The Grocer

This week marks the 2 year anniversary of "A Monday Inspiration" and I just want to take this moment to thank you for giving me the opportunity and inspiration to keep on writing week after week. I can't believe its already been two years. It really has been a meaningful experience and I aim to keep bringing you the Monday Inspiration every week. I always enjoy getting feedback from you, so don't be shy and let me know your thoughts and experiences from "A Monday Inspiration".

‘A grocer came to his master one day in great distress and shared the fact that across the way from his shop they had opened a large chain store that would drive him out of business. His family had owned his shop for a century – and to lose it now would be catastrophic, for there was nothing else he was skilled at. Said the Master ‘If you fear the owner of the chain store, you will hate him. And hatred will be your undoing’. ‘What shall I do?’ said the distraught grocer. ‘Each morning, walk out of your shop onto the sidewalk and bless your shop, wishing it prosperity. Then, turn to face the chain store and bless it too’. ‘What? Bless my competitor and destroyer?’ ‘Any blessing you give him will rebound to your good. Any evil you wish him will destroy you,’ replied the Master. After six months, the grocer returned to report that he had had to close down his shop as he had feared, but he was now the Manager of the chain store and his affairs were in better shape than ever
before!’

My Message

How many times have we come across someone who you feel is 'better' than you in the same area of expertise, and you fear that they will hinder your growth? What is the response some of us make in a situation like this? … We wish them failure and hope that our success will dominate over them and destroy them as a competitor. Is this the correct approach a person should take? Of course not, the correct approach would be to wish them the greatest fortune as being envious and malicious towards your competitors will actually damage your own chances of success. Instead you should celebrate their achievements and be extremely grateful for your own. You see, every negative comment or even thought you make towards someone else you are planting a seed and that seed will grow in your own garden and produce the exact negative vibration for yourself. So, instead harvest positive seeds and show appreciation and gratitude towards others and of course yourself. Master this and you will all
thrive at what you do, as we will be encouraging each other for success instead of intimidating and weakening the opposition. Let's face it, we all want to attain greatness in every thing we do, so lets all achieve it together.

May you have an awesome week.
Darren Zwiers


The Quote:

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."  - Mahatma Gandhi

Stone Soup

Many years ago in a time of great hardship and famine an old soldier wandered into a poverty stricken village and asked for shelter for the night. "There's nothing to eat here," the villagers told him, "you'd better move on!" "I have enough here to make soup for all of us," the soldier replied, "if I could just borrow a very large pot." Curious, the villagers produced a pot and stood around watching as the soldier filled it with water and built a small fire underneath. He then took three round stones from a small bag and dropped them into the water. As the water came to the boil the soldier sniffed it hungrily saying, "I do love stone soup, but if I just had a little cabbage it would taste even better!" At this one of the villagers disappeared returning a few minutes later with a cabbage he has been hiding and put it into the pot. A while later the soldier tasted the soup and says "Hmm, this is good, but a couple of carrots would make better still." Again a villager produced a bunch of carrots and so it went on as potatoes, onions, mushrooms and a bit of salt beef were all added to the pot until there was indeed a delicious meal for all.

My Message

We all have our own unique skills and talents. Every single one of us contribute to the world in a significant way. It is only when we all merge our portion of talents together that the world is able to advance in a productive, beneficial manner. By sharing our gifts and resources not only are our own lives enriched, but the lives of those around us. Society operates at it's optimum when everybody comes together to share a variety of different inputs to create one desired outcome. This applies to all areas of our lives - within our professions, our communities and even in our families. Never forget that your talent is the foundation for your own personal growth, share it in a 'joint venture' with other similar talents and I assure you, you will move the world.

May you have an awesome week, where your skills and talents get the opportunity to merge as a collective and help push human kind towards its destined goals.

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Henry Ford

The Black Belt

A young martial artist kneeling before the Master Sensei in a ceremony to receive a hard-earned black belt. After years of relentless training, the student has finally reached a pinnacle of achievement in the discipline. "Before granting the belt, you must pass one more test," says the Sensei. "I am ready," responds the student, expecting perhaps one final round of sparring. "You must answer the essential question: What is the true meaning of the black belt?" "The end of my journey," says the student. "A well-deserved reward for all my hard work." The Sensei waits for more. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally, the Sensei speaks. "You are not yet ready for the black belt. Return in one year." A year later, the student kneels again in front of the Sensei. "What is the true meaning of the black belt?" asks the Sensei. "A symbol of distinction and the highest achievement in our art," says the student. The Sensei says nothing for many minutes, waiting. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally, he speaks. "You are still not ready for the black belt. Return in one year." A year later, the student kneels once again in front of the Sensei. And again the Sensei asks: "What is the true meaning of the black belt?" "The black belt represents the beginning - the start of a never-ending journey of discipline, work, and the pursuit of an ever-higher standard," says the student. "Yes. You are now ready to receive the black belt and begin your work."

My Message

Sure, you might not be receiving a black belt in a martial art any time soon, but lets kick back to a moment in your life where you reached a pinnacle in something you achieved. Did you move on and forget about it, or did you take that moment of achievement to a higher, greater level? Our experience in this world is one of learning, to always gain deeper insights of our unique journey. We are learning new things every day in every aspect of our lives, so it is safe to say with certainty that we will never reach an end of learning… The more you know about a subject, the more you realise is still unknown. On the surface level this seems like a frustrating cycle, but it is one of the most beautiful things we possess. Imagine living in a state of totally mastery, of total knowledge, you would no longer have the thrill of new discovery, and the excitement of resolving unanswered questions. Life is certainly not stagnant so how could our understanding of it be. Each milestone along the way is only just the beginning of your next stage of development and as you learn this, never forget how important it is to master the art of humility required to keep learning.

May you have an awesome week, where your understanding keeps building to a wiser and more fulfilled life.
Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."  - T. S. Eliot 

Drink Thirstily

(Adapted from an article by Tzipporah Heller.)

Scenario 1: Let’s say you get lost in the Judean Desert. Your tour group stops at a remote desert vista on the way to Masada, you wander off slightly to take a picture of a particularly majestic mountain, you turn around, and… the group and the bus are gone. A couple hours go by, you drink up all the water in your bottle of spring water, no other tour bus comes to this remote place, and you are growing increasingly desperate as the day gets hotter and you get thirstier. Finally, after say, 8 hours, an army patrol comes by and rescues you. One of the soldiers offers you his filthy canteen full of warm water. Will you take it? Will you be grateful for it? Will you drink it thirstily? Of course you would. Scenario 2: You’re dining in a five-star hotel. At the end of your meal, the waiter comes and asks, “Would you like anything else?” You say, “Yes, I’d like some ice water, please.” He brings you a filthy canteen full of warm water. Will you drink it, or be grateful for it? Obviously not!

My Message

The more aware you are that you are in need, the less finicky you’ll be about from whom you are taking, but in essence what do we know is truly good for us at any given moment? How are we to know that what ever is handed to us will benefit us in the long run (and it always does)? The other day I had finished the tin of my favourite coffee beans and resorted to the backup tin of another brand. After my first sip I wished I could have my preferred brand, but then suddenly realised how shocking a thought that was. Here I am drinking coffee which is (kind of) delicious and I am wishing for something better. The coffee gave me the sustenance to face the morning and fuelled my body. My wishful thinking removed me from just enjoying where I was at that moment. This is like our lives, we get one thing and keep wishing for more as we feel it's not enough. When will it ever be enough? The moment you exercise immense gratitude for what is given to you, that is when. So the next time you are handed something you feel is not enough, forget about it and drink it thirstily.

May you have an awesome week, count your blessings and after you have counted them...count them again!
Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” – William A. Ward