Greatest Hitter

A little boy put on his baseball uniform and went outside to play, chanting "I'm the best baseball hitter in the world!" He throws the ball in the air, swings and misses. Strike one! He adjusts his hat and says, "I'm the greatest baseball hitter in the world!" He throws the ball in the air, swings and misses. Strike two! He adjusts his hat a little more, takes a couple of practice swings and says, "I'm the best baseball hitter in the world!" Once more, he throws the ball in the air, swings and misses again. Strike three! He puts his head down, thinks for a few moments about what just happened, then jumps and says, "I'm the best pitcher in the world!"

My Reflection: 

If we only focus on the the negative aspects of a situation we will certainly miss out on the opportunity that lies just beyond it. It’s time to stop thinking about what is happening to you and to start focusing on what you can achieve in any given situation. A negative outlook won’t get you anywhere. Being optimistic on the other hand will take you places you have dreamed about. Living life to the fullest involves taking risks every day, and while not all of them end the way you want them to, it is in your control to adjust your outlook on the end result… It's not about what happens to you, it's about how you react to what happens and having a clear optimistic mind, you will be the best at what ever you set out to achieve!

I wish you a positive week ahead, where every situation presents itself optimistically in your mind!
Darren Zwiers

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”  ― Dr. Seuss

Think Simple

(Author Unkown)

One of Japan’s biggest cosmetics company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a workman was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Reflection

It is true that we all face problems of various sizes in our lives. For the most part, we are able to quickly solve them without much trouble at all, yet other cases can be far more difficult and when it comes to solving them, we tend to talk too much about the problem and allow less time solving it. There’s a famous quote that says “we are too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet”. We get so entangled in our problems that we forget to stop, remove ourselves from the situation and look at it with an ‘outsiders’ perspective. The good news is that every complex problem has a simple solution. There’s no need to always have to ‘tackle’ them. A huge obstacle for people is the way they view their problems: if you think that problems are completely threatening, or that having them is a sign of weakness or failure, and you see yourself as a bad problem solver, you won’t solve the problem at all! If you can be optimistic and look for the benefits and opportunities inherent within the problem, you are more likely to solve it effectively and efficiently. I believe that if you can apply this positive mindset to the obstacles in your life, you and the people around you be will be able to focus on what is really important, rather than dwelling on something that is out of your control. Rather apply all your energy and attention on creating a solution with long-lasting effects, than beating yourself up about something that is just there to challenge you.

May you have an awesome week, where problems become simple steps to higher levels of achievment.

Darren Zwiers

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them” - Albert Einstein.

What's Behind A Word

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by and took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."

Reflection

Words are certainly the most common use of communication among humans today; the amount of ideas and thoughts that we all express verbally or are expressed to us verbally on a daily basis is astounding. Behind all these words  reveal a hidden meaning; the intentions, the feelings, the emotions, the tones and overtones, the vibrations that they carry. With this in mind, it's surprising how little attention we pay to the words we use every day. What's even more fascinating (and we all guilty of this) is how quickly we can draw up our own conclusions simply because of how we are feeling at that exact point or the mindset we in. How often has someone suggested something innocent to you and you barked back at them, then later regretting how you responded.

The more we clear ourselves of negative energy, the more sensitive we can become to the subtleties behind the words we hear and speak everyday. Entering a conversation or discussion with a positive attitude will change the outcome of what's been spoken dramatically and will also strengthen the relationship to whom you are engaging with.

May you have an awesome week!
- Darren Zwiers

"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another" - Napoleon Hill.

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

Priceless Possessions

One day a father and his rich family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night on the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "Very good Dad!" "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Yeah!" "And what did you learn?" The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden; they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard; they have a whole horizon." When the little boy was finished, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how 'poor' we are!"

Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life - you've got everything! You can't buy any of these things. You may have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc, but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing! Keep lifes finer things close to your heart and don't complain about the things you dont have, rather rejoice and be grateful for the things you do have!

Have an awesome week!!

Darren Zwiers

The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury have always seemed to me contemptible. -Albert Einstein

 

 

Two Frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another... Be that person!

Have an awesome powerful week!

Darren Zwiers

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." - Adidas