21

Human body is the greatest gift
we received from God

- Author-

Of all the life forms in the planet, human beings are the only life forms that have been endowed with intelligence.

Human body is also a great device with extraordinary potential across many levels.

Hence, human beings should realise the great opportunity that has been given to them and should find a good purpose in life, and try to fulfil it. And along the way, they are bound to encounter a lot of challenges.

The human body along with the human mind are the only tools that are going to help us to overcome these challenges and live a fulfilling life. So we should strive hard to maintain these tools in good and healthy condition.

22

You never know how strong you really are
until being strong is the only choice you have

- Bob Marley -

This is a classic quote which shows us that we never exercise our full strength as long as there are other options available.

But when all other options are exhausted and we have no other choice other than to use our complete strength, only then do we start to use our full strength.

We start to realise how strong we really are. So, it is in those moments of crisis do we realise our real strength. And we will surprised at what we are really capable of.

23

A little progress each day
adds up to big results

- Source: internet -

The importance of making small efforts each day towards our goal is highlighted in this quote. And these efforts add up and finally give the desired results when done on a consistent basis.

Taking these small steps on a daily basis may not show the results immediately. But they tend to add up over a period of time and will surely lead to Big results later.

So, keep working towards your goal even if you can only make small efforts daily. But, if you keep at it and show consistency, then the results will be there for everyone to see.

The following story from internet underlines this message:

The Daffodil Principle
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over."

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. “I will come next Tuesday” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.

Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!”

My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this all the time, Mother.”
“Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears, and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her.
“I was hoping you’d take me over to the garage to pick up my car.”
“How far will we have to drive?”
“Just a few blocks,” Carolyn said. “I’ll drive. I’m used to this.”

After several minutes, I had to ask, “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the garage!”

“We’re going to my garage the long way" Carolyn smiled, “by way of the daffodils.”
“Carolyn,” I said sternly, “please turn around.”
“It’s all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that said, “Daffodil Garden.”

We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.

Each different coloured variety was planted as a group, so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.
There were five acres of flowers.
“But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn.
“It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered.
“She lives on the property. That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster.

“Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one.

”50,000 bulbs,” it read.

The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain". The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

There it was, The Daffodil Principle.

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top.

Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable (indescribable) magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time often just one baby-step at a time and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily efforts, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

“It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn.
“What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years.

Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said.

24

What comes easy won't last long
and what lasts long won't come easy

- Source: internet -

The value of things that are obtained after hard work and sacrifice is highlighted in this quote.

All good things that are obtained after hard work and sacrifice will stay with us forever. On the contrary, things that are obtained easily will not last long.

So, if we don’t work hard for something and if we get it by luck or accident, then it will surely not last. But, if we genuinely work hard for something, then we are sure to get it and it will also last long.

25

You will never change your life
until you change something you do daily.

The secret of your success
is found in your daily routine.

- John C. Maxwell -

Maxwell simplifies the process that helps us to achieve our goals. We have to make changes in our daily activities and stick to them on a daily basis.

Anything we do on a daily basis will become a habit soon and will also inculcate a sense of discipline in our life.

That in turn will lay a solid foundation for your efforts. And efforts made with that kind of foundation will bring you closer to your goal very soon.

26

Power never corrupts a human being
It simply brings out his innermost qualities

- Author -

It is very difficult to understand the real qualities of a human being.

Many of our qualities are expressed and some of our qualities are suppressed. And when a human being has unlimited power, all the suppressed qualities find expression.

Money and power are two important tests that can measure the character of a human being, since all the suppressed qualities find expression when we have a lot of money and power.

27

Sometimes, you need a good fall
to know where you really stand

- Hayley Williams -

The importance of going through a bad phase in life is highlighted here.

It is in those moments, we can really understand ourselves and others.

We will come to know about our real strength and our ability to bounce back. We will know, who our real friends are, and what is our real worth in the society. We will know how many people really care for us.

These are the moments that will shine the light on the truth that we had failed to see earlier. It will be possible to reflect and understand things for what they are really worth.

With that knowledge, it will be possible to pick up the pieces and put them back together and come back stronger.

28

Champions are made only when
their will is stronger than their skill

- Muhammed Ali-

Muhammed Ali's golden quote highlights the importance of a strong will, in order to succeed in sports or in life.

No matter how skilled a person may be, in order to become a champion, it has be backed up by a even greater will. Only then, real champions emerge. Skill can only take you so far. But it is the will, that will take you past the finish line.

So, skill should always be backed up by a strong will, in order to succeed in life.

29

In our moments of pain,
we find our greatest power
lying within us.

- Source: internet -

Pain plays a crucial role in making us access the immense power that resides within each one of us.

Each one of us is blessed with extraordinary power within us and we neither use it nor realise the existence of that power. Only in our moments of pain, do we begin to access that power in an effort to overcome pain.

And when we begin to access it, we realise that we all have great power within us and we can do great things when we access it. And pain is the stimulus that puts us on this path of self-discovery. This power will make us strong and also help us grow into better human beings.

30

The wound is the place
where the Light enters you

- Rumi -

Wounds play a great purifying role in our lives.

Light is sign of knowledge, wisdom, purity, strength and healing.

And for light to enter our lives, it needs some point of entry. And wounds serve as those point of entries where light enters our lives.

When we get wounded, the healing light enters us and begins the process of healing. And while doing that, it also purifies us, grants us wisdom and makes us strong.

So, wounds play a special role by connecting us to light and thus help us grow.

Now, let us take a break from the quotes and look at a few important topics. Let us look at some of the methods that can be adopted to tame the mind.

Tame the mind
Human mind is an extraordinary tool. And along with the human body, forms the basis of our life.

For both material pursuits and spiritual pursuits, this is the tool that will decide the success of the pursuit. So, it is very important to keep this tool in good health.

Human mind is generally unsteady and it is imperative to make it steady in order to succeed in any endeavour.

There are three methods to tame the mind.

The first method is a direct method, where the mind can be made steady by arresting thoughts and becoming thought free for some time. This is a method that works directly on the mind. However, this is a difficult approach.

The other methods are more indirect and easier than the first method.

Since mind is very closely connected to the body, it is possible to steady the mind by using the body.

Mind is very much influenced by the breath and so it is possible to steady the mind by following deep breathing and regulated breathing techniques. As the breathing pattern is controlled, we get to control the mind as well.

And the third method involves making the body remain still for some time.

Mind will get arrested if the movements of the body are arrested. So, remaining still for some time will stabilise the mind and make it calm. If we practice this on a daily basis, then mind can become more stable and calm.

We can actually combine these methods and practice them on a regular basis to make our mind stable. With a steady mind as an ally, it will be much easier to focus on our efforts and reach our goals. So, everyone should practice these techniques to make our mind steady and calm.

The next topic we will see is about the importance of sacrifice in our life.

Sacrifice
Sacrifice is an important concept when it comes to pursuing a goal or in making others happy.

When we are pursuing a big goal, it is inevitable to make sacrifices.

We will have to sacrifice the small comforts and pleasures in life for the sake of something big . And that is how most big goals are achieved.

We will have to make sacrifices and do hard work in order to achieve something big in life. Not only do sacrifices help us in reaching our goals, they also give us enormous spiritual growth and make us stronger.

The human spirit goes through a massive growth and transformation process during sacrifices.

And there will also be many occasions in our lives, where we will have to make sacrifices for the sake of friends and family.

We have to make those sacrifices without complaints and be glad that we are able to make others happy with our actions. And these actions will help us to evolve and become better human beings.

And now let us look at more wonderful quotes.

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