The Animal School

The Animal School (Author Leo Buscaglia) The animals got together in the forest one day and decided to start a school. There was a rabbit, a bird, a squirrel, a fish and an eel, and they formed a Board of Education. The rabbit insisted that running be in the curriculum. The bird insisted that flying be in the curriculum. The fish insisted that swimming be in the curriculum, and the squirrel insisted that swimming be in the curriculum. They put all of these things together and wrote a Curriculum Guide. Then they insisted that all of the animals to take all of the subjects. Although the rabbit was getting an A in running, perpendicular tree climbing was a real problem for him; he kept falling over backwards. Pretty soon he got to be sort of brain damaged, and he couldn’t run anymore. He found that instead of making an A in running, he was making C and, of course, he always made an F in perpendicular climbing. The bird was really beautiful at flying, but when it came to burrowing in the ground, he couldn’t do so well. He kept breaking his beak and wings. Pretty soon he was making a C in flying as well as an F in burrowing, and he had a hellava time with perpendicular tree climbing. Finally, the animal who ended up being valedictorian of the class was a mentally retarded eel who did everything half way. But the educators were all happy because everybody was taking all of the subjects, and it was called a "broad-based education." My Message I find so much truth behind this story. Think about how often we do this as adults, both in our personal and professional lives. We have been cultivated and familirised with a system which we are so obedient to. Yet we tend to forget that we are all unique and have our own awesome talents. Are you only getting a C in your greatest talents? Are you making a D in your God Given abilities, because you are working so hard on things that aren’t? We need to remind oursleves on what we brilliant at, and then make sure we focus our energies on that brilliance, even if it means stepping out from what we have been taught. You know the greatest leaders, most powerful innovators and pioneers are the ones who have stepped out from the crowd and did it the way they believed it should be. You need to embrace your oneness, your uniqueness and do not conform to something just because others want you to be. Be yourself and be the best that you can possibly be! May you have an awesome week where there are no restraints to how you live your life. Darren Zwiers The Quote: Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid - Albert Einstein

Parable of the Pencil

Parable of the Pencil (Author Unknown) The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.  One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand. Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil. Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside. And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart. The Message This weeks message lies purely in the story itself. Replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember and never forget them, and you will become the best person you can be. Let this story encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfil the purpose to which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change. You are far more powerful than you can imagine and just by being alive has every opportunity to make a positive change in the world, whatever your choice allow it to leave a positive mark. May you have an awesome week. Darren Zwiers The Quote: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~ Anne Frank

Power of Positive Talk

Power of Positive Talk (Author Unknown) A man was lost while driving through the countryside. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help. “Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!” And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?” The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.” The Message As the title of the story says 'words' are very powerful and used in the correct way can bring tremendous amounts of encouragement to those we interact with everyday. The truth is that we remember how people made us feel rather than what they said. Yes, words can alter our moods, emotions and self image without even realising it. So the next time you see your fellow loved one, relative or friend make sure your choice of words are that of encouragement, enthusiasm and positivity (you have to be sincere of course). Make this a good habit and people around you will enjoy being in your presence, because you are speaking life into them. May you have an awesome week, and YES you can achieve everything in front of you :) Darren Zwiers The Quote: "The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible."

Parable Of The Porcupine

Parable Of The Porcupine (Author Unknown) It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realising the situation, decided to group together to keep warm.  This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.  The Message People are not perfect, we are all created with our own little 'things' that aggravate those around us, but it's so important for all us to exercise patience and tolerance towards each other. We all hurt each other from time to time and without realising it we get each other worked up, it’s an inevitable part of being in a relationship and community. But in the end we’re often better off together than we might be apart. We are all here to serve our own unique and divine purpose. Learning to live in harmony together will allow us to reach that point in the most comfortable way. The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities. So the next time the person next to you clicks his pen or chews his gum, remember just like you with your little 'faults' they are serving a greater cause, and patience will only make it easier. May you have an incredible week where patience and tolerance become your greatest tool in achieving successful relationships with those around you. Darren Zwiers The Quote: “In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.” - Dalai Lama

The Wolves Within

The Wolves Within
(Author Unknown)

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way." "But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit." The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eye and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

The Message

Did you know that anger is an emotion, a state of mind that has no positive side? It's so destructive not only to yourself but to those around you, yet we express it and most of the time regret it. One of our greatest challenges that we face from day to day is to distance ourselves from anger. Yes yes we are all human and this is a massive battle of character, but it is so important to be aware of the signs of anger and to very quickly work out ways to control it, acting in the best way possible, by not causing harm to those around you. A person reacting on anger could never be taken seriously and can lose honour within seconds. Don't be that person! We are all required to create better environments for ourselves, our friends and family so please as you read this remember it and when anger arises within know that you are only taking away the most beautiful thing life has to offer, love. Keep feeding the right wolf and you will get to appreciate life with an abundance of kindness and tolerance.

May you have an awesome week!

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.

The Final Exam

The Final Exam
(Author Unknown)

A professor stood before his class of 20 senior organic biology students, about to hand out the final exam. "I want to say that it's been a pleasure teaching you this semester. I know you've all worked extremely hard and many of you are off to medical school after summer. So that no one gets their GP messed up because they might have been celebrating a bit too much this week, anyone who would like to opt out of the final exam today will receive a "B" for the course." There was much rejoicing amongst the class as students got up, passed by the professor to thank him and sign out on his offer. As the last taker left the room, the professor looked out over the handful of remaining students and asked, "Any one else? This is your last chance." One final student rose up and took the offer. The professor closed the door and took attendance of those students remaining. "I'm glad to see you believe in yourself." he said. "You all have A's."

The Message

How often do we give up because its just too easy to quite or how often do we not even bother to take action in achieving the things we really want, because its just too difficult. The sad and hard truth is because you don't have enough belief in yourself. I know we all talk about this and I'm sure you've heard it before, but your greatest teammate in the world is you - your self belief system. The "A" students knew that they were better than just getting a "B" and were certainly willing to put it on the line to beat it because they had worked so hard for the exam. So too we should be with life, we know we can do better than just settle for half measures, because we work so hard at achieving our goals everyday. So believe in yourself, get the "A" you deserve and when 'quitting' becomes an easy option just keep pushing on!!

May you have an awesome week where you get the power to look within yourself and know you can overcome any obstacle in front of you.

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on". - Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Cracked Pot

The Cracked Pot
(Author Unknown)

A water bearer in the east had two large pots, each hung on each end of a
pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in
 it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion 
of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, 
the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only
one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the 
perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for 
which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own 
imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of 
what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a
 bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

The Message

Each of us has our own unique flaws, but it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. Just like the pot never realised its unique abilities until shown, and how the water bearer utilised the pot's flaws to the goodness of its being. We too should be sensitive to our fellow man and of course ourselves. If you feel you have a weakness that holds you back, whatever it is don't let it pull you down, because the beauty is that flaw is 'speed tracking' your growth. A diamond was never created in its glorious state it had to be thoroughly polished to shine. The same is with your weaknesses, It needs to be worked on to become the most graceful thing in your life, and as with the water bearer's gentle kindness, he shows how important it is to take each person for what they are and to look for the good in them.

May you have an awesome week where strength is born from your weakness and that you have the eyes and heart to help others grow the same.

Darren Zwiers

The Quote:

“Our strength grows out of our weaknesses” - Ralph Waldo Emerson