Thought For The Day

Who will, if not you?

Human life is like a seed or a garden. What becomes of it depends highly on what a gardener does with it.

A gardener normally chooses the best seeds, soil, manure, implements and season to plant his seeds. He doesn't just leave things to the vagaries of the weather. He attends to his garden, nurtures the young seedlings, waters and weeds them. He ensures that the seedlings aren't destroyed by insects, birds or other people.   

It is this kind of diligence that is expected of you in any undertaking. You must give it the best of your ability .This explains why it is crucial that you continuously take stock of the way you run your life and affairs, just like the work a gardener puts in his garden.

 To begin with, you need a plan. Decide on what you want. Where do you want put up the garden? What do you want to plant? How do you want to do it? When do you want to do it? How much do you want spend on the project? What do you want to achieve? What is your expectation at the end of the first year, second, five, ten or twenty years from now ?  Who is helping you? What is their role and stake in it? What is your back up plan?

 Above all, you need to have a clear cut goal and vision.

You ought to see the garden in full blossom and beautiful. Visualize it .See it as if it already done.  See yourself enjoying and benefiting from the fruits, beauty, and work of your hand . Imagine the joy, satisfaction and admiration of all family members, friends, visitors and other creatures getting from it .See it all happening.

This is true of your life too .Your life is your garden. You need to plan, nurture and nourish it.

There are various dimensions to your life, and each and every aspect of it, needs to be taken into consideration. Each need to be cultivated, nourished, watered, weeded and nurtured in order to blossom.

Why not examine another scenario?  Let us take your life as a networker, for example. Here you have options. You could opt to beautify and enrich the lives of others in your team by giving out the best of your self, skills, knowledge and providing the much needed leadership or you could opt not to take charge and responsibility or turn a blind eye. 

 You need to take and accept others  just the way they are .Then, systematically and consistently , help them to grow ,discover their own riches and strengths ; as they wash away their dirt and weed out  their own  weaknesses and ' little failings .'

All can change, learn and grow individually or as a team .Yes, there may be some odd ones. But the beauty about human nature is that within a team, there will be always two or more people who could easily relate to the one branded a ‘difficult person’. Therefore, as a leader, it is important to know the teams’ and individual members strengths and weaknesses, their inclinations, how and who can get the best out of them. With this knowledge, it is easy to water, nurture and weed the team. Then, it is possible to get the best out of it.

 Everyone has a good side to him .Look for it.

As you weed others' lives, the same will become of your life too. There is power in giving and service to other people.

Of course, service to others may be a demanding task but this shouldn't deter you. Start small and discover its secrets and why this old Chinese proverb is one of the most powerful statements ever echoed:

            'Fragrance sticks to the hands that give roses.' 

The Sages advise that you should learn to give what you want, then, it will always come back to you in double fold.

Yes, you are human and you have your limitations. And weeds will keep sprouting here and there, but keep on weeding and watering your garden. It may be difficult, tedious even painful. But do it with pleasure. Take pride in it. 

Don't entertain negativity. It is a weed. It usurps all your positive energy. Weed it out before it takes root and destroys you. Strive to stay positive. Positivism is like oil to an engine or a smile to a face or humor to a conversation. It adds value to everything .It enriches your life.

 Embrace life in its totality ,the days and nights ,the  ups and downs for  the way you relate  all these, define your life .Embrace it all .Every day has its own story to tell and its fruits for all those  it finds  in the garden working ;tuned , alert and ready to  jump at every opportunity it brings .

• Strive to enjoy each day.

• Even the noise, complaints, and all sorts of human manipulations.

• See their beauty.

• Find their meaning and relevance in the scheme of things in your life.

• Turn it all into a beautiful song as you work on your garden.

• Let it all be fun, a play.

• Never ever let the sun set with gloom on your face.

• Shake it off!

• Why ruin that one special and unique day in your life

• Accept its message for you and weed on...

• Strive to be happy!

• Will you?