A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.”

Its that ability to give so unconditionally defines our true wealth.

Most people are so attached to their material possessions that the thought of giving what we hold dear seems like an alien concept.

Once you let go of your attachment to material possessions, something would shift inside you and you will feel liberated.

The true art of giving is giving someone your essence.

something that will remain with them forever.

A smile, a kind word or just a hug goes a long way..

So, test this one and experience the liberation..

Best Regards,
Sidra
xxx

Time is one thing that is equal to all of us.

I came across the following parable that beautifully highlighted the importance of time and prioritizing our time that makes all the difference in the world!

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a
Group of business students and, to drive home a point, used
An illustration those students will never forget.

As he stood in front of the group of high-powered
Overachievers he said,

“Okay, time for a quiz” and he pulled out a one-gallon,
Wide-mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of
Him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and
Carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would
Fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the
Class yelled, “Yes.”

The time management expert replied, “Really?” He reached
Under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He
Dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of
Gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the
Big rocks. He then asked the group once more, “Is the jar
Full?”

By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one
Of them answered.

“Good!” he replied. He reached under the table and brought
Out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the
jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the
Rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is
this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted.

Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of
Water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to
The brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is
The point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is,
No matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard
You can always fit some more things in it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “That’s not the point. The truth
This illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big
Rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life?

Time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy Cause, teaching or mentoring others?

It can be absolutely anything!

Remember to put those Big rocks in first which makes the most difference in your life!

So , next time you are scheduling your diary just ask yourself the following question :

What are the ‘Big Rocks’ in my life?

Then, put those in your “jar” first and then fill the rest with all the other mundane chores that are needed to be done.

Good luck with this one!

Best Regards,

Sidra
xxx

Have you ever felt that in life where you keep going round and round on the same issue and seems to be making no headway?
Well, That’s how I felt when I was going round and round on the ice rink and didn’t know how to stop falling over again and again.

I was going round and round and kept falling over at various spots.

Then I decided to take a step back to see if there is something I need to learn.

I believe every experience in life is a learning experience and sometimes we are so busy being in the experience that we miss the lesson, hence the re occurrence of the experience.

As I sat down and observed my last few rounds on ice, I realized that I had fallen at the same point 3 times. Without even being aware of it.

Then I started observing the ice and realized that area had little hills of ice, which I was unaware of.

This is a perfect metaphor to show that how often in life do we experience failure and without analyzing the cause and learning from it we just move on only to find ourselves in the same situation again and again.

For some people its bad relationships for others it could be finances or health.

The key here is to be aware and pick up the pattern to learn from it before moving further, Otherwise the circumstances might be different but the emotion would be the same
Just like I kept falling on ice at different places but the reason was same ice hills!

So, next time you experience a set back in life, take a step back from the event and see if there is a pattern and the way you can identify a pattern is to look back and ask yourself this question :

When was the last time I was feeling this way and what was happening then ?

You would be surprised to see how there is a common thread in various different events.

Once you see the pattern, you can learn from it and be ready for new experiences without past baggage!

Good Luck with this one,

Until Next Time,

Love, Laugh and Be Happy!

Sidra
xxx

Sam Spent a year living in a basement with rats and mice. Every day she prayed for a safe place to sleep. Her prayers were finally answered when a friend offered a sofa in her living room. After two weeks of living out of black bags, she started praying again. ”Please! All I want is a room with a bed”. Three months later her daily prayers were answered and she found a room just enough to fulfill her requirements.

Why didn’t Sam ask for a detached 4-bedroom house with basement, garage and a backyard?
Because like most of us, Sam’s tendency was to limit God, universe or the higher source.

For some reason we get stuck in our immediate need and forget that the one who created the earth, the sun, stars, mountains, rivers, oceans and trees is an abundant source and we have an unlimited account at the universal bank.

When we truly appreciate the omnipotence of this power, only then we ask for we can receive and not what we THINK we can!

Remember what we receive in life is in directly in proportion to what we ask for!

So, look around the aspects of your life and see where you can receive more in life.

One way to do that, is to be in gratitude and ask the question

HOW DOES IT GET EVEN BETTER THAN THIS?

Good Luck with this one,

Until Next time,

Love, Laugh and be happy!

Sidra
Xxx

An old man was walking along the beach, when he came upon a part of the sand where thousands of starfish had washed ashore. A little further down the beach he saw a young woman , who was picking up the starfish one at a time and tossing the back into the ocean.

“Oh you silly girl,” he exclaimed  ”you can’t possibly save all of these starfish. There’s too many”

The woman smiled and said, “i know .But i can save this one” And she tossed another into the ocean, ” and this one,” toss, “and this one…”

And this is so true in our lives as well that some times a task is so big that we give up even before starting. In our heads we think that it won’t make a difference  and we can’t possibly save the whole world. no you can’t individually but if each and every one of us commit ourselves to doing our bit. keeping just our surroundings clear making a positive difference in our loved ones lives then atleast at the end of the day we know that we have done our bit!

So, next time you find yourself blaming the government, the people, the weather or anything else..

Check within yourself first and ask

Am i doing my bit and making a difference in my own life?

and this would help you stay focused on your own actions and behaviours..

Good luck with that ,

Until Next Time,

Love, Laugh and BE HAPPY!

Sidra

xxx