The Time is Now!

I remember hearing this poem for the 1st time when I was younger, its message so strong and so real.
It's never grown old and always gives that drive for living in the now...

...The Things You Didn't Do
By Unonymous

Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and I dented it? 
I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't.

And remember the time I dragged you to the beach, and you said it would rain, and it did? 
I thought you'd say, "I told you so." But you didn't.

Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys to make you jealous, and you were? 
I thought you'd leave me, but you didn't.

Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug? 
I thought you'd hit me, but you didn't.

And remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was formal and you showed up in jeans? 
I thought you'd drop me, but you didn't.

Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do,
But you put up with me, and you loved me, and you protected me.

There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from the war.

But you didn't…

My Message:
Go ahead and put it off, don't send that sms, don't send those flowers, don't buy the dress or suite you've always wanted, keep the lovely dinner set hidden for that special occasion which has never happened…. What for?
What are we waiting for? Why do we procrastinate when it comes to the greatest gift of life, the gift of caring and loving?
You know the saddest thing is that we only realise the greatness of relationships when its too late.
Why do we do that to ourselves, lets rather celebrate life right now, celebrate being around the people you love… hug them, cherish them and keep telling them that they are special.
Life is so precious, so extremely fragile and not very long, so what do we do? we spend our days complaining about this person and that person and we are always wishing for better things, when you already have it, the greatest gift G-d has given you. The gift to care to love, to give and to express your loving role in the relationships you share with everyone you come into contact with.

Don't wait for tomorrow, don't wait for that person to say it first. Just do it now, make it happen today, tell that person how important they are and how special they are in this world… all it takes is a simple sms or email and if you want to make real difference tell it to them in person, The Time is Now!!!!! At the end of the day we are all here living in this world together, we share the same ground, so we might as well make it easier for us all, by showing how much we care.

May you have an incredible week, try make a personal commitment this week to tell the closest people how much they mean to you, I assure you it will not only lift their spirits, it will lift yours too.
Darren Zwiers

The Quote:
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” - Napoleon Hill

 

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Butterfly

The Story:
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

My Message:
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we would go through our lives without any obstacles, it would most likely cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly! So the next time you're faced with a difficult struggle remember how the butterfly gets its beautiful wings to soar gracefully... It keeps pushing its way through.

The poem below explains it perfectly:
I asked for Strength.........
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.........
And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And God gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!

May you have an awesome week where obstacles are only but steps of pure growth, attracting all the aspects and elements which you currently need!
Darren Zwiers

The Quote:
Never tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon.

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You Are!

The Story:
One day not too long ago the employees of a large company in St. Louis, Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said: "Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym."
At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be. The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered: "Who is this person who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he's no longer here!"
One by one the employees got closer to the coffin and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.
There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: 
"There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU."

My Message:
YOU are the only person who can revolutionise your life.
YOU are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realisation and your success.
YOU are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes.
Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realise that YOU ARE the only one responsible for your life.

May you have an incredible week full of energy to reach beyond the challenges that you are faced and rise to heights you only dreamed of!
Darren Zwiers

The Quote:
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia

Is Your Jar Full!

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was
full. They agreed it was.

The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes."

The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favourite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

When he had finished, there was a profound silence. Then one of the students raised her hand and with a puzzled expression, inquired what the beer represented.

The Professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

My Message:
This is one of my favourite stories as it illustrates in such an awesome way exactly how and where we should be focusing our energies. The essence of this lesson is so valuable, because once you master prioritising with the things that really count, time and life makes room for everything else. When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, don't forget the wise professor his mayonnaise jar......and the beer!

May you have an awesome week, where time graces you with the unlimited beauty in which it has to offer!

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:
"Believe that your life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact - William James 

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The Chef & His Daughter

THE STORY:
A daughter complained to her father about life and how things were so 
hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted 
to give up.
She was tired of struggling. It seemed that as soon as one 
problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with 
water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In 
one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he 
placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a 
word. 
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he 
was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished 
the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and 
placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a 
bowl too. Turning to her he asked. "What do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. 
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and 
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break 
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. 
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its 
rich aroma.

She said, "What's the point?" 
He explained that each of the items had faced the same adversity - 
boiling water - but each reacted differently. 
The carrot went in strong and hard. But after being subjected to the 
boiling water, it softened and became weak. 
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid 
interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became 
hardened. 
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the 
boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Do you become weak, like a carrot, hard on the inside, like an egg, or do you change the circumstances, like the coffee beans?"

MY MESSAGE:
This is such a beautiful story as it explains exactly how we should act when faced with difficult situations. Leading on from last weeks email when we learnt the importance of finding peace within chaos, the next level is how do we react once we find that moment of clarity? There are different ways to react to hardship and these can all vary depending on our personalities and what challenge is on our horizon. There are times when you have to go above what's required of you, being firm and other moments when you have to have the initiative to pull back, but what ever happens and whatever you decide to go with don't be weak or suppress things - change circumstances from within! Know what is right from with in your heart, take a step back and act in the best way you possibly can!
Last weeks pointers were well received, so as this is an 'expansion' to last week, I thought I would throw in some more neat tips to enhance your 'decision making' in difficult situations.
Never forget humans always grow stronger when exposed to challenges they feel they can't achieve. Don't set limits on yourself, just be awesome!

1. Take responsibility.
Assume an “I can do something” attitude rather than pointing fingers. If nothing else, you can control your own response to the situation.

2. Limit the focus.
Don’t let the problem become all encompassing. When you compartmentalise the difficulty, you can focus on a workable solution.

3. Be optimistic.
The ultimate belief in life as positive, even with hard-times and troubles, will result in positive behaviours and positive actions.

4. Think creatively.
Approach the problem from new and different directions. Trust your creativity.

5. Have courage.
Having courage doesn’t mean you’re not afraid. It means that you don’t let the fear get in the way of doing what you need to do.

6. Take action.
Handling the day-to-day details can keep you from getting bogged down in the mud of adversity. Determine what can be done, and do it.

7. Take the long-range view.
Remember that “this too shall pass.” Recount other times when you have overcome challenges.

8. Maintain a sense of humour.
Even in the darkest times, laughter can help ease the pain.

9. Get support.
No need to do it alone. Ask for help.

10. Don’t quit.
Persistence may be the greatest of human qualities that help us overcome adversity. Consider how water smoothes stones and wind sculpts Cliffsides.

May you always have the inner power to be able to act in a pro-active positive way in every challenge that faces you this week and the coming weeks.
Have a super awesome week!!

Darren Zwiers

THE QUOTE:

“What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”

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The Peace Contest

THE STORY:
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried and submitted their work.
The king looked at all the pictures. There were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake, perfectly mirroring the peaceful, towering mountains all around it. Overhead was blue sky with fluffy, white clouds. It was the favourite of all who saw it. Truly, they thought, it was the perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too, but these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of one mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. A less peaceful picture would be difficult to imagine. But when the king looked closely, he saw beside the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest in perfect peace.

Which picture would you have selected? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

“Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all these things and still be calm in your heart. This is the real meaning of peace.”

MY MESSAGE:
One of the most awesome things about being human is that we have the free choice to be at peace, to be calm, even when the world around us is not. This takes great practise and strength to have the power to identify the beauty of peace in chaos and it is so important to exercise this ability everyday, not only for the benefit of ourselves, but those closest to us. Holocaust survivor, author and psychotherapist, Viktor Frankl, reminds us that what happens in the world around us does not have to determine the way we feel about our lives. (If you haven't read his book "Mans search for Meaning" I highly recommend you do). The choice on how you react to life from what it hands you is purely up to you. We are creatures of reaction, we don't control what gets handed to us, only how we deal with it and more importantly how we grow from it.

This idea is great and we can all breath it in like fresh air but when the storm breaks we immediately forget its importance, our brains cloud up with frustration and this email would be a waste of time. I can offer you some simple (simple when in the right frame of mind) pointers for when you feel like you going to 'lose it'... remember these points especially when its needed:

1. Take breaks to reflect. - Whenever possible, take a break to reflect on the moment. Even short breaks can be a helpful reminder of peace in silence and recharge resistance to noise and haste.
2. Practice silent meditation. - The calming effects of silent meditation can carry us through chaos with inner peace that is nearly impossible to disrupt.
3. Look for gems. -  No matter how much chaos surrounds us, we can always find things that make us feel joy and calm. It could be another person’s actions, an item, such as a picture, or an observation. Look actively for these and you will find them.
4. Slow down. - Multi-tasking and running from task to task tend to have an ironically negative effect on productivity and rob us of our ability to truly enjoy life. In order to find the gems mentioned above, it is necessary to slow down.
5. Be independent of the opinions of others. - Concerning ourselves with the opinions of others who may be involved in the noise and haste makes it difficult to avoid getting caught up in it.
6. Be tolerant of the actions of others. -  Avoid the temptation to be pulled into drama and chaos by attempting to judge and project your values onto others. If you choose to judge, you will feel the need to observe actions you find disturbing.
and
7. Avoid comparing yourself to others. - Be your own person and handle things the way you feel is right not how you think others will.

...and with all this in mind may your coming weeks be filled with peace and may you keep living an awesome life of complete serenity!!
Darren Zwiers

THE QUOTE:

"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” - Mahatma Gandhi

 

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To A Child Love Is Spelled T-I-M-E

I came across this story some time back and I am very excited to share it with you on this awesome Monday. It is a little longer than the usual story I send, Im breaking my own rules, but it is well worth the read. Without denying it, the first time I read it my eyes swelled up and the lesson behind this beautiful story has stuck with me since.

The story: (Written by Lance Wubbels)
In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows.
Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.

It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover.
Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long-buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his  present aloneness.

Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son’s childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children’s old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.

Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short entry, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. 

It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their  magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.

Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son’s simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?
Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son’s journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. 

Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.

Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. 

His was leather bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son’s was tattered and the name “Jimmy” had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.

As he opened his journal, the old man’s eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words: "

Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn’t catch a thing.

" With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy’s journal and found the boy’s entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters pressed deeply in the paper read: " Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life."

My message:
We have all heard it before, someone once said on their death bed "I wish I played more, I wish I woke up earlier, I wish I laughed, danced and sung more. I wish I could of achieved this and achieved that especially that it seemed so hard at the time, yet it was so simple and I wish I could of spent more time with that person and loved them more. Life can dash past so fast and the moments we spend with the people closest could seem like a second. What we do with those moments given to us and how we share it with the people around us is all up to you. Don't be the person who says I wish I wish I wish when its too late. Be the person who says, I did it, I made it and I touched the lives of many. Cherish the moments you are given today, tomorrow and the next day forever because its the special moments of our life and how we share it that make us all achieve the impossible, the love and the happiness of living.

May you have an awesome week full of exciting moments, that bring you closer to achieving your dreams and assisting your loved ones achieve theirs!
Darren Zwiers

The quote:

"To The World, You Might Just Be One Person...
But To One Person, You Might Just Be The World."