how to climb a mountain?

A] Choose the mountain you want to climb: don’t pay attention to what other people say, such as “that one’s more beautiful” or “this one’s easier”. You’ll be spending lots of energy and enthusiasm to reach your objective, so you’re the only one responsible and you should be sure of what you’re doing.

B] Know how to get close to it: mountains are often seen from far off – beautiful, interesting, full of challenges. But what happens when we try to draw closer? Roads run all around them, flowers grow between you and your objective, what seemed so clear on the map is tough in real life. So try all the paths and all the tracks until eventually one day you’re standing in front of the top that you yearn to reach.

C] Learn from someone who has already been up there: no matter how unique you feel, there is always someone who has had the same dream before you and ended up leaving marks that can make your journey easier; places to hang the rope, trails, broken branches to make the walking easier. The climb is yours, so is the responsibility, but don’t forget that the experience of others can help a lot.

D] When seen up close, dangers are controllable: when you begin to climb the mountain of your dreams, pay attention to the surroundings. There are cliffs, of course. There are almost imperceptible cracks in the mountain rock. There are stones so polished by storms that they have become as slippery as ice. But if you know where you are placing each footstep, you will notice the traps and how to get around them.

E] The landscape changes, so enjoy it: of course, you have to have an objective in mind – to reach the top. But as you are going up, more things can be seen, and it’s no bother to stop now and again and enjoy the panorama around you. At every meter conquered, you can see a little further, so use this to discover things that you still had not noticed.

F] Respect your body: you can only climb a mountain if you give your body the attention it deserves. You have all the time that life grants you, as long as you walk without demanding what can’t be granted. If you go too fast you will grow tired and give up half way there. If you go too slow, night will fall and you will be lost. Enjoy the scenery, take delight in the cool spring water and the fruit that nature generously offers you, but keep on walking.

G] Respect your soul: don’t keep repeating “I’m going to make it”. Your soul already knows that, what it needs is to use the long journey to be able to grow, stretch along the horizon, touch the sky. An obsession does not help you at all to reach your objective, and even ends up taking the pleasure out of the climb. But pay attention: also, don’t keep saying “it’s harder than I thought”, because that will make you lose your inner strength.

H] Be prepared to climb one kilometer more: the way up to the top of the mountain is always longer than you think. Don’t fool yourself, the moment will arrive when what seemed so near is still very far. But since you were prepared to go beyond, this is not really a problem.

I] Be happy when you reach the top: cry, clap your hands, shout to the four winds that you did it, let the wind – the wind is always blowing up there – purify your mind, refresh your tired and sweaty feet, open your eyes, clean the dust from your heart. It feels so good, what was just a dream before, a distant vision, is now part of your life, you did it!

J] Make a promise: now that you have discovered a force that you were not even aware of, tell yourself that from now on you will use this force for the rest of your days. Preferably, also promise to discover another mountain, and set off on another adventure.

L] Tell your story: yes, tell your story! Give your example. Tell everyone that it’s possible, and other people will then have the courage to face their own mountains.


taken from “LIKE THE FLOWING RIVER” (Kindle Edition)

the creepy me

He/she is the kind of person who tries to stand out more when we are adolescents, when we are fighting to affirm our identities, our dreams, our place in the world. We are filled with doubts about what to do, and all of a sudden here comes the creep: always the leader, the one who thinks he is the best-looking, the most intelligent, the most able to face the challenges that lie ahead.

In the case of boys, normally he imposes himself by brute force or by his “smart” attitudes, as if he knew more than everybody else.
In the case of girls, the creep is always the one who seems to attract the looks of all the guys, get invited to all the parties, always be the most elegant.

During this important rite of passage called adolescence,while we suffer from feeling neglected, insecure and fragile, the creep sails smoothly by.

One fine day, when we are already adults, we think about getting together with our friends from adolescence. We organize a party, usually in a restaurant – where everyone shows up with their husbands and wives.

The creep shows up – generally married like the rest of us. We are all interested in what has become of his/her life.

The first surprise is that the creep went nowhere. Or rather, he may have taken a couple of successful steps, but soon life proved implacable towards his arrogance – the adult world is quite different from the one we live in when we are young.

When dinner starts, it seems that we have all been transported back, but soon we realize that he was just an instrument to enable us to grow. After a couple of drinks, we see the creep at bay, trying to prove a strength that no longer exists, feeling that we still believe that he is the leader of us all.

We smile, exchange kind words with everyone, pay the bill and leave with the impression that the creep has made the wrong choice. We think: “everything in that person should have worked out right, and it didn’t”.
All of us have known a creep or two in our lives. And that’s just as well.

chankya quotes

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and
Honest people are screwed first."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


" Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. ! It will destroy you."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no
Friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions -
Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind.
But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Whore s don't live in company of poor men, citizens never support a weak company and birds don't build nests on a tree that doesn't bear fruits."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***

"God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."



Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"A man is great by deeds, not by birth."


Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next
five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected
everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC -275 BC )




************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ***


"Nakaaratmak soch buri hoti hai...yeh ek prakaar ki sankramak beemari hoti hai...jo apne aaspaas hum sab mein nirashavaadi drishtikon failati hai...iss se bachna chahiye...Sada sakaaratmak hi sochna chahiye..." - Chanakya


*********************************************************

inner peace

the way we act is totaly our desicion.......
we shall not make changes according to people.....
we cant change by how people think we r
we shud be wt we think wt we shud be
if v hav sum pain......we shud not be in that for more time.......coz if we do......it ll becum our character

one can shout at u.....
u can forgive her/him....
but u ll say hw many times i shall forgive.....
yea u r ri8.....
but as many chances u give....u giv a cut to urself.....
that cut make u Polite , gentle......n diffrent 4m others.....
if u dont u ll get burnt in those things!
the more u bend.....the more sweeter u ll bcum....
their is no limit of politeness....forgiveness.....unlimited chances!!

this is not tht easy......but its achievable.....its our inner peace!!

when u care...

The writer Leo Buscaglia was once invited to be on the jury of a school competition to find ‘the child who cared most for others’.

The winner was a boy whose neighbour, a gentleman of over eighty, had just been widowed.
When he saw the old man sitting in his garden crying, the boy jumped over the fence, sat on the man’s lap and stayed there for a long time.

When he went back home, his mother asked him what he had said to the poor man.

‘Nothing,’ said the boy. ‘He’s lost his wife and that must have really hurt.

“I just went over to help him to cry.”

killing our dreams...

The first symptom of the
process of our killing our
dreams is the lack of time.
The busiest people I have
known in my life always have
time enough to do
everything. Those who do
nothing are always tired and
pay no attention to the little
amount of work they are
required to do. They
complain constantly that the
day is too short. The truth is,
they are afraid to fight the
Good Fight.
The second symptom of
the death of our dreams lies
in our certainties. Because we
don ’t want to see life as a
grand adventure, we begin to
think of ourselves as wise
and fair and correct in asking
so little of life. We look
beyond the walls of our day-
to-day existence, and we
hear the sound of lances
breaking, we smell the dust
and the sweat, and we see
the great defeats and the fire
in the eyes of the warriors.
But we never see the delight,
the immense delight in the
hearts of those who are
engaged in the battle. For
them, neither victory nor
defeat is important; what’s
important is only that they
are fighting the Good Fight.
And, finally, the third
symptom of the passing of
our dreams is peace. Life
becomes a Sunday
afternoon; we ask for
nothing grand, and we cease
to demand anything more
than we are willing to give. In
that state, we think of
ourselves as being mature;
we put aside the fantasies of
our youth, and we seek
personal and professional
achievement. We are
surprised when people our
age say that they still want
this or that out of life. But
really, deep in our hearts, we
know that what has
happened is that we have
renounced the battle for our
dreams – we have refused to
fight the Good Fight.
When we renounce our
dreams and find peace, we
go through a short period of
tranquility. But the dead
dreams begin to rot within us
and to infect our entire
being.
We become cruel to those
around us, and then we
begin to direct this cruelty
against ourselves. That’s
when illnesses and psychoses
arise. What we sought to
avoid in combat –
disappointment and defeat –
come upon us because of
our cowardice.
And one day, the dead,
spoiled dreams make it
difficult to breathe, and we
actually seek death. It’s death
that frees us from our
certainties, from our work,
and from that terrible peace
of our Sunday afternoons
Words from Petrus to me 
during The pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela

forgiveness

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

time for each thing...

It is important to know when
we can give attention and
when we need attention.
Often we are inclined to give,
give, give without every
asking anything in return.
We may think this is a sign of
generosity or even heroism.
But it might be little else
than a proud attitude that
says:
“ I don’t need help from
others. I only want to give.”
When we keep giving without
receiving we burn out
quickly…there is a time to
give and a time to receive.
We need equal time for both
if we want to live healthy
lives.
Henri Nouwen in Bread for
the Journey

live....

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow.

Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

Rejoice in the way things are.When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
The words of truth are always paradoxical.
Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful.

Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Lao Tzu ( also Lao Tse) was a mystic philosopher of ancient China, and best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching.

my heart........

“Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked, when they had made camp that day.
“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.”
“But my heart is agitated,” the boy said. “It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.”
“Well, that’s good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say.”
“My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. “It doesn’t want me to go on.”

“That makes sense. Naturally it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”
“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?”
“Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you’re thinking about life and about the world.”
“You mean I should listen, even if it’s treasonous?”

“Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you’ll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.

“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
“Every second of the search is an encounter with God,” the boy told his heart.

“Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him,” his heart said. “We, people’s hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them—the path to their destinies, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out indeed, to be threatening place.

“So, we, their hearts, speak more and more softly. We never stop speaking out, but we begin to hope that our words won’t be heard: we don’t want people to suffer because they don’t follow their hearts.”
From “The Alchemist”