaker
said that you all go back to the same room and
whomever name you get the balloon, call it his
name and give it to him. For the second time in
just three minutes, all came out of the room with
their balloons bearing their names in hand. On
this, the speaker explained to everyone that this is
also in the same thing happened in life. Everyone
is living for themselves. If we learn to give

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happiness to others, we will be able to find
happiness in us also.
Learn to live not just for yourself but also for others.
--------------------------------------------------

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23
Rain Dance
A saint used to live in a village, whenever he
danced, it used to rain. Once, four boys from the
city came to visit the village. When they came to
know about saint and rain myth, they didn't
believe. They challenged the saint. If all of them
dance, it will be rain and if their dance does not
rain, then neither with the dancing of the saint.
The next morning all the people got together. The
boys started to dance. Half an hour passed and the
first boy got tired but the clouds did not show up.
In a while the other sat down Slowly all the boys
sat in the hour times but it did not rain.
Now it was saint's turn. He started to dance. Many
hours passed but it did not rain, but the saint was
not taking the name of stoppage. Gradually
evening began to take place, only then the thunder
of the clouds was heard and it started raining. The
boy was shocked.

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The saint told him that during the dance, he would
take care of two things, if he would dance, it would
have to be rain and secondly he will dance until it
rain.
Always trust yourself and do not give up trying to
succeed.
--------------------------------------------------

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24
Dirty clothes
Once two friends rented a house. The next
morning they were having breakfast, they saw
from the window that there were some clothes
drying on the accompanying roof. Seeing them, a
friend said that these people do not know how to
wash clothes properly, see how dirty are they. The
other friend did not pay much attention to his
words.
On the second day at breakfast, the first friend
said that the clothes were dirty and the other
friend did not respond. After this it became a
matter of everyday
After a week on the holiday the two friends sat
down to breakfast, the first friend saw the window
as per his habit and was amazed. The dry clothes
on the accompanying roof looked clean. The first
friend said that it seems that these people came to
know how to wash clothes properly.
Today the clothes seem to be clean. After listening
to this, another friend quietly said that the clothes
were washed as usual everyday, It was just

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different that I got up early this morning and
cleaned the glass of our window from outside.
Upon listening to him, the first friend understood
that the filth was not on the clothes of the roof, but
it was sitting on his window.
Rather than eliminating others' deficiency, remove
your own deficiencies.
--------------------------------------------------

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25
Wooden Goose
Once a guru asked his disciples to find three
differences in wooden goose.
After a lot of hardships, the disciples discovered
that there is a hole in the ears and mouth of the
first-one, second-one has both holes in the ears
and the third-one has only one ear hole.
After this, the master asked to put a thin wire of
metal into the pits of the goose.
The disciples did the same. The wire of the first-
one went from the ear and came out of the mouth;
second-one went from one ear and came out of the
other ear; third-one went from one ear but did not
get out from anywhere.
On this, the master explained to the disciples that
in life you will find three types of people like these
people.
First, who will listen to you and tell them to
others, do not tell them any necessary thing.

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Second, those who hear from one ears and let it go
from another do not share your problem with
them.
The third one on which you can trust, because he
will keep your point for himself. This will be the
people who will be your judges and you will be
able to get advice from them.
The end will be better if you never lose such trusty
people in life. Identify the right person and then
take advice.
--------------------------------------------------

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26
Change is within
One day, all the disciples went to their master's
and said, "Master, Master, we all are going to
pilgrimage.
Master asked, "Why you want to on a pligrimage
trip?". Disciples replied, "So that we can improve
our devotion".
Master said, "OK, Then do me a favour, Please take
this Karela (bitter gourd, a kind of vegetable
which is very bitter in taste) along with you and
wherever you go and whichever temple you visit,
place it in the alter of the Deity, take the blessings
and bring it back.
So, not only the disciples but the Karela also went
on pilgrimage, temple to temple. And finally when
they came back, the Master said "Cook the Karela
and serve it to me".
The disciples cooked it and served it to the master.
After having the first bite, the master said,
“Surprising"!!!!.

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Disciples questioned, "What's so surprising".
Master replied, “Even after the pilgrimage the
Karela is still bitter. How come?”. Disciples said
"But that the very nature of the Karela, Master.".
To which Master replied, “That’s what I am saying.
Unless you change your nature, pilgrimage will
not make any difference. So, you and I,if we do not
change ourselves no teacher or guru can make a
difference in our lives."
If you think positively, Sounds becomes music,
Movement become dance, Smile becomes laughter,
Mind becomes meditative and Life becomes a
celebrations!
--------------------------------------------------

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27
The Mice in Council
A cat was chasing all the mice, and eating all the
ones she could get. The mice called a great
meeting to try and think of some way of making
themselves safe from the cat.
The meeting lasted a long time. Many ideas were
put forward by the mice at the council, but none of
them seemed any good.
Finally, one bright young mouse stepped forward.
“I’ve got it" he said excitedly. “The reason why the
cat keeps catching us is because we can't hear her
coming.Isn't that right?”. “Of course it is" said
another mouse. "That doesn't really help us
though. “I haven't finished yet! What we need is
something to warn us that the cat is coming. Well I
know that to do me must tie a bell around the cat's
neck! That way, every time the cat comes near us
we will hear the bell tinkling and have time to
hide.”
“What a good idea!" squeaked all the other mice?
“Well done ! You have solved all our problems all

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we have to do is find a bell a tie it around the cat's
neck!”.
The other mice started to cheer and squeal
excitedly. But then a very old and very wise mouse
said, “Just a minute! It may be a good idea but tell
me this, is anyone here willing to risk his life by
going up to the cat and putting the bell around her
neck?”.
No one answered. In a moment, all of the mice had
left the meeting and the room was empty. No one
was prepared to put the bell on the cat.
It's no use having bright ideas unless we are willing
to put them into practice.
--------------------------------------------------

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28
The Elephant Rope
As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly
stopped, confused by the fact that these huge
creatures were being held by only a small rope
tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages.it was
obvious that the elephants could at any time,
break away from their bonds but for some reason,
they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked
why these animals just stood there and made no
attempt to get away."Well,"trainer said "when ttey
are young and much smaller we use the same size
rope to tie them and at that age, it’s enough to
hold them .As they grow up, they are conditioned
to believe the rope can still hold them, so they
never try to break free." The man was amazed.
These animals could at any time break free from
their bonds but because they believed thye
couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life
hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something,
simply because we failed at it once before? Failure is part
of learning; we never should give up the struggle in life
--------------------------------------------------

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Practice to be perfect
After performing a brilliant concert, famed
musician Beethoven was once surrounded by
friends and admirers who were full of praise for
him.
One unusually enthusiastic woman exclaimed, “OH
Sir, if God had only given me your gift of genius!"
"It is not genius, madam." replied Beethoven, “Nor
magic. All you have to do is to practice on your
piano eight hours a day for forty years and you
will be as good as I am."
It is constant practice which makes one perfect in
something.
--------------------------------------------------

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30
It May Not Be a Dead End
A friend once asked Samuel B.Morse, the inventor
of the telegraph, “Professor, while you were at
your experiments, did you ever come to a stage
when you did not know what to do next?" "OH,
yes, more than once," answered Morse.
“And at such times, what did you do next?" "I must
answer you in confidence," replied the inventor,
“but it is a matter of which the public knows
nothing. Whenever i could not see my way clearly,
I knell down and prayed to God for light and
understanding." "And did the light and
understanding come?" asked the friend. "Yes,
“declared Morse. “And may i tell you that when
flattering honors came to me from America and
Europe on account of my invention, which bears
my name. I never felt I deserved them. I had made
a valuable application of electricity, not because I
was superior to other men, but solely because
God, who meant it for making, must reveal it to
someone, and was pleased to reveal it to me."
--------------------------------------------------

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Prayer for Contentment
Once Lord was very much pleased with the
tapasya of a devotee and said, "I shall grant you
three requests." The elated devotee did not
hesitate, “Here is my first request." he said “I want
my wife to die so I can marry a better woman." His
wish was immediately granted. But when his
friends and relatives gathered for the funeral and
began to recall the virtues of his wife, the devotee
saw he had been hasty. So he asked the Lord to
bring her back to life. That left him with just one
more petition. He was determined not to make a
mistake this time, for there would be no chance to
change it. He consulted widely. Some advice him
to ask for immortality. But what good was
immortality, said others, if he did not have good
health? And health if head no money? And money
if he had no friends?. Years passed and still not
made his choice, life or health or wealth or power
or love. Finally he said to the Lord, “Tell me what
to ask for." The Lord laughed when he saw the
man's predicament, and said, “Ask to be content
no matter what you get."

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Struggles of our Life
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her
father that her life was miserable and that she
didn’t know how she was going to make it. She
was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It
seemed just as one problem was solved, another
one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled
three pots with water and placed each on a high
fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed
potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and
ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let
them sit and boil, without saying a word to his
daughter.
The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited,
wondering what he was doing. After twenty
minutes he turned off the burners. He took the
potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a
cup.

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Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you
see?” “Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily
replied.
“Look closer”, he said, “and touch the potatoes.”
She did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-
boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich
aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and
coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-
the boiling water. However, each one reacted
differently. The potato went in strong, hard and
unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft
and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell
protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the
boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became
hard.

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However, the ground coffee beans were unique.
After they were exposed to the boiling water, they
changed the water and created something new.
“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.
“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you
respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee
bean?”
In life, things happen around us and things happen
to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how
you choose to react to it and what you make out of
it. Life is all about leaning, adopting and converting
all the struggles that we experience into something
positive.
--------------------------------------------------

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33
The 99 Club
Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite
his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor
content.
One day, the King came upon a servant who was
singing happily while he worked. This fascinated
the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the
Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant
had so much joy. The King asked the servant,
“Why are you so happy?”
The man replied, “Your Majesty, I am nothing but
a servant, but my family and I don’t need too much
– just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill
our tummies.”
The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in
the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted
advisor. After hearing the King’s woes and the
servant’s story, the advisor said, “Your Majesty, I
believe that the servant has not been made part of
The 99 Club.”

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“The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?” the King
inquired.
The advisor replied, “Your Majesty, to truly know
what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag
and leave it at this servant’s doorstep.”
When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his
house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great
shout of joy… So many gold coins!
He began to count them. After several counts, he
was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He
wondered, “What could’ve happened to that last
gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!”
He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin
was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he
was going to have to work harder than ever to
earn that gold coin and complete his collection.
From that day, the servant’s life was changed. He
was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated
his family for not helping him make that 100th
gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked.
Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King
was puzzled. When he sought his advisor’s help,

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the advisor said, “Your Majesty, the servant has
now officially joined The 99 Club.”
He continued, “The 99 Club is a name given to
those people who have enough to be happy but
are never content, because they’re always
yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling to
themselves: “Let me get that one final thing and
then I will be happy for life.”
We can be happy, even with very little in our lives,
but the minute we’re given something bigger and
better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our
happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these
as a price for our growing needs and desires. That’s
what joining The 99 Club is all about.
--------------------------------------------------

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34
How much do you earn
A man came home from work late, tired and
irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him
at the door.
Son: “Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
Dad: “Yeah sure, what is it?”
Son: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”
Dad: “That’s none of your business. Why do you
ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.
Son: “I just want to know. Please tell me, how
much do you make an hour?”
Dad: “If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour.”
Son: “Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head
down.
Son: “Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?”
The father was furious, “If the only reason you
asked that is so you can borrow some money to
buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you
march yourself straight to your room. The little
boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man had calmed down, and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to

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buy with that Rs.50 and he really didn’t ask for
money very often. The man went to the door of
the little boy’s room and opened the door.” Are
you asleep, son?” He asked.“No daddy, I’m awake,”
replied the boy. “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was
too hard on you earlier” said the man. Here’s the
Rs.50 you asked for.”
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank
you daddy!” He yelled. Then, reaching under his
pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The
man saw that the boy already had money, started
to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted
out his money, and then looked up at his father.
“Why do you want more money if you already
have some?” the father grumbled. “Because I
didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy
replied. “Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an
hour of your time? Please come home early
tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with
you.”The father was crushed. He put his arms
around his little son, and he begged for his
forgiveness.
We should not let time slip through our fingers without
having spent some time with those who really matter to
us, those close to our hearts……..

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35
Use ALL your strength
A young boy and his father were walking along a
forest path. At some point, they came across a
large tree branch on the ground in front of them.
The boy asked his father, “If I try, do you think I
could move that branch?” His father replied, “I am
sure you can, if you use all your strength.” The boy
tried his best to lift or push the branch, but he was
not strong enough and he couldn’t move it. He
said, with disappointment, “You were wrong, dad.
I can’t move it.” “Try again,” replied his father.
Again, the boy tried hard to push the branch. He
struggled but it did not move. “Dad, I cannot do it,”
said the boy. Finally his father said, “Son, I advised
you to use all your strength. You didn’t. You didn’t
ask for my help.”
We haven’t used all our strength until we have
recognized, appreciated and galvanized the
strength and support of those who love and
surround us, and those who care about our purpose.
--------------------------------------------------

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Stop being a glass, Become a lake.
Once an unhappy young man came to an old
master and told he had a very sad life and asked
for a solution.
The old Master instructed the unhappy young man
to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then
to drink it.
“How does it taste?” – The Master asked.
“Terrible.” – spat the apprentice.
The Master chuckled and then asked the young
man to take another handful of salt and put it in
the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby
lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful
of salt into the lake.
The old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”
As the water dripped down the young man’s chin,
the Master asked, “How does it taste?”
“Good!” – remarked the apprentice.

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“Do you taste the salt?” – asked the Master.
“No.” – said the young man.
The Master sat beside this troubled young man,
took his hands, and said, “The pain of life is pure
salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life
remains the same, exactly the same. But the
amount we taste the ‘pain’ depends on the
container we put it into. So when you are in pain,
the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense
of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”
“Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”
--------------------------------------------------

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37
Put the Glass down today
The Professor began his class by holding up a
glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to
see & asked the students “How much do you think
this glass weighs?”
’50gms!’….. ‘100gms!’ …..’125gms’ …the students
answered. “I really don’t know unless I weigh it,”
said the professor, “but, my question is:
What would happen if I held it up like this for a
few minutes?”…. ‘Nothing’ …..the students said..‘Ok
what would happen if I held it up like this for an
hour?’ the professor asked. ‘Your arm would begin
to ache’ said one of the student. “You’re right, now
what would happen if I held it for a day?” “Your
arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle
stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for
sure!”
Ventured another student & all the students
laughed “Very good. But during all this, did the
weight of the glass change?” Asked the professor.
‘No’…. Was the answer.

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“Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle
stress?” The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?”
asked professor again. “Put the glass down!” said
one of the students “Exactly!” said the professor.
Life’s problems are something like this. .Hold it for
a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think
of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold
it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You
will not be able to do anything..
It’s important to think of the challenges or
problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
is to ‘PUT THEM DOWN’ at the end of every day
before you go to sleep…
--------------------------------------------------
.

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Hospital Window
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room. One mas was allowed to sit up in
his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain
the fluid from his lungs. his bed was next to the
room's only window. The other man had to spend
all his time flat on his back. The men talked for
hours on end. They spoke of their wives and
families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement
in the military service, where they been on
vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the
window could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he could
see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those
one hour periods where his world would be
broadened and enlivened by all the activity and
color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while
children sailed thier model boats. Young lovers

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walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color
and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in
the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in
exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the
room would close his eyes and imagine the
picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window
describe a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band -
he could see it. In his mind's eyes as the gentleman
by the window portrayed it with descriptive
words.
Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day
nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only
to find the lifeless body of the man by the window,
who had cried peacefully in his sleep. She was
saddened and called the hospital attendants to
take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man
asked if he could move next to the window. The
nurse was happy to make the switch, and after

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making sure he was comfortable, she left him
alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself to on one
elbow to take his first look at the real world
outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window
beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man
asked the nurse what could have compelled the
deceased roommate who had described such
wonderful things outside the window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and
could not even see the wall.
She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage
you"
--------------------------------------------------

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39
Really glad
A rich man was living in a city. He had no shortage
of anything but still he was always worried and
restless. One day he went to meet a sage and went
to his ashram. There he told his problem to the
sage that he has no shortage but still he is not
happy. The sage asked the person to come the
next day. On the second day when the person
reached the ashram, he saw that the sage was
looking for something outside his ashram. He
asked what you are looking for. Rishi said that his
ring has been lost; he is looking for him only. After
listening to this, the businessman also got engaged
in finding his ring with the sage. Even after
searching for a long time, when the ring was not
found, he asked the sage. Guruvar, where did your
ring fall? Rishi said that his ring had fallen in the
ashram cottage, but there was enough darkness
that is why he is looking for the ring outside the
ashram. The person asked in surprise when your
ring fell in a cottage, so why are you looking for it
out? The master replied that this is the solution to
your problem. Joy is inside you, but you are
looking for it in money and external objects.

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39
Rich & Poor
One day a rich man from the city took his son to a
village. They both stayed in the village for almost a
week. While returning to the city, the rich man
told his son that you saw how fortunate you are
when the people of the village are so poor. On this,
the son said, yes, I saw daddy. We have a one dog
and they have four. We have a small swimming
pool and they have a large river. We have
expensive lights to burn at night and they have an
eternal star that lights up at night. We buy our
food from the market and they grow their food
from their fields. To protect us, there are big walls
and watchmen on the sides of our house and they
have true friends to protect them. We have a small
family of four people while their entire village is
like a family. The rich man was amazed when he
heard all these things about his son. He did not
understand what he said to his son. When the son
ended his talk, he said thank you, Dad. To look at
this, how rich are these people of the village in
reality and how poor we are in reality. Your vision
only makes you different and better than others.

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40
Remembering and Example to live by
Jeff Husser was terminally ill when he came to
university in September 1995, but he still came
with determination and excitement. Being a bright
and ambitious young man, he had taken on an
immensely heavy course load of chemistry,
physics,maths,biology and pyschology. Now most
people at their best days would see this as an
impossible task to take off. Jack didn't. Although
he was aware that he would never complete any of
these courses, he still put into them everything he
had. Unfortunately, due to his rapidly
deteriorating state of health. Jack was forced to
miss a few classes and tutorials. Instead of
dwelling on his misfortunes and sinking into a
state of self-pity .Jack rose above his illness and
fought it through in the bitter end. If he is sick on
Monday he would make on Tuesday.
Jack passion for learning and desire for education
should be a lesson for all. Jack died peacefully on
Oct 10, 1995.
--------------------------------------------------

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41
Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee
A professor stood before his philosophy class and
had some items in front of him. When the class
began, he worthlessly picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with
golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was
full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and
poured them into the jar.He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the golf balls. He then asked the students again if
the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and
poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up
everything else. He asked once more if the jar was
full. The students responded with an unanimous
"Yes"
The professor then produced two cups of coffee
from under the table and poured the entire
contents into the jar effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

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"Now," said the professor as the laughed subsided,
"I want you to recognize that the jar represents
your life. The golf balls are the important things-
your family, your children, your health, your
friends and your favorite passions-and if
everything else was lost and only they remained,
your life would still be full. The pebbles are the
other things that matter like your job, your house
and your car. The sand is everything else - the
small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first,"
he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or
the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend
all your time and energy on the small stuff you will
never have room for the things that are important
to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to
your happiness. Set your priorities. The rest is just
sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired
what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked." "It just
goes to show you that no matter how full your life
may seem, there's always room for a couple of
cups of coffee with a friend."

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42
A Person is known by his words
Once upon a time, a king with his minister went to
forest on hunting expedition. After some time the
king became tired. They get down from their
horses and took rest under the tree.
"I am feeling very thirsty can you please search
water for me" said King.
The minister began searching water in the jungle.
Soon he found one hut, "At last there seems to be
some human dwelling. Let me ask there for water"
said minister.
The minister approached the hut there he found a
blind sage.
Minister : "Hey! I am the minister. I have come to
find drinking water for our king. Give me
immediately"
Sage angrily replied, "Tell your king that if he
wants water he should come here."

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Minister rode back to the place where the king
rested and narrated the entire incident.
Minister : " I found a place for drinking water but
the sage didn't provide the water. He says let the
king come here and have water."
King found something fishy in the minister words,
"Something seems wrong. Let me investigate."
Soon king approached the sage hut and politely
said, “My dear sage, How are you? Can you please
provide us some water to drink?" "Sure" replied
the sage "After water you may have some foods
and if required you can take rest in my hut."
King by folded hands said," Oh sage! You are so
merciful to us. Please let me know how I can repay
you."
Sage : "Oh King! You have come to my hut and that
itself is your mercy."
Soon the water was served to king and minster.
After drinking water and quenching the thirst king
said," I am bewildered. When my minister came
on my behalf of water, you simply refused. I
thought you must be very cruel person. But now

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when I am talking to you, I realize that you are
very merciful person. If you don't mind can you
please explain as to why there is a sudden change
in your behaviour.How?"
"Your minister was puffed up and very rude in his
talk. You talk very gentle and respectful. Hence, I
realized that you must be the king and you
deserve the best treatment i can give." repled the
sage.
"Oh Sage! Please forgive my minister" King
responded with folded hands.
A person is known by his speech and behavior. No
matter how great his material position is. The more
he becomes great more he will become humble.
--------------------------------------------------

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Final Whistle
I watched a local football match in school playing
ground. As I sat down, I asked one of the boys
what the score was. With a smile, he replied, they
are leading us 3-0. And I said "Really. I have to say
you don't look discouraged."
"Discouraged." the boy asked with a puzzled look.
“Why should I be discouraged when he referee has
not blown the final whistle? I have the confidence
in the team and the managers; we shall definitely
overcome."
Truly, the match ended 5-4 in favor of the boy's
team. He waved at me gently, with a beautiful
smile as he left. I was amazed, mouth wide open.
Such confidence; such beautiful faith.
As I get back home that night, his questions kept
coming back to me... "Why should I be discouraged
when the referee has not blown the final whistle."
Life is like a game.....
--------------------------------------------------

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44
Live and Work
Father was a hardworking man who delivered
bread as a living to support his wife and three
children. He spent all his evenings after work
attending classes, hoping to improve himself so
that he could one day find a better paying job.
Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal
together with his family. He worked and studied
very hard because he wanted to provide his family
with the best money he could buy.
Whenever the family complained that he was not
spending enough time with them. He reasoned
that he was doing all this for them. But he often
yearned to spend more time with his family.
The day came when the examinations results were
announced. To his joy, father passed, and with
distinctions too!. Soon after, he was offered a good
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Like a dream come true. Father could now afford
to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like
nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.
However, the family still did not get to se father
most of the week. He continued to work very hard,
hoping to be promoted to the position of manager.
In fact, to make himself a worthy candidate for the
promotion, he enrolled for another course in the
open university.
Again whenever the family complained that he
was not spending enough time with them, he
reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But
he often yearned to spend more time with his
family.
Father’s hard work paid off and he was
promoted.Jubiliantly, he decided to hire a maid to
relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also
felt that their three-room flat was no longer big
enough, it would be nice for his family to be able
to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a
condominium. Having experienced the rewards of
his hard work many times before, father resolved
further his studies and work at being promoted
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him. In fact, sometimes father hard to work on
Sundays entertaining clients. Again whenever the
father complained that he was not spending
enough time with then, he reasoned that he was
doing all this for them. But he often yearned to
spend more time with his family.
As expected, Father hard work paid off again and
he bought a beautiful condominium overlooking
the cost of Singapore. On the first day Sunday
evening get their new home, Father declared to his
family that he decided not ot take anymore
courses or pursue any more promotions. From
then on he was going to devote more time to his
family.
Father did not wake up the next day.
--------------------------------------------------

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45
Deferred Results
The growth pattern of the Moso Bamboo tree that
grows in China and the Far East is extraordinary
and interesting. After the Moso Bamboo is planted,
no visible growth occurs on it for upto five years-
even under very ideal conditions! The tree begins
its rapid growth, almost two feet every day,
reaching a full height of upto ninety feet within six
weeks.Its magic growth is wonder, but real. The
rapid growth occurs due to the miles of roots it
had steadily developed during those five years of
silent but vibrant activity under-ground. The
deeply grounded roots of the Moso not only
enable its dramatic growth, but also steadily
sustain the might tree, standing ninety feet tall.
In our lives too, certain development occurs quite
invisibly or indistinctly. Our minds develop silently and
often without any apparent sign. It is your steady, long
term preparations that enable you to succeed in your
varied pursuits. Keep nourishing your dreams and
ambitions so that they will eventually come to fruition,
like the Moso Bamboo tree makes its sudden appearance
after years of dormant life.Your perseverance and
patience will surely paid off.

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46
Back in the Line
During a famine in his locality, a kind and rich
baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in
the town, and said to them. “In the basket there is
a loaf for each of you. Take it, and comes back to
me every day at this hour till God sends us better
times.”
The hungry children gather eagerly about the
basket, and quarreled over the bread, because
each one wanted to have a large loaf. At last they
went away without even thinking of the generous
gentleman.
But a poorly dressed little girl, did not quarrel or
struggle with the rest, but quietly remained aside.
When the ill-behaved children had left, she took
the smallest loaf, which alone was left in the
basket kissed the gentle-man’s hand and went
home.
The next day children were as ill-behaved as
before, and poor, timid girl received a loaf scarcely
half the size of the one she got the first day. When

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she went home, and her mother cut the loaf open,
many new shining pieces of silver fell out of it.
Her mother was very much alarmed, and said,
“Take the money back to the good gentleman at
once, for it must have gotten into the dough by
accident.”
But when the little girl gave the rich man her
mother’s message, he said, ”no, my child, It was no
mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the
smallest loaf to reward you. Always be as
contented and thankful as you now are.”
We’ll never lose by being patient and not greedy.
--------------------------------------------------

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47
The Bee and the Spider
Once bee was trapped in the treacherous spider’s
web. The spider began taunting the bee:
“You bees are fool! Forever out of your hives into
the outside world flying from flower to flower,
collecting nectar and more nectar which later on,
you freely offer to one and all; you have never
experienced what an easy and leisurely life it is!
Actually, you die that others may live!”
The bee did not respond, but the master of the
web continued taunting:
“We spiders, on the contrary, never move out of
our nets. We need not go to the outside world to
satisfy our needs, nor are we foolish like you to try
to satisfy other’s needs. We build our world and
we live in it. You provide us with nourishment to
sustain our lives and also keep building our world.
We need not toil and grub around. Our little
spidery world is enough for us.”
The bee replied:” You spiders are prisoners of
your own nets which you build from your entrails.

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Truly, you build your own prisons. You are caught
in your own webs. You can’t feel the joy or beauty
of life. You shun the outside world to build your
spidery world. You cannot even guess the joys of
being free, the exhilaration of moving about. You
are selfish and self-centered. You die without
having lived. On the contrary, when we die, we
would have lived a full and fruitful life.”
There are two attitudes towards life. The life of the
bee is outgoing, lived for others too. The one of the
spider is self-centered, live for oneself.
Are we more of a bee or of a spider.
--------------------------------------------------

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48
The Passion of Anger
As Alexander the great began preparation to
invade India, his wife approached him and asked
him to bring a sage from India for her. For she
knew that the Indian sage was very wise and
knowledgeable person and she and her children
could learn many things from him.
Alexander agreed. He conquered India and then
found a sage whom he wanted to take to his wife.
But, the sage refused to go with him.
Alexander was furious. It was the first time
somebody refused to obey him. He drew his sword
out and told him that he was going to kill him.
To this the sage smiled and said, “Before you
strike me, please listen to two things. First, you
cannot kill me with that sword. Secondly, you are
the slave of my slave.”
Alexander was filled with rage, but he asked, “Why
do you say that I cannot kill you?”

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“With this sword you can only cut my body, but I
am not the body alone. I am something else. And
you cannot kill that.”
“But, why did you say that I am the slave of your
slave?”
“I have, through my meditation and reflection,
conquered the passion of anger. Now anger is my
slave. Anger cannot rise in me without my
permission. And then, you are filled with anger,
and so you are the slave of anger which is my
slave.”
--------------------------------------------------

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49
Overcome Fear
Once upon a time, there were two twin polar
bears. On the day of both of them were going
under the care of the mother, one day the mother
declared, "You will have to take care of yourself
tomorrow, I will not give you something to eat and
neither will I teach you to hunt anymore.
And the next day the mother left the two without
telling them. Now both brothers were on their
own. After some time they got hungry, and they
came out hunting for seals. Both reached the shore
of the sea. Both of them sat quietly, that soon seals
would float here and they would catch him and
eat. But after a long delay, no seal was found there.
Then the first brother touching water said,
"Ohhhh how cool water is .It seems we have to get
in it .otherwise we have to remain hungry"
But the second brother said biting his point, "Have
you gone mad will jump in so cold water and give
your life wait a little bit soon seals will come ". But
paying no heed to the first brother, he raised
courage and jumped into the water. After some

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time he came back, but there was no seal in his
hand and he was completely wet from the top, he
was shivering from the cold. The other brother
laughed at him, "I had already forbidden you, now
suffered". But the first brother had decided to
catch the seal, he woke up again, dive in the water,
this time he tried more than the last time but
sorry, this time also he did not get success.
"Why do you repeat the same mistake?", Another
brother explained. But where he was going to
listen, after some time he jumped again. And this
time when he returned, there was a big seal in his
hand! The second brother was watching, and in
the end he had to return empty stomach. He
cursed God in mind, "My brother is so lucky, and
how unlucky I am, really how much life is
unfriendly." And the rest of the life first brother
win like this, and the other brother was curtailing
his fate. Both brothers were exactly alike, just the
difference, in their thinking. A first brother who
was willing to write his own fate by taking risks,
the second brother wanted to spend his life only
with fate.
--------------------------------------------------

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50
Enjoy the happiness
After conquering the world, Sikander was looking
for a kind or water, which will make him immortal
after he drunk it.
After much wandering in the world for a long
time. Sikander eventually found that place, where
he could get nectar. He entered the cave, where
there was a waterfall of nectar. He became joyful.
He was inclined to drink with the nectar, when a
crow who was sitting inside the cave, said loudly,
“Wait, stop, do not drink it.” Sikander looked
towards the crow. The crow was in a state of great
misery. The feathers had fallen, the pave had
fallen, also had become blind.
Sikander said ,”Why are you stopping me?” Crows
replied ,”Listen to my story. I was looking for the
same water so that I also become immortal. I
drank this nectar and now I can not die,but I want
to die now. See my condition I have become blind,
feathers have fallen. I cannot even fly.

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Once you reflect on my condition, then only decide
to drink nectar. I have been screaming so that
someone can kill me, but nobody can help me.
Now praying to God that the Lord kill me. The only
desire is to die in some way.”
Sikander reflected. Then quietly returned out of
the cave, without nectar.
Sikander had understood that the happiness of life
remains till that time, as long as he was in a
position to enjoy the happiness.
--------------------------------------------------

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51
A Pound of Butter
Once, there was a farmer who regularly sold
butter to a baker. One day, the baker decided to
weigh the butter to see if he was getting the exact
amount that he asked for. He found out that he
wasn’t, so he took the farmer to court.
The judge asked the farmer if he uses any measure
to weigh the butter. The farmer replied, “Your
Honor, I’m primitive. I don’t have a proper
measure, but I do have a scale.”
The judge replied, “Then how do you weigh the
butter?”
The farmer replied; “Your Honor, long before the
baker started buying butter from me, I have been
buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day,
when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the
scale and give him the same weight in butter. If
anyone is to be blamed, it’s the baker.”
In life, you get what you give. Don’t try to cheat
others.

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The Obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a king had his men place a
boulder on a roadway. He then hid in the bushes,
and watched to see if anyone would move the
boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s
wealthiest merchants and courtiers passed by and
simply walked around it.
Many people blamed the King for not keeping the
roads clear, but none of them did anything about
getting the stone removed.
One day, a peasant came along carrying
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to push
the stone out of the way. After much pushing and
straining, he finally managed.
After the peasant went back to pick up his
vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road
where the boulder had been. The purse contained
many gold coins and note from the King explain
that the gold was for the person who removed the
boulder from the road.
--------------------------------------------------

Power to change you within by Yusuf Patanwala

Power to change you within by Yusuf Patanwala

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