39 Points handbook for a happy family

Health: 
1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5.       Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6.       Play more games.
7.       Read more books this year than you did last year.
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.    Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile. 

Personality: 
11.    Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.    Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake.
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of thecurriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.
24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 

Society: 
25.    Call your family often.
26.    Each day give something good to others.
27.    Forgive everyone for everything.
28.    Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 

Life: 
32.    Do the right thing!
33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34.    GOD heals everything.
35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37.    The best is yet to come.
38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Why do Chinese survive? And then thrive

Why do Chinese people work so hard to succeed in life? 

Here is the plain truth.

 

#1. There are over 1 billion of us on this earth. We are like photostat copies of each other. You get rid of one, 5 magically appears (like ballot boxes). Yes, it is scary, especially for us. We acknowledge that we are replaceable, thus we are not particularly 'special'. If you think you are smart, there are a few thousand more people smarter than you. If you think you are strong, there are a few thousand people stronger than you.

 

#2. We have been crawling all over this earth for far more centuries that most civilizations. Our DNA is designed for survival. We are like cockroaches. Put us anywhere on earth and we will make a colony and thrive. We survive on anything around us and make the best of it. Some keep migrating but others will stay and multiply.

 

#3. NOBODY cares if we succeed as individuals or not. But our families take pride in knowing we have succeeded. Yes, some will fail. We take nothing for granted. We don't expect privileges to fall on our laps. No one owes us anything.

 

#4. We know we have nothing to lose if we try to succeed. Thus, we have no fear trying. That is why Chinese are addicted to gambling. We thrive on taking risks. All or nothing.

 

#5. From young we are taught to count every cent. What we take for granted like money management, I have found out recently, is not something other cultures practice at home with their children. It surprised me. But truth is not all societies or cultures teach their young this set of skills because it is rude to them. Yes, most of us can count because we are forced to and the logic of money is pounded into us from the beginning of time (when mama tells us how much she has spent on our milk and diapers)

 

#6. We acknowledge life cycles. We accept that wealth in a family stays for three generations (urban myth?). Thus, every 4th generation will have to work from scratch. I.e. first generation earns the money from scratch, second generation spends the money on education, third generation gets spoiled and wastes all the inheritance. Then we are back to square one. Some families hang on to their wealth a little longer than most.

 

#7. It is our culture to push our next generation to do better than the last. Be smarter. Be stronger. Be faster. Be more righteous. Be more pious. Be more innovative. Be more creative. Be richer. Be everything that you can be in this lifetime. Be KIASU.

 

#8. Our society judges us by our achievements...and we have no choice but to do something worthwhile because Chinese New Year comes around every year and Chinese relatives have no qualms about asking you straight in your face - how much are you making? When was your last promotion? How big is your office? What car do you drive? Where do you stay? You have boyfriend? You have girlfriend? When are you getting married? When are you having children? When is the next child? When you getting a boy? Got maid yet? Does your company send you overseas? etc etc etc. It NEVER ENDS...so, we can't stop chasing the illusive train - we are damned to a materialistic society. If you are not Chinese, consider yourself lucky!

 

#9. We have been taught from young - if you have two hands, two feet, two eyes, and a mouth, what are you doing with it? People with no hands can do better than you (and the OKU artists do put us to shame)

 

#10. Ironically, the Chinese also believe in giving back to save their wretched materialistic souls. Balance is needed. The more their children succeed in life, the more our parents will give back to society (not for profit) as gratitude for the good fortune bestowed on their children. Yes. That is true. And that is why our society progresses forward in all conditions.

 

Nobody pities us. We accept that.

No one owes us anything. We know that.

There are too many of us for charity to reach all of us. We acknowledge that.

But that does not stop us from making a better life. This lifetime.

Opportunity is as we make of it.

So, pardon us if we feel obliged to make a better place for ourselves in this country we call home. It is in our DNA to progress forward for a more comfortable life.

 

But if history were to be our teacher, look around this globe.

Every country has a Chinatown (seriously) but how many government/countries are 'taken' over by the Chinese people. 

Don't be afraid of us overwhelming your majority, we are not looking to conquer. 

If we have moved away from China and Chinese governed countries, we are NOT looking for another country to administer. 

Our representatives are only there to look after our collective welfare. They are duty bound. We prefer to blend in and enjoy the fruits of our labor. 

We enjoy the company of like minded people of all races. After all, we are only passing through a small period in the history of time...so, use our skills and we can all progress forward together.

Speech by the CEO of Coke

Imagine Life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.

You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit…and you are keeping all of them in the air.

You will soon understand that work is like a rubber ball.

If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass.

If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.

They will never be the same. 

You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How?

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.

Cling to them as they would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future.

By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.

It is this fragile thread that binds us together.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time.

The quickest way to receive love is to give, the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don't forget a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don't be afraid to learn.

Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don't use time or words carelessly.

Neither can be retrieved.

A picture of peace

There once was a King who offered a prize to any artist who would paint the best picture of peace.

Many artists tried. 

The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. 

The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. 

Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. 

All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. 

But these were rugged and bare. 

Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. 

Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. 

This did not look peaceful at all. 

But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. 

In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. 

There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. 

Do you know why? 

"Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. 

Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. 

That is the real meaning of peace."

The man in a glass box

I always liked Bob Perks' words. And this particular article is no exception.

The man in a glass box
Bob Perks
The only limits you have are in your mind. That's because we all live in glass boxes. We can clearly see everything around us, but we go no further than our own perceived limitations. The walls are strengthened by ideals we hold to be true.  They begin with the words "I am" and get taller and stronger the more we repeat them.

I am...
Too tall
Too short
Too fat
Too thin
Too young
Too old
Too black
Too white
Too male
Too female
Too (fill in your own word here)

They are, in general, positive words with positive attributes.

Still the world twists and turns them around to be negative and limited.  Many of us accept them as such.

There we stand in the glass boxes looking out at the world longing to be more, do more and have more.  We walk to the perceived wall and stop because we see ourselves as the world sees us.

I watched two doves in my yard one Spring trying desperately to get to my small pond for a drink.  I had temporarily placed a plastic fence between the pond and the bird feeders.

In the Spring the area turns muddy and my three dogs use that area as a path before coming into the house.  The fence stops them and they come down across the deck.

The two doves had been getting their fill on the ground around the feeder and then began walking toward the pond. They stopped at the fence.

They walked back and forth many times trying to figure a way to get to the pond.

I watched for the longest time until I couldn't take it any more.

I finally yelled, "Fly!"  They did.  They flew away.

What was ovbvious to me was that they had the ability to reach the pond if they just flew over the fence.  All they could see was the obstacle. That was their glass box.

It's hard to imagine sometimes that any of us would see limitations to happiness, joy, peace, hope and even prosperity. We are surrounded by it. Still, we see others breaking the walls of the glass boxes but we cannot see ourselves doing it. You will hear plenty of excuses as we try to reason why they could do such things but we can't. We then remain in our self created glass box.

So, what glass box are you living in?  What limitations have you set that are holding you back?

Imagine for a moment that, like me watching the doves, God is standing somewhere watching you.

In your prayers tonight ask God to help you break down those walls. Then don't be surprised if in the morning you are startled when you
hear someone scream..."FLY!"

I know you know this song. Listen and read the words again...for the first time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbUpPVOEkdA"I believe in you!"
Bob

I hope I never have to write this kind of letter

Letter from a mother to her son on his 12th birthday

It is your birthday tomorrow. Twelve years old. I am wondering what cake to buy for your birthday. I really want to get it right. Not long ago, a Tardis or football-shaped cake would have been the easy choice, but those days are behind us.

I am considering a photo cake – I have a photo of us from when you were small. It shows us smiling together, in a time when affection was easy between us and you weren't uncomfortable showing you loved me. I think the cake would be lovely, but I'm worried you will sigh and tut with the impatient disapproval I am becoming all too familiar with.

The past year has been one of much change for you, and for our relationship. You have moved from the safety and confines of life in primary school to the freedom and plethora of influences that is high school. You have made new friends, had your first detention, started asking to go out on your own.

You are now happy to stay in the house on your own while I go out, something that should give me more freedom … but only brings me new worries. Your life is expanding beyond the familiar circle of childhood friends, whose parents I am on first-name terms with.

Just six months ago, you were worried about getting the bus to school on your own. Now, you want to use the bus every weekend to go and visit new friends. Friends I don't know, with parents I have never met, who live in houses I will never visit.

A year ago, school holidays would have been filled with getting up early and wondering what to do together. Now, they are filled with the expectation of you sleeping late and spending the afternoon locked in a room staring at a video game. I can't seem to find an activity that we could do together that isn't "lame". This time last year, you would still hold my hand when we went out for walks. Now, the mere mention of a walk brings eye-rolling and complaining. You used to accept my advice and warnings, listen to me carefully, and consider me the font of knowledge. Now I am seemingly the one person that doesn't understand you.

You have even got a girlfriend. I have yet to meet her, but I have seen pictures of you and her smiling at each other on your Facebook page. The one I have just discovered you have "unfriended" me from.

I have found texts on your phone where you have told her you love her and that she is your life. The blow that came from reading this was my payback for snooping on your phone, but it was devastating to see in black and white that I am no longer the most important woman in your life.

I never thought I would be one of those mothers that did not want theirchildren to grow up. But I'm not ready.

I expected you to grow up. I expected you to grow away from me. I just didn't expect it to happen this soon. Or that it would hurt so much. I just want my little boy back.

Still, I will never burden you with this old-woman nonsense. I will probably play it safe and buy you the chocolate tray bake.

Happy birthday, my darling boy.