Life and Coffee

As I was trying to think of something funny to write about coffee/tea and the types of emotions that go along with it, I remembered coming across a story which is inspiring as well as thought provoking. Though I wanted to write the post involving India somehow, I didnt want to ruin the story. Enjoy!!

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups--porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life; and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

Enjoy your coffee! “The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Now only if we try to look beyond the superficial things. The body that we carry is nothing but a shell and what matters is whats inside of us. The type of coffee we are inside and not the cups makes us who we are.

I do have to confess though that I do like the idea of collecting coffee cups :-)

Dilbertisms

A New Year and most of us are back from vacations and drudging back to our work. Thinking that it will be the same as last year, hmm well don’t worry; Dilbert is here to save us with some advice for this year and beyond.

I saw this on a fellow blogger's website, plus I have read this numerous times via email-fwds. Still I thought I will post it as well and maybe look back on it from time to time. :-)

Here are the Dilbertisms:

1. I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.

Wish we can at times live like this, not caring about what other people think and just live for ourselves. No need to please anyone.

2. Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it.

Ah this one is very good, there is nothing as an absolute need. Things can be replaced so learn to live with the adjustments in life.

3. Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.

Think of this for a minute. The person next to your cubicle, dont you think he/she also has ideas on why you just sit there and not talk to them....weirdo.

4. Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.

Exactly!

5. A pat on the back is only a few inches from a kick in the butt.

HAHA now this is something that many top managers do best. Just do your job with the utmost pride and dont worry about the pat on the backs...who knows the manager might miss and just kick the butt.

6. The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.

Don’t think that just because you are patient and able to handle it, it is not affecting you. It is affecting you!!…All the crap that you deal with day in and day out, put a stop to it. Let people know that it is not tolerable.

7. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.

Hmmm…ok I have done this, it works :-). However do try to know what you are doing. It helps to get yourself some time by walking fast and looking worried, but use that time to read/learn up on things.

8. Following the rules will not get the job done.

As another saying goes… “Rules are meant to be broken” take heed of it and do what you must to get the job done.

9. There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

This is a funny one but how many of us feel that it describes them. Working in a pressure filled situation will bring out the best in us as well as the worst. Try to balance it, it is indeed a fine line.

10. Life is a waste of time; time is a waste of life, so get wasted all of the time and have the time of your life.

Life is not all about work work work, try to have fun as well. Remember all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.

Life's Greatest Lessons

Success is more than making money

Life is hard....and not always fair

Life is also fun...and incredibly funny

We live by choice, not by chance

Attitude is a choice - the most important one you will ever make

Habits are the key to all success

Being thankful is a habit - the best one you will ever have

Good people build their lives on a foundation of respect

Honesty is still the best policy

Kind words costs little but acomplish much

Real motivation comes from within

Goals are dreams with deadlines

There's no substitute for hard work

You have to give up something to get something

Successful people dont find time - they make time

No one else can raise your self-esteem

The body needs nutrition and exercise - so do the mind and spirit

It's ok to fail - everyone else has

Life is simpler when we know what's essential

and

Essential # 1, is being a good person

7 types of people

I heard this from an elderly man who was giving a speech, the way he had explaied...I cannot replicate. I can only give you a gist of what was said and things that I am able to recall. Hopefully the message he was trying to pass, I can pass it on to you.

He was talking about the seven types of people who will have the hand of God protecting them from the intense heat that will engulf us during the last days. May we strive to be atleast one of the seven so that we can get his blessings and protection as well.

One who is a just ruler...a good head of government, a good leader, a good head of household : provider

One who takes advantage of his/her Youth to give himself to God

One who yearns to go back to masjid - place of prayer once he finishes one

One who gives and gives without concern to all the worldly things

One who loves someone for the sake of God

One who doesnt give into temptations of evil

One who realizes how much he or she is lucky to have these everyday things in life..his body, eyes, flowers, sun, moon, friends, family and everything else around.

Realites

We all talk about doing new things, new adventures to take on, new boundries to visit, leap a tall building, run faster than a speeding bullet..... Are they all just talk?

We love dreaming of such things, a grand plan in the making. Only some of us carry out that plan and achieve something, others are quite satisfied of where they are.

So what if I cant leap a tall building, I can take the stairs to reach the same place. If that's a little slow, well we have elavators for that. Right? Its the reality of the situation, a situation that we are in during our lives that inspires us and pushes us to do new things. Where do we get these inspirations from??

How come we keep recreating the same realities for ourselves, we know that we have so many options available for us, but we keep coming back to the same shell of our lives, just in different colors. We have so much potential but never fully understand and characterize it. We are so conditioned to our daily lives, so conditioned that the way we create our lives that we buy the idea that we have no options at all.

We do have options, we need to break out of our molds, disconnect outselves from the matrix, look beyond the yellow brick road for answers.