Drops of OIL and the Secret of Happiness.... Nice Story

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived. Rather than finding a saintly man though, our young lad, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have just then to explain the secret of happiness.


He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours. "Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something," said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon without allowing the oil to spill." The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the castle, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.


"Well", said the wise man, "did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in the dining hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener 10 years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?" The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him..


"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world", said the wise man. Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens and the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.


"But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?", asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone. "Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you", said the wisest of wise men. "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.."

This story serves as just a little reminder that while we get all caught up in the frenzy of work and assignments, we mustn't forget about the "drops of oil", the things in life that really matter... friends, family, stuffed toys... and the ties that bind . . .

Success in Life -------- Just 4 steps

Have you dreamed about success for most of your life, but never felt that you truly achieved success? Why is it that everyone else achieves success, but it seems that you get left behind?

Success is not something you get by luck.

Success HAS to be achieved. This means that you cannot be successful without going after it and achieving it. No one is going to hand you your success. The lottery is not going to make you successful. The successful person sets goals and then, they find a way to achieve those goals. They don’t stop until those goals have been achieved.

How to become successful in life is a statement that we have all heard, but how do you achieve success. Here are a few hints that will help you in finding your success.

First, you must gain a positive attitude. You cannot view the world and expect to become successful.

Second, it is impossible to be successful if you just sit back and wait for it. You have to be active and you have to chase after your success.

Third, you have to get rid of any fears you might have that hold you back. Most people get caught up here. They know what it takes to be successful, but they are afraid. Afraid of what others might think. Afraid of what might be said and how crazy someone might think they are. I guarantee this all goes away once you become successful. No one will ever say or think differently about you unless you give them the reasons to.

Last, you have to surround yourself with successful people. You will become what you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with slackers you will catch yourself slacking. This is the way we work as humans and how we think. We rationalize our actions because of the actions of someone else. STOP! Become successful by eliminating the bad apples in your social group.

Now go use these four steps to success in life. I guarantee you will see a difference in yourself when you start following these four secrets.