Goodness Within

There was a father who had three sons and a magic ring. This magic ring had the power to bestow the gifts of kindness, generosity and grace to the one who possessed it. The father had used it well his entire life. Eventually, however, the time came when the father knew he was dying. Unwilling to give the magic ring to only one of his sons, he sent the ring to a jeweler and asked that two other identical rings be made. Afterwards, he called his sons together and told them “I have loved you my entire life and now I must pass along to you my most cherished possession. I give each of you a magic ring. These rings will bestow kindness, generosity and grace. Use the rings well, that you may have a long life and prosper with God’s help.”

Now, after the father died, the sons believed that only one of them actually had the magic ring. They began to argue and complain. Each believed that another brother had the magic ring. Eventually they took the rings to a judge and demanded “tell us which of these is the magic ring!” The judge answered “it is impossible to tell by looking at the rings. I would suggest we wait and watch to see who lives the most virtuous life like your father. The one who lives well will be the one who, obviously, possesses the magic ring.”

Each of the brothers agreed to this idea. And each of the brothers lived as if he possessed the magic ring. From that day forward, each of the brothers was filled with goodness, thoughtfulness, and honesty.

Reflection

We can never hold a symbol, item or relic in our hands and say that it will bring us more love and happiness. Kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity all come from the heart and is manifested by the way we live. We can remind ourselves of items that resemble these virtues but it is impossible for them to orchestrate the way we respond to the world and the people around us. Goodness comes from within you, so rather than focusing on how to find these virtues, focus on how you can use the abundance of greatness already given to you. We spend a lot of our time with our noses in self-development books, we go to lectures to hear how to become a better person, now I'm certainly not saying these are bad, they crucial to your growth, what I am suggesting is to stay focused on what's inside of YOU, focus on what you already posses. You have an innate kindness that's always ready to express itself. An awesome life is not about the possessions we hold in our hands, but rather our attributes we hold in our hearts.

Have an Awesome week,
Darren Zwiers

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." ~ Helen Keller 

Words In The Wind

A man badly insulted his neighbour. Realising his mistake, he went to his teacher to ask how he can get forgiveness. The teacher told him to take a bag of feathers and drop them in the centre of town. The man did as he was told. Then the teacher asked him to go and collect all the feathers and put them back in the bag. The man tried but couldn't as the feathers had all blown away. When he returned with the empty bag, the teacher said, "The same thing is true about your words. You dropped them rather easily but you cannot retrieve them, so be very careful in choosing your words."

Reflection

So often we don't take our words seriously. We shoot our mouths off without even realising the harm we are causing. Words can make someone smile, giggle, laugh and cry. They can build someone up, or tear them down. The truth is that you can never ever get these words back again. They are forever. It's time to pay attention to our words, it's time to change our negative speech into a language of positivity, encouragement and meaning. Words aren't just a mundane everyday thing we use. They hold a far greater power than you could ever imagine and they will last for generations to come. You remember the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me”? Well words can definitely harm someone, far worse than broken bones. Make sure the words you choose are always thoughtful and considerate. People who use caring language are always highly respected. There is no denying that... Be one of those people.

Have an Awesome week,

Darren Zwiers

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are endless.” – Mother Theresa

Little Things Are Important

Michelangelo (1475-1564) was one of the greatest artists, poets, and sculptors of all time. One day a visitor came to his studio in Florence. The visitor looked at a statue that was in the making and commented, "I can't see that you have made any progress since I was here last time."

Michelangelo answered, "Oh, yes, I have made much progress. Look carefully and you will see that I have retouched this part, and that I have polished that part. See, I have worked on this part of the statue, and have softened the lines here."

"Yes," said the visitor, "but those are all trifles."

"That may be," replied Michelangelo, "but trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle."

Reflection

Life is made up of little things, little things that count a great deal. It's the small intricate details in our lives that most people ignore, yet it's these details that make a huge difference in how we shape ourselves and our relationships. When we consistently do the little things well, we are successfully building a solid foundation to support our journey to greatness. By focusing on the little things in life we are creating a habit of perfection and thus the stepping stone to bigger and bolder things. What are these small things? They could be anything from making your bed in the morning to the way you speak to people around you. These tiny pieces of your everyday life combine into the whole web of who you truly are. If you can master this, then you won't have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. All you have to do today is to be absolutely brilliant at the small things. At the end of our lives, all we will be left with is the journey. It will be the time spent on becoming who we are and it's all these small things that add up to the person we become… Make sure you are brilliant at them.

Have an Awesome week,
Darren Zwiers

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." - John Wooden