The Nails in the Fence

                  I am sharing with you all another story i read online today. This one is very special as it appeared right when i needed to be reminded of. The story as below.

                         There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

                         Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

                        He said, 'You've done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there and a verbal wound is just as bad as a physical one.'  

- Author Unknown

              Throughout my life so far, i have managed to be the most angriest one around in my circle. However, life has taught me some worthwhile lessons. Today is my wife's birthday. Of course, she wouldn't expect gifts and neither would i forget to give her one. And today i asked her what she would want me to correct in myself. She asked me to control my anger. I argued if a person who does not get angry at all is either rated as a coward or ends up being bullied often. But she was quite clear in saying that there is a difference between being angry at everything and controlling anger. This story came right through and nailed the lesson. After all a man who keeps his calm and embraces his anger gets to take control over himself and the situation.

       Its funny that i recalled this dialogue from the movie Avengers where Bruce Banner says.. That is my secret. I am always angry :) 

Cheers for a better tomorrow. Dedicated to my sweet wife for making me a better man with every passing day..!   

            

Words of Wisdom

 I am sharing this version of the original story I heard from one of my School teacher in childhood. This is very inspirational and I remember it till date. Read and get inspired.

Once there was a king who ruled a large kingdom. His kingdom cherished and all went well. One fine day, his kingdom was attacked by a cruel army. The king lost his army and his palace. He had to flee away and rode his horse uphill until he reached the edge of the cliff. He then decided to commit suicide by jumping down from the cliff as he had lost all his faith along with all that he had. There was an old man sitting under a tree there who was observing everything. When he understood that the king is about to commit suicide, he walked up to him and uttered 3 words in the king's ear. The king got enlightened immediately and changed his decision. He sat down calmly and meditated for a while and planned something. 

For the next 6 months, the king gathered his army again. Provided that he knew his kingdom and people very well, he was able to strategically wage a war against the enemies and defeated them. The king was very happy that he got his kingdom back. The king hence declared a huge festive party with a grand feast. There were dancers and musicians entertaining people all around. The king was extremely happy now when he noticed the same old man he met at the edge of the cliff 6 months ago, slowly walking up to him. The Old man uttered those same 3 words to the king again and he understood the meaning of life that very day. He became aware of an important life lesson that he shared with everyone from then on. He also managed to successfully befriend his enemies and won the hearts of all the people of his kingdom. 

Now you must be waiting to hear those 3 words. They are "Ithuvum Kadanthu Pogum". It’s in Tamil language. It translates to "This too shall pass". 

There are situations in life when we all go through a lot of distress. These words are to be remembered during the times of great distress and also during times of great joy. It is applicable in all emotional states of our life. I am sure that these words of wisdom will enlighten your life as well. Wishing you success and greatness in your life. Again.., this too shall pass..!

The Elephant Rope

I got to read this story on the internet on a random site. This is truly inspiring and motivational. I share the story here as i hope it would inspire someone else as well. 

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life...

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