Opposites: Optimism or Pessimism

Don't blame me for this... This blog owner asked for a new entry. I guess the last one wasn't enough of this old man.

What do you know abut Taoism?


I know nothing at all about Taoism except this story:


An old farmer's son found a great white stallion. His neighbor said, "My, how fortunate you are with your son finding that great horse."

Farmer: It could be good or it could be bad.

The horse bucked, his son fell and broke his leg. The neighbor told him how sad he was that his son had the misfortune of breaking his leg.

Farmer: It could be good or it could be bad.

A war lord came through gathering all able young men for war. The farmer's son was left behind with his broken leg. Again the neighbor said, how fortunate the man was that his son was not taken.

Farmer: It could be good or it could be bad.

The farmer is neither an optimist or a pessimist. It is all luck to him and good or bad at that.

When it rains, the optimist sees flowers and good crops coming. The pessimist prepares for a flood by building an arc.

The dreams of the optimist often come true. He sees the vision and he reaps the harvest.

The dreams of the pessimist come true too and he fails. He reaps the whirlwind.

So, will your dreams come true and are they positive dreams of success?

If they are, you will be the winner.

John

Are You Buying Postconsumer Content?

'Or' Are you buying recycled?

Just as important as recycling all of your rubbish is the act of “closing the circle” by buying stuff made of recycled materials. Keeping recyclable materials out of the trash heap is only the first step in ensuring the true value of recycling.

The high demand for eco-friendly products encourages manufacturers because of the financial benefits to use more of these materials. Belief that recycled products are more expensive or of poorer quality has consistently proven to be tosh. A recent Buy Recycled Business Alliance survey reports that 97% of respondents are satisfied with the performance of recycled products.

Try it for yourself compare products side-by-side to demonstrate the strength and quality of recycled products. Additional studies have shown that most of these products cost less than 5% more than comparable products made of virgin (non-recycled) content. Often the cost is the same or recycled materials even cost less.

Buying recycled products is easy. Just check the labels on the stuff you buy. Important to look out for is “Postconsumer content,” which means the product is made at least in part of materials we would usually throw away as waste.


To have a major impact, try to buy paper towels with at least 30% postconsumer content. Other great things to buy that are made from recyclables include aluminum cans, toilet tissue, trash bags, egg cartons, and glass containers. More and more of these products are available all the time, so support their manufacturers and keep the cycle going!

Borrow from time a peaceful tomorrow

I was researching poetry with my daughter for a school project led us to Helium and we came across something that has a lot to say in so little words . I do hope it's hopefully helpful. Beth says I should give 'my own' interpretation of the poem here. Maybe later ...

To Push Forward

Always find all possible ways
Chase so that success you can trace
Face the task as courage ever pays
Grace of God comes, if a soul prays

Fear not, instead have cheer
Dear friend, please shed no tear
Hear my word, for you, I am here
Near us is God in the atmosphere

Gather strength let it not wither
Bother not, but be bold dear brother
Altogether love changes mind’s weather
Feather-touch of God soothes like ether

Throw away worry to strongly grow
Narrow thoughts produce sorrow
Borrow from time a peaceful tomorrow
A zero becomes by hard-work a hero

Stay with hope to win the day
Say a prayer to make Angels obey
Play life-game keeping worry away
To allay fear, may help this little lay.

by M V Venkataraman

How To Make Foods Last Longer

I've never been a fan of wasting or throwing away food especially in these tough times.

You can make foods last longer by applying some very simple tricks that are not too commonly known. Here's a very helpful video on making foods last longer.

A plan to achieve your goals.

Have you ever felt like your doing what your are supposed to do but you don't seem to be getting anywhere?

Last week I was out shopping and I bumped into an old employee of mine 'Claire. She was one of those exceptional employees, priceless to a business, Claire added value to everything she touched she was one of the best budding managers I had the pleasure to develop.

We both had a few bags and decided to have a sit down a coffee and a catch-up. It had been almost 3 years since I last saw at a Claire.

She mentioned how she seemed to be standing still in her own life goals. Work seemed to be standing still. and she was unsure which direction to go and had a few options within the company. Her life outside of work seemed to be standing still almost waiting for something to happen.

So I pulled out a little pad that I had in my coat pocket which made us both burst into laughter. (As chance would have it I had written my shopping list on a page of one of my old little work note pads, the exact kind I used to buy all my employees to keep there to-do lists in!)

We went through an old exercise that make things a little clearer. at the end of coffee, Claire had a 2 new clear lists and a plan:

1. Her work achievements.
2. Her life achievements.

Claire wasn't standing still in life at all, she was merely too close to see what steps she had taken and achieved towards her end goals. Once we plotted the start to the end it was easy for Claire to see. She had actually taken some big steps that did need taking and actually milestones were reached.

I've found that making a simple list is great for helping me to plan for success. I take a single sheet of paper at the top of the sheet write my current status ... then the end of the sheet of paper the goal or result of that I want to achieve, then I can plot all the steps in the middle a lot easier.

Ticking off all the steps along the way makes me feel a whole lot happier too.

Green - Rubbish!

The world’s trash problem begins with the choices we all make every day. If we try to be more environmentally aware with what we buy and apply best practices, we will make a serious dent in the ever growing heaps of garbage filling the landfills.

There are a few simple, general guidelines you can follow to reduce your contribution to the world’s waste. If you have a choice of two similar products, choose the one with less packaging (or, in the case of some produce and other items, no packaging at all).

Whenever possible, buy long-lasting products instead of disposables. Consider buying frequently used products such as soap, laundry detergent, and dishwashing detergent in bulk or in concentrate to reduce unnecessary packaging.

Try shopping for bulk goods with a friend or family member—that way you can share the goods. Pay attention to how much you actually use of the common products on your shopping list, and buy only that amount.

Packaging and material goods are only two aspects of the “reduction” mindset.

We can all make an effort to reduce our use of electricity usage, water, petrol, paper, etc. In most cases, cutting back to the basics will simplify your life, creating a more peaceful, more economical, more earth-friendly existence.

Jamie Pugh | How To Triumph

Many people will take the easy road and never know there full potential. Some say that it's smart to walk the road most trodden. last night a "simple bloke from the valleys" (as he describes himself ) Walked a road where he truly cut his own path.

Jamie Pugh a 37yr old warehouse worker by day, a pizza delivery driver by night.. from Wales, faced his biggest fear last night which was singing in public. As he walked onto the stage of the UK TV show 'Britain's got talent' Jamie was physically shaking.

In front of over 3000 he tentatively nodded for the background music to start still shaking with fear as he did. Was a smart idea for Jamie to trust in himself and those who loved helped him to get where he was at that moment? Evidently it was...

Driven by raw emotion Jamie Pugh 'who had not slept for 3 days, prior due to his fear of performing in public.' had all who watched his ordeal welling up in tears by the end of his performance.

Jamie sang the most heart wrenching rendition of "bring him home" the West End Classic from Les Miserables.

Simon Cowell the main judge of the talent contest mentioned to Jamie that he could see just how important the last few minutes were, and it wasn't about the singing and Jamie held his head down in tears.

As he walked off the stage when asked how he felt "just for this brief moment I feel complete" said a Jamie.

I am certain that he has shown others that the impossible is often achievable...

Another Smart Idea - Simon asked Sue Son to come back and audition as a solo act!