The Richest Man In The Valley

A rich landowner named Carl often rode around his vast estate so he could congratulate himself on his great wealth. One day while riding around his estate on his favourite horse, he saw Hans, an old tenant farmer. Hans was sitting under a tree when Carl rode by. Hans said, 'I was just thanking God for my food.' Carl protested, 'If that is all I had to eat, I wouldn't feel like giving thanks.' Hans replied, 'God has given me everything I need, and I am thankful for it.' The old farmer added, 'It is strange you should come by today because I had a dream last night. In my dream a voice told me, 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight.' I don't know what it means, but I thought I ought to tell you.' Carl snorted, 'Dreams are nonsense,' and galloped away, but he could not forget Hans' words: 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight.' He was obviously the richest man in the valley, so he invited his doctor to his house that evening. Carl told the doctor what Hans had said. After a thorough examination, the doctor told the wealthy landowner, 'Carl, you are as strong and healthy as a horse. There is no way you are going to die tonight.' Nevertheless, for assurance, the doctor stayed with Carl, and they played cards through the night. The doctor left the next morning and Carl apologised for becoming so upset over the old man's dream. At about nine o'clock, a messenger arrived at Carl's door. 'What is it?' Carl demanded. The messenger explained, 'It's about old Hans. He died last night in his sleep.'

My Message:

Many people today derive their personal worth from the possessions they own. Their personal collection of expensive things defines what they are and who they can be. The idea of this is slightly frightening as how can a person weigh their personal worth with material items. The core essence of life isn't about what you own but rather what you do with what is given to you. How do you define wealth or success? Is the person who has the biggest house, the fastest car and the most fashionable wardrobe the wealthiest man? That all depends on what he does with his possessions and how deeply he appreciates it. The wealthiest person is the one who is most grateful to what they own right now. This is why they could say with all of their heart that they lack nothing.

May you have an enriching week!

Darren Zwiers

Who is rich? The one who is appreciates what he has… Talmud—Avot 4:1

To Love & Be Loved

Once upon a time…. A very poor man lived with his wife. One day, his wife, who had very long hair asked him to buy her a comb for her hair to grow well and to be well-groomed. The man felt very sorry and said no. He explained that he did not even have enough money to fix the strap of his watch he had just broken. She did not insist on her request. The man went to work and passed by a watch shop, sold his damaged watch at a low price and went to buy a comb for his wife. He came home in the evening with the comb in his hand ready to give to his wife. He was surprised when he saw his wife with a very short hair cut. She had sold her hair and was holding a new watch band. Tears flowed simultaneously from their eyes, not for the futility of their actions, but for the reciprocity of their love.

My Message:

Real love is mutual and is connected with reciprocity. Love is definitely not about expectation. If you start expecting things out of love it will almost always ruin what you are sharing in your relationships. It is a common thing that we give to others and expect the same in return when the time comes. We all know the famous line of "I owe you one" or "you owe me one"… This isn't what love is about. It's about giving of yourself completely and not expecting anything back in return, that is real love. Expectations may cause more stress than joy. They spoil the beauty of giving, which may lead to disappointment if the person doesn't return the kindness; and can tie your intentions to an internal score card, which places a wedge in the relationship. If you really love the people closest to you then start giving without conditional terms… If we can all achieve this then the above story will be something which we can all experience.

To love is nothing, to be loved is something but to love and to be loved by the one you love, that is everything.

May you have an awesome week!

Darren Zwiers

Pleasure is a necessary reciprocal. No one feels, who does not at the same time give it. To be pleased, one must please. What pleases you in others, will in general please them in you." ~ Lord Chesterfield

Someday Isle

I read the following article yesterday and it deeply moved me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is guilty of living on this Island. This week's email follows a slightly different format as the below article is too good not to share.... Enjoy!

"Everybody wants to achieve great goals. They want to be happy, healthy, thin, rich, attractive, financially independent. We all want the same things. But what happens is people decide I want these things but before they start they decide they want to take a vacation and they go to a wonderful place called Someday Isle. And on Someday Isle they say someday I'll lose some weight and someday I'll take that course and someday I'll finish it, and someday I'll send out that letter and someday I'll save some money, and someday I'll get out of debt. And who are they surrounded by on this wonderful fantasy land? Other people who are on Someday Isle. And what all these people day in and day out do is think of excuses. They think of reasons why not to get started. And this is what we've found is that successful people take action, and unsuccessful people take vacations on the island. So I'm going to give you the first secret of success today; it is vote yourself off the island, for life. No more Someday Isle. If you get an idea today, tomorrow, yesterday, if you get an idea take action on it now. Move now, move quickly. Because 95% of your success or failure in life is determined by your habits. And anything that you do repeatedly over and over again becomes a new habit. So therefore if you develop the habit of moving quickly and with focus and purpose, you become a completely different person than people who develop the habit of going to the island before they take any action." ~ Brian Tracy

May you have an awesome week!

Darren Zwiers

 "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — William Durant

Changing Course

The captain of a ship received a message one night, "Change your direction 15 degrees North to avoid collision." A little indignant, the captain replied, "I am the captain of a large ship and recommend you divert 15 degrees South." The captain received the reply, "We are a lighthouse."

My Message:

It doesn't matter who you are, life always requires flexibility. It's important to understand this and be willing to make an adjustment. Flexibility needs to be continually exercised in all areas of our lives… work, marriage, families, friendships and so forth. Being flexible isn't about being a weak or passive individual, it's the total opposite. Flexibility is a conscious choice, a skill, and a beneficial approach to the ever-changing, always evolving world we live in today. You can be firm in your convictions, passionate about your values and true to your intentions, yet at the same time be flexible enough to make significant changes and be open to new ideas along the journey. Sure, being flexible certainly isn't an easy task, however, just like your physical body, the more attention you place on expanding your flexibility, the more likely you are to do it. As you learn and enhance your ability to be flexible, your relationships and experience in this world can and will grow in ways you would only dream of. Life and the people around you are always changing. The more easily and quicker you can adapt, the more successful, happy, and appreciated you will become.

May you have an awesome week!

Darren Zwiers

"I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times". Everett Dirksen