A Life That Makes a Difference! (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing awesome! Here is a true story that I would like to share
with you. It was written by Steve Goodier.

“How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?” Queen
Victoria of England asked Helen Keller. “How do you explain the fact
that even though you were both blind and deaf, you were able to
accomplish so much?”

Ms. Keller’s answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. “If it had
not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have
remained unknown.”

Speaker Zig Ziglar tells about “Little Annie” Sullivan, as she was
called when she was young. Little Annie was no stranger to hardship.
She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was,
at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly “insane” by her caregivers. She
was locked in the basement of a mental institution outside of Boston.
On occasion, Little Annie would violently attack anyone who came near.
Most of the time she generally ignored everyone in her presence.

An elderly nurse believed there was hope, however, and she made it her
mission to show love to the child. Every day she visited Little Annie.
For the most part, the child did not acknowledge the nurse’s presence,
but she still continued to visit. The kindly woman left cookies for
her and spoke words of love and encouragement. She believed Little
Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.

Eventually, doctors noticed a change in the girl. Where they once
witnessed anger and hostility, they now noted an emerging gentleness
and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then
the day finally came when this seemingly “hopeless” child was
released.

Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as
she, herself, was helped by the loving nurse. It was she who saw the
great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her,
played with her, pushed her, and worked with her until the flickering
candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne
Sullivan worked wonders in Helen’s life, but it was a loving nurse who
first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an
uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.

“If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would
have remained unknown.” But if it had not been for a kind and
dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained
unknown. And so it goes. Just how far back does the chain of
redemption extend? And how for forward will it lead?

Those you have sought to reach, whether they be in your family or
elsewhere, are part of a chain of love that can extend through the
generations. Your influence on their lives, whether or not you see
results, is immeasurable. Your legacy of dedicated kindness and caring
can transform lost and hopeless lives for years to come.

You can never overestimate the power of your love. It is a fire that,
once lit, may burn forever.

Wish you an excellent day!

Much Love,
Priya:))
Posted by Priya Deelchand
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Making The Best of You! (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing great! Here is a true story written by Steve
Goodier that I would like to share with you.

They say “make the best of a bad situation.” But I believe the bad
situation makes the best of you. Even the irritations of life can be
useful. President Abraham Lincoln showed us how this is so.

One of his cabinet appointees, Edwin Stanton, frequently found flaws
with the president and criticized him — sometimes in public. Lincoln
seemed to show excessive patience with him. The president was asked
why he kept such a man in a high level position.

Lincoln characteristically responded with a story. He told about a
time he was visiting with an old farmer. He noticed a big horsefly
biting the flank of the farmer’s horse. Lincoln said he reached over
to brush the fly away. As he did so, the farmer stopped him and
cautioned, “Don’t do that, friend. That horsefly is the only thing
keeping this old horse moving.”

Even life’s many irritations and problems have their place. They may
cause us to change directions. Or prod us to greater achievement. Or
keep us moving along when it’s easier to go nowhere.

Are you simply making the best of a bad situation, or will it make the
best of you?

Have an excellent day!

Much Love,
Priya:))
Posted by Priya Deelchand
http://www.facebook.com/board.php?status=256&uid=129163323764942#!/topic.php?uid=129163323764942&topic=81

The 3 Doors To Wisdom (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing awesome. Here is the life lesson that
I would like to share with you. The author is unknown.

A King had, as only son, a young Prince, brave, skillful
and intelligent. To perfect his knowledge of Life, he sent
him by the side of an Old Wise Man.

“Bring Light to my Path of Life”, the Prince asked.

“My words will faint away like the prints of your steps in
the sand”, the Wise Man answered. However, I want to give you
some indications. On your Path, you will find 3 doors. Read
the rules written on each of them.

An irresistible need will urge you to follow them.
Don’t try and get away from them, because you would be
condemned to live again, ceaselessly, what you have avoided.
I may tell you no more.

You have to feel all this deep in your heart and in your flesh.
Go, now. Follow this path, right in front of you. “

The Old Wise Man disappeared and the Prince entered
the Path of Life.

He was soon in front of a big door, on which one could read:

“CHANGE THE WORLD”.

“It was my intention indeed”, the Prince thought, “because
if some things please me in this world, others greatly displease
me.”

And he began his first fight. His ideal, his ardour and his
power urged him to confront himself to the world, to undertake,
to conquer, to model reality according to his desires.

He found there the pleasure and the dizzyness of the conqueror,
but no peace in his heart. He managed to change some things but
many others resisted to him. Many years passed.

One day, he met the Old Wise Man who asked him:

“What have you learnt on your path?”

“I have learnt,” the Prince answered, “ how to discern what
is within my power and what is without, what depends on me and
what does not depend on me”.

“That’s good!”, the Old Man said. “Use your strength to act
on what is within your power. Forget what’s beyond your power.”
And he disappeared.

A bit later, the Prince was in front of a second door.
He could read on it :

“CHANGE THE OTHERS”.

“It was my intention indeed”, he thought. “The others are
a source of pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction, but also,
of pain, bitterness and frustration.”

And he rebelled against everything that could disturb him
or displease him in his fellow men. He tried to bend their
characters and to extirpate their defects.

It was there his second fight.

Many years passed.

One day, as he was meditating on the utility of the attempts
to change the others, he met the Old Wise Man who asked him:

“What have you learnt on your path?”

“I have learnt”, the Prince answered, “that the others are not
the cause or the source of my joys and my punishments, my
satisfactions and my setbacks. They are only opportunities
for all of them to be revealed.

It is in myself that all these things have their roots.”

“You are right,” the Wise Man said. “According to what they
wake up in you, the others reveal you to yourself. Be grateful
to those who make your enjoyment and pleasure vibrate.

But be also grateful to those who create in you suffering or
frustration, because, through them, life teaches you what
is left in you to learn and the path that you still have
to walk.”

And the Old Man disappeared.

A bit further, the Prince arrived in front of a door, on
which these words were written:

“CHANGE YOURSELF”.

“If I am myself the cause of my problems, it is indeed what’s
left in me to work on”, he said to himself.

And he began his 3rd fight. He tried to bend his character,
to fight his imperfections, to abolish his defects, to change
everything that did not please him in himself, everything that
did not correspond to his ideal.

After many years of this fight, in which he met some success,
but also, some failures and some resistances, the Prince met the
Wise Man who asked him:

“What have you learnt on your path?”

“I have learnt”, the Prince answered, ”that there are things
that we can improve, others that resist to us and that we can’t
manage to break.”

“That’s good!” the Wise Man said.

“Yes”, the Prince went on, ”but I am beginning to be tired
of fighting against everything, against everybody, against
myself. Won’t there be an end to it one day? When shall I
find a rest? I want to stop fighting, to give up, to
abandon everything, I want to let go !”

“It is precisely your next lesson“, the Old Wise Man said.
“But before going any further, turn round and behold the path
covered.”

And he disappeared.

On looking back, the Prince saw in the distance the 3rd door,
and noticed that it was carrying a text on its back, saying :

“ACCEPT YOURSELF.”

The Prince was surprised not to have seen this writing when
he went through the door, the other way.

“When one fights, one becomes blind”, he said to himself.
He also saw, lying on the ground, scattered around him,
everything he had thrown away and fought against in him:
his defects, his shadows, his fears, his limits, all his
old worries. He had learnt then how to recognize them, to
accept them, to love them. He had learnt how to love himself
without comparing himself to the others any more, without
judging himself, without reprimanding himself.

He met the Old Wise Man who asked him:

“What have you learnt on your path?”

“I have learnt”, the Prince answered,” that hating or refusing
a part of myself, it is to condemn myself never to be in
agreement with myself. I learnt how to accept myself, totally,
unconditionally.”

“That’s good!”, the Old Man said, it is the first rule in
Wisdom. Now you can go back through the 3rd door.”

He had no sooner reached the other side, that the Prince
perceived far away the back side of the second door, on which
he could read:

“ACCEPT THE OTHERS”.

All around him, he could recognize the persons he had been
with all his life through; those he had loved as well as those
he had hated. Those he had supported and those he had fought.

But the biggest surprise of all for him was that now, he was
absolutely unable to see their imperfections, their defects,
what formerly had embarrassed him so much, and against which
he had fought.

He met the Old Wise Man again.

“What have you learnt on your path?” he asked him.

“I have learnt”, the Prince answered, “that by being in
agreement with myself, I had no more anything to blame in the
others, no more anything to be afraid of in them. I have
learnt how to accept and to love the others, totally,
unconditionally.”

“That’s good!”, the Old Wise Man said. “It is the second
rule in Wisdom. You can go back through the second door.”

On reaching the other side of the second door, the Prince
perceived in the distance the back side of the first door,
on which he could read:

“ACCEPT THE WORLD”.

“Strangely enough”, he said to himself, “that I did not see
these words on the first time”. He looked all around him and
recognized this world which he had tried to conquer, to
transform, to change. He was struck by the brightness and
the beauty of every thing. By their perfection.

Nevertheless, it was the same world as before. Was it
the world which had changed or the glance he had on it?

He met the Old Wise Man who asked him:

“What have you learnt on your path?”

“I have learnt”, the Prince said, that the world is a mirror
for my soul. That my soul can’t see the world, it sees itself
in the world. When my soul is cheerful, the world seems cheerful
to it.

When it is overcome, the world seems sad to it. The world
itself is neither sad nor cheerful. It IS there; it exists; it
is everything. It was Not the world that disturbed me, but the
idea that I had of it. I have learnt to accept it without
judging it, to accept it totally, unconditionally. “

“It is 3rd rule of Wisdom”, the Old Man said.
“You are here now in agreement with yourself, with the others
and with the World.”

A profound feeling of peace, serenity, plenitude, filled
the Prince. Silence was in him.

“Now, you are ready to go past the last Threshold”, the
Old Wise Man said, “the one that goes from the silence of
Plenitude to the Plenitude of Silence “.

And the Old Man disappeared.

Have an excellent weekend!

Much Love,
Priya:))

What’s inside you make all the difference in life! (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

Posted by Priya Deelchand in the group “Happiness Is Your Birthright!”

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=339996970296&f=2&start=60&hash=33454b3e70cdb1d9dd13f7a099f0c5c7#!/topic.php?uid=339996970296&topic=13114

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing fantastic!:))

Here is a story that I would like to share with you today. My friend emailed me this wonderful story a few years ago and it is really worth reading as it contains an excellent lesson for all of us.

A young black boy saw a balloon seller on a street corner.
His eyes sparkled as he gazed at all the different colored
balloons – red, blue, white, black, yellow…

The old man selling the balloons saw the boy hesitate, then
gather his courage and approach.

“Tell me mister,” said the boy, “Do the black balloons fly
as high as the others?”

The old man felt a tear forming in his eye. He picked the boy
up, sat him on his knee and said, “Look.”

He let go of all the balloons. They drifted up in a cluster,
higher and higher into the blue sky, until they were so high
they disappeared.

“Did you see that?” the balloon seller asked.

“Yes,” said the boy.

“Did the black balloons fly as high as the others?”

“Yes, Mister, they did.”

“You see my boy, the balloons are like people. The important
thing isn’t their color, or what they look like on the outside.
No, the important thing is WHAT’S INSIDE.

And what’s inside you makes all the difference in life.”

Wish you all an excellent and joy-filled day!

Much love,
Priya:))

The Secret of Happiness (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing great and spent an awesome weekend!:))

Here is a wonderful story that my great friend Sangeeta Ramdin sent to me and that I want to share with you today!

The old man shuffled slowly into the restaurant. With head tilted, and shoulders bent forward, he leaned on his trusty cane with each unhurried step.

His tattered cloth jacket, patched trousers, worn out shoes, and warm personality made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, large rosy cheeks, and thin lips held in a tight, steady smile.

He stopped, turned with his whole body, and winked at a little girl seated by the door. She flashed a big grin right back at him. A young waitress named Mary watched him shuffle toward a table by the window.

Mary ran over to him, and said, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”

Without saying a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table.. Steadying him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she scooted the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss. And bless you for your kind gestures.”

“You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “And my name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment, and if you need anything at all in the mean time, just wave at me!”

After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change from his ticket. He left it lay. She helped him up from his chair, and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door.

Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”

He turned with his whole body, winked a smile, and nodded a thank you. “You are very kind.” he said softly.

When Mary went to clean his table, she almost fainted. Under his plate she found a business card, and a note scribbled on a napkin. Under the napkin was a one hundred dollar bill.

The note on the napkin read…

“Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”

The man she had waited on was the owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees had ever seen him in person.

Moral of the story: the secret to true happiness does lie in the smaller things in life….to try and smile through the pain, to give a little of yourself when you get the opportunity without expecting anything in return, of not holding on to grudges and moving ahead without past burdens, because only when we do these things will we shine and stand apart and be able to find true happiness!!

Wish you an excellent week ahead!

Much love,
Priya:))

Posted by Priya Deelchand  http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=339996970296&topic=15021

Overcome Your Obstacles and Grow Stronger (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you spent an awesome weekend!

Here is the story of a butterfly that I would like to share with you today. The author of this story is unknown.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly. To get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly…

Wish you an excellent week!

Much Love,
Priya:))

Posted by Priya Deelchand http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=339996970296&topic=15330

Stop Sitting On Your Talents (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing great!

Here is an awesome and true story written by Steve Goodier.

There was a man played piano in a bar. He was a good piano player. People came out just to hear him play. But one night, a patron told him he didn’t want to hear him just play anymore. He wanted him to sing a song.

The man said, “I don’t sing.”

But the customer was persistent. He told the bartender, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want that guy to sing!”

The bartender shouted across the room, “Hey buddy! If you want to get paid, sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”

So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And nobody had ever heard the song Mona, Mona Lisa sung the way it was sung that night by Nat King Cole!

He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but because he had to sing, he went on to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.

You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel as if your “talent” is particularly great, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you possess! The better question is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is rather “How will I use whatever ability I have?”

Have an excellent day and stop sitting on your talents! You are all unique and are highly capable of accomplishing great things in life!!! Wish you much success!

Much Love,
Priya:))

Posted by Priya Deelchand in the group Happiness Is Your Birthright! on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=339996970296&topic=15411

Happiness Is An Attitude (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you spent an excellent weekend

Here is a wonderful story that I would like to share with you today! The author of this story is unknown.

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. “Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it … It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away … just for this time in my life.”

So my dearest friends, you too choose to be happy every day of your life!!!

Much Love,
Priya:))

(Posted by Priya Deelchand in the group Happiness Is Your Birthright on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=339996970296&topic=15613 )

Acres of Diamonds (Posted by Priya Deelchand)

My dearest friends,

Hope you are all doing fantastic!!!

Today I would like to share a wonderful true story written by the famous Earl Nightingale with you! It is the story of Russell Conwell, author of Acres of Diamonds.

One of the most interesting Americans who lived in the 19th century was a man by the name of Russell Herman Conwell. He was born in 1843 and lived until 1925. He was a lawyer for about fifteen years until he became a clergyman.

One day, a young man went to him and told him he wanted a college education but couldn’t swing it financially. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment, what his aim in life was, besides being a man of cloth – that is. He decided to build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students. He did have a challenge, however. He would need a few million dollars to build the university. For Dr. Conwell, and anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of his goal.

Several years before this incident, Dr. Conwell was tremendously intrigued by a true story – with its ageless moral. The story was about a farmer who lived in Africa and through a visitor became tremendously excited about looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in abundance on the African continent and this farmer got so excited about the idea of millions of dollars worth of diamonds that he sold his farm to head out to the diamond line. He wandered all over the continent, as the years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, wealth, which he never found. Eventually he went completely broke and threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual looking rock about the size of a country egg and put it on his mantle as a sort of curiosity. A visitor stopped by and in viewing the rock practically went into terminal convulsions. He told the new owner of the farm that the funny looking rock on his mantle was about the biggest diamond that had ever been found. The new owner of the farm said, “Heck, the whole farm is covered with them” – and sure enough it was.

The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine…the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer was literally standing on “Acres of Diamonds” until he sold his farm.

Dr. Conwell learned from the story of the farmer and continued to teach it’s moral. Each of us is right in the middle of our own “Acre of Diamonds”, if only we would realize it and develop the ground we are standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures. Dr. Conwell told this story many times and attracted enormous audiences. He told the story long enough to have raised the money to start the college for underprivileged deserving students. In fact, he raised nearly six million dollars and the university he founded, Temple University in Philadelphia, has at least ten degree-granting colleges and six other schools.

When Doctor Russell H. Conwell talked about each of us being right on our own “Acre of Diamonds”, he meant it. This story does not get old…it will be true forever…

Opportunity does not just come along – it is there all the time – we just have to see it.

Wish you all an excellent day!

Much Love,
Priya:))
(Posted by Priya Deelchand http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=15700&uid=339996970296 )