₪ Sashikanta ₪

It’s Not What You Do, But How You Do It

Dr. Martin Luther King was surely one of the greatest men of the 20th century. What he stood for and what he accomplished will be forever imbedded in American history. We should all strive to accomplish such great feats, or at least commit ourselves to something so grand. He is quoted as saying: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”Many people believe that there are jobs that are below them or jobs that are not worthy of their time and effort. First of all, no job would exist if it were not necessary. Even garbage men are needed to help us maintain the kind of life we live. Even the lowliest of jobs is necessary. Second of all, it’s not about what one does that matters, but the amount of attention they put into. Most people, no matter how glamorous their job may be, never do their job to their full ability. Most people would not truly want to sign their name to the job they do and have people parade through and look at it.

I have met men who clean bathrooms who are more worthy of praise for the energy they put into doing it, and I have met me of high status who are not worth a moment’s time for how poorly they do their job.So it is not what one does that is important, but what kind of attention to detail one gives it. What kind of effort and energy one gives to what one is doing. Take for example eating. Most people simply guzzle the food into their mouths, rarely taking the time to enjoy every single bite as it grinds between their teeth and sits on their tongue. To enjoy the way it goes down their throat and enters their belly. To enjoy how each and every bite slowly fills the stomach and takes away the feeling of hunger and slowly replenishes the body with much needed nutrition. Everything else is the same, and everything we do should have our undivided attention at the time we are doing it.So how well do you do what it is you do, be it walking, talking, loving, or working? Do you give everything you do from showering to going to the bathroom the focus and attention it deserves.

Try not showering for a week, or a month, and see how that makes you feel. Try not going to the bathroom for a day or two, and see how important it really is. Not to mention learning to pay attention to your bodily functions is the first way to tell if you are getting sick.

So begin to approach everything, in every moment of your life as though you were creating a master piece. As though everything you do from walking to loving were a work of art and you were signing your name to it. Take the time to truly experience what it is like to do those things. What it is like to connect with yourself and the world that makes up your every day life. There is no one else who sees the world through your eyes or experiences life from your perspective. It is completely and totally you and yours. Enjoy it, and give everything you do total attention as it deserves.

  DETERMINATONIn 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.  Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built. Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.“We told them so.”“Crazy men and their crazy dreams.”“It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment. It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are. Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

 Thanks!!!

Be Special to Others

A group of frogs was traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit.  All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could.Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.This story teaches two lessons:1.  There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2.  A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill him or her. Be careful of what you say.

The power of words…. it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.

Thanks!!!