Lessons for life...

Sometimes life seems hard to bear, full of sorrow, trouble and woe. It's then I have to remember that it's in the valleys I grow. If I always stayed on the mountain top and never experienced pain, I would never appreciate the meaning of life
and would be living in vain. I have so much to learn coz my growth is very slow...

In the beginning, all things are hopeful. We prepare ourselves to start anew. Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in the first moment: our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
In order to start, we must make a decision. The decision is a commitment to daily self- cultivation. We must make a strong connection to our inner selves. Outside matters are superfluous. Alone and naked, we negotiate all of life's travails. Therefore, we alone must make something of ourselves, transforming ourselves into the instruments for experiencing the deepest spiritual essence of life.
Once we make our decision, all things will come to us. Auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response. It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive. In the same way, once we choose to commit ourselves to spiritual practice, even the mountains and valleys will reverberate to the sound of our purpose.

Wow, those are very beautiful words . What are you trying to get at , Sweettaboo ? Sound like some powerful belief . You said "It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive " . To that I'd respond : I believe it when I see it .
Is it some kind of religious literature ? Or just feelings come out from an enlightenment ? Please advise .

Where are u, sweettaboo? We wait for your beatiful words!
My soul becomes gentle when I read your article! . Thank you!
To live is to learn, to play, to interest and to love!

Yeah, your words sound very meaningful, sweettaboo ! I think the following story also give us a lesson for life. Hope this topic will nourish our hearts and souls:
A funny story is told about General George Patton from his World War II days. He once accepted an invitation to dine at a press camp in Africa. Wine was served in canteen cups but, obviously thinking he was served coffee, Patton poured cream into his cup.
As he stirred in sugar, Patton was warned that his cup contained red wine and not coffee.
Now, General Patton could never, never be wrong.
Without hesitating he replied, "I know. I like my wine this way." And he drank it!
I relate this story because I see something of myself, and perhaps most of us, here. It is difficult to admit mistakes. It is hard to admit when we are wrong.Three of life's most difficult words to say are, "I was wrong." But they are also three of the most powerful words we can utter.
"I was wrong" breaks down barriers between people. It brings estranged people together. And it creates a climate where intimacy and love may flourish. You may be surprised at how positively many people respond to the words, "I was wrong"!
Naturally, it is a risk. But to admit when you are wrong is not to confess that you are a "bad" person. Simply an honest one. And true friends will appreciate you for it.
Whole and happy lives are built by people who have learned the power of intimacy, in part, through the use of the words "I was wrong."
If I had a star for every time that you made me smile, I would hold the entire night sky in the palm of my hand...

Hi everyone,
Sweet is so sorry for late reply. Iõ?Tm so busy with my study now. Anyway, Iõ?Tve just finished my Midterm exam this morning, so hope that I could join this forum more often. Okay, those words came from my feelings at the happiest moment. I realized the power of belief from life and human. As I said, auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response. The struggles you face are just what you need to fulfill your potential for greatness. According to Htung, you just believe it when you see it, itõ?Ts alright. But sometimes when life pushes you down, push back! That's what you're here for. You're capable, you're creative, you're full of life and energy. You have what it takes to move yourself forward around any obstacle. Don't let anything stop you. Take strength from meeting the challenges, and move ahead. Do you think such strength comes from powerful belief? Yes, it does!
Think back over the past year. Consider the ways in which you've grown, the things you've learned, your accomplishments. Most of these probably came from overcoming some challenge or adversity which initially stood in your way.
And a year from now, when you look back at today, you'll see that the problem you're so concerned with right now, was another valuable lesson waiting to be learnedõ?Ư Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
However, in reality sometimes I'm not strong enough to handle troubles and lose my belief in everything... Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong things before meeting the right one so that we will know how to be grateful for that gift. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
Anyway, those are moving thoughts for us to learn.

A Bag of Biscuits
One night there was a woman at the airport who had to wait for several hours before catching her next flight. While she waited she bought a book and a pack of biscuits to spend the time. She looked for a place to sit and waited. She was deep into her book when suddenly she realized that there was a young man sitting next to her who was stretching his hand, with no concern whatsoever, and grabbing the pack of cookies lying between them.
He started to eat them one by one. Not wanting to make a fuss about it she decided to ignore him. The woman, slightly bothered, ate the cookies and watched the clock, while the young and shameless thief of biscuits was also finishing them. The woman started to get really angry at this point and thought "If I wasn't such a good and educated person, I would have given this daring man a black eye by now."
Every time she ate a biscuit, he had one too. The dialogue between their eyes continued and when only one biscuit was left, she wondered what was he going to do. Softly and with a nervous smile, the young man grabbed the last biscuit and broke it in two. He offered one half to the woman while he ate the other half. Briskly she took the biscuit and thought, "What an insolent man! How uneducated! He didn't even thank me!" She had never met anybody so fresh and sighed, relieved to hear her flight announced. She grabbed her bags and went towards the boarding gate refusing to look back to where that insolent thief was seated.
After boarding the plane and nicely seated, she looked for her book which was nearly finished by now. While looking into her bag she was totally surprised to find her pack of biscuits nearly intact. If my biscuits are here, she thought feeling terribly, those others were his and he tried to share them with me.
Too late to apologize to the young man, she realized with pain, that it was her who had been insolent, uneducated and a thief, and not him.
How many times in our lives, had we known with certainty that something happened in a certain way, only to discover later that it wasn't true? How many times has our lack of trust within us made us judge other people unfairly with our conceited ideas, often far away from reality.
That is why we have to think twice before we judge others. Let's always give others the benefit of the doubt before we think badly of them.

Lesson of life...
-I feared being alone until I learned to like myself.
-I feared failure until I realized that I only fail when I don't try.
-I feared success until I realized that I had to try in order to be happy with myself.
-I feared people's opinions until I learned that people would have opinions about me anyway.
-I feared rejection until I leared to have faith in myself.
-I feared pain until I learedn that it's neccessary for growth.
-I feared the truth until I saw the ugliness in lies.
-I feared life until I experienced it's beauty.
-I feared death until I realized that it's not an end, but a beginning.
-I feared my destiny, until I realized that I had the power to change ,y life.
-I feared hate until I saw that it was nnothing more than ignorance.
-I feared love until it touched my heart, making the darkness fade into endless sunny days.
-I feared ridicule until i learned how to laugh at myself.
-I feared growing old until i realized that I gained wisdom everyday.
-I feared the future until I realized that life just kept getting better.
-I feared the past until I realized that it cuold no longer hurt me.
-I feared the dark until I saw the beauty of the starlight.
-I feared the light until I learned that the truth wuold give me strength.
-I feared change, until I saw that even the most beautiful butterfly had to undergo a metamorphosis before it could fly.

As I look back on my past, I remember the tears I cried, the jokes I laugh at, the things I missed and lost, but there's one thing I'll never regret: it's the day you came into my life!

I fear love until I find you
I fear money until I know how much money's strength is
...................
To live is to learn, to play, to interest and to love!

Do you believe me? There're smths about life I want to tell you.
1) Be strong enough to face the world each day.
2) Be weak enough to know you can't do everything alone.
3) Be generous to those who need your help.
4) Be frugal with what you need yourself.
5) Be wise enough to know that you don't know everything.
6) Be foolish enough to believe in miracles.
7) Be willing to share your joys.
8) Be willing to share the sorrows of others.
9) Be a leader when you see a path of others have missed.
10) Be a follower when you are shrouded in the midst of uncertainly.
11) Be the first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds.
12) Be the last to cricticize a colleague who fails.
13) Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not stumble.
14) Be sure of your final destination, in case you're going to the wring way.
15) Be loving to those who love you.
16) Be loving to who don't love you, and they may chage.
17) Above all, be yourself.
Have a good luck & good life...
See you... Bye...

As I look back on my past, I remember the tears I cried, the jokes I laugh at, the things I missed and lost, but there's one thing I'll never regret: it's the day you came into my life!