Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl,
One was an optimistic soul;
But the other took the gloomy view,
“I shall drown,” he cried, “and so will you.”

So with a last despairing cry,
He closed his eyes and said, “Good-bye.”
But the other frog, with a merry grin
Said, “I can’t get out, but I won’t give in!

I’ll swim around till my strength is spent.
For having tried, I’ll die content.”
Bravely he swam until it would seem
His struggles began to churn the cream.

On the top of the butter at last he stopped
And out of the bowl he happily hopped.
What is the moral? It’s easily found.
If you can’t get out — keep swimming around!

-Author Unknown -

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, ” How do I know if I married the right person ?”

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, ” It Depends. Is that your husband?”

In all seriousness, she answered ” How do you know?”

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it’s Weighing on your mind.

Here’s the answer.

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with Your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked Their idiosyncrasies.

Falling in love with your spouse wasn’t hard. In fact, it was a Completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn’t have to DO anything. That’s why it’s called “falling” in love… Because
it’s happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, ” I was swept of my feet.” Think about the Imagery of that _expression. It implies that you were just standing There; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It’s a passive and spontaneous experience.

But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It’s the Natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls Become a bother ( if they come at all), touch is not always welcome ( when it happens), and your spouse’s idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute,  drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you Think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, ” Did I marry The right person?” And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of The love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else.

This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for  their Unhappiness and look
outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is The most obvious. But  sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.
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If you have been following the news, a recent news item said that loyalty among the top  management was at an all time low .. That there were trust issues as far as top management was concerned especially with the high rate of switching jobs …for greener pastures

Today’s article in a way deals with some such career mistakes Ten career-damaging behaviours to avoid. “O, how full of briers is this working-day world!” is the famous Shakespearian quotefrom `As You Like It’. External pressures, thorns, obstacles and difficulties aside, how many of us are responsible for unwittingly hampering our chances of career successthrough our own misplaced
and misguided attitudes and behaviors.

Below are ten common faux-pas that can ruin a career and should be avoided at all costs.

1. Poor Time Management
Missing deadlines, failing to abide by agreed timelines, arriving to meetings late and generally disrespecting approved schedules is a surefire way to lose credibility and professional respect.

Try to value each and every minute on the job and recognize the inefficiencies that arise from procrastination and slovenly time management and the impact these have on the organisation as a whole.

2. Failure to Deliver on Promises
A promise made should be a promise kept if your professional credibility is to remainintact. Avoid making promises you cannot deliver on. Unless you are known as someonewho can be strictly depended on to follow through and deliver on time you are likely to bepassed over
for promotions and key assignments. When you do need more time or resources for an assignment communicate the requirement formally and professionally and manage the situation to show you are in control and will not be sacrificing on quality of delivery.

3. Poor Accountability
Accountability, a close reactive of honesty is an essential character trait in today’s workplace. Avoid becoming known as the sour apple who usurps all credit and circumvents all blame.
If you have made an error, admitting to it in a timely manner avoids an unnecessary escalation, earns you the confidence and respect of those around you, and indicates professionalism,
honesty and maturity.

4. Poor interpersonal skills
All research indicates that emotional intelligence and people skills are an essential ingredients for success in life and at work.

Whether it is suppliers, clients, superiors, colleagues or subordinates you are dealing with the quality and success of that  relationship will be largely predicated by how personable you are and how pleasant you are to interact with. If you have a reputation as someone who is difficult to work or interact with, chances are people will start to avoid you and your success at mobilizing people or resources to further your goals will be severely diminished.
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No one actually wants to encounter failure in their life. That’s because when you look at the isolated incident, it means that you haven’t found success. However, with the right attitude, you can use your failure in order to get yourself to success in an accelerated fashion.

Overcoming Failure
The first step to overcoming failure is to accept your situation. Tell yourself that failure is a natural part of life, and that you’re not superhuman so you will fail to succeed at certain junctures in your life.

When you attempt to be too perfect that can just be yet another failure on your part. It’ll cause you stress and you won’t be able to get yourself past to the part of acceptance. You might tell yourself that you’re over it when you really aren’t. You don’t want to be carrying that burden around with you forever.

Your Positive Outlook
The next thing to concentrate on is to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. If you fail to succeed, don’t be tempted to wallow in it. It’ll mean that you’ve truly failed because you’re choosing to end your road to success.

With the right outlook on life, you can look at your failure as just a stepping stone on your way to success. Your goal is to seek out the silver lining, because it’s always there hiding in any negative situation.

I remember a time when I wanted to be a part of a sports team, I tried and I didn’t make the team. I could have just moved on and blamed others for the failure, but I chose to study the reasons why I didn’t make it. I asked the coach what I could work on and I practiced those skills. To make a long story short, the next year I was on the team and better yet, I was a starting player. I don’t believe I would have accomplished so much so fast had I not encountered the initial “failure”.

How Failure Can Speed Up Success
The above story illustrates how one can use a failure in order to get to success faster. There’s a vast difference between overcoming failure and accepting failure. When you’re in the process of overcoming failure you’re given the unique opportunity to analyze what went wrong.
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A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The other friend replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive
We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away — but a smile draws them in.

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile..�There’s a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you’ll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day — you’ll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful
Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It’s hard.. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that “Life is Good!” Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

My Name Is Gossip
I have no respect for justice.
I aim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning and malicious, and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.
I flourish at every level of society.
My victims are helpless.
They cannot protect themselves against me,
Because I have no face.
To track me down is impossible.
The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
I am nobody’s friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.
I topple governments, wreck marriages and ruin careers. . .
Cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion.
I spawn suspicion and generate grief.
I make innocent people cry in their pillows.
Even my name hisses.
I make headlines and headaches.

Before I blast up
I never ask myself:
‘Is it true?
Is it fair?
Is it necessary?’

One Dozen Timeless Ways  to be Happy!

Our passions, expectations, life experiences, and even our personalities all contribute to the level of happiness we experience in our lives. Some find happiness in their careers while others find ways to be happy in their marriages or other relationships

No matter how you define happiness for yourself, there are certain universal and time-proven strategies to bring, and sustain, more happiness into your life. The following one dozen timeless ways to be happy can be adapted and even customized to fit your needs. Over time, these strategies will become positive and life-changing habits that will begin to bring more happiness, joy and peace into your life.

Notice What’s Right
Some of us see the glass as being half-full and others see the glass as half-empty. The next time you are caught in traffic, begin thinking how nice it is to have a few moments to reflect on the day, focus on a problem you have been trying to solve, or brainstorm on your next big idea. The next time you get in the slow line at the grocery store, take the opportunity to pick up a tabloid magazine and do some œguilty pleasure? reading. Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation. At the end of the day, you will more content, at peace and happy. Take the time to begin to notice what’s right and see the world change in front of your eyes.

Be Grateful
How many times do you say the words œthank you,? in a day? How many times do you hear these same words? If you are doing the first thing, saying the œthank yous,? the latter will naturally happen. Learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.

Remember the Kid You Were
Do you remember how to play? I’m not referring to playing a round of golf or a set of tennis. I’m talking about playing like you did when you were a child  a game of tag; leap frog, or street baseball when the bat is a broken broom handle and the bases are the parked cars. One way to find or maintain your happiness is to remember the kid you were and play!

Be Kind
There is no question that by merely watching acts of kindness creates a significant elevation in our moods and increases the desire for us to perform good deeds as well. Kindness is indeed contagious and when we make a commitment to be kind to ourselves and to others we can experience new heights of joy, happiness and enthusiasm for our lives.
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An experienced & wise master grew tired of his apprentice complaining. One morning he sent the apprentice for some salt.

When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and drink it.

“How does it taste?” the master asked.

“Bitter,” spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to put a handful of Salt in the lake nearby.

The two walked to the nearby lake. After the apprentice swirled his
Handful of salt into the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake..”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “Now How does this taste?”

“Fresh & Sweet” remarked the apprentice.

“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.

“No,” said the young man.

At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of Himself at one time and held his hands.

He told the young man, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less.
The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.

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.”

Here are seven C’s as they relate to effective writing:

1. Be Clear: have a definite purpose for writing and make sure it is clearly communicated up front. Be bold and connect quickly..

2. Be Complete: include all the necessary facts and background information to support the message you are communicating. Partial instructions would not work if we were to survive.

3. Be Concise: keep in mind the reader’s knowledge of the subject and their time constraints. Convey the information as quickly and easily as possible.

4. Be Creative: use different formats (vs. straight narrative) to communicate your message. Q & A format, graphics, Idea lists, etc.

5. Be Considerate: keep your reader’s needs in mind as you write. Ask yourself, ‘Why should my reader spend time reading this?’

6. Be Correct: by checking all your information is accurate and timely. Double- check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. Proof read it before you send it!

7. Be Credible: strive to present yourself from a position of reliability and competence. Write to reinforce your message and make it more believable.