Never Quit

Here's the story of a man who :
Failed in Business at the age of 21,
Was defeated in a Legislative race at age 22,
Failed again in Business at age 24,
Overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26,
Had a nervous breakdown at age 27,
Lost a Congressional race at age 34,
Lost a Senatorial race at age 45,
Failed in an effort to become the Vice President at age 47,
Lost a Senatorial race at age 49 and 
Was elected President of the United States at age 52.

This man was Abraham Lincoln. He could have quit, but he didn't. To Lincoln, Failure was a step towards Success. Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never Quit!

Shah Rukh Khan's Words

The University of Edinburgh honored Shah Rukh Khan with a doctorate recently. Of course, the king of wits delivered a speech for his fans across the world and it was definitely something! Shah Rukh Khan really stunned us all with his well prepared, insightful speech on things he learnt in life from working in Bollywood films. Take a look at the 20 best things he had to say!

1. All the names you give yourself are just labels. You aren’t defined by them. What defines you is ‘your heart’.
2. Being brave means being shit scared all the way to the party but getting there and doing the 'Funky Chicken' in front of all your teenage kid's friends anyway. Don't let your fears become boxes that enclose you. Open them out, feel them and turn them into the greatest courage you are capable of. I promise you, nothing will go wrong. But if you live by your fears, everything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong and you won't even have done the 'Funky Chicken'.
3. It's OK to be confused. Confusion is the route to all the clarity in the world.
4. If you can't find a resolution easily, don't panic. Even disaster eventually dissolves. You don't have to figure things out.
5. Stop whining and start moving. Don't attach yourself to sadness or happiness. Laugh at yourself. Shed a tear or two.
6. There's no such thing as 'normal'. That's just another word for lifeless. Madness (of the particularly nice/romantic kind) is an absolute prerequisite to a happy and successful life. Don't ever treat your little insanities as if they are aberrations that ought to be hidden from the rest of the world. All the most beautiful people in the world, the most creative, the ones who led revolutions, who discovered and invented things, did so because they embraced their own idiosyncrasies.
7. Don't become a philosopher before you become rich.
8. Art is more important than the artist - have no attachment to your own art - it's regressive, move on.
9. Study hard. Work hard. Play harder. Don't be bound by rules, don't hurt anybody and never ever live somebody Else's dream.
10. Live now, live today--don't be bound by rules, live your own dream.
11. Hindi filmon ki tarah life mein bhi, anth mein sab kuch theek ho jaata hai. Aur agar na ho, toh woh anth nahi hai...picture abhi baaki hai mere doston.
12. If you aren't charged up about doing something, if you don't have what in Hindi we call the "Josh", the fire in your belly for it, then don't do it.
13. If you ever find yourself cheated of all your money and sleeping on a grave, do not fear, a miracle is near, either that or a ghost.  In other words, no matter how bad it gets, life IS the miracle you are searching for. There is no other one around the corner. Develop the faith in it to let it take its own course, make all the effort you can to abide by its beauty and it will not let you down. Use every resource you have been given, your mental faculties, the ability of your heart to love and feel for those around you, your health and good fortune: all of the thousands of gifts life has given you to their maximum potential. Honor your life. Honor each gift and each moment by not laying it to waste. There is no real measure of success in this world except the ability to make good of life’s endowments to you.
14. Don’t let your fears become boxes that enclose you. Open them out, feel them and turn them into the greatest courage you are capable of. I promise you, nothing will go wrong.
15. All the planning in the world, won’t take you where you want to get to. It’s fine not to know what you want to be twenty years from now. Most of those who had it all figured out became bankers anyway.
16. Our values are our values, they don’t make us any better than anyone else, at best they make us different. Always try to see the other person’s truth because like every movie has a story, every human being has one too and you have no right to imagine that yours is better than anyone else’s.
17. Give of yourself to others. And while you’re at it, make sure you realize that you aren’t doing anyone any favors by being kind. It’s all just to make you feel that sneaky little twinge that comes from being utterly pleased with yourself.
18. An act of goodness becomes worthless when you assign a brownie point to yourself for it, no matter how subtly you allow yourself to do so. Regardless of how rich, successful and famous you become, don’t ever underestimate the grace that other people bestow upon you just by being the recipients of your kindnesses. You might be able to buy your friend a Rolls for his/her birthday but it’s no substitute for a patient hearing of your sulky rants on a bad hair day.
19. Don’t forget where you came from and who you really are. It ought to be the compass by which you navigate through life’s vicissitudes. The North that keeps you oriented despite a series of misfortunes or a shower of privilege.
20. Embrace all that this life has in store for you, let your heart be as deep as the deepest ocean and as wide as the farthest horizon. Know that it is limitless. Love is not an excuse to grab or to hold or to own or to barter. It is the only excuse you will ever have to call yourself special. And if someone you love lets you down, don’t fault yourself for not trusting him, fault yourself for not trusting your love enough to forgive his/her trespasses.

Some of these lessons will definitely help you in your life I guess.
Stay Alive, Stay Happy. Until next time.!!

Source: mensxp

Gratefulness

A famous writer was in his study room. He picked up his pen and started writing:

Last year, I had a surgery and my gall bladder was removed. I had to stay stuck to the bed due to this surgery for a long time. The same year I reached the age of 60 years and had to give up my favourite job. I had spent 30 years of my life in this publishing company. The same year I experienced the sorrow of the death of my father. And in the same year my son failed in his medical exam because he had a car accident. He had to stay in bed at hospital with the cast on for several days. The destruction of car was another loss.

At the end he wrote: Alas! It was such bad year!!

When the writer's wife entered the room, she found he husband looking sad lost in his thoughts. From behind his back she read what was written on the paper. She left the room silently and came back with another paper and placed it on side of her husband's writing. When the writer saw this paper, he found this written on it:

Last year I finally got rid of my gall bladder due to which I had spent years in pain. I turned 60 with sound health and got retired from my job. Now I can utilize my time to write something better with more focus and peace. The same year my father, at the age of 95, without depending on anyone or without any critical condition met his Creator. The same year, God blessed my son with a new life. My car was destroyed but my son stayed alive without getting any disability.

At the end she wrote: This year was an immense blessing of God and it passed well!!

In daily lives we must see that its not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us happy.

Be Humble

Worth reading.
Dilip Kumar himself narrated this incident.

At his peak, the star was traveling by plane. The passenger sitting next was elderly. Dressed in a very simple shirt and pant, his apparel projected a middle class. He appeared well educated. Passengers on the aircraft snatched glances of the renowned Dilip Kumar. Yet, the gentleman appeared unconcerned. He read his newspaper, then looked out of the window.

When tea came, he sipped it without any notice of Dilip Kumar who sat with him. It made Dilip Kumar uneasy. Trying to strike a conversation, he smiled. The courteous man smiled back and said hello. Dilip somehow brought the subject to films and asked, "Do you watch films?" The man replied, "Oh, very few. I did see one many years ago".

Dilip casually mentioned that he himself worked in films. Man; "Oh, that's nice. What do you do?" Dilip Kumar; "I am a film actor" Man; "Oh, wonderful?" There was no further response. When the flight landed and both stood up, Dilip Kumar held out his hand, "It was good to travel with you. By the way, my name is Dilip Kumar". The man shook hand and smiled, "Thank you. I am J.R.D. Tata"

For all who think that he/she is big, there is always someone bigger.
Be humble. It costs nothing.

84 JapJi Sahib Paaths at Goindwal Sahib

A man keen to learn about Sikhi and enlighten by the Sikh religion came to Punjab to understand the faith better. Reportedly, he’s been touring several historic sites and learning about Sikh history. In one of his visits to a Gurdwara Sahib, he did 84 Japji Sahib Paaths at Gurdwara Sahib Goindwal.

The man received immense respect from people on social networks. One person stated he lived just a few blocks away from the Gurdwara but never even done 1 Japji Sahib Paath. However, the man was inspired after looking at the picture of the English man and has decided to come back to Sikhi.

The task of reciting Jap Ji Sahib at each of the 84 steps can be very exhausting and depending on speed of reading can take around 24 hours to complete for slow readers and about 12 hours for faster readers. However, those who have JapJi Sahib Khant/memorized can do it at a much faster time.

The Gurdwara at Goindwal is called Sri Baoli Sahib. It is a large, open well, 8 metres across. Its water level is reached through a covered passage comprising a flight of 84 steps. A wide pointed archway opens on a domed clearance, four steps below the ground level. Its cupola is painted with multicoloured floral designs and portraits of Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Hargobind and Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

The man has appeared to inspire a number of persons born into the Sikh faith but who don’t practice. After seeing a foreign person learning about their faith, they understand the importance.

Source: dailysikhupdates

The 99 Club

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was not happy at all.

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 sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the story, the advisor said, 'Your Majesty, the servant has not yet joined "The 99 Club".'

'The 99 Club? And what is that?' the King inquired. The advisor replied, 'To truly know what The 99 Club is, just place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep.' When the servant saw 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 only 99 coins.

He wondered, 'What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!' He looked everywhere, but that final coin was elusive. Finally he decided that he was going to work harder than ever to earn that 100th gold coin.

From that day, the servant was a changed man. He was overworked, grumpy, and blamed his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin. And he had stopped singing while he worked.

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. 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 wanting that extra 1, saying to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."

We can be happy with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want more and even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, as the price for our growing needs and desires.

That's "The 99 Club". Zero Membership fee to enter, but you pay for it with your entire life!!

Cockroach Theory - A beautiful speech by Sundar Pichai

The cockroach theory for self development:-

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but it landed on another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama.



The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant. Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behavior? If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?


He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of those people to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach, that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it's my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. It's not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.

More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story: I understood, I should not react in life. I should always respond. The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded. Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of.



A beautiful way to understand LIFE.
Person who is HAPPY is not because Everything is RIGHT in his Life.
He is HAPPY because his Attitude towards Everything in his Life is Right..!!

Source: linkedin