Επιτυχία. Δεν είναι πάντα ό,τι βλέπεις...
One day I asked God for instructions on how to live on this earth...
God brought His voice close to my ear and said…
· Be like the sun. Arise early, and do not go to bed late.
· Be like the moon. Shine in the darkness, but submit to the greater light.
· Be like the birds. Eat, sing, drink, and fly.
· Be like the flowers, Loving the sun, but faithful to your roots.
· Be like the faithful dog, but only to your Lord.
· Be like the fruit. Beautiful on the outside, and healthy on the inside.
· Be like the day, which arrives and leaves without boasting.
· Be like the oasis. Give your water to the thirsty.
· Be like the firefly, Although small, it casts its on light.
· Be like the river, always moving forward
· Be like the water, Good and transparent
And above all things,
· Be like the heavens: A home for God.
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Μια μέρα ζήτησα από τον Θεό οδηγίες για το πώς να ζήσω στη Γη. Ο Θεός πλησίασε στο αυτί μου και είπε:
· Να είσαι σαν τον ήλιο: Να σηκώνεσαι νωρίς και να μην πηγαίνεις στο κρεβάτι αργά.
· Να είσαι σαν το φεγγάρι: Να λάμπεις στο σκοτάδι, αλλά να υποτάσσεσαι στο υπέρτερο φως.
· Να είσαι σαν τα πουλιά: Να τρως, να πίνεις και να πετάς.
· Να είσαι σαν τα λουλούδια: Να αγαπάς τον ήλιο, αλλά να εμπιστεύεσαι τις ρίζες σου.
· Να είσαι σαν τον πιστό σκύλο, αλλά μόνο στον Κύριό σου.
· Να είσαι σαν τα φρούτα: Όμορφος εξωτερικά και υγιής εσωτερικά.
· Να είσαι σαν την ημέρα, που έρχεται και φεύγει χωρίς να επαίρεται.
· Να είσαι σαν την όαση: Δίνε νερό στους διψασμένους.
· Να είσαι σαν τον ποταμό, που συνεχώς κινείται μπροστά.
· Να είσαι σαν το νερό: Καλό και διαφανές.
Και πάνω απ’ όλα:
· Να είσαι σαν τον ουρανό: Ένα σπίτι για τον Θεό.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, great Latin American writer, has said goodbye to the public life due to complications in his health: lymphatic cancer. He has sent a letter to his friends and thanks to the Internet we all are able to share it. I recommend you to read it, because this short text written by one of the most brilliant Latin American of the past years is really inspiring.
“If for an instant God forgot that I am just a puppet, and He gave me one more piece of life, I would take advantage of that time, the best I could.”
I would probably not say everything I think, but definitely think all I say.
I would value things not for what they are worth, but for what they represent.
I would sleep less and dream more. For every minute we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of light.
I would continue where others have stopped and I would rise when others sleep.
If God allowed me one more piece of life, I would dress simpler, would wallow in the sunlight, leaving uncovered, not only my body but also my soul.
I would prove to men how wrong they are to think that they stop falling in love as they get older, since they actually start getting older as soon as they stop falling in love..
I would give wings to the children, but I would leave the child alone so that he could learn how to fly on his own.
To the old, I would show them how death comes not with the ageing process but with forgetting.
So many things I have learned from you….
I have learned that everybody wants to live at the top of the mountain, forgetting that is how we climb is all that matters.
I have learned that when a newborn grabs his father’s thumb, he takes a hold on him forever.
I have learned that a man has the right to look down on somebody, only when he is helping him to get up.
So many things I have learned from all of you.
Always tell what you feel and do what you think.
If I knew that today it would be the last time that I will see you, I will embrace you strongly to be the guardian of your soul.
If I would know that these would be the last minutes that I will see you, I would say to you “I love you” and wouldn´t assume that you would know it.
There is always morning where life gives us another opportunity to make things good.
Keep always close to you, your dear ones, and tell them how much you need them and love and take care of them. Take time to say, “I am sorry”, “forgive me”, “please,” “ thank you” and all the nice and lovely words you know.
Nobody would remember you if you keep your thoughts secret.
Force yourself to express them.
Show your friends and dear ones how much you care about them”.
Gabriel García Márquez
See the greek translation here:
http://eaglestefanos.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post_14.html
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Sources:
http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_if.htm [“The Kipling Society”]
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/If%E2%80%94 [“Wikisource”]
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If%E2%80%94 [“Wikipedia”]
http://www.kipling.org.uk/bookmart_fra.htm [“Kipling Society / Notes on the poem”]
Greek translation here:
http://eaglestefanos.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-post.html
Next season, when you’ll see the geese migrating, going to a warmer place to sort the winter, pay attention that they fly in a “V” formation. Maybe you will be interested in knowing why they do it this way...
By flying in a “V” formation... The whole flock increases the flight efficiency by 71% compared to just one bird flying alone.
Lesson 1: Sharing the same direction and working as a team get us to the destination quicker and easier. By helping ourselves, the accomplishments are greater!.
When a goose leaves the formation... He feels the resistance of the air and the difficulties of flying alone... Then, he quickly comes back to the formation to take advantage of the the flock’s power in front of him…
Lesson 2: By staying in tune and united beside those who are going in the same direction, the effort will be less. It will be easier and pleasing to reach the goals. Everyone will be inclined to accept and give help.
When the leader goose gets tired of flying... He goes to the end of the “V” formation. While another goose takes the lead.
Lesson 3: To share the leadership, there must be mutual respect between us all the time... Sharing the hardest problems and tasks… Gathering our abilities and combining our faculties, talents and resources…
The geese flying on a “V” formation, they quack to encourage to the ones in the front. In that way, they keep the same speed.
Lesson 4: When there is courage and encouragement, the progress is greater. A timely word of encouragement always motivates helps and strengthens… It produces the best of benefits...
When a goose gets sick, is injured or gets tired and he must leave the formation... Other geese leave the formation too and they fly with him to help him out and protect him. They remain with him until he dies or he is able to fly again. They reach their bevy or they just make another “V” formation.
Lesson 5: Let’s stay beside each other no matter what the differences. Especially in times of difficulty and great challenges… If we bond together and support each other… If we make true the spirit of teamwork… Regardless of our differences, we can rise to meet our challenge. If we understand the real value of friendship… If we are aware of the feeling of sharing…
LIFE WILL BE EASIER AND THE PASSING OF YEARS MORE FULFILLING...
When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full The students responded with an unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand". One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
See the greek “equal” here:
http://eaglestefanos.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post_29.html
Put three pots of water over the fire. In the first pot, put some carrots. In the second pot, put some eggs. In the third pot, put some coffee beans that have been grounded into coffee powder. Boil all three pots for 15 minutes. Take out what you put in. The carrots went in hard. They are now soft. The eggs went in soft inside. Now they are hard inside. The coffee powder has disappeared. But the water has the colour and the wonderful smell of coffee.
Now think about life. Life is not always easy. Life is not always comfortable. Sometimes life is very hard. Things don’t happen like we wish. People don’t treat us like we hope. We work very hard but get few results. What happens when we face difficulties?
Now think about the pots. The boiling water is like the problems of life.
We can be like the carrots. We go in tough and strong. We come out soft and weak. We get very tired. We lose hope. We give up. There is no more fighting spirit. Don’t be like the carrots!
We can be like the eggs. We start with a soft and sensitive heart. We end up very hard and unfeeling inside. We hate others. We don’t like ourselves. We become hard-hearted. There is no warm feeling, only bitterness. Don’t be like the eggs!
We can be like the coffee beans. The water does not change the coffee powder. The coffee powder changes the water! The water has become different because of the coffee powder. See it. Smell it. Drink it. The hotter the water, the better the taste. We can be like the coffee beans.
We make something good from the difficulties we face. We learn new things. We have new knowledge, new skills, new abilities. We grow in experience. We make the world around us better. To succeed, we must try… and try again. We must believe in what we are doing. We must not give up. We must be patient. We must keep pushing. Problems and difficulties give us the chance to become stronger… and better… and tougher. What are we like when things do not go well?
Are we like the carrot… or the egg… or the coffee bean?
Be like the coffee bean!
See also, in greek: http://eaglestefanos.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-post.html
· The most powerful force in life: LOVE.
· The greatest asset: FAITH.
· The most powerful channel of communication: PRAYER.
· The most important thing in life: THE POWER OF GOD.
· The greatest joy: GIVING.
· The worst thing to be without: HOPE.
· The most destructive habit: WORRY.
· The world’s most incredible computer: THE BRAIN.
· The greatest loss: THE LOSS OF SELF-RESPECT.
· The greatest natural resource: YOUTH.
· The ugliest personality trait: SELFISHNESS.
· The greatest problem to overcome: FEAR.
· The most beautiful attire: A SMILE.
· The most crippling disease: EXCUSES.
· The most dangerous pariah: GOSSIP.
· The two most power-filled words: I CAN.
· The most worthless emotion: SELF-PITY.
· The greatest “shot in the arm”: ENCOURAGEMENT.
· The most effective sleeping pill: PEACE OF MIND.
· The most prized possession: INTEGRITY.
· The most satisfying work: HELPING OTHERS.
· And the greatest attitude: GRATITUDE. Gratitude unfolds the goodness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
The future is as bright as the promises of God!
[Source: Powerpoint file “Guide of life” from Internet]
1. The most selfish one-letter word: “I”. Avoid it.
2. The most satisfying two-letter word: “We”. Use it.
3. The most poisonous three-letter word: “Ego”. Kill it.
4. The most used four-letter word: “Love”. Value it.
5. The most pleasing five-letter word: “Smile”. Keep it.
6. The fastest spreading six-letter word: “Rumour”. Ignore it.
7. The hardest working seven-letter word: Success”. Achieve it.
8. The most enviable eight-letter word: “Jealousy”. Distance it.
9. The most powerful nine-letter word: “Knowledge”. Acquire it.
10. The most essential ten-letter word: “Confidence”. Trust it.
[Source: Powerpoint file from Internet]
