Your attitude will define your life

Your attitude will define your life

From "Man's Search For Meaning" (Viktor Frankl)
We who lived, in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. And there were always choices to make.

This Weeks Message:

This story is shorter than the usual but after reading it In Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning" which I highly recommend, I couldn't miss the opportunity to share it with you.

Sometimes in our lives we encounter situations in which we really are helpless to enact change, but yet you are still in control because no matter what, you can always control your attitude towards life. You are equipped with the strength to alter your outlook on all challenges in front of you. It is so important to make that choice to look at life experiences as a beautiful space for growth and comfort. No matter where you are or what situation you are faced with you will always be okay because you have chosen to be positive and strive for the goodness in the moment.

May you have an amazing and positive week, where nothing can stop you from expressing the ultimate beauty from within.
Darren Z

This Weeks Quote:

"When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy.' They told me I didn't understand the assignment. I told them they didn't understand life." - unknown

A Monday Inspiration - Who Packed Your Parachute?

Who Packed Your Parachute
?


Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat 
missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and
 parachuted into enemy lands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese
prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

 One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came 
up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.
 You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your 
parachute," the man replied. 

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man shook his hand and said, "I guess it
 worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." 

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what
 he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: A white hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom 
trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'good morning',
 'how are you' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot, and he was just a sailor. "

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of 
the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his 
hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

My Message:

Who's packing your parachute? Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may 
fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has 
happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. We all require the help of others to make our world a greater and easier place to live, in all aspects of life. Not just in our work, but with our families, our social circles and communities. It is so crucial to identify who these key people are in our lives, right down to the smallest contributor and to really go out your way to recognise them. As you
 go through this week, this month, this year... recognise the people who pack your parachute!

May you have an outrageously awesome week :)
Darren Zwiers

This Weeks Quote:
“Recognition is the greatest motivator.” - Gerard C. Eakedale

Don't Waste The Good Things

(Author Unknown
)A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered. Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. It came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

My Message:

The above story is so similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.
One day when we look back, we will realise that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed. I was in the cemetery this week and thought a lot about life, how short it is and how much there is for us to accomplish. Lets not waste our lives always focusing on the things that give us instant physical pleasure, rather lets drown ourselves in the beauty of love, in the glory of giving, and lets heat ourselves in the fire of enthusiasm. Don't be that person who on their last few days in this world says; "I should of loved more and been a better person". You have the opportunity today to make your life awesome, don't waste it.

May you have an awesome week where you have the energy to maximise whats important to you.
Darren Zwiers

This Weeks Quote:

Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. ~James Dean

The Trouble Tree

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and then his old pickup 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 small 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. 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 is for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and 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."

"The 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."

My Message:

Last week I had a great discussion with a friend on exactly the above story, so thought I would write about it in this weeks email. We all have our difficult days and sometimes difficult weeks at work. It is normal to feel pressured in our daily activities and fighting to keep up in a very fast pace world, but it is so crucial to never bring your troubles into your home as it will affect your relationships with your loved ones. Your home and family are your nest, the centre of your life, the hub from which all your daily experiences extend. Both as children and adults, our home and family are where we should feel most comfortable in the world. When you walk through the doors of your home, you are returning to a place where you can recharge, rejuvenate and be at harmony with yourself and your family - a sanctuary. Once you leave your troubles on the trouble tree, you will be able to be more relaxed and find the space to spend quality time at home. Remember your children will grow up to remember their home as a place of warmth and kindness, where people felt comfortable to gather and talk about things that mattered to them. In all likelihood, these children will grow into adults who will create the same sort of home. Don't waste such a good opportunity for growth, leave those worries outside. 

May you have an awesome week where the important things in your life make all the difference and unnecessary limitations get brushed off with a smile.

Darren Zwiers

 

This Weeks Quote:

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! ~Albert Einstein

 

 

Everyone is Important!

During Mark's first month of college, the professor gave his students a pop quiz. He was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until he read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. He had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would he know her name? He handed in his paper, leaving the last question blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward the quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They each deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello”. Mark never forgot that lesson. He also learned her name was Dorothy.

We move through life meeting so many people. I estimate over 100K. How many of those people are you making a difference to? Some people make massive impacts in our lives others have the smallest effect on us. The reality is that nothing is random and we pass people at certain times for specific reasons. Its up to us to take hold of these encounters and utilise them as we are meant to. You would be so surprised what a difference you can make when you greet the bus driver (as no one else does) or have a friendly chat to the clerk at the supermarket. You might just even find that new business opportunity you been looking for.

Everyone is waiting to shine, we just need to make that encounter with people and express ourselves by proactively using our greatest gift - the power of speech.

May you have an awesome week where you finally get to meet the stranger you pass everyday ;)

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

“Yου never lose bу loving. Yοu always lose bу holding back.” – Barbara DeAngelis