There were about 70 scientists working on a very hectic project at Thumba . All of them were really stressed due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss . . . One day , one scientist went to request his boss " Sir , I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township . So I want to leave the office at 5 : 30pm " . The boss replied " Ok , You 're permitted to leave the office early today " . The gentleman started working , and continued his work after lunch . But as usual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch only when he felt he was close to completion . The time was 8 . 30PM ! He looked for his boss . He was not there . He closed everything and dragged himself towards home , feeling guilty for having disappointed his children . As he reached home , children were not there , and his wife alone was sitting in the hall and reading magazines . The situation was explosive , any talk would boomerang on him , he knew that . But he was surprised as his wife said " Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry ? " Half dumbfounded , the man could only manage to say " Well . . . if you would like to have coffee , I too will have . . . but what about children ? " " You don 't know ? ? Your manager came hereat 5 . 15 PM and has taken the children to the exhibition ! " wife replied . What had really happened was this : the boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5 . 00 PM . He thought to himself , this person will not leave the work , but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition . So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition . That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss even though the stress was tremendous . By the way , can you hazard a guess as to who the boss was ? He was none other than Dr . APJ Abdul Kalam , President of India . Two men went fishing . One was an experienced fisherman , the other wasn 't . Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish , he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh . Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish , he threw it back . The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing the man waste good fish . " Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch ? " he asked . The inexperienced fisherman replied , " You see , I only have a small frying pan ! " Sometimes , like that fisherman , we throwback the big plans , big dreams , big jobs , big opportunities that God gives us . Our faith is too small . We laugh at that fisherman who didn 't figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan , yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith ? Whether it 's a problem or a possibility , God will never give you anything bigger than you can handle . That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way . Stop telling God you 've got big problems . . . tell your problems you 've got a big God . Address by Azim Premji , Chairman , Wipro Corporation , in the " Shaping Young Minds Program " ( SYMP ) organized by the All India Management Association ( AIMA ) in collaboration with the Bombay Management Association ( BMA ) on February 9 , 2004 at NCPA in Mumbai on ' My Lessons in Life ' . " I am very happy to be here with you . It is always wonderful to be with young people . The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of something only when it begins to leave you . As my hair turned from black , to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper , I have begun to realize the importance of youth . At the same time , I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way . I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life . The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths . From the earliest years of our schooling , everyone focuses on what is wrong with us . There is an imaginary story of a rabbit . The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school . Like all rabbits , it could hop very well but could not swim . At the end of the year , the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming . The parents were concerned . They said , " Forget about hopping . You are anyway good at it . Concentrate on swimming . " They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming . And guess what happened ? The rabbit forgot how to hop ! As for swimming , have you ever seen a rabbit swim ? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at , we must also cherish what is good in us . That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses . The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found . My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year - old niece . She would always complain about the breakfast . The cook tried everything possible , but the child remained unhappy . Finally , my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready - to - cook packets . The child had to cut the packet and pour Read More . . . Once upon a time there was a man who thought his life was no more than a bundle of curse and pain . " O my Master " , he said to his wise old teacher one day , " when will pain leave this mankind ? Isn 't there a way I can escape it ? " The master smiled . Then instructed the young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and to drink it . " How does it taste ? " the Master asked . " Terrible , " replied the man . Now the wise teacher took the hand of his pupil and guided him to a nearby lake . The Master then asked him to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake . When the guy swirled his handful of salt into the lake , the old man said . . " Now drink the water from the lake . " The young man obeyed . " How does it taste ? " asked the Master . " Good ! " " Do you taste the salt ? " " No " Finally the Master sat beside his student , held his hand , and clarified " My son , the pain of life is pure salt . No more , no less . The amount of pain in life remains the same , exactly the same , but the amount we taste the ' pain ' depends on the container we put it into . So when you are in pain , the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things . " Stop being a glass . Become a lake ! Please sit down and make a list of all your pains . Then analyze the containers you have been using and how you can enlarge them as big as the size of lake . All the best ! There was a pastor who for several years had faithfully served the church . His executive responsibilities had taken him all over this country . As he concluded his message , he told of one of the most frightening , yet thought - provoking , experiences of his life . He had been on a long flight from one place to another . The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on : Fasten your seat belts . Then , after a while , a calm voice said , " We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence . Please be sure your seat belt is fastened . " As he looked around the aircraft , it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive . Later , the voice of the announcer said , " We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time . The turbulence is still ahead of us . " Then the storm broke . The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines . Lightening lit up the darkening skies , and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean . One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air ; the next , it dropped as if it were about to crash . The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him . He said , " As I looked around the plane , I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed . Some were praying . The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm . " Then , I suddenly saw a little girl . Apparently the storm meant nothing to her . She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat ; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly . Sometimes she closed her eyes , then she would read again ; then she would straighten her legs , but worry and fear were not in her world . When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that , as it rose and fell with frightening severity , when all the adults were scared half to death , thRead More . . . There was a man who had four sons . But they had a problem : they used to judge people too quickly . So he decided to send them each on a quest , to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away . But there was a difference . The first son was sent in the winter , the second in the spring , the third in summer , and the youngest son in the fall . When they had all gone and come back , he called them together to describe what they had seen . The first son said that the tree was ugly , bent , and twisted . The second son said " no , it was covered with green buds and full of promise . " The third son disagreed ; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful , it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen . The last son disagreed with all of them ; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit , full of life and fulfillment . The man then explained to his sons that they were all right , because they had each seen but only one season in the tree 's life , " Son , you cannot judge a tree or a person by only one season . The essence of who they are , and the pleasure that comes from that life , can only be measured at the end , when all the seasons are up ! " If you give up when it 's winter , you will miss the promise of your spring , the beauty of your summer , and fulfillment of your fall . Here was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet , the second richest man who has donated $ 31 billion to charity . Here are some very interesting aspects of his life : He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late ! He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers . He still lives in the same small 3 bedroom house in mid - town Omaha , that he bought after he got married 50 years ago . He says that he has everything he needs in that house . His house does not have a wall or a fence . He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him . He never travels by private jet , although he owns the world 's largest private jet company . His company , Berkshire Hathaway , owns 63 companies . He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies , giving them goals for the year . He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis . He has given his CEO 's only two rules . Rule number 1 : do not lose any of your share holder 's money . Rule number 2 : Do not forget rule number 1 . He does not socialize with the high society crowd . His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch television . Bill Gates , the world 's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago . Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet . So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour . But when Gates met him , the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet . Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone , nor has a computer on his desk . His advice to young people : Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself . A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game . The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes . Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates , so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his / her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he / she hates . When the day came , every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he / she hated . Some had 2 potatoes ; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes . Now the teacher asked children to carry their potatoes in a plastic bag wherever they go ( even to the toilet ) for 1 week . Days after days passed by , and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes . Besides , those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags . After 1 week , the children were relieved because the game had finally ended . The teacher asked : " How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week ? " The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go . Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game . The teacher said : " This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart . The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go . If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week , can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime ? Throw away any hatred for anyone from your heart so that you will not carry sins for a lifetime . Forgiving others is the best attitude to take . " Forget to hate . Learn to Forgive instead . Two friends were walking Through the desert . During some point of the journey , they had an argument , and one friend slapped the other one in the face . The one who got slapped was hurt , but without saying anything , wrote in the sand : " Today my best friend slapped me in the face . " They kept on walking , until they found an oasis , where they decided to take a bath . The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning , but the friend saved him . After he recovered from the near drowning , he wrote on a stone : " Today my best friend saved my life . " The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him , " After I hurt you , you wrote in the sand and now , you write on a stone , why ? " The other friend replied " When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away . But , when someone does something good for us , we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it . " Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone . They say it takes a minute to find a special person , an hour to appreciate them , a day to love them … but an entire life to forget them . Send this phrase to the people you 'll never forget . Take the time to live . Read More . . . A King wanted one honest successor to pass his throne to , and he had to choose the man of character amongst thousands of candidates . How did he do that ? Quite impressively ! Read along . . A king in ancient times , by the name of Mahendra , was famous for his wisdom and righteousness . People in his kingdom were very happy because their great king ruled justly , and looked after the needs of his subjects . Alas , each episode of happiness has its flipside also . The king had one regret . He had no children . The question about the successor to the throne was worrying the king . His ministers were becoming anxious because the king was advancing into old age and his subjects were also becoming unsure about their own future . To solve the dilemma , the King came up with an idea . He invited people throughout his kingdom that people to the palace grounds announcing that amongst those people , a successor to the throne will be chosen . No wonder huge flocks of people assembled at the palace grounds on the appointed day . The King declared that he would hand out few seeds to each candidate . The seeds were to be planted and whoever brought back the best - grown and most colourful flowers would be chosen as the crown prince . A person that can take care of plants and make them prosper can also make the kingdom prosper . The people rushed forward to have the seeds and ran back home . Some weeks later , people started bringing flowerpots with some amazing results . There were happy plants all around . Each pot plant was bearing the name of the owner written in big bold letters on a tag . Some of the ministers even appointed a team of judges to help select the winner on the appointed day . One man , however , had not succeeded in growing any plant in his flowerpot . There was just the soil and not even a tiny plant in his flowerpot . When he brought his empty flowerpot to the palace grounds , people stared at him in disbelief . He was ridiculed . His flowerpot with no plant in it was drowned in a sea of colourful flowers . He could only attach his tag to the side of Read More . . . John works in a supermarket . A man came in and asked John for half a kilogram of butter . The boy told him they only sold 1 kg packets of butter , but the man was persistent . The boy said he 'd go ask his manager what to do . John walked into the back room and said , " There 's a bloody fellow out there who wants to buy only half a kilo of butter . " As he finished saying this he turned around to find the man standing right behind him ! He quickly added , " . . and this gentleman wants to buy the other half . " The manager finished the deal and smiled later with John , " You almost got yourself in a lot of trouble earlier , but I must say I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of it . You think on your feet , and I like it a lot . Which place are you from ? " John replied , " I 'm from Mexico , Sir . " " Oh really ? Why did you leave Mexico ? " asked the manager . John replied , " They 're all just prostitutes and soccer players up there . " " My wife is from Mexico , " the manager said . John replied , " Which team did she play for ? " Read More . . . This is a true story that happened in Japan . In order to renovate the house , someone in Japan breaks open the wall . Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls . When tearing down the walls , he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet . He sees this , feels pity , and at the same time curious , as when he checked the nail , it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built . Which meant the lizard had survived in such position for 10 years ! In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving , it is impossible and mind - boggling . Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years without moving a single step - - since its foot was nailed ! So he stopped his work and observed the lizard , what it has been doing , and what and how it has been eating . Later , not knowing from where it came , appears another lizard , with food in its mouth . Ah ! He was stunned and touched deeply . For the lizard that was stuck by nail , another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years . . . Such help ! Such a beautiful love ! Such happened even with this tiny creature . . . What can help do ? It can do wonders ! Help can do miracles ! Imagine ? it has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years , without giving up hope on its partner . Think , will u do that to your partner ? Think , will you do it to your Mom , who brought you after a big struggle of almost TEN long months ? Or at least to your Dad , Friends , Co - workers , brothers and Sisters ? Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can 't . As information and communication technology advances , our access to information becomes faster and faster . But the distance between human beings . . . is it getting closer as well ? Please never abandon your loved ones . Ever felt misplaced in the chaos of this world ? A bit confused , did you ever feel guilty of silently surrendering to whatever life throws your way ? Don 't be . Never loose your direction . Everyone has a purpose on this planet , and so do you . Watch each of these two excellent presentations to understand what I just said : Divine ConversationMy Life Changes Once , a little girl and her father were crossing a bridge . The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter , " Sweetheart , Please hold my hand so that you don 't fall into the river . " The little girl said , " No Dad . You hold my hand . " " What 's the difference ? " asked the father , puzzled . " There 's a big difference , " replied the little girl , " If I hold your hand and something happens to me , chances are that I may let your hand go . But if you hold my hand , I know for sure that no matter what happens , you will NEVER let my hand go . " In any relationship ( parent - child , manager - coworker , coach - coachee ) , the essence of trust is not just in its bind , but in its bond . Once upon a time there were 4 people , named : EVERYBODY , SOMEBODY , ANYBODY and NOBODY . There was an important job to be done and EVERYBODY was sure that SOMEBODY would do it . ANYBODY could have done it , but NOBODY did it . SOMEBODY got angry about that because it was EVERYBODY 's job . EVERYBODY thought ANYBODY could do it , but NOBODY realized that ANYBODY wouldn 't do it . It ended up that EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY when NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have done . Who are we ? EVERYBODY or SOMEBODY or ANYBODY or NOBODY ? We ought not to be EVERYBODY or ANYBODY or NOBODY , but we need to become " SOMEBODY " so as to make a difference in the lives of the people we meet , during the journey of our life . Things aren 't always what they seem . . Two traveling wizards stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family . The family was rude and refused to let the wizards stay in the mansion 's guest room . Instead the wizards were given a small space in the cold basement . As they made their bed on the hard floor , the older wizard saw a hole in the wall and repaired it . When the younger wizard asked why , the older wizard replied , " Things aren 't always what they seem . " The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor , but very hospitable farmer and his wife . After sharing what little food they had the couple let the wizards sleep in their bed where they could have a good night 's rest . When the sun came up the next morning the wizards found the farmer and his wife in tears . Their only cow , whose milk had been their sole income , lay dead in the field . The younger wizard was infuriated and asked the older wizard how could you have let this happen ? The first man had everything , yet you helped him , she accused . The second family had little but was willing to share everything , and you let the cow die . " Things aren 't always what they seem , " the older wizard replied . " When we stayed in the basement of the mansion , I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall . Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune , I sealed the wall so he wouldn 't find it . Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed , the angel of death came for his wife . I gave him the cow instead . This is sometimes exactly what we do when things don 't turn out the way we think they should . We need to cultivate our ability to be curious and to suspend judgment until we ask the questions that allow us to understand what really happened . Read More . . . Remember to appreciate unique qualities of different people in your life . You are unique in you own way , which you may not even know about ! A water bearer in China had two large pots , each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck . One of the pots had a crack in it , while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water . At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house , the cracked pot arrived only half - full . For a full two years this went on daily , with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house . Of course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments , perfect for which it was made . But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of it 's own imperfection . And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do . After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure , it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream . " I am ashamed of myself , and I want to apologize to you . I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house . Because of my flaws , you have to do all of this work , and you don 't get full value from your efforts , " the pot said . The bearer said to the pot , " Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path , but not on the other pot 's side ? " The cracked pot remembered " Yes I noticed them , and they are beautiful ! " The bearer continued " Yes , but they are there because I have always known about your flaw . So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path , and every day while we walk back , you 've watered them . For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table . Without you being just the way you are , there would not be this beauty to grace the house ! " Each of us has our own unique flaws . We 're all cracked pots . But it 's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding . You 've just got to take each person for what they are , and loRead More . . . It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad . He , the only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small , uninhabited island . He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him , and every day he scanned the horizon for help , but none seemed forthcoming . Exhausted , he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements , and to store his few possessions . But then one day , after scavenging for food on the island , he arrived home to find his little hut in flames , the smoke rolling up to the sky . Worst happened ; everything was lost . He was stunned with grief and anger . " God , how could you do this to me ? ! ! " he cried . Early the next day , however , he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island . It had come to rescue him . " How did you know I was here ? " asked the weary man of his rescuers . " We saw your smoke signal , " they replied . Never lose heart , because God is at work in our lives , even in the midst of pain and suffering . Remember the next time your little hut is burning to the ground it may be just a smoke signal that summons the grace of God . God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts . Sometimes when we don 't have time to listen , He has to throw a brick at us . It 's our choice to listen or not . A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street , going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar . He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something . As his car passed , no children appeared . Instead , a brick smashed into the Jag 's side door ! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown . The angry driver then jumped out of the car , grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting , " What was that all about and who are you ? Just what the heck are you doing ? That 's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money . Why did you do it ? " The young boy was apologetic . " Please , mister . . . please , I 'm sorry but I didn 't know what else to do , " He pleaded . " I threw the brick because no one else would stop . . . " With tears dripping down his face and off his chin , the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car . " It 's my brother , " he said . " He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can 't lift him up . " Now sobbing , the boy asked the stunned executive , " Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair ? He 's hurt and he 's too heavy for me . " Moved beyond words , the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat . He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair , then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts . A quick look told him everything was going to be okay . " Thank you and may God bless you , " the grateful child told the stranger . Too shook up for words , the man simply watched the boy ! push his wheelchair - bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home . It was a long , slow walk back to the Jaguar . The damage was very noticeable , but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door . He kept the dent there to remRead More . . . Before you read further , can you quickly recall the 7 wonders of the world ? Start now . . Got a few names on your fingers already ? Now read this : A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present " Seven Wonders of the World . " Though there were some disagreements , the following received the most votes : 1 . Egypt 's Great Pyramids2 . Taj Mahal3 . Grand Canyon4 . Panama Canal5 . Empire State Building6 . St . Peter 's Basilica7 . China 's Great WallWhile gathering the votes , the teacher noticed that one quiet student hadn 't turned in her paper yet . So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list . The girl replied , " Yes , a little . I couldn 't quite make up my mind because there were so many . " The teacher said , " Well , tell us what you have , and maybe we can help . " The girl hesitated , then read , " I think the ' Seven Wonders of the World ' are : 1 . to see2 . to hear3 . to touch4 . to taste5 . to feel6 . to laugh7 . and to love . " The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop . The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous ! Think life has beaten you to pulp ? Lost any hope for success ? Want to quit ? Here is God 's final verdict for you : One day a man decided to quit . . . quit his job , his relationship , his spirituality . He wanted to quit his life . He went to the woods to have one last talk with God . " God " , he asked , " can you give him one good reason not to quit ? " God 's answer surprised him . . " Look around " , God said . " Do you see the fern and the bamboo ? " " Yes " , he replied . " When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds , I took very good care of them . I gave them light . I gave them water . The fern quickly grew from the earth . Its brilliant green covered the floor . Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed . But I did not quit on the bamboo . In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful . And again , nothing came from the bamboo seed . But I did not quit on the bamboo . " God repeated . " In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed . But I would not quit . In year four , again , there was nothing from the bamboo see . I still did not quit . " God said . " Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth . Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant . . . but just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall . It had spent the five years growing roots . Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive . I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle . " God said to him . " Did you know , that all this this time you have been struggling , you have actually been growing roots ? " God 's words shook the man . He stood there in silence . " I did not quit on the bamboo . I will never quit on you . " " Don 't compare yourself to others . " God added . " The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern . Yet they both make the forest beautiful . " " Your time will come " , God said to him . " You will rise high " . " But how high should I rise ? " the man asked further " How high will the bamboo rise ? " God asked in return . " As high as it can ? " he asked doubtfully " Yes . " God said , " Give me glory by rising as high as yoRead More . . . Another story that teaches importance of quality time we spend with our loved ones . Maybe you will feel exactly how this father felt in the end . . A man came home from work late , tired and irritated , to find his 5 - year - old son waiting for him at the door . Son : " Daddy , May I ask you a question " Daddy : " Yeah sure , what it is ? " Son : " Dad , how much do you make an hour " Daddy : " That 's none of your business . Why do you ask such a thing ? " that man said angrily . Son : " I just want to know . Please tell me , how much do you make an hour ? " Daddy : " I make Rs . 500 an hour " " Oh " , the little boy replied , with his head down . Looking up , he said , " Dad , may I please borrow Rs . 300 ? " The father was furious , " if the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or other nonsense , then march yourself to your room and go to bed . Think why you are being so selfish . I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior " The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door . The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy 's questions . How dare he ask such questions only to get some money ? After about an hour or so , the man had calmed down , and started to think : May be there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs . 300 and he really didn 't ask for money very often ! " The man went to the door of little boy 's room and opened the door . " Are you asleep , son ? " He aked . " No daddy , I 'm awake , " replied the boy . " I 've been thinking , may be I was too hard on you earlier " , said the man , It 's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you . Here 's the Rs . 300 you asked for . The little boy sat straight up , smiling " oh thank you dad ! " he exclaimed . Then , reaching under his pillow he pulled some more crippled up notes . The man , seeing that the boy already had money , started to get angry again . The little boy slowly counted out his money , then looked up at his father . " Why do you want money if you already had some ? " the father grumbled . " Because I didn 't have enough , but now I do , " the little boy replied . Read More . . . It is a true story : A sobbing little girl stood near a small church , from which she had been turned away because it was " too crowded . " " I can 't go to Sunday School , " she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by . Seeing her shabby , unkempt appearance , the pastor guessed the reason and , taking her by the hand , took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class . The child was so happy that they found room for her , and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus . Some two years later , this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings . Her parents called for the kind - hearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements . As her poor little body was being moved , a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump . Inside was found 57 cents and a note , scribbled in childish handwriting , which read : " This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School . " For two years she had saved for this offering of love . When the pastor tearfully read that note , he knew instantly what he would do . Carrying this note and the cracked red pocketbook to the pulpit , he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion . He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building . But the story does not end there . . . A newspaper learned of the story and published it . It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands . When told that the church could not pay so much , he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents . Church members made large donations . Checks came from far and wide . Within five years the little girl 's gift had increased to $ 250 , 000 . 00 , a huge sum for that time ( near the turn of the century ) . Her unselfish love had paid large dividends . When you are in the city of Philadelphia , look up TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH , with a seating capacity of 3 , 300 . And be sure to visit Temple University , where thousands of Read More . . . Sometimes life throws biggest of challenges at you . And getting out of them is , well , just a matter of applying your brains ! Read this story to find out : A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa . He took his faithful pet Dachshund dog along for company . One day , the dachshund starts chasing butterflies and before long the dachshund discovers that he is lost . Wandering about , he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch . The dachshund thinks , " I 'm in deep trouble now ! " Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat . Just as the leopard is about to leap , the dachshund exclaims loudly , " Boy , that was one delicious leopard . I wonder if there are any more around here ? " Hearing this , the leopard halts his attack in mid - stride , as a look of terror comes over him , and slinks away into the trees . " Whew , " says the leopard , " That was close . That dachshund nearly had me ! " Meanwhile , a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard . So , off he goes . But the dachshund saw him heading after the leopard with great speed , and figured that something must be up . The monkey soon catches up with the leopard , spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard . The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says , " Here monkey , hop on my back and see what 's going to happen to that conniving canine . " Now the dachshund sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks " What am I going to do now ? " But instead of running , the dog sits down with his back to his attackers , pretending he hasn 't seen them yet . . . and just when they get close enough to hear , the dachshund says : " Where 's that damn monkey ? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard ! ! " Life consists not in holding good cards , but in playing those you hold well . Here is a spell bounding narration of JRD Tata 's legacy , as told by the lady whose husband is one of the most respected faces of corporate India today . Discover who she is , and the experience she remembers : It was probably the April of 1974 . Bangalore was getting warm and gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus . I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies ' hostel . Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science . I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer science . I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US . I had not thought of taking up a job in India . One day , while on the way to my hostel from our lecture - hall complex , I saw an advertisement on the notice board . It was a standard job - requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco ( now Tata Motors ) . It stated that the company required young , bright engineers , hardworking and with an excellent academic background , etc . At the bottom was a small line : " Lady candidates need not apply . " I read it and was very upset . For the first time in my life I was up against gender discrimination . Though I was not keen on taking up the job , I saw it as a challenge . I had done extremely well in academics , better than most of my male peers . Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to be successful . After reading the notice I went fuming to my room . I decided to inform the topmost person in Telco 's management about the injustice the company was perpetrating . I got a postcard and started to write , but there was a problem : I did not know who headed Telco I thought it must be one of the Tatas . I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group ; I had seen his pictures in newspapers ( actually , Sumant Moolgaokar was the company 's chairman then ) I took the card , addressed it to JRD and started writing . To this day I remember clearly what I wrote . " The great Tatas have always been pioneers . They are the people who started the basicSummary only . . . How much time are you giving to your loved ones ? Read this story before you answer : It had been some time since Jack had seen Mr Belser . Jack had relocated across the country in pursuit of his dreams . There , in the rush of his busy life , he had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son . He was working on his future , and just nothing could stop him . That day over the phone his mother told him , " Mr . Belser died last night Jack . The funeral is Wednesday . " And a sudden rush of memories flashed through his mind as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days . " Jack , did you hear me ? " " Oh sorry , Mom . Yes , I heard you . It 's been so long since I thought of him . I 'm sorry , but I honestly thought he died years ago , " Jack said . " Well , he didn 't forget you . Every time I saw him would ask how you were doing . He 'd reminisce about the many days you spent over ' his side of the fence ' as he put it , " Mom told him . " You know , Jack , after your father died , Mr . Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man 's influence in your life , " she said . " He 's the one who taught me carpentry , " he said . " I wouldn 't be in this business if it weren 't for him . He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important . . . Mom , I 'll be there for the funeral , " Jack said . Busy he was for sure , but Jack did catch the next flight to his hometown . Mr . Belser 's funeral was small and uneventful - - he had no children of his own , and most of his relatives had passed away . The night before he had to return home , Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time . Pausing in the doorway , Jack felt like taking a leap through time . The house was exactly as he remembered . Every step held memories . Every picture , every piece of furniture . . . . but something made Jack stop suddenly . " What 's wrong , Jack ? " Mom was surprised . " The box is gone , " he said . " What box ? " " There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk ! I asked him a thousand times what was inside . All he 'd ever tell me was ' Jack , insRead More . . . Do you know what is the hardest instrument in the orchestra to play ? The hardest instrument to play is second fiddle . While all the rest of the instruments have their own sections , the violins are divided into two parts - " first " and " second " violins . First violins are often the stars of the show . They get the melody lines . They get to show off . They sit next to the audience . Back behind , where they are hard to see , are the second violins . They play a supporting role . They play harmony to the first violins . Theirs is a service role . Their job is to round out the sound of the other instruments . They serve the orchestra . They do what is not glamorous so that the whole will be beautiful . Without the second violins , the orchestra would sound incomplete . You know what the hardest role to play in life is ? Second fiddle . To play second fiddle is to play a supporting role for someone else . And it is sometimes a service role ; doing what is not glamorous , usually behind the scenes , so that the whole can be more beautiful . This is a widely used narration on time management , and one of the most thought provoking stories I have ever come across to understand the importance of priorities . A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him . When class began , wordlessly he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top , rocks about 2 " diameter . He then asked the students if the jar was full ? They agreed that it was . So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar . He shook the jar lightly . The pebbles , of course , rolled into the open areas between the rocks . The students laughed . He asked his students again if the jar was full ? They agreed that yes , it was . The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar . Of course , the sand filled up everything else . Professor asked the students if the jar was full this time . After a careful introspection , the class was confident to utter a quick " yes , professor " . This time the professor took out a glass filled with water , and poured it inside the jar . Yet again , the students were taken aback as the water conveniently filled all spaces left inside the container . " Now , this , is a full jar " said the professor , " and I want you to recognize that this is just like your life . " The rocks are the important things - your family , your partner , your health , your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost , you would be nearly destroyed . The pebbles are the other things in life that matter , but on a smaller scale . The pebbles represent things like your job , house , or car . The sand is everything else , the " small stuff . " " If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first , there is no room for the rocks . The same goes for your life . If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff , material things , you will never have room for the things that are truly most important . Pay attention to the things that are important in your life and spend time on the important . This blog lives to remind us about the scented candles . It 's here to spread the message of love and hope , give you inspiration , and a sense of direction . . . amongst hundreds of beautiful stories , anecdotes , and presentations that I 've collected from numerous lovely contributors like you . They will bring a smile to your face , or a hope in your heart , or maybe in a rare moment , a tear in your eye as well .