Hidden Treasure

Hidden Treasure A man purchased a vacant lot and erected a house on it. He dwelt there for over 30 years. Then late one night, the telephone rings and there is an old quavering voice on the other end: " I must inform you that I am the last survivor of a group that buried a chest of gems in the premises where your house now stands, I am about to die, therefore I wish you to know". The man is so joyous he cannot sleep. He is wealthy! But actually for 30 years he was the legal possessor for the unclaimed treasure. My Message What makes this man happy today than thirty years ago?… "The knowledge of what he possesses." We never truly own anything unless we fully identify the fact that we posses it. Love, kindness, happiness... these are some of the things we naturally posses within us, yet we forget that they are always working for us throughout our lives. We take for granted that we own such amazing gems and instead program ourselves to operate under a strict routine or we too afraid or even lazy to use our possessions. Never forget that we have been given things in our lives to make the most of them, to use them in order to achieve incredible and meaningful things, to make a difference that no one but yourself can make. Take stock of all the great and beautiful things you own, claim them and work with them in the best way you can.  Have an amazing and awesome week! Darren Zwiers The Quote: “Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you.” - Andre Gide

The Three Year Old Grandfather

The Three Year Old Grandfather (Author Unknown) Shortly before his death a 90 year old man requests that the following be engraved on his tombstone: “Lived Three and a Half Years”. He explains as follows; “For the past 9 years, I have moved from one hospital to the next, suffering without end. I certainly would not call that ‘life’. I have no recollection of what I did from birth until age 4. From then until the age 15, I did nothing but play around. From ages 15 - 25, I studied laboriously in preparation for ‘life’. So, you can already subtract 34 years from my life.” “True form the ages of 25 - 81 I lived, but for one third of the time I got no pleasure out of life, because I was sleeping. Fifty six minus sleep time equals approximately 37 years. However, during these ‘good’ years, I worked very hard. Every minute I looked forward to the end of my workday, when I could go home. Honestly, I enjoyed around an hour and a half a day at home, resting up and recharging my batteries for the morrow, another day of arduous, frustrating work.” “If you add up an hour and half a day for 56 years, you will come out with approximately 30,000 hours, which is around 3 and half years of my life”. My Message What is important to you in life? What do you gain most pleasure from? Are you working hard at things you don’t ‘really’ feel interested in? Are you working hard, resting quick and then working even harder? Is this the point of life? The Ultimate question you should be asking yourself “Am I working at something that vibrates right down to the core of my being; Something which holds so much meaning in my life that it drives me to the next day without even thinking about it." This my friends is what we should be asking ourselves every day, and making sure we do all we can to live it out. As you can see by the above story, this 90 year old man realised when it was too late that his life could of been truly lived even while he worked. All he had to do was change his mindest and start to love the fact that he is able to contribute to the world. Yes there are moments in our lives where we have to “bite the bullet” and do the tedious tasks, but those times don’t have to last long as we are recreating our actions every day. What are you doing that makes a powerful and positive impact in your life? Can you say with confidence “that this week I am going to make sure I am one step closer to achieving the most out of my time in this world”... If you can't, then I suggest you look deep and hard into your heart to find ways to bring out the best of your time alive. Don't be the three year old grandpa and count all the lost opportunities. Wake up and start living today!! Have an amazing and awesome week! Darren Zwiers The Quote: Opportunities fly by while we sit regretting the chances we have lost, and the happiness that comes to us we heed not, because of the happiness that is gone. ~Jerome K. Jerome,

It's Life's Job

It's Life's Job (Steve Jobs, Commencement speech June 12, 2005) Jobs: "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." My Message As we have sadly seen the passing of a brilliant man a visionary and creative genius I thought it fit to use a few of his powerful words which he addressed Standford University in 2005. The above story has such a powerful message. We sometimes think of the idea of "what if today were the last", but how often do we use the heaviness of death to motivate us to do what we are set out to do? In Jobs' speech he is simply saying "Seize the day" While he acknowledges that no one wants to die, Jobs says the knowledge that we all will, should be motivation enough to live the best life possible. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” he says. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” How much more real can life be, when we learn that we are here for a short time only, and that is the truth. we don't know when our last day is, but we should at least fill our lives with all the things we really want to do. Life is too short to do something you don't want to be doing. Jobs truly made this idea a reality and it's not hard to see what came from it. This week, get out there and start making plans to achieve the things you have only dreamed of, start living to the fullest and getting ultimate pleasure out of every second that life has to offer. Have an amazing and awesome week! Darren Zwiers The Quote: “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me…Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful–that’s what matters.” - Steve Jobs

Eagles In A Storm

Eagles In A Storm (Author Unknown) Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. My Message When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them, we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief to what is right at that moment. To become flexible. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can give our thoughts the power to lift us above them. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we react and handle them. We have huge amounts of control over who we are and where we going, we just need to open our wings and learn to fly above the storms of life with an opptimistic outlook and happy mindset. If you choose to, so too will you soar above the storm. May you have an awesome week! Darren Zwiers The Quote: There is a counsel like deep water in a person's heart; one with understanding will draw it out - (Mishlei 20:5)

Haste Makes Waste

Haste Makes Waste (Author Unknown) I recently read a story of a guy who was late for a dentists appointment. As he drove into the multilevel parking lot, there were two cars ahead of him looking for a parking space. The lead car was crawling at a snails pace. The guy in front of him was blasting his horn, and he was tempted to do likewise to get the lead car to move on. However, he reasoned that there was no need to add to the cacophony. As the lead car swung around the corner, he noticed the handicapped symbol on the license plate. he was so happy to be patient enough not to add to that drivers misery. My Message Animals cannot postpone. They promptly go after what they desire. we humans on the other hand, may want to do something, but we also have the ability to decide to delay or forgo it. The ability to practice patience is a uniquely human trait. It's a choice we make and will define what kind of individual we are. We may discover that had we been more patient we would of gotten a better deal. Far more important than a better deal is that by being patient, we will not have to regret having said words that we cannot retrieve. Knee-jerk reactions may offend others. The spirituality of being patient is very beneficial to the condition of our spirit and the key to achieving ultimate happiness. May you have an awesome week! Darren Zwiers The Quote: Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off. ~Author Unknown