Soul space

Daily inspiration quote on twitter

2009-10-30T15:11:00.002+05:30

I moved to twitter and post a short daily inspiration message on it now. If you are interested, come join me on twitter.

By: Twitter Buttons

Also, i now post more often and regularly on my profession i.e. Software Testing at my Testing blog and again that too shows up on my twitter page !

Thanks,

- John

2009-03-20T09:14:00.000+05:30

Came across this thought that's so very true ...

"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well and yet everything happens only a certain number of times - and a very small number really. How many times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your life that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise, perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems so limitless..."

- Paul Bowles

2009-03-02T08:14:00.000+05:30

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson

2009-03-01T19:33:00.001+05:30

Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child's?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from you own mind
and thus understand all things?

Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.

- Tao Te Ching

2009-02-23T10:02:00.001+05:30

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt

2009-02-13T08:25:00.002+05:30

Life is like an onion: You peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will.
You can waste it or use it for good.
What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever;
in its place is something that you have left behind
...let it be something good."

2009-02-09T20:33:00.000+05:30

The Winner's Creed

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't,
If you think you'll lose,
You're lost;
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a person's will,
It's all in the state of mind.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stranger or faster hand;
But sooner or later
The person who wins
Is the one who thinks "I can."

2009-02-06T09:08:00.002+05:30

Compassion and daily acts of kindness make life far richer.

"There was once a feeble old woman whose loving husband died. So she went to live with her son and his wife and daughter. Every day, the woman's sight grew worse and her hearing grew worse. Some days her hands trembled so badly the peas on her plate rolled onto the floor and the soup ran from her cup. Her son and his wife couldn't help but be annoyed at the mess she made and one day they said enough was enough. So they set up a little table for the old woman in a corner next to the broom closet and made her eat all of her meals there, alone. She would look at them at mealtimes with tear-filled eyes from across the room, but they hardly talked to her while they ate, except to scold her for dropping a spoon or a fork.

One evening, just before dinner, the little girl was sitting on the floor playing with her building blocks. 'What are you making?' her father asked earnestly. 'I'm building a little table for you and
mother,' she said, 'so you can eat by yourselves in the corner someday when I get big.' The father and mother were moved to silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then they started to weep. In that instant they became aware of the nature of their actions and the sadness they had caused. That night they led the old woman back to her rightful place at their big dinner table and from that day on she ate all her meals with them. And when a little morsel of food fell off the table or a fork strayed onto the floor, nobody seemed to mind anymore."

2009-02-04T10:00:00.003+05:30

We live in a society that regularly emphasizes the need to make a move and being on the move. Progress is stressed upon greatly and rightfully so.

While its good to aim to be on the move, it's sometimes a better idea to stop and reflect on the nature and direction of your journey. It's important to be aware; of where you intend to go and where you are going.

Here's an interesting piece of conversation taken from Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland.

"Alice came to a fork in the road.
'Which road do I take?' she asked.
'Where do you want to go?' responded the Cheshire cat.
'I don't know,' Alice answered.
'Then,' said the cat, 'it doesn't matter.'"

2009-02-03T09:11:00.001+05:30

I have learned that if you must leave a place
That you have lived in and loved,
And where all of your yesterdays are buried deep -
Leave it any way except slow;
Leave it the fastest way you can.
Never turn back and believe that an hour you remember
Is a better hour because it is dead.
Past years seem safe ones, vanquished ones,
While the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance.
The cloud clears though, as you enter it.
I have learned this, but like everyone,
I learned it late.

- Beryl Markham

2009-02-02T08:40:00.002+05:30

Winners versus Losers

The Winner is always part of the answer;
The Loser is always part of the problem.

The Winner always has a program;
The Loser always has an excuse.

The Winner says, "Let me do it for you";
The Loser says, "That is not my job."

The Winner sees an answer for every problem;
The Loser sees a problem for every answer.

The Winner says, "It may be difficult but it is possible";
The Loser says, "It may be possible but it is too difficult."

When a Winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong";
When a Loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

A Winner makes commitments;
A Loser makes promises.

Winners have dreams;
Losers have schemes.

Winners say, "I must do something";
Losers say, "Something must be done."

Winners are a part of the team;
Losers are apart from the team.

Winners see the gain;
Losers see the pain.

Winners see possibilities;
Losers see problems.

Winners believe in win-win;
Losers believe for them to win someone has to lose.

Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past.

Winners are like a thermostat;
Losers are like thermometers.

Winners choose what they say;
Losers say what they choose.

Winners use hard arguments but soft words;
Losers use soft arguments but hard words.

Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things;
Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.

Winners follow the philosophy of empathy: "Don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you";
Losers follow the philosophy, "Do it to others before they do it to you."

Winners make it happen;
Losers let it happen.

Winners plan and prepare to win.
The key word is preparation.

2009-02-01T09:25:00.000+05:30

The power of association

On the power of associativity - whom you associate with and what you learn from them tends to shape you - here's a story i picked up from my readings.

"An eagle's egg was placed in the nest of a prairie chicken. The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking it was a prairie chicken. The eagle did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled. It never flew more than a few feet because that is what the prairie chickens did.

One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically in the open sky. He asked the prairie chickens: "What is that beautiful bird?" The chickens replied, "That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him because you are just a prairie chicken." So the eagle never gave it a second thought, believing that to be the truth.

He lived the life of and died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage because of his lack of vision. What a waste! He was born to win, but was conditioned to lose."

The same thing is true of most people. The unfortunate part of life is as Oliver Wendall Holmes said, "Most people go to their graves, with music still in them." We don't achieve excellence because of our own lack of vision.

Do not let negative people drag you down. A person is not just known by the company he/she keeps but also the company he/she avoids.

2009-01-31T09:30:00.001+05:30

The importance of attitude on life circumstances cannot be emphasized enough. Here's this interesting perspective to the well known David vs Goliath episode, which i came across while reading a book.

We all know the story of David and Goliath. There was a giant who was bullying and harassing the children in the village. One day, a 17-year-old shepherd boy came to visit his brothers and asked, "Why don't you stand up and fight the giant?"

The brothers were terrified and they replied, "Don't you see he is too big to hit?" But David said,

"No, he is not too big to hit, he is too big to miss."

The rest is history. We all know what happened. David killed the giant with a sling. Same giant, different perception.

2009-01-30T09:07:00.004+05:30

There are times when we think we possess the correct perspective. Sometimes all it takes is a little paradigm shifting experience to bring about the classic "a-ha!" moment. Here's a little story.

This paradigm-shifting experience told by Frank Kock in Proceedings, in the magazine of the Naval Institute.

"Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell.

The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities. Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing of the bridge reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow."

"Is it steady or moving astern?" the captain called out. Lookout replied, "Steady, captain," which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.

The captain then called to the signal man, "Signal that ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees."

Back came a signal, "Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees."

The captain said, "Send, I'm a captain, change course 20 degrees."

"I'm a seaman second class," came the reply. "You had better change course 20 degrees."

By that time, the captain was furious. He spat out, "Send, I'm a battleship. Change course 20 degrees."

Back came the flashing light, "I'm a lighthouse."

We changed course"

2009-01-29T08:48:00.001+05:30

A colleague of mine, sent across this nice story with a message. Its about Giving your 100%

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed.

The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn’t sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral of the story: If you don’t give your hundred percent in a relationship, you’ll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like friendship,love, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully.

2009-01-27T08:38:00.000+05:30

“Don't set sail on someone else's star.”

- African Proverb

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession... Do that which is assigned to you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much."

2009-01-26T12:17:00.002+05:30

Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.

We have very many dreams, plans and ambitions. Few of em actually see the light of day. Why so ? Just because you build castles in the air, your work need'nt be lost. Work on building their foundations and walls on solid ground. The gap between intent and execution, between plan and action is inherent everywhere. The life you desire can be achieved. Its real and exists.

Do not let the size of the task at hand put you off; as the saying goes - a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

2009-01-22T08:30:00.001+05:30

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit - rest if you must,
but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;
often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seem so far;
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem worse,
that you must not quit.

2009-01-21T09:45:00.000+05:30

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

It's not too late... the angel said.
Even though the world's a mess...
Even though you're not as young...
Even though you've made mistakes and have been afraid
It's not too late...
And then I saw the world through the angels' eyes...
I saw the colors I could paint
The bridges I could build
The lives that I could touch
The dreams that could still come true
And it became very clear to me...
That it's not too late.

- Ron Atchison

2009-01-19T08:56:00.002+05:30

You are not only responsible for what you do, but also for what you do not do.

There was a job to be done and Everyone thought Someone would do it.
Anyone could have done it, but None did it.
Someone got angry about that because it was Everyone's job.
Everyone thought Anyone could do it, but None realized that Everyone would not do it.
It ended up that Everyone blamed Someone when None did what Anyone could have done.

2009-01-17T10:14:00.002+05:30

Access or Ownership ?

Too often, we aim to own stuff when in most cases, it would suffice for us to have access to the very same stuff. I'll not give any examples for our lives have many which we should easily find with little difficulty. As far as possible, strive to have access to things rather than possessing it. When you possess something it tends to possess you.

“Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them”
- Napolean Bonaparte

2009-01-16T08:38:00.002+05:30

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
- Ronald E. Osborn

2009-01-15T08:40:00.004+05:30

Be Yourself. You're the only one in all of the universe who's best qualified to be You.

“Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

2009-01-14T09:47:00.000+05:30

To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while DARING GREATLY so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

2009-01-12T21:07:00.002+05:30

There's no place like home .... especially if you don't have the money to go out !

That was said partly in jest, but the fact remains that life is also about celebrating the ordinary. Your heart knows the comfort and beauty in common things and simple experiences. Let it take over your head. After all, home is where the heart is !

2009-01-12T09:06:00.000+05:30

It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.

- Mahatma Gandhi

2009-01-11T09:55:00.002+05:30

Security and safety are usually myths that people hanker after. Trying to avoid danger is no safer in the longer run, than outright exposure to risk.

When you really think about it, the folks who make mistakes are usually the ones who make things happen. The ones who make no mistake, generally do not make anything.

Throw off the anchor and set sail in the direction of your dreams !

2009-01-10T12:32:00.002+05:30

There's a saying - "We all find time to do what we really want to do".

No matter how busy our lives may seem, we tend to find the time to do what we really "want" to do (not necessarily "need" to do !)

As Robert Orben said, "Time flies. It's upto you to be the navigator."

Have a good weekend.

2009-01-07T09:43:00.003+05:30

In today's tough times, where security seems a mirage, here's a thought provoking quote by General Douglas MacArthur that provides a different perspective

"There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity."

2009-01-06T08:39:00.001+05:30

Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.

- Karen Ravn

“Do not lose hold of your dreams or asprirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.”
- Henry David Thoreau

Anyway

2009-01-05T09:46:00.006+05:30

Today's piece is a beautiful poem by Mother Theresa. It's called "Anyway" ...

The Anyway Poem ...

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will
forget tomorrow,
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and
it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got ... anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is
between you and God,
It never was between you and them anyway..

When its good to move back

2009-01-04T17:05:00.006+05:30

To make progress does not always mean you have to keep moving forward. Sometimes in life, making progress might even mean taking a few steps back. As the saying goes, "When you are at the edge of a cliff, the best way to make progress is to take a few steps back". This post aims to highlight the need for being open in our thinking and ability to look beyond the obvious while maintaining our perspective in situations that confront us. Sometimes backing up can mean making progress.

Don't Quit

2009-01-03T09:28:00.001+05:30

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit."

The Present

2009-01-02T14:12:00.003+05:30

Here's an interesting quote that i came across recently and would like to share - "Live in Time. Rushing to get one thing over so you can move on to something more important is folly."

How very true of our lives today ! Worries of the past that's gone by and the future that's yet to come by, rob us of the only time we truly have to live by - the Present.

The past's gone and there's little that you can do to change it; the future's yet to arrive and uncertain; the only time you have is the gift of the now; its called the Present. Live in Time.

Rejoice

2009-01-01T17:17:00.005+05:30

The new year 2009 dawns amidst a pall of gloom that shrouds the economies of the world. Its easy to stay worried and in this context, the subject of today's post exhorts you to, REJOICE !

Today's quote by Henry Van Dyke says, "Be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars."

Yes, be glad of life. I'm reminded of the story of the person who worried about the shoes he wore until he met a person without legs ! There's a lot to be grateful and thankful for. Stop and count your blessings.

New Year, a time to set sail !

2008-12-31T21:59:00.002+05:30

Its the dawn of a bright new year, 2009. Its a time for new resolutions, a time to plan anew, a time to dust the cobwebs of our lives and look ahead with fresh hope.

As Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Ships are not meant to be left in the safety of the harbor but instead to sail the wide seas. Leave the comfort of your safe harbor and set sail; catch the trade winds in your sails; Explore. Dream. Discover.

Have a wonderful year ahead.