Good Lecture On Stress Management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”

The answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If you hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If you hold it for an hour, you'll have an ache in your right arm. If you hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer you hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

“And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, we have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work or whatever is bothering you down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.”

“Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

• Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
• Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
• Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be "recalled" by their maker.
• If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
• If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
• Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
• Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
• When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
• Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
• You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
• Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
• We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
• A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

I receive this from a friend’s email and I pass it to you.

I believe you need this too.

Life In A Mess

Life can be a mess.

We do things without thinking or reasoning. Then we are not happy with what we do. And we wonder what has gone wrong.

We look around helplessly. Then we discover many like us, walking around and working aimlessly; wasting time and effort; living with unfulfilled dreams and desires; with broken heart, broken spirit, sorrow and disappointments.

*******

Life without clear purpose can be miserable.

We get bored easily when we don’t like what we do; we get tired easily when we have to repeat the same task, again.

Life becomes monotonous and we become sluggish; life becomes stressful and we become emotional.

*******

Life without clear direction is not worth living.

We change from one job to another, and we are busy doing nothing.

Nothing interests us more than feeling and sensation, and we become helpless when we don’t know what else to do.

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Life isn’t good when we live only to please ourselves; we must also learn to serve God and others.

The newspaper men complete their round before the town awakes; the shopkeepers set up the stores before customers arrive; the farmers move to the farm before the morning sun.

Everyone is ready early and starts early; everyone serves God and others when the day begins.

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No, life needs not be a mess.

When we have a clear purpose and direction in life, and when we have a willing, and a sincere and genuine heart to serve God and others, then we are ready to begin our day.

Life can be wonderful everyday when we know what we are doing, and it can be meaningful when we learn to make others happy.

We don’t mourn our loss and wallow in self-pity; we carry on with our lives, everyday.

No, life needs not be a mess.

I Wasn’t Too Late

I woke up 2 hours late on Monday. I was following a by-election in my State until almost 12 midnight. I couldn’t sleep when there was perplexity still hung on my mind, and in this case it was the public announcement of the voting result.

I didn’t know why the delay in the counting of the final ballot box. I had read about the unofficial results of the other ballot boxes from a website two hours earlier.

But it was none of my business; I just wanted to know the official result before I headed for my sleeping journey.

By 12.00 a.m. I switched off everything and began my nice and deep sleep, feeling rather satisfied with nothing lingering in the mind.

I woke up at 5.30 a.m. refreshed and energized.

I washed my face; drank some water; opened my laptop; powered up my computer; and began my day.

It wasn’t easy to start the day sometimes; I sat down thinking about what to do.

I finally made up my mind to write an article for my blog.

I thought seriously about the topic; listing down my main points; tidied them up and put them in order.

I began to compose my essay. It was 20 minutes later when I did the final touch up and published it.

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We know what to do when there is a shortage of time.

We know how to work single-mindedly; we know when to be serious and do things one at a time; and we always know how to accomplish what is required in time.

*******

Too often we spend too much time concentrating on details while ignoring the larger context; we emphasize the depth of our study, and forget totally our purpose in doing.

It is only when we have to meet a certain deadline that we begin to concentrate on our main task, specify our every step, and execute our very actions.

It is only when we are face to face with a problem that we see the importance of thinking straight, feeling positive, and doing right.

While saying so, I must reiterate that I don’t condone wasting time and doing things last minute.

Rather, I emphasize the importance of apportioning our time and energy more intelligently and prudently to reach our goals.

Oh no! I wasn’t late for work that day; I reached my office by 7.00 a.m.

ATM Ran Out Of Receipt

The ATM machine was running out of receipt again.

Many lined up shook their heads, and began to grumble and mutter “no”.

A few were leaving the ATM room with a sad and long face.

Then someone said, “This one is okay.”

Many shifted to another row.

I chuckled and nodded, half-smiling.

I asked myself, “why the receipt?”

I had seen many people pressed the button for the transaction receipt, took a quick look, crumpled it and threw it into the plastic rubbish basket provided.

I did it differently. I kept the former transaction receipt in my wallet to remind myself of the balance. I took a quick look every time before I withdrew money from the ATM machine. I then did my transaction, threw away the former receipt into the basket and kept the new receipt in my wallet for future reference.

I believed the idea of keeping the receipt was more convenient than necessary. I just couldn’t understand why many people made a fuss about having the transaction receipt and not keeping it. If we just wanted to know our balance, we could always check by pressing the ‘Balance Enquiry” button on any ATM machine. I just couldn’t understand why people refused to transact just because the machine was running out of receipt.

I might get annoyed if all the ATM machines were out of order or running out of money.

But I would never leave the ATM room just because all the machines were running out of receipt.

Back To My Room

They have finished the rewiring of the office building; my room is now ready for use. All the lights are functioning and are turned on. The air-conditioner is working well and powerfully cold. Though there is this pungent smell of a wet paint, it is not here to stay. The wires are now concealed in plastered walls and ceiling. Everything looks just beautiful and well done.

It is time to move back to my room and begin my work here. I had not worked here for almost a month now, though I had often frequented it. But I had not resorted to relaxation and empty talks on any single day. Instead, I had my working space in the staffroom as an alternative and I was fully occupied. It is just not right to stop working just because of circumstances. Work is work and we are paid to do our work.

Now that I am back to my own table and chair, there is this sense of belonging, and this feeling of lightness and freedom. Everything is back to normal now. Now I can do what I am used to do, and reorganize my work. Everything I need is readily at hand; there is no need to rush and hurry as before. Once again I can stretch my arms, hum a song or drink my tea in peace whenever I want. Once again I can take off my shoes and let the feet feel the cold cement floor. Oh! It is really nice to have my room back.

I presume every one of us needs our own space to work. Mine is a common room and more to a storeroom. Here are the file cabinets and office storage cabinets. Here are the Photostat machine and the washroom. Here they keep every office supplies and equipments possible. And for your information, here is the only route to the toilets and another two washrooms.

Sometimes, strangers and visitors pass by, greet and tease us while shaking their heads, laughing and smiling away. Sometimes, we do grumble inside. But it doesn’t matter; it is still a good place to work. Of course, if possible, I would like to have a private room, a room where I can escape from prying eyes and ears, away from rumor-mongers and muck-spreaders, and those grievers and mourners around. But as it is, we don’t demand changes just because of self-gratification; instead we adapt ourselves to whatever circumstances possible, work hard and earn our pay.

The room is still in a mess. There are still things to get ready before I can enjoy my workplace. But there is no need to hurry. It is not the amount of work we can do that matters. Rather, it is the quality time we spend to do our work.

I take another look at my room. I am satisfied.

Gone is the electrical blackout.

Hopefully this time is for good.

The Grass Cutting Guys

The grass cutting guys came this morning.

It had been quite some time since their last visit; the grass had grown tall and thick.

They came masked and dressed like a ninja, fully covered and protected. The only difference I could find was the gardener’s hat that kept them from the sun.

I saw them getting ready the brush cutter by pulling the trigger. They warmed it up a little. They revved the engine a couple of times by pressing the trigger, injecting more fuel into the engine and causing it to spin faster.

I watched them carefully and studied them. I was inquisitive as to what and how they would do it. I admired their punctuality, but I had yet to see their workmanship, professionalism and dedication.

Except for a little trash talk, none of them discussed about their work. I presumed they must have decided on what and how they would do before they came, or it might have been their normal routine on any given task after years of working together.

I could see they were working in pair, back to back to one another, one fellow cutting an area of the field while the other fellow cutting the opposite side.

As they were cutting the long and thick grass, I saw the grasshoppers, the locusts and many other insects escaping, hopping and running away wildly. It would be a good morning exercise for them carrying their belongings; I chuckled and had a good laugh.

A large patch of the field was cleared in no time. The well-trimmed grass field looked beautiful and welcoming. It would be nice to step on it and enjoy the wind and the cold out in the open. The smell of the freshly cut grass must be intoxicating and invigorating. Wow! Standing in the open field and stretching out the hands would be nice. It offered an excellent break from the normal routine of life.

The morning sunlight was shining brightly down on the workers. I could see the beads of sweat dripping down their bodies. They were sweating through their hats, scarves, gloves, shirts, stocking and pants. I imagined a brown tanned body bathed in thick sweat! They would surely look sexy to many admirers, I smiled.

I loved what I was seeing today and I was enjoying my sweet time. Then my mind wandered.......

Many things happen every day. Some seem so insignificant and trivial. But it is never insignificant or trivial to the people concerned or involved. To them, it is so very important and urgent that they must do it fast. And it is never insignificant or trivial when it involves the well being of others.

A wise man expands his horizons and enhances his own wisdom by opening himself to learn from the virtues of others. And here is one for me to learn. What have you learned from the grass cutting guys?