FAILURE: A ‘FRIEND’ OR A ‘FOE’?

Failure is no stranger to us. We have all failed at some point in our lives, at one thing or another. If there is anyone who claims that s/he has never tasted the bitter cup of failure at least once in their lifetime, then that person has never tried anything. Having said that, what is failure really? My definition of failure is that ‘It is the temporary state or condition of not meeting one’s goals.’ Failure is not permanent, unless we make it so ourselves. So, you failed! It is not the end of the World! And it doesn’t mean that you can’t change and rise above your current realities. If you think failure is permanent, think again!! Check out this list of successful people, whom I’m sure you are all familiar with, and you will be surprised how many times they have failed before they became the world renowned achievers they are.

1.  Henry Ford: Ford is today known for his innovative assembly line and American-made cars, he wasn’t an instant success. In fact, his early businesses failed and left him broke five time before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company.
2. Oprah Winfrey: Most people know Oprah as one of the most iconic faces on TV as well as one of the richest and most successful women in the world. Oprah faced a hard road to get to that position, however, enduring a rough and often abusive childhood as well as numerous career setbacks including being fired from her job as a television reporter because she was “unfit for tv.”
3. Walt Disney: Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked.
   
4. Albert Einstein: Most of us take Einstein’s name as synonymous with genius, but he didn’t always show such promise. Einstein did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and antisocial. Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.
5. Thomas Edison: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of course, all those unsuccessful attempts finally resulted in the design that worked.
6. Orville and Wilbur Wright: These brothers battled depression and family illness before starting the bicycle shop that would lead them to experimenting with flight. After numerous attempts at creating flying machines, several years of hard work, and tons of failed prototypes, the brothers finally created a plane that could get airborne and stay there.
7. Abraham Lincoln: While today he is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of our nation, Lincoln’s life wasn’t so easy. In his youth he went to war a captain and returned a private (if you’re not familiar with military ranks, just know that private is as low as it goes.) Lincoln didn’t stop failing there, however. He started numerous failed business and was defeated in numerous runs he made for public office.
8. Michael Jordan: Most people wouldn’t believe that a man often lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn’t let this setback stop him from playing the game and he has stated, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Source: http://www.budbilanich.com/50-famous-people-who-failed-at-their-first-attempt-at-career-success/

So, is failure a friend or a foe? It depends on your perception of it. But for me, after having read these success stories, failure is definitely a stepping stone and a recipe for success!

If you like this article, please share with your friends!!!

Thanks,

Lidia

THE HORSE PARABLE

We, human beings, have a tendency to categorize things we process whether they are situations or people. We often judge ours and other peoples’ situations quickly, without enough information and with no idea of what the future holds.

Here is a parable that will give us all a very important lesson:

‘There once was a poor old man who owned a beautiful white horse.
Whenever noblemen passed through the village, they always noticed the horse and offered handsome sums of money for the stallion. But the old man always declined their offers, saying, "This horse is my friend. How can I sell my friend?"

One morning the old man awoke to find the horse was gone. The village people gathered and said, "Old man you were a fool not to sell the horse. You could have been wealthy! Now it has been stolen, and you have nothing. It is a great misfortune!" But the old man replied, "Don't go so far as to say that. Whether the horse was stolen or not, or whether it is a misfortune or a blessing, is unknown. All we know is that the horse is not in the stable."

Some days later the horse returned, bringing with it several beautiful wild mares. Again the village people gathered, and they said, "Old man you were right! The horse was not stolen, and it was not a misfortune. It was a blessing, and now you have many fine horses!" But the old man replied, "Again you go too far. Don't say it's a good thing, don't say it's a bad thing. Just say the horse is back. Whether it is a blessing or a misfortune is unknown."

Some days later the old man's only son began to train the wild mares, but he was thrown and trampled, and one of his legs was badly broken. Again the village people gathered. "Oh old man, you were right! It was not a blessing but a great misfortune, and now your only son is lame! With a sigh the old man replied, "Don't say it's a good thing, don't say it's a bad thing, just say my son has broken his leg. Whether it is a blessing or a misfortune is unknown."

It happened that a few weeks later the country went to war, and all the able bodied young men were forcibly taken for the military. Only the old man's son was passed over, because he was crippled. The whole village was crying and weeping, for they believed their sons would probably be killed and never come home to them. In their grief they came to the old man and said, "You were right old man, your son's injury has proven to be a blessing. Your son may be crippled, but he is with you, while our sons are gone forever! The old man simply shook his head and said, "Will you never learn? Only say that your sons have been forced into the military and my son has not. More than that is not known."

MORALE OF THE STORY => Observe the reality of what is and accept it. It’s what it is! There is no need to judge! Simply accept things as they are and leave the rest to the Creator. You never know what tomorrow brings!

Thank you for reading,

Lidia

Every cloud has a silver lining

They say ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’. How could the bad things that happened in our life have a positive side, how can our problems which seem bigger than the Mount Everest have a good aspect to them?

The loss of a prized possession, the missing of an opportunity, the end of a relationship that was supposed to last forever, the loss of a job that you loved so much … what if this all happened to your benefit? Hard to believe, right? But God has something better in store for you, a better job, a better possession, a better relationship.

Clouds are the difficult phases in our life and silver linings are the rays of hopes. Every difficulty is a test of a person’s strength, and ability. When someone passes through an ordeal, s/he comes out stronger, better and brighter. So every calamity has a scope for progress. Nothing is permanent.  It doesn’t rain all year the sun will eventually come out. Just stay calm and maintain a positive attitude. Because, the night is always darkest before it dawns, the end of a relationship is a beginning of another one, the loss of a possession is an opportunity to get something better, difficult times lead to better days, failure leads to success. When God empties your hand he is actually preparing you to receive something better. Hence, all of the clouds in your life have a silver lining just believe and never give up!

‘God is the master of restoration taking the broken and damaged and making them beautiful.’

Thank you for reading,

Lidia

Every cloud has a silver lining - Give us an example of a time when something good came from something bad for you.  Add your comments below!

Happy Valentine’s day!

Valentine’s Day is around the corner with only a few hours left. Love is in the air! Flowers, candies, cards, chocolates and all kinds of gifts expressing love are exchanged on this day! I want to remind everyone though, Let’s not wait for February 14^th (Valentine’s Day), to express our love and to celebrate our friendship!

 Cheers to Love & Friendship!!!!!!!

I want to share with you a beautiful quote about love that touched my heart.

 “Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.” 
― #BobMarley

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s day from Everyday Inspirations!!!

Lots of Love, <3 <3 <3

Lidia
SHARE THIS QUOTE WITH YOUR LOVED ONE. SPREAD THE LOVE!!!

Conversations with the Wise Old Man (Part 2)

The wise old man’s speech was interrupted by Kuku’s arrival with breakfast for us. She laid down a bowl of steaming tomato soup, on the table, for the old man and scrambled eggs, bread and sauce for me. I thanked Kuku and the old man gave her a smile and a nod as a sign of thank you. Everything smelled so good and tasted even better. After some moments of pigging out in silence, I turned to look at the old man. He was sitting starring at me and hasn’t touched his food.

“What’s wrong Baba? Aren’t you gonna eat that?” I asked curiously.

“You have a good appetite!” he said with a smile on his face. “I used to be like you. But now I am old, my teeth are gone and I have poor appetite. Enjoy these things while you can, Giovane. They may seem trivial but sometimes we don’t know the value of something until we lose it.” I nodded my head in agreement taking a sip of my hot steaming green tea feeling a bit embarrassed about my pig out session.

“Giovane,” said the old man. I looked up from my cup of tea and replied “Yes Baba!”

“Have you ever been in love?”

I gave out a deep sigh and answered “Yes, I have been in love, more than once actually!”

“So, what happened?” asked the old man seeing the frustration on my face.

“Well, it didn’t work out! Sometimes I feel like giving up on love Baba!”

“Giovane, don’t shut your heart to love in the fear of getting hurt or of loving and not getting your love returned. A heart without love is like a body with a dead soul. Open the door of your heart and let love flow in and out. Of course, at times you might get hurt. You might get betrayed or disappointed. Your love might be unrequited or can be taken for granted. But ultimately what matters the most is that you loved. Give love without the expectation of receiving it back, you will be surprised how abundantly you will get it.”

He continued, “Another thing you should know is that, Love is more of a verb than a noun. It’s in the actions than the words. Anyone can promise you the world they can make you believe they care with sugarcoated words but at the end of the day if they don’t show it in their deeds, it is meaningless. Stop deceiving yourself. Love is black and white, it is not a gray area that you have to try and figure out. if someone loves you they will show it. Period! And you will know it, it’s not that complicated.”

“Giovane, don’t go chasing after people who don’t know your worth. If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your value to someone then it’s time to let them go. You are worth so much better than that. What’s meant to be yours can’t be taken away from you. Even if you let it go it will come back to you. But if someone or something is not meant to be yours no matter how much you try you can never make that person or thing stay.”

The old man took a slurp of his soup and turned his look towards the beautiful garden. Silence fell for a while. I can tell something was bothering him.

“What is it, Baba? Talk to me.” I said in a worried voice.

He quickly replied, “Nothing Giovane!” clearing his throat he continued “When you finally decide to marry, choose the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with carefully. Marriage is a commitment of a lifetime. It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. Don’t go for a person’s look only, as it will eventually fade away and after a while you will be left with the person’s character and soul. There is this saying ‘Don’t marry someone who is beautiful to the world, marry someone who makes your world beautiful.’ I had been blessed in this regard. My wife was a beautiful woman inside and out … a rare gem … a wonderful person! She made my life exquisite. And though she is gone she still lives in my heart.”

I could sense the sadness in his tone.

“I am so sorry Baba! I can only imagine how hard it must be for you!” I replied trying to hide the tears in my eyes.

“Oh it’s okay, Giovane. I have learned throughout the years to not cry again and again about the loved ones who have passed and let my soul be consumed with bitterness! It is true that we might miss them and wish that they were here with us at times. But they are in a better place where are no worries, fears, sadness, misery, insecurity, or bitterness. And no matter how much we cry or wish, we can never be able to undo what happened or to bring them back. We are going to them sooner or later but they are not coming back to us. Hence, it’s our choice to either make peace with it & move on or to lose our mind in agony. We can keep them in our hearts and cherish the good memories we had with them in our minds. If so they will live though us in our hearts and minds. But we have to move past the sorrow and anger eventually. Because…. Life goes on...” I slowly reached out to the old man’s hands and held them in mine. Only a person who has lost a loved one knows how difficult it can be.

Thank you for reading!

Lidia

To read Conversations with the Wise Old Man Part One, click on the following link:

http://www.inspirationsatkuwfb.blogspot.com/2015/01/conversations-with-wise-old-man-part-i.html