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

A Pound Of Butter

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, "Your Honour, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honour, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker."

My Reflection:

The message behind this story is simple… In life we get back what we give to others. Many people think that to in order to get what you want in life, you have to take. This isn’t the case - to truly get what you want out of life, you need to be ready to give. There is a universal truth that the more of a ‘giver’ you are then what you want comes more naturally. Now ‘giving’ does not only mean giving out money or material items. You give not because you have to, but rather because you have an inherent urge to give. Most famous and successful philanthropists did not start their charity work when they got rich. They were giving long before wealth and fortune was showered upon them…. this says something about the nature of giving. If you identify goals in the lives of those in need and do something to help them reach it, you will also find meaning in your own life. Remember, a life worth living, is a life worth giving…

Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

“You give but little when you give of your possessions.It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”– Kahlil Gibran

The Attenborough Family

By Lord Richard Attenborough

My parents were radicals, In the late 1930s, my father chaired a committee devoted to bringing Jewish refugees out of Hitler's Germany. In most of the cases, it meant housing them for a few days while their papers were put in order to go to relatives in the United States or Canada. One day my mother went up to London to fetch two German girls, Irene, aged 12, and Helga, 9. But while they were with us, war broke out, ending all transport to America. My brothers and I came back from school one day and were told to see our parents in father's study. My father explained that Irene and Helga were stranded and there was nowhere for them to go. Their mother was in a concentration camp, and their father likely to be. They were asking if we would agree to adopt the girls. "It would strain the family finances and holidays and other treats would have to be reduced. "My parents said, "This is what we would like, but we won't do it without the agreement of you boys, because they are going to become your sisters. Our mother said, "We absolutely love you boys, but we have to show even more love to these girls because they are here on their own and without their parents. Remember that doesn’t mean we love you less. It is entirely up to you, darlings, if they stay….

The girls moved into the Attenborough home and were loved as a family. After time moved to America in the 1950s to live with their uncle.

My Reflection:

Real compassion is not just an emotional response but a powerful commitment based on reason. A truly compassionate attitude towards others will never change even if they behave negatively. Having a deep sense of compassion for another human being irrespective of who it may be is not a theory but rather a real and practical act of love! Compassion like the Attenborough family displays above comes from a sense of power that a person really needs the attention and care that no one else can provide. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence, it results from the relationships we all share with one another. When a person is sick, very young or very old, they must depend on the support of others. We are in this world together sharing the same existence and we all need each other, we all need to show compassion everyday. We all share an identical need for love, so it is possible to express a sense of sensitivity to everyone around us everyday. Stay humble and try to treat whoever you meet as an old friend in need of a little love.

Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

“One love, one heart, one destiny.” ― Bob Marley

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ― Mother Teresa

The Price of a Sundae

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” “50 cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “35 cents,” she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip. The boy had had enough for a sundae, but he had ordered plain ice cream so he could leave her a tip.

My Reflection:

This story is a great reminder to never forget those who serve you even if they don't remember you as it may just help remind them of their own value and there is nothing more rewarding than offering a silent reminder of ones greatness. We live in a world that continually tells us to “get all we can,” every so often it’s good to be reminded to “give something away.” Think of one small gesture that you can do this week that will encourage someone to believe in themselves!

Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Bath and The Bucket

A group of suppliers were being given a tour of a mental hospital. One of the visitors had made some very insulting remarks about the patients. After the tour the visitors were introduced to various members of staff in the canteen. The rude visitor chatted to one of the security staff, Bill, a kindly and wise ex-policeman. "Are they all raving loonies in here then?" said the rude man. "Only the ones who fail the test," said Bill. "What's the test?" said the man. "Well, we show them a bath full of water, a bucket, a jug and an egg-cup, and we ask them what's the quickest way to empty the bath," said Bill. "Oh I see, simple - the normal ones know it's the bucket, right?" "No actually," said Bill, "the normal ones say pull out the plug. Should I check when there's a bed free for you?"

My Reflection:

We can’t pretend that we don’t ever judge other people - it’s a combination of an 'innate setup’ that all humans posses, and something we develop overtime. We all judge people, there’s no escaping that! What’s really important is to know when you are judging someone and knowing that a bad judgement of someone can be harmful to both your perception of that person and what you tell others. Recognising your judgements can allow you to do it favourably. The judging itself isn’t bad, as you can always spin it to the positive. When you see someone less fortunate than you, or someone who is struggling with challenges, big or small, don’t start judging them as it’s impossible to genuinely help them from a place of judgment. Once you let you go of judgement you will arrive at a place of acceptance, curiosity and empathy and then you can you really help those in need. The added bonus is you’ll be a lot happier in the process too.


Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

“People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves.”  ― Albert Camus, The Fall

Mind At Ease

One day, a teacher was walking from one town to another with a few of his students. While they were traveling, they happened to pass by a lake. They stopped to rest there and the teacher asked one of his students to get him some water from the lake. A student walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed some people were washing clothes in the water and right at that moment, a horse and cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy. The student thought, ““How can I give this muddy water to my teacher to drink!”” So he came back and told his teacher, “The water in the lake is very muddy. I don’’t think it is suitable for you to drink.”” After a while, the teacher again asked the same student to go back to the lake and get him some water. The student obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the mud had settled down and the water was clean so he collected some in a pot and brought it to his teacher. The teacher looked at the water then looked up at the student and said, ““See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be and the mud settled down on its own. It is also the same with your mind. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time and it will settle down on its own.”

My Reflection:

How many times have you been overwhelmed by things in your life and react in a way you wish you never? The pace of our modern world tends to put our minds in a chaotic state. Sometimes it's easy to escape the ‘madness’ and other times it can be really difficult. How many times have you let your mind go wild, thinking about to-do-lists, what's happening later in the day, tomorrow’s events, reliving an experience which frustrated you the day before, panicking about work…. a tornado is brewing in your mind and you're getting real anxious because you can’t find the off button to the chaos in your mind. The truth is that you don’t need to turn off your mind, you never will be able to, but you can stop listening to the ‘noise’, stop allowing those thoughts orchestrate your feeling towards life and allow your mind to settle. Be patient with yourself. The quicker you can identify the noise in your mind, you will be able to settle it and bounce back to a state of peace. A peaceful mind is essential for our effectiveness in every day life. It keeps us calm no matter what the situation is. As the above story illustrates… when your mind is disturbed, it’s like mud in water, let it settle down and it will become pure once again.


Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

"When you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there". - George Harrison

Deliver The Goods

By Elbert Hubbard

Author Elbert Hubbard told the story of an incident during the Spanish-American War. It was imperative that the president got a message to the leader of the insurgents. His name was Garcia and he was known to be fighting somewhere in the mountains of Cuba, but no mail or telegraph could reach him. Someone said, "There's a fellow by the name of Rowan who will find Garcia for you if anybody can." Rowan took the letter without hesitation. He sealed it in a leather pouch strapped over his chest. He landed in the dark of night off the coast of Cuba and made his way to the mountains, after much difficulty, found Garcia. He handed him the letter, turned around and headed home. Hubbard tells this story in "A Letter to Garcia." Rowan didn't ask, "Exactly where is he?" or "I doubt if I can do it." There was a job to be done and he did it.

My Reflection:

Sometimes we are guilty of automatically looking for excuses to get out of a little hard work or to relieve ourselves of responsibility. A little too often we rationalise why we can’t do certain things, making excuses to prevent ourselves from achieving greatness… Unfortunately this is the first step in personal sabotage. Get over your “excuse making” self, no one enjoys listening to an excuse maker! It’s time to seize each opportunity that is presented to you and immerse yourself fully. Forget the why and how... just do it! Making excuses will only hinder your own personal progress. If you want results you will have to work hard, that is the only way you will get ahead of the crowd. Instead of making a hundred and one excuses why you can't complete a task or you can’t take on a project, think about our hero Rowan and deliver the goods!


Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” – Benjamin Franklin