Short story depicting our ignorance which becomes an agony & shock us!!!

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house, " he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

"Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today."

Here comes another Relationship Booster !!!

Everyone seek their relationship with the beloved ones to flourish exponentially, but very few people could really accomplish the same. Here goes some of the proven techniques that one can inculcate in to his/her habit to get best out from his/her own life. 

Hope u like this article & can be benefited in ur own life by the practical use of it. 

Thanks to Brian Tracy for his amazing teachings on every aspect of life :-).

How to Charm Anyone 

Psychologists tell us that the core of personality is self-esteem. This has best been defined as "how much you like yourself." Your self-esteem is the sum total of how important and valuable you feel you are at any moment. 

The Secret of Charm
The deepest craving of human nature is the need to feel valued and valuable. The secret of charm is therefore simple: make others feel important. 

Five Ways to be Charming

1. Acceptance. The greatest gift you can give other people is the attitude of "unconditional positive regard." That is you accept them in their entirety, without limitation. You never criticize or find fault. You are totally accepting of everything about them. This is the starting point of being charming.
2. Appreciation. Whenever you express appreciation to others for something they have done, small or large, their self-esteem increases. They feel more competent and capable. Their self-image improves and their self-respect soars. And how do you trigger this wonderful feeling in others? It is simple. You say "thank you" on every occasion, for any large or small reason.
3. Approval. It is said that "babies cry for it, men die for it." Throughout life, all humans have a deep subconscious need for approval of their actions and accomplishments. No amount of approval ever satisfies for long. The need is ongoing, like the need for food and rest. People who continually seek opportunities to express approval are welcome wherever they go. Perhaps the best definition of approval is "praise." Just remember, whenever you praise other people for something they have done, their self-esteem is elevated.
4. Admiration. As Abraham Lincoln said, "Everybody likes a compliment." When you give people a genuine, sincere compliment about a trait, possession, or accomplishment, they automatically feel better about themselves. They feel acknowledged and recognized. They feel valuable and important. They like themselves more, and they like you more. Compliment a person on an article of clothing. Compliment someone on a trait, like punctuality or persistence. Compliment for small things as well as large.
5. Attention. This is perhaps the most important quality of all. It is the most powerful behavior for building self-esteem and is the key to instant charm. The more closely you pay attention to other people, the more valuable and important they will feel they are, and the more they will like you.

Action Exercise
The next time you meet your significant other or even someone you work with, conduct this exercise: Imagine that when you were young, you had a dear friend with whom you shared many important emotional experiences of your young life. But years passed and you lost touch. You had no idea where your friend had gone. One day, when you are walking down the street suddenly there he is! Your whole face lights up and all you can think is, "It's you!"

Now, the next time you meet a person or persons who are important to you, especially loved ones or dear friends, create this same feeling and act as if you are rediscovering them after a too-long absence. Treat these special people as if seeing them makes you feel incredibly happy. No matter who they are, they will think that you are an incredibly charming person. 


Extracted from the teachings of Brian Tracy :-). I am a Die hard fan of him ... 


Everyone needs their relationship with their beloved ones to flourish exponentially, but very few people could really accomplish the same. Here goes some of the proven techniques that one can inculcate in to his/her habit to get best out from his/her own life. 


Hope u like this article & can be benefited in ur own life by the practical use of it. 

Are you a Leader or a follower !!!

A leader makes and keeps commitments;

a follower makes and forgets promises.

A leader says, "I'm good, but not as good as I ought to be;"

a follower says, "I'm not as bad as a lot of other people."

Leaders listen;

followers just wait until it's their turn to talk.

Leaders respect those who are superior to them and tries to learn something from them;

followers resent those who are superior to them and try to find chinks in their armor.

Leaders feel responsible for more than their job;

followers say, "I only work here."

A leader says, "There ought to be a better way to do this;"

followers say, "That's the way it's always been done here."

How about you? Are you a Leader or a follower!!!

We Are All Motivated - Either Positively Or Negatively!!!

This is a story of two brothers. One was a drug addict and a drunker who frequently beat up his family. The other one was a very successful businessman who was respected in society and had a wonderful family. Some people wanted to find out why two brothers from the same parents, brought up in the same environment, could be so different.

The first one was asked, "How come you do what you do? You are a drug addict, a drunk, and you beat your family. What motivates you?" He said, "My father." They asked, "What about your father?" The reply was, "My father was a drug addict, a drunk and he beat his family. What do you expect me to be? That is what I am."

They went to the brother who was doing everything right and asked him the same question. "How come you are doing everything right? What is your source of motivation?" And guess what he said? "My father. When I was a little boy, I used to see my dad drunk and doing all the wrong things. I made up my mind that this is not what I wanted to be."

Both were deriving their strength and motivation from the same source, but one was using it positively and the other negatively. Negative motivation brings the desire to take the easier way which ends up being the tougher way.

Learn to learn the art of looking things positively even in the midst of horrible situations. I am trying to inculcate this in to my habit & getting immense benefit :-)

Have great positive day :-)

My way of celebrating Diwali; Hope u like & extend ur helping hand ...

I used to love to play with crackers when I was child... 

Now when I see the underprivileged children struggling even for one time food & education, I get even more pleasure to help them getting their live hood; 

If they can celebrate even with a candle (Diya) light it would give more satisfaction to me, than bursting lot of crackers whole evening by spending few thousands of money !!!

I ve chosen to celebrate only with Diyas & donate the money for a good cause. A green Diwali :-).

You could also help them to cherish through Akshaya Patra  (A NGO which is helping to feed Now Feeding 12,53,266 Children Everyday).

If you like to donate online / offline, visit: http://www.akshayapatra.org/individual-donors

Attitude of Gratitude makes a BIG difference, Come & Feel it!!! 

__________________
Thanks & Regards,
Bikash Patra
Mob: +91-9036113317

Keep Smiling :-) 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Donorcare tapf <donorcare.tapf@akshayapatra.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 5:52 PM
Subject: 06 - Happy Diwali
To: "patra.bikash@gmail.com" <patra.bikash@gmail.com>

Dear BIKASH PATRA ,

Best Regards,
Donor Care Centre
The Akshaya Patra Foundation

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Remember to Acknowledge, before being Acknowledged !!!

You can acknowledge others in many ways. When someone calls you, acknowledge the call. When they send you something, remember to say thank you. When someone does a good job, say so. When they apologize, acknowledge that too. & so on...

It’s especially important to acknowledge acts of kindness – doing so reinforces the act and encourages more of the same. We all benefit.

Almost everyone loves to be acknowledged. We love to have our phone calls returned, to be told we are doing a great job, to be thanked for working so hard, to have our creativity appreciated. 

People remember acknowledgment and they appreciate it. When you need a favor, or advice, the fact that you have previously taken the time to acknowledge someone often comes back to help you. It makes others want to help you and to see you succeed. 

Also, people who have been acknowledged genuinely and with love are very forgiving. They will see beyond your mistakes and failures and forgive you freely. Needless to say, all of this makes your life easier and far less stressful. 


I ve personally following this for quite a long time & observing its miraculous potential. Just one precaution we ve to take, that is, we need to do it genuinely; not just for fake boasting, else it might work in the negative direction. 


Everyone wants to be acknowledged, but very few take time to think & pass the acknowledgement to others. But Life has its own rule, as we sow, so shall we reap :-). 
Life is just a reflection, lets be aware & act accordingly :-)


Jai Shree Krishna :-)
Keep smiling, Bikash :-)