Pastor Rick Warren ~ Author of the best selling 'The Purpose Driven Life ~ What on Earth Am I'm Here For ?'

Inspirational Quotes from Rick Warren,Author of  The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here for?

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life.” His book, “The Purpose Driven Church,” was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. “My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is “T-I-M-E.” 

“we are product of our past but we don’t have to be prisoners of it”

“Frankness is not a license to say anything you want, wherever and whenever you want. It is not rudeness.”

“Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.
I don’t know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone.”

“Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past. Listen: those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.”

“Your value is not determined by your valuables, and God says the most valuable things in life are not things!”

My Favourite Superstar,Rajesh Khanna just passed away ~ RIP ‘Kaka’ !  

Kaka,just as you soothed Sharmila Tagore in Amar Prem with the classic ” Pushpa,I hate Tears ” I can hear you constantly echo to me as you move to Heaven ” Gaurav,I hate Tears !”

Born in Amritsar as Jatin Khanna on 29-12-1942 ~ Moved to Heaven from Mumbai as Superstar Rajesh Khanna on 18-7-2012

Rajesh Khanna ~ A Legendary Superstar in his time RIP 29-12-1942 to 18-7-2012

Aradhana,Amar Prem,Anand ~ What a ‘Safar’ ! ~ For me these ‘A’s tower over the other Superstar ‘A’ ~ and I was a young kid under 10 when he delivered these Classics in 1970 to 1972 and I was hooked onto him ~ He walked straight into my heart with his Screen Songs ! I’m a Romantic and clearly inspired by Rajesh Khanna’s Romanticm

He won the Filmfare best Actor Award in 1971 for ‘Saccha Jhutha’ and won it again in 1972  for the super hit ‘Anand’  ~ remember him classically addressing a young emotionally intense Amitabh  as “Babu Moshai ” in it~ Filmfare presented him an Award in 1991 for completing 25 years in the Indian Film Industy and gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 

He walked straight into my heart with his Screen Songs ! I’m a Romantic and live the Combination of Legendary Singer and my No 1 ,Kishore Kumar and my No I Hero ,Rajesh Khanna ~ a Classic duo that gave some of India’s greatest Songs

Here’s  a YouTube compilation in brief of Rajesh Khanna’s Famous Songs 

Yeh Joh Mohabbat hai ~ Zindagi Ka Safar hai yeh kaisa safar ~ Yeh Kya Hua~Pyar Deewana Hota Hai ~ Jai Jai Shiv Shankar ~ Mere Sapno ki Rani ~ Zindagi kay Safar may joh guzar jaate hai joh makaam woh phir nahe aate ~Roop Tera Mastana ~Maine tere liye hi saat rang kay sapnay chunay ~ Chingari koi ~Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana ~ Chala jata hoon kisi ki dhun main ~Vadhaa tera Vadhaa ~ Oh Mera Dil kay Chaain ~ Gulabi aakhen joh maine dekhi…….I could go on and on and hear them over a thousand times over again and again and I have !~I love them all ~ I’m listening to them while I blog this…….

He courted some of India’s most beautiful women on Screen ~ Sharmila Tagore,Hema Malini,Mumtaz,Asha Parekh,Tanuja,Tina Munim but swept and was swept away by the overnight and just 16 year old sensation Dimple Kapadia in ‘Bobby’  who he married

An Era has ended  but the Legend will Live On ~ He died many times in his Movies ~ he acted in 163 in all ~Kati Patang,Amar Prem,Anand,Aradhana,Safar,Mere Jeevan Saathi,Aaan Milo Sajna,Haathi Mere Saathi,Saacha Jhutha…..and Now He’s now No More with us on Planet Earth

Rajesh Khanna ~A Super Star that can simply never  be replaced and is now with the Stars above ~ perhaps accepting the Invitation from Kishore Kumar to join him

Now everytime I gaze at the Stars above,and it will be more frequent than before , I shall be entertained by my super Duo Singer Kishore Kumar and Actor Rajesh Khanna from up above

Kaka,just as you soothed Sharmila Tagore in Amar Prem with the classic ” Pushpa,I hate Tears ” I can hear you constantly echo to me as you move to Heaven ” Gaurav,I hate Tears !”

And over A Billion Indians can’t hold back their Tears today for you, Rajesh Khanna

RIP Kaka ~ You continue to Live in Me through your Classic Screen Songs 

Music Truly and even  Miraculously Heals !

Adele’s Song wakes up a girl from Coma ! 

Adele's Song miraculously wakes up a young Girl from Coma !

What a Lovely Inspiring and Keep the Faith Real Life Story !

I instantly recalled William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ which began with this inspiring line by Duke Orsino

” If Music be the Food of Love,Play On” 

We had this Play in our English Literature Syllabus way back in Std VIII  ~ way back in the early 1970s ! ~ This Opening Line remains immortally etched in my Memory since then !

Never Look DOWN on anybody unless you’re helping them UP

… an offshoot….. Always be Good to the People on your way UP for you’ll meet them on your way DOWN

Cheers !

PS: In lighter Vein, don’t look DOWN on our Sensex… just Help it UP !

Paulo ‘The Alchemist’ Coelho fascinates me….”If you chase your dreams,your dreams will chase you”…Wow !

love visiting his blog…he’s embarking on a spiritual retreat from tomorrow for a few days and will have access to the internet for only 20 minutes everyday…uncanny coincidence !…because I too am doing the same later this week !

Caught my eye was this link on his blog  on Napoleon’s penis…what an Investment !…unique,exclusive and cannot be recreated or replicated !…Holding History,literally and figuratively, in your Hands !

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2010/05/30/5-sec-read-napoleons-penis/comment-page-1/#comment-561486

Allegedly cut off in 1821 by Napoleon’s Doctor during the autopsy and not well preserved through the years,the Penis was purchased by a New Jersey Urologist in 1977 for US $ 3000…he kept it under his bed!…his daughter has now inherited this ‘relic’ and has been offered US $ 100000

‘Time’ magazine lists the Penis in the Top 10 List of Famous Stolen Body Parts …the List is as below

1. Maori Heads
2. Santa Claus’ Bones
3. Geronimo’s Skull
4. Anne Boleyn’s Heart
5. Benito Mussolini’s Brain
6. Napoleon’s Penis
7. Remains of Thomas Paine
8. St. Francis Xavier’s Toe
9. The Head of King Badu Bonsu II
10. The Purloined African

Read : http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1988719_1988728_1988720,00.html

Just Imagine  a similar hypothetical Indian Top Ten List of Famous Departed Souls !…wonder whose body part would be a good investment !…or is this a sacrilegious thought !

I’ve categorised this blog under both ‘Investing Themes’ and ‘INVESTOR MISTAKES’ ….depends on whether you think it’s a sacrilegious investment or not !

Cheers !

Eight years ago, when my daughter was just Five Years Old, she came unexpectedly first in the 50 metres Flat race at her School’s Annual Athletic Meet….. She won her first Gold Medal and has since won many more in Athletics, Gymnastics, Football and Karate

This is what she had declared to me at the end of that race “Daddy, do you know why I came first !? It’s because you told me to tell my Mind, I could win,… and I did and I won !”   

When I read today this fantastic excerpt below from Earl Nightingale’s “The Strangest Secret”, I immediately recollected what my daughter had told me after winning her first race years ago

The Mind indeed is yours to plant or Think whatever you wish… It will return what you plant or think  

In 1964, Earl Nightingale electrified USA by his Radio Message “The Strangest Secret”

The Demand for the Audio Recording was huge and it became the first Non Music Record that sold over a Million Copies !

An excerpt from “The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale

George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, they make them.”

Well, it’s pretty apparent, isn’t it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn’t know where he’s going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry – his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing… he becomes nothing.

How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I’ll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.

Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care. It’s up to the farmer to make the decision.

We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant.

Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land… and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.

As it’s written in the Bible, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

Remember the land doesn’t care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants – one corn, one poison.

The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant… success… or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal… or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.

You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

With over 2 million people assembled on National Mall in Washington to witness in person the Swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th President of USA and with a record 1.3 billion people,over 20% of the World’s population, watching it Live in over 240 countries round the world,Obama declared :

” WE ARE READY TO LEAD ONCE MORE !”  

We all know how good an orator,Obama is and yesterday he demonstrated this yet again in a Twenty minute Address without once referring to any written statement….Others who spoke for shorter durations were referring or even reading out

In light of Unprecedented Domestic and Overseas Challenges that USA is facing and battling to overcome,Obama’s Speech was eagerly awaited and his every utterance is being viewed as a metaphor and linked to his take on how these challenges will be dealt by him  

Interestingly Obama became the President even before he took the Oath !…This was because the Ceremonies were delayed by minutes and as per the 20th Amendment of the US Constitution he becomes the President at Noon Eastern Time…At Noon he was yet a few minutes away from taking the oath !

And when he did take the Oath,there was yet another minor flutter…when the 35 word Oath Giver,accidently,probably overwhelmed by the occasion, transposed the word ‘faithfully’ at the end of a sentence when it actually occurred earlier…so when Obama, who knew the Oath by heart,had to repeat the sentence,he paused and chuckled for a second because he sensed this mistake…it was remedied 

Some interesting phrases or the like of it in his speech that got my attention are as below :

• The nation cannot prosper alone if it only serves the prosperous
• We are ready to lead once more
• You cannot outlast us.We will defeat you   ( addressed to those who take up violent acts against USA)
• Challenges are Real…They are serious and may not be met easily…But they will be Met !
• We failed to make Hard Choices
• Time to make unpleasant decisions has already passed
• Pick ourselves up,Dust ourselves to rebuild America
• Excessive Use of Energy that only benefits our Adversaries…we will harness the Sun,Wind and Soil to fuel our Cars…..
• The Time has Come….
• New Era of Responsibility
• We will not apologise for Our way of Life
• For those who gain Power through Corruption and Deceit and quell dissent,you are on the wrong side of history…yet we will extend our Hand if you are willing to unclench your Fist
• When we were tested…we did not let the Journey end….and delivered this Great Gift of Freedom safely to Future Generations
• We will move away from Pettiness and Vindictiveness and Childishness in Politics

Obama is committed to return Iraq to the Iraqi People and withdraw US Troops from Iraq and also close down the controversial Guantanomo Bay Detaining Centre.He is set to work hard for Peace in Afghanistan.He will work towards reducing the possibility of use of Nuclear weapons and also address the Global Warming Issue.

He has warned the US Senate that if his proposed US $ 825 Billion Economic measures Package is rejected,there will be more chaos in the US Economy 

His focus is on Taxing Capital and Consumption…In Global Recession Times like these,such moves will meet heavy resistance and may be viewed as short sighted measures

As Mr and Mrs Obama danced away at the Inaugural ball,the Dow danced it’s way down 4% to drop below 8000 to close at 7949 as moods on Wall Street and Washington clashed yet once again as it sunk in that there will not be increased Government Spending to revive the Economy and Banks,many tottering on Insolvency,will have to recapitalise and not expect more bailouts.

What’s the alternative but to Hope that Obama Delivers a Miracle !…he was ‘mindful’ of the challenges and did realistically confess that the revival may take many years and only if Hard decisions are taken and Americans needed to pick themselves up and shake off the dust

This is going to be really tough for a nation that’s led by excessive Consumption and wastage and where only recently the Savings rate turned positive…only just !…for years Americans were spending more than they earned !

“Freedom” is a great Ideal,both in Spirit and Substance…but it being taken for granted without assuming Responsibility and therefore leading to it’s misuse leads to depleting the Nation’s Resources and Weakening the Economy

Obama may just be the ‘Change’ that America drastically needs…There is no other alternative but to “Chose Hope over Fear ” as Obama makes a point in his address.

Let’s give Obama a Chance and some time…Reviving USA is his immediate focus…but in doing so he will help the World too to revive.

Was reminded this morning, by the Sunday edition of TOI, of a famous quote by Confucius….says he….”Choose a Job you Love and you’ll never have to work a day in your Life”

Hey ! this Blog was born to reflect just this   

“Laugh as Much as you Breathe…and Love as Long as you Live”…..Anonymous

“Nothing Shows a Man’s Character more than what he laughs at “…J W Von Goethe 

“God is a Comedian,playing to an audience too afraid to laugh “…Voltaire

” Perhaps I know Best why it is Man alone who laughs;he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter “….Friedrich Nietzsche

We returned late night at 3 am from distant Powai…close friend had hosted a  Dinner in Honour of the ex Head of Allianze Francais in India

…and so I began the Day a little late at 9 am with tears in My Eyes to witness Live our Shooter, ABHINAV BINDRA win India’s first ever Individual OLYMPIC GOLD ever in Beijing… He won in the 10m Rifle Event on the third Day of the Olympics…. Our National Anthem being played and our Tri colour going up was simply overwhelming… I was standing when “Jana Gana Mana” began playing and I was Crying… the Chinese was crying on the Podium… but Bindra was calm and composed and only allowed himself a shy smile… the Moment is indescribable 

And how did Bindra do it !…. he was joint third going into the Final Round of Ten Shots, the  Finn was in the lead by over Two Points… Bindra was never in the lead….. At the Ninth Shot the Chinese and Bindra were tied and then the Chinese shot a very good 10.2…..Every Indian was holding his Breath as Bindra readied to shoot the last shot….. and believe it or not he shot the best of the day… 10.8 to snatch Gold  on the last shot  scoring a Final Score of 700.5 ! with the desolate Chinese taking Silver and the Finn, the Bronze

The Best and Most touching outpourings came from Bindra’s Mother… she was simply over the moon.. she said she messaged him at 4 am in the Morning saying “Mama knows you can do it… you know you can do it…so just go and do it !”

It’s a Proud Moment for all Indians… It’s proud to be an Indian !…. It’s as if each of us has won the Gold !  

Hopefully now Cricket will not dominate sports in India and corner Major Sponsorships and Funds…. India is trying to save the Test Series in Sri Lanka right now….. Other Games will now rightfully come into the limelight and deservingly get their place in the Sun too!

Post win on questions being shot at him by the Indian media, as fast as his rifle shots too, Bindra showed his maturity… his dedication to his family…. his sense of humour… his spirit…. his views were assertive and firm… Snatches of his answers are below

• Sports is a Gamble. you have to take it
• On some other day somebody else would have won…Today was my day
• I Believe in Myself
• Focus has never been a problem
• Never Give Up…. I worked hard for Four years for the Athens Olympics (he broke the Olympic Record but yet did not figure among the Medals) and then again had to wait for another Four Years
• I can’t describe the greatest Moment of My Life !
• I’ve got a poker face but it was different inside ( On being asked how when all of us were holding our breath but Bindra was Calm amd Composed)
• Coach told me to be aggressive… I had an Aggresive Frame of Mind.. Just went for it
• I need to go to the Toilet (when asked what next? !)
• My performance was better at Athens though I finished Seventh there
• This Medal is Theirs (referring to his Family when asked how they supported him)
• If we dont win so what ! we’ll win the next time ! (on Negativism and Critiscism)

Abhinav, your OLYMPIC GOLD is the Overshadowing Sunlight on A day when Rain, Political and Religious Issues, some major Tragic Accidents and our Cricketers are  all playing Havoc with us