Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.      The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.      {Thomas Edison}

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The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee.  

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
 
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students
responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar
represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked." The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

 

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee


          
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how  things were so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed
Ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

            In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

            'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

            Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

            Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

            Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
Boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee
Beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

            'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your Door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

            Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

            Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my
Shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff
Spirit and hardened heart?

            Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things
are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot,
an egg or a coffee bean?

            May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you Strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy? The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

            When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

            You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.

                                                                  May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

 

"Never Say Never"

"Never Say Never"
"Don't say Can't"
We've all heard messages like these over and over.
We've all felt the shoulds, the have-tos, and the oughts
That well meaning people throw our way.
There's so much advice out there,
But the most important thing
Is to truly nurture our spirits
In ways that love and affirm who we are.
What may sound simple of course,
Isn't always so easy - for any of us.
We all go through ups and downs
As we tackle what comes our way,
As we reach for our hearts' dreams and desires.
Remember, as your journey unfolds,
That everything you hope for is really within your reach.
And all that you need to find your way is within
Wise, Loving, and Powerful You.

                                                                       
Carolyn Hope

 

 

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
when cares are pressing you down a bit,
       rest, if you must . . . but don't you quit.          

Success is failure turned inside out,  
 the silver tint of the clouds of doubt.  
and you never can tell how close you are,
           it may be near when it seems afar.

So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit . . .
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.

 

07/04/2010 09:11:12 AM