A New Dawn

So, Monday 10-Mac-2008 marked a new beginning in this journey through life. NJ started driving to office, instead of taking the train.

Yes. NJ who hated driving to work, made a major detour in her daily route. Instead of rushing to the train station, queuing to board the train, squeezing through fellow commuters looking for a good tiny spot so she could read her favorite books, she decided to drive. It was a big humongous relief. She felt relaxed, rejuvenated, and happy. Finally, after many months feeling slightly agitated while jostling through the packed train, she managed to experience feeling looking forward to reach office. In fact she even couldn’t wait to rise and shine again tomorrow morning and the days after tomorrow, to just pick up the car key and drive all the way to office.

For a week, she had enjoyed her driving to work. The traffic was smooth; she was not once in that one week period caught in any massive traffic jam, like what she had been witnessing when she peeped through the train windows previously while she was commuting. Aah, a new bright beginning indeed! She was happy with her choice to drive to work instead of taking the train as many people had casually assumed she would have done. Boy, did she make a good change in her routine!

Nonetheless, semi-consciously she realised too that she slightly missed her usual solitary feeling when commuting via the crowded train. She missed her regular morning comrades. With those fellow commuters, although she had not spoken to them before, she could feel the sense of unity and togetherness, like yo! yes we were all stuck in this crappy crowded train, but hey! we wanted the same thing. We were heading to the same destination; we all wanted to reach office on time. So whether we like it or not, let’s just make it work. You squeezed to that corner a bit, so I can nibble at this corner. Sorry, if I accidentally stepped on your toes, because you did that to me too.

Also, last week was quite a special beginning of the new dawn. Whether she realised it or not last week was school holidays; obviously there were not many drivers on the road. Like-wise semi-consciously, she kind of realised that driving had its own fair share of defaults too. Granted she was driving alone, not car-pooling; but more importantly she felt really alone among those throngs of cars. Everyone was speeding and racing to be the supreme leader of the pact. Just because the others were driving nice, posh, big cars, they thought they could bully her; understandably due to her car’s status and size. It seemed like everybody was heading to the different corners of the galaxy with their own rocketing space shuttles, although in actual fact everyone was just a passenger in this one big shuttle.

Noted. She will just play along with the rest in the game, she will continue driving to work for another 4 years, err no, I think she means 4 weeks, and who knows she might go back commuting to work via the crowded train again.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall…

Counting down to 8-Mac-2008… Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

++++++

Six blind men were discussing exactly what they believed an elephant to be, since each had heard how strange the creature was, yet none had ever seen one before. So the blind men agreed to find an elephant and discover what the animal was really like.

It didn’t take the blind men long to find an elephant at a nearby market. The first blind man approached the beast and felt the animal’s firm flat side. “It seems to me that the elephant is just like a wall,” he said to his friends.

The second blind man reached out and touched one of the elephant’s tusks. “No, this is round and smooth and sharp – the elephant is like a spear.”

Intrigued, the third blind man stepped up to the elephant and touched its trunk. “Well, I can’t agree with either of you; I feel a squirming writhing thing – surely the elephant is just like a snake.”

The fourth blind man was of course by now quite puzzled. So he reached out, and felt the elephant’s leg. “You are all talking complete nonsense,” he said, “because clearly the elephant is just like a tree.”

Utterly confused, the fifth blind man stepped forward and grabbed one of the elephant’s ears. “You must all be mad – an elephant is exactly like a fan.”

Duly, the sixth man approached, and, holding the beast’s tail, disagreed again. “It’s nothing like any of your descriptions – the elephant is just like a rope.”

And all six blind men continued to argue, based on their own particular experiences, as to what they thought an elephant was like. It was an argument that they were never able to resolve. Each of them was concerned only with their own idea. None of them had the full picture, and none could see any of the other’s point of view. Each man saw the elephant as something quite different, and while in part each blind man was right, none was wholly correct.

++++++

There is never just one way to look at something – there are always different perspectives, meanings, and perceptions, depending on who is looking.

Lesson in Life Journey – The Plastic Bowl

This story might have been written, spoken, shared, not to mention immortalized in movies, commercials, etc, a thousand times. Nonetheless, the profound message conveyed will always be inspiring as it gives us a moment to pause and reflect on what is truly important in life.

May we cherish all those in our life, even those who challenge our patience.

Happy Holiday Everyone!

—————————————————————————————————

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Rice rolled off his spoon and onto the floor. When he grasped the cup, coffee spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

“We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled coffee, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a plastic bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he had dropped a spoon or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with plastic scraps on the floor. He asked the child curiously, “What are you making?” Sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to play. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless! Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening, the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a spoon was dropped, when coffee was spilled, or when the tablecloth was soiled.

KepadaMu Kekasih

KepadaMu Kekasih
Aku berserah
Kerana ku tahu Kau lebih mengerti
Apa yang terlukis di cermin wajahku ini
Apa yang tersirat di hati
Bersama amali

KepadaMu Kekasih
Aku bertanya
Apakah Kau akan menerimaku kembali
Atau harus menghitung lagi
Segala jasa dan bakti
Atau harus mencampakku ke sisi
Tanpa harga diri

(Chorus)
Hanya padaMu Kekasih
Aku tinggalkan
Jawapan yang belum ku temukan
Yang bakal aku nantikan
Bila malam menjemputku lena beradu

KepadaMu Kekasih
Aku serahkan
Jiwa dan raga
Jua segalanya
Apakah Kau akan menerima penyerahan ini
Apakah Kau akan menerimaku
Dalam keadaan begini

Lesson in Life Journey – A Carrot, An Egg and A Cup of Coffee

Everything happens for a reason! There are lessons in everything that happens to us, and around us. There are lessons to be learned in every encounter we have with another person. Knowing and accepting that everything happens for a reason, that the detours are part of our life journey, it should enable us to better accept the things we perceive as adversities that may happen to us daily.

************************************************************************

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.

It seemed as one problem was solved! , a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity … boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. ! After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter.

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

***Author Unknown

Lesson in Life Journay – Live Life to the Fullest

A story is told about a King who had a close friend that he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) by remarking, “This is good”.

One day the King and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the King. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the King fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!”. To which the King replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and ordered his soldiers to put his friend into jail.

About a year later, the King was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured the King and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the King was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So after untying the King, they chased him out of the village.

When the King reached his Palace, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

“You were right” the King said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened.” I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”

“No,” his friend replied, “This is good!”

“What do you mean, ‘This is good’ ? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?”

The King’s friend replied: “If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you.”

“He knows what is before them; And what is behind them: And to Allah go back; All questions (for decision)” (Qur’an, 22:76)

(Source – Unknown)

***


Life will present us with innumerable lessons, none of which will be useful to us unless we recognize them and are open to their inherent value. The lessons will show up every day of our life, and as difficult as some of them may be we need to change our perception and come to see them as gifts, or guides along our path toward living as our authentic self.

If we somehow understand that every event in our lives occurs to teach us something about ourselves, we might be able to experience the profound transformation we would never believe. When we accept the lessons that life bring us, we will take the crucial steps forward finding our true self. Lessons presented to us are self-evidence; it is a matter of what lenses we are wearing at the time. If we are wearing the lenses of resistance, we may become angry or bitter and this stubbornness will prevent our personal growth. If we are wearing the lenses of openness and clear discernment, we will gain a deeper understanding of what different life situations can teach us.

We then must remember that we have a choice, we can either continue with the resistance and feel badly, or we can learn whatever the lesson is there to teach us.

“Am I willing to give up the resistance and learn whatever lesson is presenting itself?”

Remember, if we want to truly live from our authentic self, we must be open to learning all the lessons we are given so that we may grow into the person we want to become.

(Summarised from “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules” by Cherie Carter-Scott)

The Thinking Blogger Award

Select a name who does not belong to the group:

1. Melinda Doolittle
2. LaKisha Jones
3. Sanjaya Malakar
4. Chris Sligh
5. Jordin Sparks

I am pretty sure anyone of us who has been following through American Idol Season 5 religiously would definitely pick contestant no 3 for the answer. I bet even the DNA expert who concluded with 99.9999% certainty that 7-month old baby Dannielynn, the late Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter belongs to Larry Birkhead biologically, would use the same level of certainty to opt for Sanjaya on the survey.

I am the Sanjaya here! That is how I feel when I found out that Kak Teh, the very popular, affectionate as not to forget influential blogger/journalist/broadcaster had picked me among the many talented bloggers in this blogsphere and handed me the Thinking Blogger Award. I have never received any cyber award in thirty-something years of my life, this certainly is one of the most memorable moment of my life journey.

Quoting Kak Teh’s words, if my entries can make one person think, or if even one person thinks the entries are worth thinking about, then I am honored. And in my case, if the person who thinks my tiny blog makes her think is none other than THE Kak Teh, then I am truly beyond honored. It’s like being nominated in the Grammy Awards or something.

This is especially so since I am pouring my heart out in this cyber world under the anonymous banner. I have my own selfish reason for doing this. You see, I still have this low self-esteem feeling which I have been trying hard to overcome since I was a little girl. Can you imagine how a 9-year old kampung girl felt when a grown-up smacked you in the face with words like “…she is not pretty, unlike her sister…”, which I bet the mak cik was actually comparing me with her own stunningly beautiful 9-year old daughter. But I must say I don’t hold any more grudges after all these years, come to think about it I should be thankful to her. I am grateful because it makes me realize that I must work hard, I should think smart, to live a good meaningful life because unlike the stunning second cousin I don’t have the fabulous good look to fall back for.

So scribbling under the anonymous umbrella in this huge blogland gives me the opportunity to temporarily suppress the feeling, I am after all a puny ciku in the world of mighty durians (I am borrowing this phrase from Pugly who just got her Thinking Blogger Award from Dina Zaman, by the way). But rest assured, I don’t succumb to the “women bloggers are liars” tagline, and all my scribbling, Insyaallah (God Willing), is my genuine life journey experience.

Ok, where was I?

Oh ya, I am supposed to pass the torch to another 5 bloggers whose blogs make me think. This is the hardest part, I have many wonderful blogger friends who without fail will visit me and drop me comments, I too visit their blogs (although I have not done much bloghopping lately due to my limited cyber-networking time since I moved on from my previous job), whom I think deserve the award too as they make me think in their own special way. So I must apologize if your name does not appear here for now.

Here are the five bloggers I would like to hand the Thinking Blogger Award to:

AnnCKay
She is a working mother, a terrific writer who as a matter of fact just completed her book entitled “A Walk Through Life” (I swear I wasn’t copying her book title for my tiny blog’s tagline earlier, it is just so coincidental that we thought of the similar choice of words for our writing). From the synopsis she posted in her blog, I understand her book talks about the challenges and predicaments of Muslim ladies nowadays, a subject matter which is very close to my heart and therefore her blog makes me think hard. I must say she is among the many caring souls in this blogland who have inspired me to keep writing (or more like scribbling) in this cyber world. You guys have to really visit her blog and give some input to her book!

Sir Gab
How often do you get to exchange banters, jokes, thoughts, etc on life journey with a very humble CEO? In my case very rare, my conversations with CEO and the likes are normally on business-related issues, project feasibility study, P&L, Balance Sheet, ROI, SLA, Sarbanes-Oxley, etc, until I know (virtually that is) Sir Gab. It is so happen that I too am a professional in the same industry as Sir Gab, although obviously I am way below his level of management. In short, he makes me think, he makes me realize that even successful CEO gentlemen are first and foremost family men who would sometimes shed tears as well.

The Purple Cat
This lady’s blog is a living proof of “a picture worth a thousand words”. Her words are usually concise, except when she really needs to stress her points (for example when she had a good banter with Doc Samantha who is doing her sabbatical in Christchurch NZ on the subject on feminism in the “Ooooooo… Dahsyat” entry). I guess she does not need to churn out many words in her entries because her photos speak for themselves. Her ability to transform ordinary objects i.e. spark plugs, and even err… fly guys, etc into extraordinary photos really makes me think, there can be beauty in the seemingly not-so-pretty stuffs, if only we are really seeing things with our eyes. You guys just have to see for yourselves to understand what I mean.

Queen of The House
As her nickname says, she is indeed a Queen in her own right in this blogland I must say. She is humble, warm and friendly. She has a lot of collections on meaningful precious historical pieces i.e. her old family photo during the Japanese occupation where her mum sat on the lap of a Japanese soldier, and that photo really makes me think and realize that when one does pretty bad things it doesn’t mean the whole clan are monsters (my grannies used to tell me all the horrible stories about Japanese soldiers). She likes to share and sometimes even write the synopsis of very useful books in variety of subjects, which leads me to do a lot of thinking.

Theta
Theta writes very impeccable and flawless English. When I first read her comments in Kak Teh and Ruby Ahmad’s, and when I noticed the writer resides in Delft, Holland, I thought she is a Dutch or Caucasian or something, but in fact she is a true breed Malaysian Malay. I love reading her entries which besides very immaculately written, I know they are all coming straight from her eyes as she sees them and heart as she feels them. In short Theta makes me think and believe anything is possible, if only we pour our hearts wholeheartedly.

So there, this award originated from here!

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think;
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme;
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all – blogs that really get you thinking!

Lesson in Life Journay – Time is Very Valuable!

A farmer was preparing his land for planting crops. As he dug through the soil the equipments kept getting stuck in one place. Out of curiosity he decided to check out what was in there. He dug the ground and discovered a big box. The farmer quickly opened the box to see what was in it but to his disappointment, there were only black stones inside the box. He decided to throw those stones at the birds when they come to eat the crops at the time for harvesting.

Eventually, a day came when the crops were ready and the birds come to eat them. So, he started throwing the stones at the birds from where ever they showed up. One day a man was walking by the field who sells precious stones such as pearls, diamonds, rubies etc. Two stones happened to fall right in front of him when the farmer threw them at the birds.

The man brought the stones to the farmer and asked if he was willing to sell them to him for $5,000 each. The farmer thought that the man was joking so he replied, “No.” Then the man offered $50,000 for each stone and explained that they were precious jewels. Now the farmer started crying saying that he had only 1 or 2 stones left and the rest were thrown away.

***
Every second of our time is very valuable. Today, we could be throwing them away here and there. But on the Day of Judgment, we will realize how valuable they were but it will be too late. Now is the chance to use our time wisely.

As echoed in Surah Al-Asr, “By time! Surely the human being is at loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.”

Lesson in Life Journay – Living Our Life With Integrity and Value

The Guy in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,

And the world makes you King for a day,

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn’t your Father or Mother or Wife,

Who judgement upon you must pass.

The feller whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,

For he’s with you clear up to the end,

And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,

And think you’re a wonderful guy,

But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum

If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,

And get pats on the back as you pass,

But your final reward will be heartaches and tears

If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

©Dale Wimbrow, 1934

********************************************************************************

Note: The above poem succinctly highlights how we should be living our life with integrity and value. And, in conjunction with the birthday our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on 12th Rabi-Al-Awwal, first and foremost as a reminder to myself, I am herewith sharing the characteristics of a perfect person whom we should strive to emulate. The notes are extracted from TheWayToTruth.

He was the humblest at the zenith of his achievements
If a man’s world-admired accomplishments or the wealth and fame he has gained do not change him, if he can remain as humble as he was at the beginning of his career, this shows that person’s strength of character, morality and virtue. Despite his unparalleled achievements, which force even his enemies to place him at the top of the greatest men of human history, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was poorer and more humble when he entered Makkah victoriously than he was at the beginning of his mission.

Those who saw him would say: ‘One with such a face cannot lie.’
One’s face reveals one’s inner world and character. Those who saw Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) could not help but admire his appearance and, if they were unprejudiced, acknowledge his truthfulness.

His utmost conviction of his cause, together with his sincerity and solemnity prove his Prophethood
Since Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) challenged everybody to come until the Last Day and uttered many important speeches in a large community concerning a great cause, with great ease and freedom, without hesitation or anxiety, with pure sincerity and great solemnity, and in an intense and elevated manner that provoked his enemies, it means that he was certainly a Prophet speaking whatever God revealed to him.

Despite being unlettered, he spoke on every issue and has not been contradicted ever since
It is impossible for an unlettered one to speak on a matter requiring expert knowledge, especially before those with specialized knowledge of that matter. However, despite being unlettered, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) spoke on every issue from theology and metaphysics to medicine, history, physics and biology and has not been contradicted ever since.

He had to confront all kinds of hardships and persecutions after Prophethood and spent for his cause whatever he had
Before claiming Prophethood, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was well off and had a respected place among his community. However, he had to confront all kinds of hardships and persecutions after Prophethood and spent for his cause whatever he had. His enemies slandered him, mocked him, beat him, expelled him from his homeland and waged war on him. He bore all such cruel treatments and hostilities without complaint and asked God Almighty for the forgiveness of even his enemies. The only cause he pursued was to see everybody believing in and worshipping the One God exclusively and thereby prosperous in both worlds and saved from the torments of Hell.

He practiced with utmost sincerity and honesty what he communicated to others
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) practiced with utmost sincerity and honesty what he communicated to others and was always the first and foremost in obedience to the religion he brought, in worship to the Creator and in avoidance of the religious prohibitions.

He was the most famous of humanity for high moral conduct and virtue
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the most famous of humanity for high moral conduct and virtue. He had lost his father while he was yet in the womb of his mother. When his mother died, he was only six years old. It was impossible for his grandfather and uncle to bring him up as the most virtuous of all times, as they themselves did not have all of the good moral qualities Muhammad had and in the same degree as he had. His teacher was God, as he himself said: My Lord educated me and taught me good manners, and how well he educated me and how beautifully He taught me good manners.

He was perfectly balanced in his virtues and good moral qualities
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was perfectly balanced in his virtues and good moral qualities. He was perfectly courageous where to show courage was necessary, while he was perfectly mild, forgiving and humble among people. He was perfectly dignified but also very gracious. There was no one more generous than him but he was also thrifty and condemned extravagance. In short, all virtues and good qualities existed in him in a well-balanced combination.

Lesson in Life Journay – What We Make Of Our Life is Up to Us!

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer, a building contractor, of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

His employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but it was easy to see that his heart was no longer in his work. He had lost his enthusiasm and had resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and his boss came to inspect the new house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built for ourselves. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of ourselves as the carpenter. Think about our house. Each day we hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life we will ever build. Even if we live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.

Our life today is the result of our attitudes and choices in the past. Our life tomorrow will be the result.

(Source – Unknown)

********************************************************************************

Every person creates his or her own reality. It is not our external resources that determine our success or failure, but rather our own belief in ourselves and our willingness to create life according to our highest aspirations.

We can either engage in the blame game, or we can take control of our life and shape it as we like. We can either let our circumstances, be they our physical appearances, our financial condition, or our family background, dictate what happen to us; or we can transcend our perceived limitations and make extraordinary things happen. Excuses do not produce results; they just reinforce the delusion of inability. Argue for our limitations and eventually the universe will agree with us and respond accordingly.

When we begin to live our life understanding that what we make of it is up to us, we are able to design it according to our authentic choices and desires.

Our life has the potential to be wondrous journey, filled with exciting moments and astonishing experiences. It can be a thrilling ride if we are open to exploring all that is available to us, if we are willing to venture beyond our comfort level. A life devoid of adventure may be secure, but it is one that lacks texture and colors. Never venturing forth, and we can never expand, we can never grow!

(Summarised from “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules” by Cherie Carter-Scott)