Golden Buddha!

Dear Champions,

In 1957 a group of monks from a monastery had to relocate a clay Buddha from their temple to a new location. The monastery had to be relocated to make room for the development of a new highway through Bangkok.

When the Crane began to lift the clay Buddha, the weight of it was so heavy that it began to crack, to make things worse it also began to rain. The head monk who was concerned about the damage to the Buddha decided to lower the statue back down to the ground and cover it with a large canvas to protect it from the rain. Later that evening the head monk went back to check on the Buddha.

He shined a flashlight under the canvas to see if the Buddha was staying dry. As the light reached where the statue had cracked he noticed a gleam shinning back. He decided to take a closer look at this gleam of light and wondered whether there was anything underneath the clay. He got a chisel and hammer and began chipping away at the clay. As he knocked off the clay, the gleam grew brighter and bigger. After chipping away for many hours the monk finally stood before an extraordinary solid gold Buddha.

It turns out that several hundred years before, the golden Buddha had been covered in clay by monks to keep their precious treasure from being looted by the Burmese when they attacked Thailand. Although the Burmese killed the Monks in Thailand, the secret of the golden Buddha remained intact until it was rediscovered in 1957.

Like that Golden Buddha many of us have allowed the gold within us to be covered by the clay of fear and other factors that don't allow us to shine and keep the beauty within us trapped. Somewhere along the way between the ages of two and nine, we begin to cover up our golden essence and develop low self esteem because of the things we experience and because of the things that are said to us and the negative meanings we associate with our experiences that cause us to undervalue ourselves.

Like the Monk we must grab our chisel and hammer and chip away the clay of low self esteem so that we can discover our true essence again.

Why Science backs Optimists!

Want to live longer?

Invest in a pair of rose-tinted glasses and boost your optimism. In the past it’s been reported that optimism can impair your health (and business), which as an incurable optimist I’ve found incredibly hard to fathom. However, a recent study has concluded that thinking positively keeps your heart healthy.

Conducted at the University of Illinois, the study examined more than 5,100 adults, and found that people who have upbeat outlooks and a positive approach in life have remarkably better cardiovascular health

Leading the study, Professor Rosalba Hernandez, said that those with optimism at its highest levels have two times the odds of being in supreme cardiovascular health against their pessimistic counterparts, and that optimists have remarkably better cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

I’ve always been optimistic about optimism. In the early days of Virgin, I was nicknamed ‘Dr Yes’ by the team in a friendly dig at my eagerness to always try new things. Optimism has paid off in dividends for our business. Throughout the Virgin journey, many of our most successful ventures have been driven by optimism. I cannot count the times we said yes when we were told by the experts to say no. 

“Optimism takes courage and strength, because it is an act of defiance in the face of status quo, mediocrity and reality… Vision, perseverance and grit--These are the hallmarks of the optimist who gets things done.” 

Optimism spurs positivity. People thrive in positive environments. Happy people are confident people, and confident people make things happen. So alongside the healthy foods, gym memberships and time spent with your loved ones, make sure you add a dose of optimism to your life. Not only will it keep your relationships, business and brain happy, but your heart too. 

Sir Richard Branson

http://t.co/kH3hpMiz16

Worth Reading...

Once Krishna and Arjuna were walking towards a village. Arjuna was pestering Krishna, asking him why Karna should be considered an unparalleled Donor & not him ?

Krishna, turned two mountains into gold.

Then said, "Arjuna, distribute these two gold mountains among villagers, but you must donate every bit of it ".

Arjuna went into the village, and proclaimed he was going to donate gold to every villager, and asked them to gather near the mountain. The villagers sang his praises and Arjuna walked towards the mountains with a huffed up chest.

For two days and two nights Arjuna shovelled gold from the mountain and donated to each villager. The mountains did not diminish in the slightest.

Most villagers came back and stood in queue within minutes. Now Arjuna was exhausted, but not ready to let go of his Ego, told Krishna he couldn't go on any longer without rest.

Then Krishna called Karna and told him to donate every bit of the two gold mountains.

Karna called the villagers, and said "Those two Gold mountains are yours. " and walked away.

Arjuna sat dumbfounded. Why hadn't this thought occurred to him?

Krishna smiled mischievously and told him "Arjuna, subconsciously, you were attracted to the gold, you regretfully gave it away to each villager, giving them what you thought was a generous amount. Thus the size of your donation to each villager depended only on your imagination.

Karna holds no such reservations. Look at him walking away after giving away a fortune, he doesn't expect people to sing his praises, he doesn't even care if people talk good or bad about him behind his back. That is the sign of a man already on the path of enlightenment".

Giving with an Expectation of a Return in the form of a Compliment or Thanks is not a Gift, then it becomes a Trade.

" Give without expecting anything in Return.

Givers Gain 

Who is stopping YOU??

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:

Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the cafeteria. In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself. The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought: Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: IT IS YOU.

You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself. Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself.

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don’t be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality. The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed. The world and your reality are like mirrors lying in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success.

It’s the way you face Life that makes the difference!

Have a Positive week ahead!!