Eye Spice

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Respond with love to those who might otherwise annoy you, and suddenly the annoyance is gone. You’ll both be better off.

Respond with patience to situations that might otherwise make you frustrated, and suddenly the frustration is gone. In its place will be energy for positive achievement.

Respond with understanding to things that might otherwise anger you, and the anger will dissolve. Instead of destructive rage, you’ll see creative possibilities.

Respond with determination to events that might otherwise cause you dismay. You’ll find yourself powerfully motivated to move positively forward.

Respond with enthusiasm to tasks you might otherwise find tedious. You’ll find a way to create new and lasting value.

Respond to life as if each moment is a grand experience, filled with positive and unique possibilities. And that’s just how it will be.

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. owever, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen nd they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower rice.

So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little hrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state.

The fish are challenged.

As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion. You don’t need to work so hard so you relax.

Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950’s.

“Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment.”

The Benefits of a Challenge
The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!

Recommendations
Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game.

If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.

Don’t create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.

Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.

If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for equilibrium in your life.

How?!

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.  Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important.  Only you know what is best for you.  Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart.  Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.  Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give in if you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.  Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.  Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chance that we learn to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life saying it is impossible to find.  The quickest way to receive love is to give: the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly: and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.  Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.  Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Yesterday is History. Tomorrow is a Mystery. And Today is a Gift: that’s why we call it The Present.

~Author Unknown