The Power of Responsability

It's been said that the line between childhood and adulthood is crossed when we move from saying "It got lost" to "I lost it".

Indeed, being accountable - and understanding and accepting the role our choices play in the things that happens - are crucial signs of emotional and moral maturity. That's why responsibility is one of the main pillars of good character.

May people have been seduced by the Perter Pan philosophy of refusing to grow up and avoiding the burdens implied in been accountable. Yes, responsibility sometimes requires us to do things that are unpleasant or even frightening. It asks us to carry our own weight, prepare and sets goals, and exercise the discipline to reach our aspirations.

But the benefits of accepting responsibility far outweigh the short-lived advantages of refusing to do so. No one makes his or her better by avoiding responsibility. In fact, irresponsibility is a form of self-imposed servitude - to circumstances and to other people.

Responsibility is about our ability to respond to circumstances and to choose the attitudes, actions, and reactions that shape our lives. It is a concept of power that puts us in the driver's seat. The grand panorama of the potential of our lives can only be appreciated when we begin to be accountable and self-reliant.

Responsible people not only depend on themselves, but show others that they can be depended on. This breeds trust, and trust is a key that open doors.

If you want more control over your life an the pleasures, prerogatives, and power of freedom and independence, all you have to do is be responsible.

By Michael Josephson

Chasing the Shade

https://youtu.be/bmdlY1pECAI

Another Chance

How often we wish for another chance to make a fresh beginning.

A chance to blot out our mistakes and change failure into winning.

It does not take a new day to make a brand new start,

it only takes a deep desire to try with all our heart.

To live a little better and to always be forgiving

and to add a little sunshine to the world in which we're living.

So do not give up in despair and think that you are through,

for there's always a tomorrow and the hope of starting new.

Helen Steiner Rice

Grace

                                         https://youtu.be/aQQeoxl61pg

The Trouble Tree

A carpenter I hired to help me restore and old farm house has just finished a rough day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his ancient truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family.

As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me so I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong at home with my wife and my children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them  up again."

"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before"

Author Unknown

Evenstar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DlMG7JM33M

The Silence of Love

A wise man who was visiting a river to take a bath, found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked. "Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?"

The disciples thought for a while, on of them said, "because we loose our calm, we shout." But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner."  asked the wise man.

The disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples. Finally, the wise man explained, "when two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other."

The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people falls in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small, the wise man continued, "when they love each other even more, what happens? They don't speak, only whisper, they get even closer to each other in their love.

Finally, they even need not to whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how two people are when they love each other.

He looked at his disciples and said, "So when you argue do no let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return."

Author unknown

Patience My Friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-i0b3v2EhI&index=15&list=PL8u7QbWFPEKsOwzs7qP_AtPIQbvbF6M8P

The Weight of Stress

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd asked the "half empty or half full" question.

Instead, with a smile on her face she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out from 8oz. to 20oz.

She replied. "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. Is I hold it for a minutes it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will fell numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes"

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about then for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will be paralyzed - incapable of doing anything."

It's important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night.

Remember to put the glass down.

Author Unknown

Anger, Envy & Insults

Near Tokyo lived a great Samurai, now old, who decided to teach Zen Buddhism to young people.

One afternoon, a warrior - known for his complete lack of scruples - arrived there. The young and inpatient warrior had never lost a fight. Hearing of the Samurai's reputation, he had come to defeat him, and increase his fame.

All the students were against the idea, but the old man accepted the challenge.

All gathered on the town square, and the young man started insulting the old master. He threw a few rocks in his direction, spat in his face, shouted every insult under the sun - he even insulted his ancestors.

For hours he did everything to provoke him, but the old man remained impassive. At the end of the afternoon, by now felling exhausted and humiliated, the impetuous warrior left.

Disappointed by the fact that the master had received son many insults and provocations, the student asked: "How could you bear such indignity? Why didn't you use you sword, even knowing you might lose the fight, instead of displaying your cowardice in front of us all?"

"If someone comes to you with a gift, and you do no accept it, who does the gift belong to?" asked the old Samurai.

"He who tried to deliver it" - replied one of the disciples.

"The same goes for envy, anger and insult" - said the master. "When they are not accepted, they continue to belong to the one who carried them".