At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils.

Think you have to make huge changes and expend a ton of extra energy to achieve bigger and better results? Think again! And consider this …

At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. Applying just one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is merely very hot and something that generates enough force to power a large machine.

Seemingly small things can make tremendous differences.

The key learning is equally powerful:

The application of additional “heat” to whatever task or activity you undertake will not only help you achieve the primary objective you seek, but also reap exponential rewards that are possible by giving just one extra degree of effort.

Imagine the possibilities …

• Add just a few hours each month to your professional development outside of work and you will have invested the equivalent of a full work week during the year in your most valuable asset – YOU.
• Make just one extra contact each day – a sales call … a customer follow-up … a brief discussion with a colleague … an encouraging talk with a member of your team. With contact comes opportunity. At the end of the year you’ll have opened more than 200 additional doors of possibility.
• Eliminate one half-hour of television watching each day and you’ll gain 182.5 hours each year to use elsewhere (equivalent to four and a half weeks of work).

Imagine YOUR possibilities. Where can you give a little more effort? What small changes can you make that will add up over time? As a leader, what can you do – what will you do – to enjoy the rewards that come from “turning up the heat” one extra degree? Find those opportunities … and seize them!

Lead well ... LEAD RIGHT

Well worth reading twice!!

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He 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 a 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 - family, children, health, Friends and Favorite passions. Things that 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, house and 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.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play With your children.Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner.

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!!

Please share this with other "Golf Balls"
I just did......

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's

Dear Parents and friends,____________ _________ ________

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's

First, we survived being born to mothers who had no full time
maids/cooked food/cleaned the house while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate cheese , sweet dishes and didn't get tested
for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright
coloured lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and
when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks
we took hitchhiking .

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a local bus/train was a special treat.

We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle.

We would spend hours on the terrace under bright sunlight flying our
kites, without worrying about the UV effect which never ever effect
us.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE
actually died from this.

We ate pastries, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks
with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because..... .

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we
were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours reparing our out dated bicycle and scooter out of
scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the
brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve
the problem .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at
all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound,
no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat
rooms....... .! .WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no

lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live
in us forever.

We were never given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

we made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were
told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or
rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Cricket League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard
of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem
solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO

DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow
up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives
for our own good.

and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how
brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Why should I read more books?

Why should I read more books? What a funny question? It's just like asking why should I breathe? O.K. The answer is to live, not simply to exist.

What do we mean by living? It is not just eating, sleeping, begetting children and dying,

Living is serving the society.
Living is loving our fellow human beings.
Living is loving nature.
Living is being happy and making others happy.
Living is making this world a better place for the posterity.

How can I live a meaningful and useful life? Who can guide me?

Indeed, my best guides are the books which I read. Don't we know that experience is the best teacher. And books contain the experiences of the best minds. H.W. Beecher says, " Books are windows through which the soul looks out".

By reading more books, I can learn how to live, especially how not to live. According to Bulwer Lytton, "we can ive withour art, music and everything. But civilized men can not live without books".

A home without books is like a house without windows. No man has the right to bring up children without books.

Reading books not only improves our knowledge, but also tells us how to make use of it.

But, unfortunately, the habit of reading is fast disappearing. Children are glued to T.V. If we develop the habit of reading, it will improve our understanding of human life.

It will improve our language. Reading books will make us better human beings.

Let, us see this beautiful poem:
"Books are keys to wisdom's treasure;
Books are gates to lands of pleasure;
Books are paths that upward lead;
Books are friends, come, let us read".

Source:
Prof. N.Sukumaran, M.A., M.Phil., C.P.A. College, Bodi

This entry won the third prize at the oratorical competition for class III held at The Little kingdom senior school, Theni by Master S. Bhaala natarajen

How can I become a responsible citizen

This topic is a tought provoking topic and concerns a burning problem all over the world.



I was immediately reminded of the wonderful lines, Pronounced by the famous dramatist Bernard Shaw. He said "Good laws don't make a good society, only good people can make a good society".



All right, How can I make myself a good and a responsible citizen? Then I remembered a meaningful epigram:

"Watch your thoughts

They become your words,

Watch your words,

They become your actions,

Watch your actions,

They become your habit,

Watch your habits,

They become your character"



So, the simple trick is to have a pure mind. A mind which has very good qualities like truth, honesty, tolerance, love, generosity and humility.



Well, how can I develop these valuable qualities? It is not easy, but it is possible. We have very good models before us like Mahatma Gandhiji, Mother Teresa, Buddha, Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and others. If I study their biographies I can imbibe their great qualities, in course of time.

Then I must practise them in my daiy life. Because, Citizenship involves not only rights, but also duties. Initially, it will be difficult. But, when I make up my mind, and follow the foot prints of these great souls, in the long run, I can attain a pure and noble soul.

O.K. let me assume that I possess all these virtues. What am I to do with them?

Here comes the important issue. Surely I am proud of being an Indian and benefit from the famous Indian culture and heritage.

But, should I utilize m noble qualities only for the welfare of Indian people? No, I don't think so. Because, Pablo Casals, the renowned thinker says, "The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the boundary?

I consider the entire world as my own country and all the human beings are my own brethren. More over, like the great revolutionary poet, Bharathi, I consider each and every creature of nature, as my family member.

I have immense faith in the international brotherhood. Because, I want to be a good citizen of this Universe. If there is yet another world war, it is beyond doubt, that the whole mankind will be erased off the face of the earth, in no time.

What is the way out? The only possibe solution is that, all of us should practise the great teaching of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the famous, American philosopher. He said "my country is the world, and my religion is to do good".

If we do this, there will not be any terrrorism, war, and inhuman killings. If we forget our petty differences and love one another and shed tears for the miseries of our fellow human beings in any part of the world, this world will surely become an earthly paradise.

When some one is crushed in Haiti, when some one loses his life in Iraq let us not stop, simply with shedding tears, and feeling sorry for them. Let us help them in our own way. Can't we spare atleast five hundred rupees from our savings? It will get a needy meal for a hungry child. Let the milk of human kindness flow from our heart. Let, helping others become our religion and let us start a movement. When our peers, see our nobility of actions, they will follow suit. And finally, God himself will assist us in our noble endeavour. Because not only joint prayer, but also joint actions of munificience will attract the almighty.

Don't think that it is impossible. But, let me tell you one thing. If we join hands together, and try very hard, we can make this world a better and a wonderful place.

I am ready for this difficult, but meaningful ordeal. Are you?

Source:
Prof. N.Sukumaran, M.A., M.Phil., C.P.A. College, Bodi.

This entry won the first prize at the Oratorical competition for class VI held at The Little Kingdom Senior School by Miss S. Hema varna soundarya.

Speech of Dr. Abdul Kalam

The President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's Speech in Hyderabad.
Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation.
We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse acknowledge them--- Why

We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.

There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place.
The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.

Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question:
Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture,when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and
I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise,choice is yours.YOU say that our government is inefficient say that our laws are too old

YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.

YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and
is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS.
YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai . YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah .

YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.

YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop,'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.'

YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ?
Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ???
We are still talking of the same YOU..
YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own.
You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country,
why cannot you be the same here in India ?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay ,Mr. Tinaikar , had a point to make.
'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements.

What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan .
Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative.

We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.

We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are notgoing to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.

This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.
When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others,
we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse?

'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone fore go my sons' rights to a dowry.
' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of ?
Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government.
But definitely not me and YOU.

When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system.

When New York becomes insecure we run to England .
When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf.
When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.
Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country.
Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....

I am echoing J. F. Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....
'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA
AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

To all my Indian Friends………..

Why Indian Students are attacked abroad.............?

It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade.

The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death'?"

She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up:? ' Patrick Henry, 1775' he said.

'Very good! Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?''

Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar. 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar.

The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about our history than you do.'

She heard a loud whisper: 'F ___ the Indians,'

'Who said that?' she demanded. Chandrasekhar put his hand up. 'General Custer, 1862.'

At that point, a student in the back said, 'I'm gonna puke.'

The teacher glares around and asks 'All right! Now, who said that?' Again, Chandrasekhar says, 'George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.'

Now furious, another student yells, 'Oh yeah? Suck this!'

Chandrasekhar jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, 'Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky,1997'

Now with almost mob hysteria someone said 'You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.' Chandrasekhar frantically yells at the top of his voice, ' Michael Jackson to the child witnesses testifying against him, 2004.'

The teacher fainted. And as the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, 'Oh shit, we're screwed!' And Chandrasekhar said quietly, 'I think it was Lehmann Brothers, September 4th, 2008'.

jokes

Two guys were sitting around talking one day. The
first guy said, "Ever since we got married, my wife has tried to change
me. She got me to stop drinking, smoking and running around until all hours of the
night. She taught me how to dress well, enjoy the fine arts, gourmet cooking,
classical music, even how to invest in the stock market."

"Sounds like you may be bitter because she has
changed you so drastically, " remarked his friend.

The first guy replied, "No, I'm not bitter.
Now that I'm so improved, she just isn't good enough for me."


Jeeto complained to her friend Preeto

"She told me that you told her the secret I
told you not to tell her."

"Well," replied Preeto in a hurt tone,
"I told her not to tell you I told her."

"Oh dear!" sighed Jeeto. "Well,
don't tell her I told you that she told me."


A man was wandering around in a field, thinking
about how good his wife had been to him, and how fortunate he was to have her.

He asked God, "Why did you make her so kind
hearted?"

The Lord responded, "So you could love her, my
son."

"Why did you make her so good looking?"

"So you could love her, my son."

"Why did you make her such a good cook?"

"So you could love her, my son." The man thought
about this. Then he said, "I don't mean to seem ungrateful or anything,
but why did you make her so stupid?"

"So she could love you, my son."


A retired couple is lying in bed one night and are
discussing all aspects of their future.

"What will you do if I die before you
do?" husband asked wife.

After some thought, she said, "I'd probably
look for a house sharing situation with three other single or widowed women who
might be a little younger than herself, since she is so active for her
age."

Then wife asked husband, "What will you do if
I die first?"

He replied, "Probably the same thing."


A fellow was very much in love with a beautiful
girl.

One day she told him that the next day was her
birthday. He told her he would send her a bouquet of roses... one for each year
of her life.

That evening he called the local florist and
ordered twenty-one roses with instructions that they be delivered first thing
the next morning.

As the florist was preparing the order, he decided
that since the young man was such a good customer, he would put an extra dozen
roses in the bouquet.

The fellow never did find out what made the young
girl so angry with him.