Is There a Shark Lacking Somewhere in Your Life?

This thought provoking article has been sent by Ramesh

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The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went further than ever. The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.
So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan ? If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?
As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion. You don't need to work so hard so you relax. You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs.

Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's . "Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment. " - L. Ron Hubbard .

The Benefits of a Challenge: The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!

How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh: To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.
Recommendations: Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize.

Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group, the society, even mankind. Don't create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference."

So, put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

The Cracked Pot

Thanks to Ramesh K G for this amazing article...

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A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without your being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.

The Moral of this Story: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what s/he is, and look for the good in them.
There is a lot of good out there.

Inspirational Positive Thought!!!

"Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You"

There comes a time when you must stand alone.

You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your owndreams.

You must be willing to make sacrifices.

You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities sothat your final goal can be achieved.

Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.

There are times when you must take a few extra chances and createyour own realities.

Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.

Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.

Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight thatshould lead the way.

Anger Is Part Of Danger

This helpful article is contributed to the grp by Ramesh K G

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It seems that our society is getting angrier all the time. The very expressions on our faces frequently indicate that, not only are we not happy, but we are frustrated and angry at life itself. We read about road rage, which, in many ways, is the ultimate manifestation of anger. We often hear people say things like, "Normally, I would never have done that, but I just lost it -- I couldn't control my temper."

Question: Can we control our tempers? Answer: Yes, if we want to. Example: You and someone else, maybe a mate or associate, are having a tense discussion that is escalating at a restaurant. Tempers on both sides are flaring. It is even headed out of control; but just at that moment, the waitress or waiter rounds the corner and heads for your table. So, you stop the verbal attack, put on a smile and answer politely when asked if you desire more iced tea. Now 'fess up, it's happened before, on more than one occasion, hasn't it?

Message: Obviously, you can and do control your temper, so don't ever say, "I can't control my temper." Instead, make your self-talk positive and say, "Thank goodness, I'm gaining control of my temper!" That's important, because all you have to add to the word "anger" is the letter "d" and you really do have "danger." Danger to whom? Danger to you. Physicians agree that anger puts you in danger of a heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and so on. Anger also damages relationships, because things said in anger linger in the mind and heart of the one you have attacked.

In addition, in 100 percent of all of the domestic-violence cases he has counseled, Dr. Les Carter of the world-renowned Minirth Institute told me they start with verbal violence, frequently involving garbage-dump language (which damages the one using the language more than the one to whom it is directed). All of us have had this specific experience -- we've started to talk about something, and a minute or so later, we've said, "Don't get me started talking about that, because the more I talk about it, the madder I get!"

Anger control:
First, recognize that not only can you control it, you can commit to bringing that anger under control.

Second, if you are not in the presence of who or what made you angry, take a deep breath, and fill your lungs with air, lifting both arms at the same time. Do this slowly three times.

Number three, get on a regular exercise program, ideally an aerobics program. This relieves tension, improves your circulation and enables you to deal with life more calmly and confidently.

Number four, watch the input into your mind. Watching violent movies, video and TV, pornographic movies, and so on, all contribute to the buildup of tension and anger. Instead, listen to soothing melodies on the way to and from work, and just before you go to sleep at night. You will arrive at your workplace in a more relaxed frame of mind, and get a good night's sleep.

Number five, counting to 10 or 110 is not all bad. Clinical psychologist Michael G. McKee, Ph.D., says you should assume responsibility, and instead of saying, "That guy makes me furious!" turn it around, accept responsibility, and simply say, "I'm getting angry at that guy." This way, you are taking responsibility and putting yourself in control. According to Dr. McKee, people who feel powerful and in control are less likely to get angry.


Message: Relax, use positive self-talk, take a walk and a deep breath, make the commitment, accept responsibility, feed your mind soothing music and know that when you control your anger, the health and friends you keep will be your own.

SLEEPING THROUGH THE STROM

Another one from Sumana's collection... read and reflect.

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A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.

A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.

The young man slept soundly.

The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.

The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.

The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows."Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. Heheldup a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a fewcoins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and droppedtheminto the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote somewords. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see thenew words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money totheblind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to seehowthings were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were u the onewho changed my sign this morning? What did u write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what u said but in adifferent way."What he had written was:
"Today is a beautiful day & I cannot see it."

Do u think the first sign & the second sign were saying the same thing?Ofcourse both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first signsimplysaid the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so luckythatthey were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign wasmoreeffective?

Moral of the Story:
Be thankful for what you have.Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite thepeople towards good with wisdom.

How to prepare for meetings

This article was sent to the group by Ramesh K. G.

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If there is one activity that unites professionals from different occupations all over the world, it is meetings. Executives, managers, or software developers -- they all spend a large part of their working hours closeted in conference rooms discussing issues, significant and insignificant.

But the truth about meetings is they are largely a waste of time if not organised well or not planned in advance. Here are some tips to help you get the best out of these congregations.

Time and venue

The initiator of the meeting must take up the task of sending out meeting requests to all parties who are required to attend, specifying the date, time and venue. If the meeting is a teleconference or a videoconference with participants from multiple locations, it is essential that the meeting request contain the date and time of the various time zones.
This is a common mistake, as a colleague in Tokyo found out when she forgot to specify the time zone in her e-mail, which meant that disparate groups of people were waiting for her to teleconference them at different times of the day!
The initiator must ensure a discussion room or conference room large enough to hold the requisite number of attendees is booked for the scheduled time.

Material

It is also up to the initiator to arrange for any materials such as a projector, computer, slides, handouts, or even just a whiteboard and markers. A manager at a telecommunications firm narrates how a meeting he was invited to was delayed by 45 minutes because the computer and projectors were not set up, leading to senior managers walking out and requesting a reschedule.

If you are invited to a meeting for which handouts are distributed, make sure you read those notes before attending. It will keep you in tune with the discussions once you are part of the meeting, and will demonstrate your preparedness with ideas and thoughts on the topic at hand.

Agenda

Once the time and venue of the meeting is fixed, it is vital that the initiator of the meeting decide the points on the agenda. Each of these points must be covered in detail and decisions taken on them before the meeting wraps up.

Preferably, these points can even be enumerated in brief on the whiteboard in the room, allowing everyone to be aware of the agenda and helping the initiator keep an eye on it at all times.

Minutes of the meeting

In the duration of the meeting, several points and ideas will be thrown up which, if not documented, will evaporate into thin air well before the end. It will be impossible for anyone to retain all the discussed points in memory. Therefore, it is best for the initiator or the meeting-in-charge to appoint one person to jot down notes during the meeting. It is better still if two or three people take notes just in case one misses out something important.
At the culmination of the meeting, it is the duty of the person assigned to note down the minutes to create a document and circulate it amongst all attendees. Such a document typically contains the date and time of the meeting, number and names of attendees, the agenda and, against each of the points on the agenda, the action items.

The focus on agenda

Often, despite maintaining an agenda and adhering strictly to time and schedule on a few points, the discussion deteriorates into heated debates. At this point, it is the prerogative of the meeting-in-charge or the initiator to ensure an objective discussion. Also, if a member starts rambling for hours without any end in sight, he must be brought back on track. It should be made clear that although brainstorming is acceptable, digression into irrelevant territory is entirely unwelcome.

Conclusion

When all points on the agenda have been discussed to the satisfaction of all parties, the person writing the minutes or even the initiator can wrap up by briefly reading out the salient points of all that has been discussed, including action to be taken once people return to their work. The minutes of the meeting is a good starting point to follow up with team members in the following days if necessary action has been taken, as discussed

This article is contributed by Sumana V.
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Many of us...sometimes will be wondering, how my colleague got good appraisal or good promotion and why not me? Here is a small story which ...tell u the solution for it.

Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both worked very hard.

After several years, the boss promoted Jing to sales executive but Chuan remained a sales rep. One day Chuan could not take it anymore, tender resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.

The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for the years, but in order to help Chuan realise the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to do the following. Go and find out anyone selling water melon in the market? Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform boss the $12 per kg.

Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question? Jing went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling water melon. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.

Chuan was very impressed and realised the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.

My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, think more and understand in depth. For the same matter, a more successful person sees several years ahead, while you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, how could you win?

Think! how far have you seen ahead in your life? How thoughtful in depth are you? Don't take up haste decision. Instead think, how he is better from you and try improving on your weak points.

Take it as a challenge!!!!!