THE TWO HORSES

This is a story of two horses that have remained as faithful friends. We need to learn a few lessons from them.

Just up the road from our home is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.

But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend aren’t too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives, to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....

Good friends are like that...You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours, and remember...

Be kinder than necessary

Everyone you meet is fighting Some kind of battle.

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly.

And leave the rest to God!

For we walk by faith and not by sight.

My dear friends, here is an article written by Qaiser Abbas, who is ranked among the best motivational writers of Pakistan. I am sure all of us at some point in our lives do procrastinate. This article could help you guys to just get over it and move on in your lives.

Knocking Out Procrastination

Why do we procrastinate? Let us look at some of the reasons behind it.

Waiting for the right mood
 - You don't feel like doing it. Your mood is o_ and you are emotionally down. 


Waiting for the right time - 
You don't think that it is the right time to take action, when actually it is. 


Lack of clear goals
 - How can you feel inclined to do it when the goal is not clear? 


Underestimating the difficulty of the task
 - You thought doing it was no big deal, but when you started you realized that you would have to put in much more effort than you first thought. So why not postpone it for now? 


Unclear standards for the task outcomes
 - You started but did not have an idea about exactly what was expected. You did not know the performance criteria. 


Feeling the task is imposed on you - 
When you think you have to do it, your motivation is reduced. Your heart and mind are not fully involved. 


The task is too ambiguous - 
You finally got around to doing it but the task was too vague, unclear and blurred. Then you did not find good reason to continue. 


Fear - 
'I don't think I can do it; if I go ahead I will not succeed.'


Perfectionism
 - ‘I don't have the right skills or resources to do this perfectly, so I won't do it at all.'

After acquiring all the tools, techniques and strategies, why do people not put into use what they know? Why do people choose inaction instead of taking action?

There are fears that suppress your inventiveness; your talents and resources remain hidden, undeveloped and untapped. These fears include:

Fear of failure - 
If I were unsuccessful, how would I handle the embarrassment? It's better not to show up for this presentation. Let's procrastinate. 


Fear of success - 
If I do it this time, people will expect me to do it again. Will I be able to handle the pressure that comes with success? 


Fear of the status quo - 
If the status quo is disturbed, who knows how the new situation will turn out? Let's maintain things as they are. Why take a risk? 


Fear of perfection - 
If I started it now, I would not complete it until I achieved a level of perfection. Do I have time for perfection? 


Fear of loss - 
If I did it now, I might end up losing out on a few things.

How would you recognize in yourself the symptoms of procrastination?

Filling your day with low priority tasks from your To Do list


Reading e-mail more than once, without starting work on it
.

Starting work on a high-priority task, and almost immediately going off to make yourself a cup of coffee or check your e-mails. 


Leaving an item on your To Do list undone for a long time, even though you know its important
.

Regularly saying 'Yes' and filling up your time with unimportant tasks.

Why you procrastinate can depend on both you and the task. They can often be reduced to two main reasons:

You find the task unpleasant; or 


You find the task overwhelming

Now that you know the symptoms and reasons for procrastinating, the question is how do you crush procrastination? How do you knock it out?

ANTI-Procrastination FORMULA

The 'taal-matool' attitude or syndrome has the potential to negatively impact your results, success and even your entire life. I have created a strategy to defeat procrastination and build results faster.

I call it the IMAN TECHNIQUE.

I

M ust

A ct

N OW

So, are you ready to act now?

WHEN THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON...

Remember that things happen for a reason and if it was meant to be. It wouldn’t have ended...we should not cry because it's gone... we should be happy that it happened. Many people touch our lives in different ways. Some come for a while, others stay for a season and show us their magnificent essence for a purpose and then leave...and then there’s the people that stay forever, which ultimately are the ones that count...so smile and cheer up.

Things happen for a reason basically means that everything happens for good. All the things that happen to us in our lives are somewhere down the line, destined to happen. Failures, turns and twists and adversities might break us down and lessen or morale completely. But even we should learn to take them in our stride and learn from every bad experience too. Tracey Gold had once remarked, “I don't believe things happen in vain. I believe they happen for a reason.” Everything that happens to us in our lives happens for good and teaches us a lesson. Perhaps one should learn from every kind of experience whether good or bad. People who keep their chin up even in the most testing circumstances can always end up making a lot out of their lives.

Never regret anything that has happened in your life, it cannot be changed, undone or forgotten so take it as a lesson learned and move on. I've been walked on, used and forgotten and I don't regret one moment of it because in those moments, I've learned a lot. I've learned who I can trust and can't. I've learned the meaning of friendship. I've learned how to tell when people are lying and when they're sincere. I've learned how to be a teenager, and how to grow up when I need to. I've been to hell and back a few times, and I won't ever take what I have for granted. This is life, live it one day at a time. You never know how many days you've got left. At times I wish I could change the past...but sometimes the past changes you. I never regret anything that has happened to me in my life, whether it is making a bad choice, deciding to do something I shouldn’t have, saying the wrong thing or not doing something I should have done... because all of these things have given me the knowledge I have today and helped make me who I am today... and that is one thing I will never regret. Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from. Accept everything about yourself -- I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end -- no apologies, no regrets. Just keep smiling and pretending you're happy, and then maybe after you've convinced everyone else that you are, you can convince yourself.