The Wolves Within

The Wolves Within
(Author Unknown)

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way." "But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit." The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eye and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

The Message

Did you know that anger is an emotion, a state of mind that has no positive side? It's so destructive not only to yourself but to those around you, yet we express it and most of the time regret it. One of our greatest challenges that we face from day to day is to distance ourselves from anger. Yes yes we are all human and this is a massive battle of character, but it is so important to be aware of the signs of anger and to very quickly work out ways to control it, acting in the best way possible, by not causing harm to those around you. A person reacting on anger could never be taken seriously and can lose honour within seconds. Don't be that person! We are all required to create better environments for ourselves, our friends and family so please as you read this remember it and when anger arises within know that you are only taking away the most beautiful thing life has to offer, love. Keep feeding the right wolf and you will get to appreciate life with an abundance of kindness and tolerance.

May you have an awesome week!

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.

The Final Exam

The Final Exam
(Author Unknown)

A professor stood before his class of 20 senior organic biology students, about to hand out the final exam. "I want to say that it's been a pleasure teaching you this semester. I know you've all worked extremely hard and many of you are off to medical school after summer. So that no one gets their GP messed up because they might have been celebrating a bit too much this week, anyone who would like to opt out of the final exam today will receive a "B" for the course." There was much rejoicing amongst the class as students got up, passed by the professor to thank him and sign out on his offer. As the last taker left the room, the professor looked out over the handful of remaining students and asked, "Any one else? This is your last chance." One final student rose up and took the offer. The professor closed the door and took attendance of those students remaining. "I'm glad to see you believe in yourself." he said. "You all have A's."

The Message

How often do we give up because its just too easy to quite or how often do we not even bother to take action in achieving the things we really want, because its just too difficult. The sad and hard truth is because you don't have enough belief in yourself. I know we all talk about this and I'm sure you've heard it before, but your greatest teammate in the world is you - your self belief system. The "A" students knew that they were better than just getting a "B" and were certainly willing to put it on the line to beat it because they had worked so hard for the exam. So too we should be with life, we know we can do better than just settle for half measures, because we work so hard at achieving our goals everyday. So believe in yourself, get the "A" you deserve and when 'quitting' becomes an easy option just keep pushing on!!

May you have an awesome week where you get the power to look within yourself and know you can overcome any obstacle in front of you.

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on". - Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Cracked Pot

The Cracked Pot
(Author Unknown)

A water bearer in the east 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 to 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 you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

The Message

Each of us has our own unique flaws, but it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. Just like the pot never realised its unique abilities until shown, and how the water bearer utilised the pot's flaws to the goodness of its being. We too should be sensitive to our fellow man and of course ourselves. If you feel you have a weakness that holds you back, whatever it is don't let it pull you down, because the beauty is that flaw is 'speed tracking' your growth. A diamond was never created in its glorious state it had to be thoroughly polished to shine. The same is with your weaknesses, It needs to be worked on to become the most graceful thing in your life, and as with the water bearer's gentle kindness, he shows how important it is to take each person for what they are and to look for the good in them.

May you have an awesome week where strength is born from your weakness and that you have the eyes and heart to help others grow the same.

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

“Our strength grows out of our weaknesses” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Put The Glass Down

Put The Glass Down
(Author Unknown)

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, “How much do you think this glass weighs?” ‘50 gms!’.... ‘100 gms!’...... ‘125 gms’ ...... the students answered. “I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?” “Nothing” the students said. “Ok! What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?” the professor asked. “Your arm would begin to ache,” said one of the students. “You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?” “Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!” ventured another student; and all the students laughed. “Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” asked the professor. “No” the students said. “Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?” The students were puzzled. “Put the glass down!” said one of the students. “Exactly!” said the professor. “Life’s problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem okay. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.”

The Message

It’s important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but even more important is to know when to ‘put them down’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way! Don't let the weight of continuous worry bring you down. It is important to evaluate and process your challenges proactively but never hold onto them for too long.

May you have an incredible stress-free week!

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. ~Leo Buscaglia

Life Is The Coffee

Life Is The Coffee

(Author Unknown)

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups. 

The Message

Now consider that life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee which has been provided for us purely to enjoy" 

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." 

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly and enjoy the coffee ;)

 

May you have an awesome week!

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want. ~Oscar Wilde