The Boy with a Green Cloth - Motivational Story

A building construction work was going on nearby. Lots of poor laborers were working there and their small children used to hold onto one another's shirt and play "train-train". Someone would become the engine and others would become bogies. Every day these children used to take turns becoming the engine and bogies but there was one small boy wearing only a half pant who used to hold one small green cloth in his hand and become the guard daily. 

I went to him and asked him, "Child, don't you also wish to become an engine or a bogie some time?" He softly replied, " Sir , I don't have a shirt to wear so how will the other children catch me to make the train?" I could see the slight wetness in his eyes.

But it gave me a lesson - he could have cried and sat at home and abused his parents for not affording to buy him a shirt but instead he chose another way to play and enjoy himself. In life, we don't get all things we desire and we keep complaining, "I don't have a bike,  I don't have car, I don't have this or that etc."

 Life is like that ....we need to make it beautiful and be grateful of what we have. 

Family Tree Poem by Ron Tranmer

I came across this poem on family tree which is inspirational and beautiful. It touches the chord and makes you smile.

 Family Tree Poem

      - By Ron Tranmer

There's love within our family tree

and happiness abounds.

It's roots are deeply planted

in rich and fertile ground.

We enjoy the rays of sunlight,

and endure the winds and rain.

And when a leaf falls from our tree,

together we share the pain.

God gave us earthly families

and never did intend,

that bonds of love built on earth,

upon our death would end.

For when our life is over

and from earth our souls will flee.

one by one, leaf by leaf

we will rejoin our family tree.

What it Means to Let Go?

When we say we want to let go of things, what does it really mean? Letting go means a lot more than one can think. The let go meaning is all about taking care of yourself and keeping oneself from getting hurt. Just came across this wonderful post and felt like sharing. Please do read...

To "let go" does not mean to stop caring.

It means I can't do it for someone else.

To "let go" is not to cut myself off.

It's the realization that I can't control another.

To "let go" is to admit powerlessness,

which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another.

It's to make the most of myself.

To "let go" is not to care for, 

but to care about.

To "let go" is not to fix, 

but to be supportive.

To "let go" is not to judge, 

but to allow another to be a human being.

To "let go" is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes,

but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To "let go" is not to deny, 

but to accept.

To "let go" is not to nag, scold, or argue, 

but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires,

but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To "let go" is not to regret the past, 

but to grow and live for the future.

To "let go" is to fear less and to love more.

Thinking is Like a Seed

Thinking is like a seed. Thinking about something is like planting the seed in your heart. What you think, grows within you. Thinking about the same thing everyday is like watering the seed of thought everyday to germinate and take the shape of a plant.

Once you start to overthink, you nurture the plant with your energy which acts as a fertilizer to grow more and more branches and blossom.So it is all about how much importance you give to this thought that shapes the future of this plant which will grow as a creeper and cling to every part of your mind and your brain. This creeper is nothing but a parasite that firstly, feeds on you to grow  and then overpowers you.

Once it does that it engulfs around you and there is no escape. The dark energy from this overthought creates its own space which do not leave a space of our own. What follows is a series of bad thoughts that scare us to the core.

Instead what one can do is absorb positive energy which can blossom the plant with positivity. The power of positive thought is unimaginably great and it helps people to gain courage and hope. Once you believe about being positive you summon courage to cope with life problem's more optimistically.

As this quote goes,

"A happy thought is like a seed,

that sows positivity for all

to reap."

Always try to find things that keep you grounded and to develop those strong beliefs. This way no matter how crazy the winds of life blows at you, you will stand tall, firmly planted and not easily uprooted.

The Bird With Two Heads Story

The Bird With Two Heads Story

Long time ago, there lived a strange bird on a tree just near the banks of a lake. The bird was strange from the rest of the other birds because it had two heads.

Once when the bird was flying around searching for fruit, the first head saw a beautiful red colored fruit.  The bird plucked the food with the same head and started eating it. But the second head was curious and bit jealous.

So the second head of the bird grumbled,"Looks like a delicious food! Share some with me." But the first head that was enjoying the fruit replied,"You or me! What difference does it make? Whoever eats the fruit would go in the same stomach. So why share? Let me share half the fruit with our wife." This reply made the second head sad. From that day onward the second head kept to itself and didn't talk much.

One day the bird with two heads again wandered around in search of food. The second head saw some fruits and got delighted. But the fruits came from a poisonous tree. When the first head realized this, it immediately warned the other head to not eat the fruit.

But this time the second head wasn't going to miss the chance of mocking the first head by finishing the fruit himself. And so the other head finished the entire fruit. But as the fruit was poisonous, the bird with the two heads suffered and eventually died.

Moral of the story  - It is better to live in agreement or to suffer severely like the bird did.

I am Standing Tall Poem

Recently I read a proverb that made me think over. The proverb goes like this:

"When the roots are deep,

there is no reason to fear

the wind."

Making a use of this proverb and adding some words of mine, here is a poem I plant to share that comes to my mind.

I am Standing Tall Poem 

"I have weathered many storms

and often, had to stand alone.

Though many leaves have fallen,

I look to my roots and say to myself..."

I am still standing tall..

"When the roots are deep,

there is no reason to fear

the wind."

Who worries about uproot

when all I think is to sway..

Sway around in happiness,

Sway around in peace..

When I look at things around me

I sway around in bliss.

Who cares what could happen

Who cares if I fall one day,

For I shall always remember these moments

That made my heart swell.

- Sangs

A Deadly Frozen Night Story (A True Story) - Life Lesson For Secret to Survival In This World

A Deadly Frozen Night (A True Story)

There was a Jewish man named Yankel, who had a bakery, in a town, Crown Heights, Germany. He always said, "You know why I’m alive today?"

He said "I was a kid, just a teenager at the time in Germany. Nazis were killing Jews with no mercy.

We were on the train being taken to Auschwitz by Nazis. Night came and it was deathly cold in that compartment.

The Germans left us on the side of the tracks overnight, sometimes for days, without any food. There were no blankets to keep us warm. Snow was falling everywhere. 

Cold winds were hitting our cheeks, every second. We were hundreds of people in that terribly cold night. No food. No water. No shelter. No blankets ".

"The blood in our bodies started freezing. It was becoming ice.

Beside me, there was a beloved elderly Jewish man from my hometown. He was shivering from head to toe, and looked terrible. So I wrapped my arms around him to warm him up. I hugged him tightly to give him some heat. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his neck. 

I begged him to try to be alive. I encouraged him. All night long, I kept this man warm this way. I was tired, and freezing cold myself. My fingers were numb, but I didn’t stop rubbing heat into that old man’s body.

Hours and hours went by. Finally, morning came and the sun began to shine. I looked around to see the other people. 

To my horror, all I could see were frozen bodies. All I could hear was deathly silence.

Nobody else in that cabin were alive. That freezing night killed them all. They died from the cold. 

Only two people survived: the old man and me. The old man survived because I kept him warm... and I survived because I was warming him. 

May I tell you the secret to survival in this world?

When you warm other people’s hearts, you will remain warm yourself.

When you support, encourage and inspire others, then you will discover support, encouragement and inspiration in your own life as well. My friends, That is the secret to a happy life." "When you are good to others you are good to yourself" "When you make people happy, people will make you happy"

Moral - You know who are the happiest people in this world - the givers not the takers. Few people in this world only know to take. But then there are those who know only to give. Giving gives them immense satisfaction and happiness. Such happiness could never be compared with any other precious wealth in this world. And hence they are the happiest people in the world. 

Believe in Yourself Poem

This poem 'Believe in yourself' is wonderful and motivating. It allows us the strength and hope of believing in oneself enough to do what we think we can do. It takes away the negativity and inspires us to keep going. I am not sure who the poet is but it is a wonderful work..

Believe in Yourself Poem

- By unknown

Believe in yourself and in your dream,

Though impossible things may seem.

Someday, somehow you'll get through,

To the goal you have in view.

Mountains fall and seas divide,

Before the one who in his stride,

Takes a hard road day by day,

Sweeping obstacles away.

Believe in yourself and in your plan,

Say not - I cannot - but , I can

The prizes of life we fail to win

Because we doubt the power within.

When Blindness Is In The Mind and Not Eyes

A blind man once asked a

Wise man, 

"Can there be anything

worse than losing eye 

sight?"

The Wise man replied,

"Yes, losing your Vision."

I recently came across a thought of wisdom by unknown which made me think about the actual difference in losing one's vision and losing eyesight. This above thought says a lot in itself. It is all about when blindness is in the mind and not eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. But if the soul is empty, what could the eyes see. It is not about losing the eye sight, it is about losing the vision.


According to Anglo-Irish poet Jonathan Swift,

“Vision is the art of seeing 

what is invisible to others.”

It is really important to have vision in our life as it helps us to concentrate and pay heed to the direction we choose. It allows us to enjoy a realistic yet positive mindset. It inspires and provides us with immense energy to carry on the path that we choose in our life.

George Washington Carver quoted,

"When there is no vision,

there is no hope."

So it is important to not limit our vision to reality but to focus far ahead and create our own path that can help us achieve our dreams.

The Man And The Bear Story - Inspirational Story

This is such a wonderful story! Hear it out..

So once a man went for hunting in a jungle. Since he couldn't find anything to hunt, the man was bit disappointed. Being tired and thirsty, he visited the small pond in the jungle to quench his thirst. He set aside the bow and arrow he was carrying and started drinking water from the pond. Suddenly a tiger appeared in front of him from the nearby bushes which scared the man. Frightened the man started running. Seeing that the tiger was following him, the man thought of climbing the nearby tree.

As he was about to climb, he saw a bear already sitting on one of the big branches of the tree. The following tiger and the bear above terrorized the man throughout. He just didn't know what to do next! That is when the bear said to him, "Do not be frighten, climb the tree. I won't hurt you. I am sitting here protecting myself from the tiger too" Trusting the bear, the man climbed the tree and sat on one of the thick branch waiting for the tiger to go away.

But the tiger wouldn't leave. He sat below the tree waiting for one of them to come down. Tired and weary the man went to sleep. Seeing the man sleeping, the tiger said to the bear, "This man doesn't mean anything to you, so why don't you push him down. I am hungry and let me eat him. I will not harm you at all."

But the bear didn't budge. The bear waited for the man to wake up and as soon as he did, it tried to catch some sleep. As soon as the bear slept, the tiger said to the man, "This bear means nothing to you, so why do you care? Just push it down and I will satiate my hunger and no harm will come to you." Without giving it a second thought, the man pushed the bear down. Fortunately the bear held on to one of the branches of the tree with its firm grip and saved itself.

The bear didn't fall, but did realize the true nature of this ungrateful human being in front of it, who could never be trusted. The bear said to the man, "I didn't betray you, but you did with the first chance you got. One can always trust an animal but one could never trust a human!"

Moral - Human being is known for his betrayal. Being unfaithful is one of his or her major traits.  But here's a wonderful quote that goes,

"A good man or woman will

be honest no matter how

painful the truth is.

A coward hides behind the lies 

and deceit." 

Making the bear's words come true is in one's own hand. You can either be faithful and not give in or just stab behind someone's back - the decision is yours and yours only! A good person know how to face difficulties and hence his difficulties don't last long. On the contrary the person who brings difficulties to others never stays happy.

The Gloomy Frog Story - A Story About Being a Victim

The gloomy frog story is one of the inspirational stories one can come across. I recently read it in a library under the section - 'short children inspirational stories'! The story sounded so good, I thought of sharing it here. Enjoy..

Freddie the frog was hopping past a pond when he heard a loud sigh.

He stopped and saw a sad looking frog named Frank sitting on a lily pad.

“What’s wrong?” Freddie asked.

“Life is so hard here on this pond,” said Frank, “there used to be more insects to eat, now I’m starving.”

“I live in the pond down the road, we have plenty of insects to share,” explained Freddie.

“I wish that there were more insects here, then I wouldn’t have to move.”

“But if you move there will be plenty of insects to eat.” said Freddie.

“I wish that my tongue was longer.  That would fix everything, then I could catch more insects without having to move.”

“But you will never have a longer tongue and if you move, you will have enough insects,” said an increasingly frustrated Freddie.

As they spoke, a large heron landed at the other end of the pond.

“Oh great, “said Frank, “Now the heron is going to eat me.”

“It doesn’t have to.  Quick come with me, there are no herons at my pond,” said Freddie as he hopped away to safety.

Frank watched the other frog hop to his pond and sighed loudly.

“That frog is so lucky,” he said before being eaten by the heron.

The Woodpecker Poem

The Woodpecker Poem

        - By Anonymous

     A little bird, black and blue,

One day on my window flew,

Tap, tap, tapping on my window frame.

"Don't you do it, it's a shame."

I said.

"Peck, peck pecking on a wood,

That's the way I find my food.

People love my tapping sound,

Ans that's the way I am found."

"I am busy as a bee,

That is why I am happy you see,

That air is filled with my song.

Tap, tap, tapping all day long."

Little children learn from thee,

To be as busy as busy can be.

At your work or at your play,

Remember the woodpecker everyday.

Sip Your Coffee Nice and Slow Poem By Anonymous

This is a beautiful poem full of positivity and inspiration. This poem makes you realize that life is too short and we shouldn't just spend it worrying about things which are not in our hands. Sometimes the best we can do is sit back and relax and learn to enjoy our coffee.

Sip Your Coffee Nice and Slow 

    - By Anonymous

Sip your coffee, nice and slow,

No one ever knows when it’s time to go,

There’ll be no time to enjoy the glow,

So sip your coffee nice and slow.

Life is too short but feels pretty long,

There’s too much to do, so much going wrong,

And most of the time you struggle to be strong,

Before it’s too late and it’s time to go,

Sip your coffee nice and slow.

Some friends stay, others go away,

Loved ones are cherished, but not all will stay ,

Kids will grow up and fly away,

There’s really no saying how things will go,

So sip your coffee nice and slow.

Before you know it seasons have changed,

Those precious little moments are part of yesterday,

Most things have turned out relatively okay,

And you finally reap what you have sown,

So sip your coffee nice and slow.

In the end it’s really all about love,

For this world and it’s beauty and the stars above,

For His grace in your life, for each present moment,

Smile and breathe and let your worries go,

Just sip your coffee nice and slow.

Kintsugi - The Art of Healing

"When you come out of the storm, 

you won't be the same person 

who walked in. 

That's what the storm is all about."

- Haruki Murakami 

In Japan, broken objects which we usually throw away are repaired with gold. The damage or crack on the objects are never seen as flaws but as the object's history which is mended by filling the cracks with gold. The Japanese believe that when some object suffers a damage, it also seems to be the object's history and thus adds to it's existing beauty. This ancient Japanese practice is an art which is known as Kintsugi.

So what we learn from Kintsugi! Kintsugi teaches us that whatever struggles we had in life, or whatever damages we suffered in life or whatever flaws we have, we can learn to embrace them and repair ourselves with love. These flaws, struggles and damage that we witnessed are part of our history and they make us more beautiful. They teach us about life and make us strong. All beautiful things around us have their own flaws. Every beautiful object carries it's imperfections with it.

In the similar manner, our wounds and flaws add to our beauty. We are nothing different than Kintsugi. We too can be mended and healed. Mending is nothing but showing the honest parts of our past as a beautiful history. What we faced and what we fought defines us. It is what we are. Our true identity! Every beautiful thing is damaged. We all are that beauty. Lets mend ourselves and be beautiful like Kintsugi.

"We all are a little broken,

and that's okay."

10 Inspiring Quotes by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a well-known American poet, writer and singer. She has several books which include autobiographies, poetry and essays to her credit. Her words, thoughts and life lessons are inspiring.So when one feels low or unsure about situations or circumstances, listening to her quotes instantly brings positivity and optimism. Here are ten most inspiring quotes of Maya Angelou that would lift up your spirit and motivate you.

10 Inspiring Quotes of Mary Angelou

1. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.” - Maya Angelou

2. 

3. “No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”  - Maya Angelou



4.      “Did you want to see me broken?
          Bowed head and lowered eyes?
          Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
         Weakened by my soulful cries.

          You may shoot me with your words,
          You may cut me with your eyes,
          You may kill me with your hatefulness,
          But still, like air, I’ll rise.” -Maya Angelou


5.   “There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.”  - Maya Angelou



6.

7.  “Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.”  - Maya Angelou



8.  “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.
      Don’t make money your goal.
      Instead pursue the things you love doing,
      and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” - Maya Angelou




9. 
   

10. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.
       In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats,
       so you can know who you are, what you can rise from,
       how you can still come out of it.”  - Maya Angelou

The Man in the Glass Poem By Peter Dale Wimbrow

I recently read this poem and thoroughly enjoyed it. This poem is written by Peter Dale Wimbrow(1895 - 1954), usually known as Dale Wimbrow. Dale Wimbrow was an American composer, writer and is well known for his poems. This poem titled as "The Man in the Glass" is originally titled "The Guy in the Glass'. I am posting the version I read. This poem is about being true to oneself. The words of the poem remind you the one truth - 'You can cheat or lie to the whole world, but you can't cheat or lie to  yourself.'

The Man in the Glass 

                      - By Peter Dale Wimbrow

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,

And the world makes you king for a day,

Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father, or mother, or wife

Whose judgment upon you must pass,

The fellow whose verdict counts the most in your life

Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people may think you a straight-shooting chum

And call you a wonderful guy,

But the guy in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please - never mind all the rest

For he's with you, clear up to the end,

And you've passed your most difficult, dangerous test

If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as pass,

But your final reward will be heartaches and tears,

If you've cheated the man in the glass. 

35 Motivational Quotes for Students

Children need motivation. Whenever a child feels upbeat, parents should motivate their child.  Their are certain situations in life of students when they want to be encouraged. These situations could include the time during exams or even while making decisions. Exam time could be stressful for children. It is the time of the year when children go through a lot of ups and downs. Even though a child is well-prepared for, yet stress levels rise during exams. It could be due to the fear of attempting the paper or simply the thought of not doing well. This is the time when a child requires lot of motivation, encouragement and positivity.

Motivational quotes from great thinkers gives one a lot of encouragement and strength. Their wise words makes us think and rethink about the decisions we take. And hence such quotes of motivation are as valuable as any treasure.

Here are some motivational quotes for students by famous people that a student can always look forward to in every step of his life, be it weakness, be it exam fear, be it failure, be it taking decisions or so.

Motivational Quotes for Students on Failure

1. "Failure doesn't mean the game is over, it means try again with experience." - Len Schlesinger


2. "Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." - Henry Ford


3. "I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure" - Thomas Edison


4. "Failures are part of life.
     If you don't fail, you don't learn.
     If you don't learn, you'll never change." - Anonymous


5. "Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their failure." -                   Napoleon Hill


6. 

Motivational Quotes For Students on Believing

7. "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve." - Napoleon Hill

8. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." - Christian D. Larson

9. "Believe in yourself and you are unstoppable." - Anonymous

10. 

Motivational Quotes for Students on Fear

11. "The fears we don't face become our limits." - Robin Sharma

12. "Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears we can move forward, Stronger and Wiser within ourselves." - Unknown

13. "Never feed the fear, it only grows, 

       rather let the fear teach you how to overcome it. 

       Let it be the stepping stone to your bright future." - Unknown

14. 

15. "Never let fear decide your future." - Unknown

Motivational Quotes for Students on Taking Efforts

16. "Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction." - John F. Kennedy

17. "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." - Jimmy Johnson

18. "It's not about perfect. 

        It's about effort. 

        And when you bring that effort every single day, 

        That's where transformation happens. 

        That's how change occurs." - Jillian Michaels

19. "Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out." - Robert Collier 

20. "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking potential." - Winston Churchill

21. 

Motivational Quotes for Students on Trying New Areas

22. "The expert in anything was once a beginner." - Helen Hayes

23. "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharlal Nehru

24. "It is never too late to be who you might have been." - George Elliot

25. 

Motivational Quotes for Students on Courage

26. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." - E.E.Cummings

27. "Courage is not having the strength to go on. It is going on when you don't have the strength." - Theodore Roosevelt 

28. "It's easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone." - Mahatma Gandhi

29. "With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity." - Keshavan Nair

Motivational Quotes for Students on Weakness

30. 

Motivational Quotes for Students to Study Hard

31. "Push yourself because, no one else is going to do it for you." - Unknown

32. "Don't stop when you are tired. Stop when you are done." - David Goggins 

33. "Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow" - Doug Firebaugh

34. "Work hard until lamp light of your study table becomes spot light of stage."

35. 

Don't Quit Poem

The poem 'Don't Quit' is a beautiful, motivational poem which inspires us to keep going even when we are worried about the obstacles and feel like giving up. The poet of this poem is quite unknown. It is said that this poem was written by Edgar A. Guest and was originally renamed as 'Keep Going'. But this poem is also attributed to be the work of John Greenleaf Whittier or even William Murray Angus. Truth about the author of this poem still remains a mystery, yet one cannot deny that this poem is a beautiful piece of work. 

Don't Quit

         -By Unknown

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit-

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow -

You may succeeded with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor’s cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -

The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It might be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.