The True Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

The True Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer


A guy named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dads eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?" Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob. Being small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember.


From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938. Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one - a storybook!


Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.


Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there. The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book. In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.


But the story doesn't end there either. Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas." The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing!

Location:Kenworthy Rise,Leeds,United Kingdom

Seize every second of your life and savor it.

"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever."

Wayne Dyer
Author and Speaker


-- Posted from my iPhone

Reincarnation of the Iranian Ghost - Suleman (True Story)

Reincarnation of the Iranian Ghost

For the good of the world, a reflection

by

Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharaj of Rarha Sahib

Introduction

How wonderfully astonishing that the soul of the Iranian living Suleman, according to the grace of Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharaj, took birth in the home of Giani Gurdev Singh.

Through reading this true story about these heavenly and supernatural happenings, and astonishing birth of complete reincarnation, you will have the feeling of amazement and wonderment all the time, and be forced to contemplate that for souls there is no difference in any religion, race or caste.

- Part 1

Doctor Sher Singh was a resident in the Punjab District of Montgomery. After the partition of India, he went and lived in Amritsar with his family. After this he went to Patiala, and then Kurukshetra. After a few days he went to Saharanpur. Here, in Numaish Camp, he started his medical practice. After only a little while, his practice was doing very well. In 1950, Doctor Sher Singh bought some land in a village called Mughal-Khera, in Saharanpur. Then he went there. Because Mughal-Khera is historically a Mughal village, it is a very famous place.

Doctor Sher Singh has four sons and two daughters. The oldest son, Harminder Singh, is a lecturer in Philosophy at D.A.V. College, Muzafarnagar. The next younger brother than him, Manmohan Singh, is famously living in the village with the Nam of Sant Ji. The next younger brother, Amarjit Singh, is a doctor in the village. The youngest brother, Harjit Singh, is running a fitter making company in partnership, in Muzafarnagar. Both the daughters have been married.

After the family had settled in Mughal-Khera, one day Manmohan Singh went and urinated by the graveside of a Pir Suleman. Well, since that day he started being sad. His healthy body slowly, slowly, started becoming thin. Speaking rudely, being angry, breaking things, became his habit. He even had his hair cut. If anyone asked Manmohan Singh his health, he would run at them to beat them up. Manmohan Singh was not peaceful during the day, nor at night. His father had him seen by other doctors too, but they could not find any illness.

One day Manmohan Singh was speaking so very rudely that his father became very sad and asked him, "Manmohan what has happened to you? What do you want?"

He answered, "I am Pir Suleman. I need Manmohan Singh. Many lifetimes ago, Manmohan Singh took unfair lustful advantage of my daughter. I am going to take my revenge on him."

After this the family members believed that a ghost had possessed Manmohan Singh. They all started panicking and running around, trying various remedies.

First of all, they called a Sheikh Akhtar to come and sit and pray at the grave of Suleman. Sheikh Akhtar started to put flowers on the grave and light a diva (devotional candle) by it.

Manmohanʼs brother, Amarjit Singh, started having a fair at the grave. That fair still carries on to this day. But the Molvi was not happy with these goings on.

One day, the youngest brother took Manmohan Singh to Punjab, to see a Molvi. Manmohan Singh took hold of the Molviʼs beard and jerked it. The Molvi ran away saying, "O dear. O dear."

In Devband there is a Hajji Pir who is an adept fakir. He made a tabeet (magical necklace) for Manmohan. Manmohan Singh broke that tabeet and threw it away.

After this, Manmohan Singh was taken to the gurudwara at Kartarpur. Manmohan Singh refused to go into the gurudwara. But he was pushed and pulled in. They say that after a little while Manmohan became dizzy and his head started spinning. One Sikh devotee took care of him and asked him, "Who are you?"

He got the answer, "I am a Muslim."

Many different things were tried at the gurudwara to cure Manmohan Singh, but all without fruition. Eventually, the Sikh devotee said that he should be taken to Dera Vadbhag Singh. He was even taken there. But Manmohan Singh returned from there as he went, without any change.

In Mangalor there is a Molvi who does exorcism. Even he was well known. He had the habit of continuously scratching his beard. He set fire to some wood and attempted to take the ghost out of Manmohan. But Manmohan Singh took that burning wood and threw it on him. The Molvi ran away shaking with fright, and didnʼt return for three days. Manmohan Singh stayed put there and said that he would rip the Molviʼs guts out. We brought him back with great difficulty.

In Badayon an adept Molvi who exorcises ghosts from people said to Manmohan Singh, "You are a very understanding person, show your true form to us." Then a door near the Molvi opened and a young woman with long teeth came out of it, walked across the room and vanished.

In Lukhnow on Lafoos Road, there is a Bengali who is well known for his work of taking ghosts out of people. Even he was seen. He took 3 rupees, had some things purchased and after doing some hocus-pocus said, "Suleman is gone."

But Suleman laughed and made a great deal of fun out of him.

Even Seyohara Baba could not do one thing against the ghost Suleman.

Bahoriʼs younger brother and elder brother have both been sworn at.

Suleman the ghost was very powerful. He did not let other ghosts even whisper near him.

In order to free Manmohan Singh from the grip of the ghost, he was taken to gurudwaras, temples, mosques and churches in Delhi, but all without solution.

In Muradabad, a Molvi came to a mosque to exorcise the ghost, and Manmohan Singh took him and threw him down.

In his home village, Mughal-Khera, Manmohan Singh used to always keep on arguing and fighting with people. Without any reason at all, he used to knock people down. If someone was walking in front of him, he used to kick their heels. People all around were terrified of him.

Slowly, slowly, Manmohan Singhʼs behaviour got worse and worse. He used to obstruct and hit bullock-carts and cows and buffaloes that were passing on the road. Animals being taken home after feeding used to run away on seeing him.

Then Manmohan Singh started hitting the trees. Suleman the ghost was giving all different types of trouble to Manmohan Singh in order to take revenge on the indignity he had been caused.

This is what happened once. There was a coal fire burning at one side. Seeing the red embers, Suleman the ghost felt like eating the fire. Well then, this is what happened. Manmohan Singh stepped forward and picking one ember up with his hand started throwing it up in the air. The villagers passing by who had stopped to see what was going on were astonished to see this. Then, throwing the ember up in the air, Manmohan Singh caught it in his mouth. When they saw this, people started screaming. Manmohan Singh kept throwing embers and eating them like that for about half an hour. Many, many people from the village were witness to this event.

The fear of Suleman the ghost had settled in the village of Mughal-Khera. In view of that, if there was any joyous occasion, then he definitely had to be told. If someone did not tell him, then that person was not safe. If a wedding party came to Mughal-Khera, first of all they had to make an offering at Sulemanʼs grave. They say that a wedding party from outside the village came to the village once. The members of the wedding party did not make an offering at Sulemanʼs grave, and he became upset and overturned their car!

One day Manmohan Singh came to the decision to kill his mother, father, brothers, all the family. He had murder on his mind. The people from the village tried very hard to make him understand that this was not right, and they even said to him, "Wherever you wish to go, you can go. No one will try and stop you."

In answering, Manmohan Singh said to them, "Go away, donʼt try and be clever with me! I will drink everyoneʼs blood! I will leave this house only after dancing on their dead bodies!"

This was a very strange and complex problem. For three days he had kept the family locked indoors. No one put a foot outside of the door in fear of death. Finally Amarjit Singh had to go against his elder brotherʼs wishes to make a report at the police station. The police officers tied Manmohan Singh up and took him away. Manmohan Singh was kept inside the jail for some days. Then, after warning him, they released him.

After this Manmohan Singh started wandering around. He used to get out of one car and into another. In this way, he used to keep on wandering around. He was neither worried about eating, nor was he concerned about resting.

He has visited Hazur Sahib, Hydrabad, Nander Sahib, Patna Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar, Goindwal and other such places, many times. The astonishing thing is that he made each journey without a ticket, whether he went by bus or train. No one ever asked him for a ticket.

Sometimes when Manmohan Singh was in his own senses, he used to say that some thing had gone and put itself in his brain. That he could not think anything.

When Suleman was possessing Manmohan Singh, sometimes he used to say supernatural things which turned out to be true.

Here is a tale of what happened once. Manmohan Singh was in Calcutta. For many days, not even one grain of food had entered his stomach. The hunger was making him anxious. Even his pockets were empty as he had no money. Then all of a sudden without knowing what happened, Manmohan Singh fell on the road and became unconscious. When he gained consciousness, he noticed that his pocket was full of bank notes. A crowd of passers-by had gathered. People told Manmohan Singh that a gentleman had asked him a question and that he had answered it. The gentleman had become pleased and filled his pocket with the bank notes.

If anyone asked the ghost Suleman to bring something from anywhere, he used to bring it. In Ludhiana there is a village called Ahimdagar. In that village there lives a poor milkman. He loves Manmohan Singh very much. Sometimes Manmohan Singh used to say to the milkman that if he had a wish, he should say it. The milkman says that once he told Manmohan Singh that he wished to see Mumbai, and after a little while he felt as if he was flying through the air. He vanished for 48 hours. In this time he thoroughly experienced Mumbai. In one clothes shop, the milkman had his old clothes removed and new ones put on. After that Manmohan Singh gave the milkman lots of things and money, which the milkman took home with him.

- Part 2

In August of 1967, Manmohan Singh in his wandering about reached Hapur. Here Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharaj of Rarha Sahib had stopped in his travels at the home of the sewing machine manufacturer Sucha Singh. In his home, Sant Ji Maharaj was imparting some spiritual teachings during the morning. At that very time Manmohan Singh came and stood right in front of Sant Ji Maharaj. Seeing the sight of a child, the people at this holy prayer meeting stayed calm. He was licking his hands and standing there in a most proud way. Manmohan Singh called out and said, "Maharaj Ji, give me liberation, give me liberation."

Sant Ji of Rarha Sahib stared sternly at him and then spoke, "Very well, I will talk to you tomorrow."

Sant Ji of Rarha Sahib is a great saint and a very spiritual person with a long-standing position in the Sikh Community. Sant Ji has helped many people become spiritual. Sant Ji used to live at Rarha Sahib, which is 22 kilometres from Ludhiana. Sant Ji had another nearer gurudwara constructed. The gurudwara is very beautiful and pleasing to the eye. Sant Ji has devotees everywhere.

Through the singing of kirtan at night, Sant Ji of Rarha Sahib makes people in the holy assembly blissful.

And at 10 Oʼ clock in the morning Sant Ji leaves his room to give the people in the holy assembly audience. Sant Ji used to shower the assembly with words of spiritual wisdom. At this time, if a Sikh asks a question regarding spiritual practice, Sant Ji gives an appropriate answer, according to the state of the person, quoting verses from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

The next day, according to his routine, Sant Ji came out of his room and sat on a chair that was in the open area. After some time, Manmohan Singh went and sat behind the chair of Sant Ji. Sant Ji thought that Manmohan Singh would come and begin the conversation. But he just quietly sat there, and eventually the time passed away.

On the third day Manmohan Singh made a good deal of noise and stood up in the holy assembly and said, "The sants and mahatmas of these days are fusspots. You said that you were going to speak with me yesterday. But you did not speak with me at all, even though I was sitting behind you. On many occasions I tried to meet you but this Hira Singh (devotee) is very strict, he did not let me meet you."

On hearing this, Sant Ji smiled and then said, "I have made this mistake, but why are you standing far away? Why donʼt you come nearer to me?"

Then Manmohan Singh went and sat near Sant Ji.

Sant Ji said to him, "I will talk with you in a little while, you stay quietly seated there."

Sant Ji spoke to the people in the holy assembly and then said goodbye to them.

Then Sant Ji took Manmohan Singh into his room.

- Part 3

At that time there were about 7 to 8 devotees in the room. Among them were Sardar Hajura Singh (Sant Jiʼs driver) and Master Rajinder Singh Ji.

Sant Ji sat Manmohan Singh down in front of him and then the questions began. These questions and answers were in pure Urdu language, which were tape recorded at that time. This is an English translation of them.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Suleman."

"Where are you from?"

"I am a Muslim from Iran."

"Why and how did you come into India?"

"When Nadir Shah came to loot India, I came with him. Then Nadir Shah returned after his looting and killing, but I remained here. Here I married a woman in Saharanpur. In a famous village called Mughal-Khera, I started living out my life. I had two sons and two daughters from that woman. At that time there was a Hindu mendicant who was my neighbour. At this time, he is sitting in front of you in the form of Manmohan Singh and through whom I am talking to you. This mendicant used to make magical necklaces and things, and he used to make a big fuss."

Suleman continued, "This mendicant started an unfair lustful relationship with my beautiful, young daughter. I found out about this. I tried very hard, one way or another, to break their relationship. I reasoned with them and tried to use the law of the time to find a way to break their relationship, but all without fruit. My heart was very pained by this. I wholeheartedly prayed to God that He give me so much strength, with which I could take my revenge on the mendicant for the indignity he had brought upon me. With this in mind, I died after a few days."

"Suleman speak correctly about what happened to you at the time you died. What happened to you at that time?"

"When it was time for me to die, tears started coming out of my eyes. My tongue became so that I could not speak. At that time, four messengers of death from Yamraj had come to take me away. They came and stood all around me and then started beating me very badly. Those messengers look very ghastly and scary. I became very scared when I saw them. I could only make gestures with my eyes because I was not able to use my tongue to speak. Those messengers of death did not have solid bodies so people could not see them. They were visible only to me. At the time of death I went through a great deal of pain. Imagine there is a shrub that has no leaves and is full of long, sharp thorns, and you put a very fine cloth of muslin on that shrub and then pull the cloth with a sharp jerk. The state that that cloth would be in, at that time, was the state I was in. At the time of death I was in such terrible pain that I do not have the words to tell you."

"When Yamrajʼs messengers of death were taking you to Dharamraj, what happened to you on the way?"

"Yamrajʼs messengers of death firstly took my spiritual body out of my physical body and then my soul, the one which is pure and can not be seen by people. They took me away, hitting and beating me along the way. About one year after taking me away, they presented me to Dharamraj."

"Now talk about when you were presented before Dharamraj, what happened to you at that time."

"When I reached Dharamraj, an angel by the name of Chitar Gupt read out the balance of all the good deeds and bad deeds I had committed in my life, and told Dharamraj. After seeing and hearing everything, Dharamraj told me my punishment:"

ʻAs a result of the sins-karmas you have committed, you will be put into Kumpipaak Hell now. After that, you will have to live the life of a ghost for one hundred years. When you have completed your term of being a ghost you will meet that Hindu Sadhu who will be in human form, the one who took unfair lustful advantage of your daughter and whom you prayed to God to get revenge upon. Then you will be able to take your revenge. Then you will both meet a great spiritual being, who will liberate the both of you.ʼ

"What did you see in Kumpipaak Hell?"

"Kumpipaak Hell is longer than one thousand yojun and wider than one thousand yojun. One yojun is approximately equal to four koh. Its doorway is only nine inches. It is through that doorway that beings are thrown into Kumpipaak Hell. Until their term is completed, beings who have committed sins have to stay in that hell."

"In Kumpipaak Hell, what kind of punishments do people get?"

Kumpipaak Hell contains foulness, faeces, urine, blood, pus and many, many other dirty things such as these. Sometimes the beings who have sinned are burnt in fire, sometimes they are thrown into pits of faeces. The sinners who are lustful are taken and made to embrace a woman who is in a fire, and on top of that they are beaten. There are many other types of punishments they are given. When the sinners have completed their terms, they are taken out of Kumpipaak Hell and put into other life forms."

"What happened to you after you were taken out of Kumpipaak Hell?"

"When my term of punishments in Kumpipaak Hell were complete, I was put in the form of a ghost. When I was given the form of a ghost I went to the village of Mughal-Khera, where there was a grave made for me, and started living my life out there. I saw all the people who came to pray at my grave, but none of them could see me. There were five other ghosts living with me. Out of them, one ghost was aged 2750, the next one 3000, the third one 4500, the fourth one 5000 and the fifth one was 4 yugs. The fifth one had been a ghost since the beginning of Kaljug."

"The ghost whose age is 4 yugs, how will he get liberation?"

"Only a great spiritual being can liberate him. Otherwise at the end of Kaljug, Kulki God will take on the form of an avatar. Then Kulki God will liberate him."

"How did you get into the body of Manmohan Singh?"

"My one hundred year term of being a ghost was coming to an end. This Manmohan Singh, who at that time was still a child, came to my grave one day and started urinating. I looked at him very carefully and recognised him. He was that very same Hindu mendicant who had taken unfair lustful advantage of my daughter. Then in order to take my revenge from him, I immediately got hold of him and placed myself inside his body. Before this I had possessed many people and killed them, but I did not kill him because I was going to get my liberation through him. I have been living in the body of Manmohan Singh for the past seven years. Now that time has come when we are both going to be liberated. I have got my revenge by making him suffer. I am pleading to Sant Ji to liberate us both."

"How can a person be liberated?"

"The Nam of God given to you by your Guru is the only thing that can give you liberation."

"All right then, speak of what Dharamraj was like."

"Dharamraj was very handsome with divine beauty. He had a long white beard. He also had white hair on his head. Half his body was like brass. He had very much character. He had the power to turn his body into anything."

"What is the food of ghosts? What do they eat and drink?"

"Ghosts suck bones, they drink blood, and they eat filth. They even suck out the juice from burnt out pieces of wood. This is their food. My mouth is like the eye of a needle."

"Where do ghostly beings live?"

"They live in old ruins or they hang from trees. We used to screech and scream a lot, and shout out, but no one could hear us. We got very hungry and thirsty. We live in a lot of misery."

"Why do beings have to live as ghosts? Why did you have to live as a ghost?"

"I had to become a ghost because of the sins I committed. During all my life, I used to make tabeets, exorcise ghosts and used to keep on bringing down ghosts and ghostly beings. By speaking untruth to people, I used to trick them out of money. For doing this black magic I had to become a ghost. I did very bad things during my lifetime. I did some very big mistakes and sins, because of which I had to go into Kumpipaak Hell. Then I got made into a ghost."

"Do ghosts get peace from hearing holy discourses, singing Waheguruʼs praises and from holy assemblies?"

"Ghosts and ghostly beings are not allowed to go into holy assemblies to hear holy discourses or to sing Godʼs praises. If a ghost forgetfully goes into a holy assembly, he catches fire. If a ghost goes into the body of a person and that person then comes under the protection of a saintly being, only then can the ghost go into the holy assembly."

After this conversation, Sant Ji of Rarha Sahib said to Suleman the ghost, "Now you go. I will talk to you again at the same time tomorrow."

Suleman the ghost obeyed the command of Sant Ji and left the body of Manmohan Singh and went away. As soon as he went, Manmohan Singh started crying and, holding the feet of Sant Ji, tearfully requested in Punjabi, "Waheguru! Maharaj! Free my body from the ghost. I have suffered very much pain."

In order to console him, Sant Ji said, "Wow, just now you were quoting verses from the Quran and speaking perfect Urdu. Now you are talking Punjabi."

Manmohan Singh was surprised and said, "What do I know of the Quran."

"But just now you were quoting verses from the Quran."

"I donʼt remember anything, Maharaj."

Manmohan Singh was not aware of a single thing that he had said or done in the previous two hours. It felt to him as though he had just awoken from a deep sleep. His face was sad. He was falling again and again at the feet of Sant Ji and saying, "Waheguru! Please save my life. That ghost is resolved to kill me."

"Donʼt be afraid," Sant Ji said, "the time has come for you to be free from that ghost. Go and eat some blessed food."

Manmohan Singh bowed his head and went.

The next day Suleman again went into Manmohan Singh and made his presence known. The moment he entered the room, he fell at the feet of Sant Ji and said, "Maharaj! Give me liberation."

Sant Ji asked the ghost, "Will you take a human birth?"

"Yes, Maharaj."

"In a rich home, or a poor home?"

"Maharaj, the question of wealth or poverty does not arise. Without a human birth the debt of my sins will not be paid. Send me where you wish."

"Shall I send you to the home of Sardar Charanjit of Coca Cola?"

"Maharaj, I have no objection, but they eat meat and drink alcohol in that home. How will I get liberation there?" Gurdev Singh, who was standing behind Sant Ji, folded his hands together and indicated that Suleman should be sent to his home.

"Will you go to Gurdev Singhʼs home? He neither eats eggs, nor does he drink."

"Yes Maharaj," Suleman said.

At this Sant Ji called Suleman to his side and tapping the thumb of his right hand three times on Sulemanʼs forehead said, "Go, you take birth at the home of Gurdev Singh."

After thanking Sant Ji, Suleman bowed on his knees at the feet of Sant Ji and left Manmohan Singh and went away.

After he had gone, Manmohan Singh placed himself at the feet of Sant Ji. Then Sant Ji tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You come to Rarha Sahib and use your life to serve Waheguru. Now Suleman will not trouble you."

In the district of Ludhiana, Punjab, there is a little town, Lulto, there. From the road where the flag on the bus station is, it is approximately eight kilometres to Large Lulto, then comes Small Lulto.

In Small Lulto, there are solid roads, and farms all around full of vegetation. There is electricity, a tube-well and solid brick houses. Giani Gurdev Singh Grewal lives in this area. He has his own small, three bedroom, brick house. He has a small piece of land for farming. He works at Dusmesh Transport Company, which is about an hour from their home. He is one of Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharajʼs most high ranking devotees.

After bidding farewell to Sant Ji, Gurdev Singh reached home within 24 hours. He went and spent that night with his wife.

After a month when he found out that his wife was pregnant, he was both happy and shocked. He went with his wife to Rarha Sahib and informed Sant Ji of the good news. Sant Ji also on hearing this news pressed his finger against his teeth in astonishment.

All the people started awaiting the reincarnation of Suleman the ghost.

About fourteen years before this occurrence, Gurdev Singh had married Jasmail Kaur. Two years after the marriage, a baby girl was born to them who they named Harmanjit Kaur. Harmanjit Kaur is presently studying at Ludhiana College. After the first child, Jasmail Kaur did not have any more. Gurdev Singh was very upset over this. At the very least he wished for one more, a son. Jasmail Kaur was seen by many doctors. And the couple tried whatever else they could. But they didnʼt have another child. So they were very upset.

Finally, Gurdev Singh came under the protection of Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharaj. Within a short period of time, he came to be counted as one of the high ranking devotees. With Nitnem he used to do devotional service for Sant Ji and listen to Sant Jiʼs words of advice. When he had gone to Hapur to do devotional service for Sant Ji, that was when the incident with Suleman the ghost had happened.

When Sant Ji returned from Hapur to Rarha Sahib, Manmohan Singh went with Sant Ji. For about two weeks Suleman did not disturb Manmohan Singh at all. But one day Suleman again came and possessed Manmohan Singh. On seeing this there was commotion in the gurudwara. There was only one thing on everyoneʼs lips, "Suleman the ghost has come. Suleman the ghost has come."

Sant Ji called for Suleman and asked him, "Havenʼt you gone yet? Why did you lie to me?"

"Maharaj, I did not lie to you. But it is very painful for me to stay in the womb."

"You will have to bear this suffering. Without this how will you get liberation?"

"Maharaj, I will go after six months."

"Why so?"

"Maharaj, it will take six months for the frame of the childʼs body to get made. I will go after that. Until then I wish to remain under your protection. Please give me permission, Maharaj."

Sulemanʼs voice was very calm and humble. He was overcome with emotion.

Sant Ji smiled and said, "Okay you can stay here for six months, but you have to go after six months. You can wander round in the gurudwara and you can do devotional work. But you cannot manifest any ghostly goings-on."

"Very well, Maharaj."

After that, through Manmohan Singh, Suleman did a lot of devotional work with great dedication. Sometimes, through Manmohan Singh, Suleman used to say things such as, "There are many different types of supernatural beings. They have about 400 000 different types of name. Such as fairy, demon, fiend, imp, ghost, jinn, and so on, and so one."

Sometimes Suleman used to talk to people of past lifetimes and the future. Once someone told Sant Ji that, "Suleman is talking about ghosts and the future."

"Very well, just send him to me for a little while," Sant Ji said.

Suleman always used to bow down on his knees at the feet of Sant Ji. Sant Ji told him, "I have heard that you talk of ghosts and the future."

"I tell a little bit, Maharaj."

"Very well, say how long I have left of my life."

"Including this year, there are eight years left. In the ninth year, you will leave your body. You will leave your body in another country."

This foretelling of Sulemanʼs came true. Sant Ji really did leave his body on the 26th of August, 1975, in London.

One by one, the months passed by. It passed the memory of Sant Ji that after six months, Suleman was to be sent onto the womb of Jasmail Kaur. One day when sitting in the ashram at Dublan, Patiala, Sant Ji remembered. Then Suleman was immediately called and told, "Six months have passed. You now go into the womb, the frame of your body has been prepared for you."

"Maharaj, why the rush. I will not go yet. It is very painful in the womb."

"Well brother, even a manʼs words mean something. This is a very bad thing that after making a promise you are breaking it. My trust of you is eroding."

"No Maharaj, donʼt say that. How can I overturn your command? Just let me stay and do some devotional work for a few more days."

Suleman you are very clever. Very well, your wish, go and have (ghostly) distress for a few more days," Sant Ji said to him.

A few more days had passed and again Sant Ji confronted Suleman, and Suleman laughed and said, "I am going to take birth on your birthday."

Again Sant Ji allowed his request. Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharajʼs birthday anniversary was on the 5th of August, 1968.

Sant Ji called Suleman on the 4th of August and said to him, "You go now – the pregnancy has been progressing for eleven-and-a-half months. Donʼt give your mother more pain now. How will your mother give birth to you until you go?"

Maharaj, tomorrow it is your birthday. Tonight I will view this court of holy assembly. In the morning I will eat some blessed food and I will go immediately after that."

Sant Ji Maharaj even agreed to this petition of his. All through the night and into the early morning hours of the 5th of August, Suleman viewed the court of holy assembly. In the morning he had blessed food and then went to Sant Ji and said, "Maharaj, I am going. Bless me that in this lifetime I will stay worshipping and serving God. I will not be staying in that house for long. After 10 years I will come to this gurudwara of yours. Okay then, give me the order Maharaj."

"Go, I will await the good news of your birth. All your wishes will be complete."

On saying this, Sant Ji bid him farewell. Suleman kissed Sant Jiʼs feet and went.

Here, Manmohan Singh was standing drenched in sweat. His face was red and distressed. His body was shaking. The devotees around wanted to take care of him, but Sant Ji indicated to leave him alone. In an instant Manmohan Singh fell with a thud, as if someone had pushed him.

After quite some time, Manmohan Singh gained consciousness and saw himself lying amongst the devotees. His head was near Sant Ji. Manmohan Singh blinked his eyelids eight to ten times and, making his apparitions jump about, started looking up all around himself.

Sant Ji Maharaj indicated for him to get up. But because of weakness, he could not get up, so the devotees raised him up to a seated position. He could not speak as his throat was dry and his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. The devotees gave him some water to drink and after some time it was seen that there were spots on his tongue.

Until today, those spots are just as they were then. Suleman the ghost went but he left his mark. Manmohan Singh says, "I donʼt know why but I feel empty inside. It feels as though a great thing has been lost."

Manmohan Singh stayed as a ward of the gurudwara for four to five years. But his feet had been jinxed by the ghost. He didnʼt stay anywhere for more than 3 or 4 days. When he went home, his mother and father, brothers and sisters all tried to make him stay, but he would not remain longer than 2 or 3 days.

Nowadays Manmohan Singh is completely cured. He is living peacefully with Sant Ji in the village. He has not got married yet. His body is as fit as a fiddle. Whoever sees him is captivated by his warm personality. Whether it is hot, cold, raining or any other weather, he wears one long kurta.

He says, "Suleman used to take hold of my body and turn it into stone. I couldnʼt sleep at night. Suleman always used to make me break one thing or another. He made my life difficult. He used to give me very intense punishments. He used to get hold of my limbs, my neck and my heart. I was always dancing to his every whim. Whatever I was doing, I had no recollection of whatsoever. I never had the wish to wash myself. Because my tongue had been burnt, I never had the wish to eat or drink."

Nowadays, because of too much publicity, Manmohan Singh lives in Gunghotri or Budri Nath. Sometimes, he comes to the village. Now he has no pain whatsoever. Remembering Waheguru day and night is his sole occupation.

- Part 4

At Gurdev Singhʼs home after being reincarnated and taking birth in a new body, slowly, slowly, Suleman was growing up. He was very cheeky and clever.

Since Sant Isher Singh Ji of Rarha Sahib took away his suffering, for the first four years of his life he used to repeatedly talk about his complete reincarnation. He used to say time and again that he was the Suleman who used to live in Mughal-Khera. That after leaving Manmohan Singh, he got this human life.

He was not given a name for five years. When preparations were made to send him to school, Giani Gurdev Singh went to Sant Ji of Rarha Sahib to request a name for the child. Sant Ji instructed him to go to Amritsar on the occasion of Puranmashi. There was a gathering of Sants there.

Giani Gurdev Singh and his family reached Amritsar. Before naming the child, an Akhand Patth was started. On its completion, when a hukam-nama was taken from Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the letter ʻGʼ was obtained. Then Sant Ji named the child ʻGurbakshish Singhʼ (gift from the Guru) because he was a gift from the Guru.

For the occasion of naming the child, thousands of people had arrived to see him. In order for the child to be seen, a special area had to be made in a field. Some joists were planted into the ground, loudspeakers were set up and a stage was set up on a bus, then the child was placed on the stage.

Gurbakshish Singh devotedly joined his hands together and hailed fateh.

The crowd of devotees said in reply, "Victory is Waheguru Jiʼs. The Guruʼs glory is boundless, with which people get liberated."

After the birth of Gurbakshish Singh, no other child was born in the home of Giani Gurdev Singh. The couple once again went to doctors, but they all said, "Jasmail Kaur will not have another child now."

Only Waheguru knows how Gurbakshish was born. Waheguruʼs glory is unique. Even this is a fact of the pregnancy that Gurbakshish Singh stayed in his motherʼs womb for eleven-and-ahalf months. At that time the doctors had suggested a caesarean operation, but Gurdev Singh had said no to the operation. The couple had faith that with the support of the Guru a baby boy would be born to them on the 5th of August.

The story preceding this is that three months before his birth, Suleman did say in a full holy assembly, "On the 5th of August, 1968, I am going to take birth in Giani Gurdev Singhʼs home."

On that very day the Iranian ghost Suleman took birth in the form of Gurbakshish Singh. That day was the anniversary of Sant Jiʼs birthday.

- Postscript –

Sant Isher Singh Ji Maharaj did not have faith in starting any new ideas. Sant Ji used to teach and follow Sikhism in its complete form. Sant Ji used to stay away from any nonsense. Sant Ji used to stay satisfied in prayer and always used to encourage others to do so too. Sant Ji helped hundreds and thousands of devotees to stop consuming alcohol and meat. Preaching the holy nectar from Guru Granth Sahib Ji was the trait of Sant Jiʼs manner of speaking.

In London, on the 26th of August, 1975, Sant Ji left his mortal body and returned to the abode of Waheguru.

Sant Jiʼs return to the abode of Waheguru had been predicted eight years previously by Suleman.

Of the conversations that were had between Sant Ji and Suleman, the tape recording is still being kept carefully stored. There is even no question of the validity of this uncommon occurrence.

Gurbakshish Singh is now eight years of age. In Lulto, Ludhiana, he is in his third year at Sarkari School.

Due to his devotional nature, he is very religious. His mind is very attached to the assemblies of Sants, and the devotional service of Sants.

Sometimes he also comes to Rarha Sahib.

The present guardian of Rarha Sahib, Sant Maharaj Kishan Singh Ji, said on the 19th of August, 1976, "Letʼs see if Gurbakshish Singh comes here to offer devotional service after the age of 10 years."

This will be the final attested proof of the reincarnation of Suleman.

How to Develop the Power of Belief.

To acquire and strengthen the power of belief:

1. Think success, don't think failure. At work, in your home, substitute success thinking for failure thinking.

In difficult situations think "I will win" not "I will probably lose".

When competing, think, "I am equal to the best" not "I am outclassed".

When opportunity appears think "I can do it", never "I can not".

Let the master thought "I will succeed" dominate your thinking process. Thinking success conditions your mind to create plans that produce success. Thinking failure does the exact opposite. Failure thinking conditions the mind to think other thoughts that produce failure.

2. Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are.

Successful people are not supermen. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success is not based on luck.

Successful people are just ordinary people who have developed belief in themselves and what they do.

Never sell yourself short.

3. Believe Big.

The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think Big goals and win Big success.

Big ideas and Big plans are often easier, and certainly no more difficult than small ideas and plans.


- David J. Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big


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Prosperity is your Birthright and Natural Condition.

When we are unhealthy, unhappy or poor, it is because we strayed from our path, and lost contact with our true nature.

Your natural state is health. It is only when you are out of sync that disease enters your body. You came into this realm as a happy person. Unhappininess is a concious choice, requiring you to make that decision. Unhappiness is not natural, and it is not healthy.

Likewise, you were born to be rich. Struggling for existence is not noble, not natural, and not necessary. When you live your life by the universal laws of prosperity, wealth comes to you as naturally as rain waters the flowers.

- Randy Gage


-- Posted from my iPhone

Cause for Celebration

Cause for Celebration
Honoring Everyday Life

We all know someone who keeps plastic covers on his or her couch in order to protect it. The irony is that many of these people may live their lives without ever having actually made contact with their own furniture! This is a poignant and somewhat humorous example of the human tendency to try to save things for special occasions, as if everyday life weren’t special enough to warrant the use of nice things. Many of us have had the experience of never wearing a particular piece of clothing in order to keep it nice, only to have it go out of style in the meanwhile.

It’s interesting to think of what it would mean to us if we let ourselves wear our nicest clothes and eat off the good china on a daily basis. We might be sending ourselves the message that every day we are alive is a special day and a cause for celebration, and that we are worth it. There is something uplifting about treating ourselves to the finest of what we have. It is as if we rise to the occasion when we wear our best clothes and set the table beautifully, as if for a very special guest. We are more mindful of where we place things, what we are eating, and who is with us. Using the good china, eating in the dining room, and taking the plastic off the sofa might be an invitation to be more conscious of the beauty and grace inherent in our everyday lives.

If there are things you’ve stashed away for a special occasion—a bottle of a special something, a gorgeous pair of shoes, an antique lace tablecloth—consider taking them out of their hiding places and putting them to use tonight, just because you are alive now to enjoy them, and that’s a great cause for a celebration.


-- Posted from my iPhone

A Lifetime of Planning Pays Off

"You gotta be crazy!" That's what Lee Dunham's friends told him back in 1971 when he gave up a secure job as a police officer and invested his life savings in the notoriously risky restaurant business. This particular restaurant was more than just risky, it was downright dangerous. It was the first McDonald's franchise in the city of New York - smack in the middle of crime-ridden Harlem.

Lee had always had plans. When other kids were playing ball in the empty lots of Brooklyn, Lee was playing entrepreneur, collecting milk bottles and returning them to grocery stores for the deposits. He had his own shoeshine stand and worked delivering newspapers and groceries. Early on, he promised his mother that one day she would never again have to wash other people's clothes for a living. He was going to start his own business and support her. "Hush your mouth and do your homework," she told him. She knew that no member of the Dunham family had ever risen above the level of laborer, let alone owned a business. "There's no way you're going to open your own business," his mother told him repeatedly.

Years passed, but Lee's penchant for dreaming and planning did not. After high school, he joined the Air Force, where his goal of one day owning a family restaurant began to take shape. He enrolled in the Air Force food service school and became such an accomplished cook he was promoted to the officers' dining hall.

When he left the Air Force, he worked for four years in several restaurants, including one in the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Lee longed to start his own restaurant but felt he lacked the business skills to be successful. He signed up for business school and took classes at night while he applied and was hired to be a police officer.

For fifteen years he worked full-time as a police officer. In his off-hours, he worked part-time as a carpenter and continued to attend business school. "I saved every penny I earned as a police officer," he recalled. "For ten years, I didn't spend one dime - there were no movies, no vacations, no trips to the ballpark. There were only work and study and my lifelong dream of owning my own business." By 1971, Lee had saved $42,000, and it was time for him to make his vision a reality.

Lee wanted to open an upscale restaurant in Brooklyn. With a business plan in hand, he set out to seek financing. The banks refused him. Unable to get funding to open an independent restaurant, Lee turned to franchising and filled out numerous applications. McDonald's offered him a franchise, with one stipulation: Lee had to set up a McDonald's in the inner-city, the first to be located there. McDonald's wanted to find out if its type of fast-food restaurant could be successful in the inner city. It seemed that Lee might be the right person to operate that first restaurant.

To get the franchise, Lee would have to invest his life savings and borrow $150,000 more. Everything for which he'd worked and sacrificed all those years would be on the line - a very thin line if he believed his friends. Lee spent many sleepless nights before making his decision. In the end, he put his faith in the years of preparation he'd invested - the dreaming, planning, studying and saving - and signed on the dotted line to operate the first inner-city McDonald's in the United States.

The first few months were a disaster. Gang fights, gunfire, and other violent incidents plagued his restaurant and scared customers away. Inside, employees stole his food and cash, and his safe was broken into routinely. To make matters worse, Lee couldn't get any help from McDonald's headquarters; the company's representatives were too afraid to venture into the ghetto. Lee was on his own.

Although he had been robbed of his merchandise, his profits, and his confidence, Lee was not going to be robbed of his dream. Lee fell back on what he had always believed in - preparation and planning.

Lee put together a strategy. First, he sent a strong message to the neighborhood thugs that McDonald's wasn't going to be their turf. To make his ultimatum stick, he needed to offer an alternative to crime and violence. In the eyes of those kids, Lee saw the same look of helplessness he had seen in his own family. He knew that there was hope and opportunity in that neighborhood and he was going to prove it to the kids. He decided to serve more than meals to his community - he would serve solutions.

Lee spoke openly with gang members, challenging them to rebuild their lives. Then he did what some might say was unthinkable: he hired gang members and put them to work. He tightened up his operation and conducted spot checks on cashiers to weed out thieves. Lee improved working conditions and once a week he offered his employees classes in customer service and management. He encouraged them to develop personal and professional goals. He always stressed two things: his restaurant offered a way out of a dead-end life and the faster and more efficiently the employees served the customers, the more lucrative that way would be.

In the community, Lee sponsored athletic teams and scholarships to get kids off the streets and into community centers and schools. The New York inner-city restaurant became McDonald's most profitable franchise worldwide, earning more than $1.5 million a year. Company representatives who wouldn't set foot in Harlem months earlier now flocked to Lee's doors, eager to learn how he did it. To Lee, the answer was simple: "Serve the customers, the employees, and the community."

Today, Lee Dunham owns nine restaurants, employs 435 people, and serves thousands of meals every day. It's been many years since his mother had to take in wash to pay the bills. More importantly, Lee paved the way for thousands of African-American entrepreneurs who are working to make their dreams a reality, helping their communities, and serving up hope.

All this was possible because a little boy understood the need to dream, to plan, and to prepare for the future. In doing so, he changed his life and the lives of others.

Cynthia Kersey

Growing Day by Day

Growing Day by Day
Becoming a Better Person

At some point in our lives, many of us find ourselves overcome with the desire to become better people. While we are all uniquely capable of navigating this world, we may nonetheless feel driven to grow, expand, and change. This innate need for personal expansion can lead us down many paths as we develop within the context of our individual lives. Yet the initial steps that can put us on the road to evolution are not always clear. We understand that we want to be better but have no clear definition of “better.” To ease this often frustrating uncertainty, we can take small steps, keeping our own concept of growth in mind rather than allowing others to direct the course of our journey. And we should accept that change won’t happen overnight—we may not recognize the transformations taking place within us at first.

Becoming a better person in your own eyes is a whole-life project, and thus you should focus your step-by-step efforts on multiple areas of your existence. Since you likely know innately which qualities you consider good, growing as an individual is simply a matter of making an effort to do good whenever possible. Respect should be a key element of your efforts. When you acknowledge that all people are deserving of compassion, consideration, and dignity, you are naturally more apt to treat them in the manner you yourself wish to be treated. You will intuitively become a more active listener, universally helpful, and truthful. Going the extra mile in all you do can also facilitate evolution. Approaching your everyday duties with an upbeat attitude and positive expectations can help you make the world a brighter, more cheerful place. Finally, coming to terms with your values and then abiding by them will enable you to introduce a new degree of integrity and dignity into your l! ife.

As you endeavor to develop yourself further, you can take pride not only in your successes, but also in the fact that you are cultivating consciousness within yourself through your choices, actions, and behaviors. While you may never feel you have reached the pinnacles of awareness you hope to achieve, you can make the most of this creative process of transformation. Becoming a better person is your choice and is a natural progression in your journey of self-awareness.

- DailyOm


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Prosperity Operates on the Vacuum Principle

Nature abhors a vacuum, and will always fill it with good. The universe cannot place something in your hand, if it is clenched around something else. The best way to attract something positive is to release something negative, and create a vacuum for good.

If you want some new clothes, best to clean out your closet first, and donate some old clothes to the homeless shelter. If you are looking for your soul mate, you must let go of any abusive other relationship you are in. When you are not attracting all the prosperity you are seeking in your life, ask yourself what you are holding on to that you should be releasing.

- Randy Gage.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Health, Love, Happiness, and Money are Infinite.

If you are going to give someone a hug, does that reduce the number of hugs you have left to give? Of course not. In fact, if you are known as the kind of person who gives hugs, you will attract a lot more of them to you.

Things that make up true prosperity like health, love, happiness, and money are infinite, and actually create their own expansion.

The more love you give away, the more you attract to you. Abundant health builds upon itself and fosters more. Happiness operates in the same way. Because you can't out give the universe, money that you circulate creates it's own energy, which creates ripple effects of prosperity, which ultimately find their way back to you. It's a self-replicating cycle that goes on indefinitely.

- Randy Gage


-- Posted from my iPhone

You Build Prosperity With Words.

Or more specifically, the words you speak. It always amazes me when people affirm the most negative things. A friend called me today to say that he has backed his truck into a tree. He told me, "Everytime things really start going good for me, something always happens to set me back." Well of course it does, he's programming that belief right back into his subconcious mind, which orders it to take place on the physical realm.

Think how many times good things happen and people say something like, "I can't believe it! I never win anything." Then something bad happens. They drop a dish, spill something or get stood up, and they proclaim, "I knew that was going to happen!" Of course they did.

I hear people say things like, "Every winter I get atleast three colds." I used to say, "About once a year, my back goes out." And of course it did. Until I stopped affirming that. Hasn't happened now in over nine years.

Some people think it's polite or a good way to fit in by speaking of themselves in demeaning terms. Statements like, "I'm always a day late and a dollar short." will endear you to broke people. But they also repel prosperity and become self-fulfilling prophecies. So if you're going to determine your prosperity by the words you speak, why not affirm positive statements instead?

- Randy Gage


-- Posted from my iPhone

The Only Free Cheese is in the Mousetrap.

The Only Free Cheese is in the Mousetrap.

That statement sounds like I'm being flippant, but it actually is a very concise, and very profound summary of how the laws of prosperity operate.

You don't get rich winning the lottery, getting an inheritance, or discovering oil in your backyard. Those things may happen to poor people and create some temporary wealth. But the wealth won't stay arround, or you won't achieve true prosperity for free. There is always a price to pay: the fair exchange of values.

A big part of the price you pay to become prosperous is becoming the kind of person that handles prosperity responsibly. Studies have shown again and again that most poor people who win large windfalls in the lottery are broke and miserable ten years later. And we are talking about people who have won ten, twenty, or even forty million dollars! They got the cash, but they didn't have the prosperity conciousness. So the money never stayed, and the other elements of prosperity never showed up.

Nothing comes for free. If you let the clerk give you the extra $5 by mistake, you find a way to wire your house for cable without paying for it, or you help yourself to an extra newspaper when no one is looking - you are incurring a definite karma debt. And those debts always come due. Prosperous people never look for anything for free. They are always happy to exchange value for everything.

- Randy Gage


-- Posted from my iPhone

You Cant Out Give The Universe

This is the first fundamental secret of prosperity, and one that so many people miss. They approach prosperity as a "give me" thing, and never tune into the real energy that surrounds it.

Everything in the universe is based on the principle of trading value for value. But it is an unbalanced scale. What you send out comes back to you in multiples. Usually tenfold. So, when you sow seeds of good, much more good will come back to you.

This holds true for the money you tithe, the love you give, and the good you do. As hard as you may try, you can't out give the universe.

So go out and make a random act of kindness, sow a seed to someone in need, and be extra nice to that clerk in the checkout line. Much more prosperity is coming your way!

- Randy Gage


-- Posted from my iPhone

Your Attitude Makes the Difference

Many things about your life boil down to the hand you have been dealt. You can't change the fact that you were born in that place and with certain givens for your appearance, IQ, or physical skills. Education and training can open some doors for you, but they cannot change your past, make you taller and more athletic, or alter the fact that some people are unfair in the way they treat you.

In spite of the fact that all of us know that most of our life circumstances are beyond our control, we are all still tempted to fret and complain about things that cannot be changed. Of course they cause distress. They certainly put us at a disadvantage in certain contexts. They mustn't be allowed to define and limit us.

The people who do best with life move beyond the temptation to whine and feel sorry for themselves. They face the disappointment and move beyond it. They acknowledge the bad break and look for a way to turn it around. They work from a half-full rather than half-empty glass mindset.

These people have a different attitude than the defeatist and whiner. They have found a way to make lemonade from their lemons.

There is a section in John Baillie's A Diary of Private Prayer that reads . . .

Teach me, O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin.

Let me use disappointment as material for patience;

Let me use success as material for thankfulness;

Let me use suspense as material for perseverance;

Let me use danger as material for courage;

Let me use praise as material for humility;

Let me use pleasures as material for temperance;

Let me use pains as material for endurance.

When a given day begins, countless things are headed your way over which you have no control. It may be bad weather or someone's bad temper, a deadline that won't budge or a client equally resistant to change. The one factor you can control through it all is your attitude toward them.

Your attitude today will make all the difference in everything that matters.

Rubel Shelly


Sent from my iPhone


-- Posted from my iPhone

To all of you who feel like giving up

http://LifeWithoutLimbs.org

Nick Vujicic and his attitude serve as a great examples of the celebration of life over limitations.The human spirit can handle much more than we realize.

"I LOVE LIVING LIFE. I AM HAPPY

Think you've got it bad?Need some encouragement?Fallen down?Can't find the STRENGTH to get back up?Watch this video. It will help. Then share it with others.

The Power of Faith

"By the power of faith every enduring work is accomplished. Faith in the Supreme, faith in the overruling Law; faith in your work, and in your power to accomplish that work - here is the rock upon which you must build if you would achieve, if you would stand and not fall." - Path to Prosperity

James Allen makes a pretty bold claim: "By the power of faith every enduring work is accomplished." He doesn't say some enduring works or many enduring works, but EVERY enduring work.

A Duke University research study, among many others, found a link between religious faith and illness prevention, coping and recovery. Those with a strong faith tended to be ill less often and when they were ill tended to recover more quickly. We all know stories of people who experienced some type of miracle in their life because they had the faith all along that they would.

In Think and Grow Rich, the number one success classic of all time, Napoleon Hill wrote the following about the power of faith: "Faith is the "eternal elixir" which gives life, power and action to the impulse of thought! Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches! Faith is the basis of all "miracles" and all mysteries which cannot be analyzed by the rules of science! Faith is the only known antidote for failure!"

Realize that the only things that can keep us from having the kind of faith that Allen and Hill describe are fear, doubt and worry. These are the opposites of faith.

Fear that your car won't start this morning, that you're going to be in the next group of layoffs, that you can't possibly save enough now to retire. Doubts that you'll ever own that business you've always wanted, that your children will grow into happy, well adjusted adults. Worry that you won't have enough money to make it until the end of the month, that the medical test is going to come back with bad news. The list goes on and on.

Fear, doubt and worry rob us of a real life and keep us from moving forward. But more than anything, they rob us of faith - and without faith we are powerless.

How do we overcome fear, doubt and worry in order to maintain faith? Hill says that "Repetition of affirmations of orders to your subconcious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith." In other words, we can literally think and talk ourselves into faith just as easily as we think and talk ourselves into fear, doubt and worry.

And that's worth thinking about.

- Vic Johnson


-- Posted from my iPhone

Control Your Destiny.

"A person is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." - As a Man Thinketh, James Allen.

James Allen means character in both the broad and narrow sense; our total being in the broad sense and our moral fibre in the narrow sense.

We are where we are today because of all the thoughts we had up until today. Where we are in the future will be based on the thoughts we accumulate until that day. Through our thoughts we have created the life we live. And that was probably as hard for me to accept as any thing I've encountered because I didn't want to admit that the garbage in my life had been my own creation.

But I learned something very valuable when I really analysed this concept. If it was my thinking, and my thinking alone, that had brought me such a miserable condition, then Hallelujah! I could change my thinking and change my condition.

And it was true --- and it worked. And it continues to work!

He's not talking about the fleeting thoughts that come into our mind and disapear quickly. He's talking about the thoughts we dwell on, the ones we return to over and over.

Maybe it's the past negative circumstances that we've built personal monuments to. Maybe it's a negative thought about some aspect of our health or finances, and we keep returning to this thought again and again. Or perhaps it's some wrong we've suffered at the hands of someone who used to be close to us. It's these thoughts that shape our lives in ways that bring us misery and unhappiness.

How devastating if we look back at our life with regret. Doesn't that act of looking back create another thought (or thoughts)? Doesn't that affect our life today and tomorrow?

On the other hand, how exhilarating it is if we look forward with confidence. If we accept James Allen's philosophy it means that we each alone control our destiny. William James, the great psycologist of the early twentieth century, said the greatest discovery of his generation was that people could choose their destiny.

It's not our circumstances, not our spouse, not our boss. It's our thoughts that are in control! So we can be in control... because we can control our thoughts.

And that's worth thinking about.

- Vic Johnson


-- Posted from my iPhone

Humility

The Cookie Thief

There's a nice poem by Valerie Cox circulating on the Internet about a woman who bought some cookies and a book at an airport and sat down to read and nibble while waiting for her plane. She soon noticed a man sitting next to her, who casually took a cookie from the bag.

Although shocked and seething, the woman remained silent as the man, without the slightest sign of shame or gratitude, quietly helped himself, matching her cookie for cookie.

When there was one cookie left, she watched in amazement as he picked it up, smiled at her as if he were being gracious, and broke it in half. He ate one half and gave her the other. Congratulating herself for maintaining her cool, she said nothing to this rude cookie thief, astonished at the nerve of some people.

Later, when she was settling into her seat on the plane, she rummaged through her purse and discovered the bag of cookies she'd purchased, still unopened. The moral message is contained in the poem's closing stanza:

"If mine are here," she moaned with despair,
"Then the others were his, and he tried to share."
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Being sure is not the same as being right. Certainty without humility can lead to self-righteousness that distorts our view and understanding of the world and of people.

Humility doesn't require us to be equivocal or doubtful about our deepest convictions. What it asks is that we hold and advocate our beliefs without dismissing the possibility that others may be right instead.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org


-- Posted from my iPhone

How often do we do whats right?

"Cowardice asks the question 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but because conscience tells one it is right." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prosperity - Randy Gage

Five videos from Randy Gage on Prosperity:

1. Developing Prosperity Conciousness (Law of Attraction)
2. Vacuum Law of Prosperity
3. Circulation Law of Prosperity
4. Imaging Law of Prosperity
5. Creativity Law of Prosperity

Developing Prosperity Consciousness - The Law of Attraction - Randy Gage

Watch and learn what you missed in "The Secret." Randy shares his insights on how you actually manifest prosperity in your own life.Developing Prosperity Consciousness - The Law of Attraction - Randy Gage
Check out Randy Gage at http://www.randygage.com/ Follow him at: http://www.Twitter.com/Randy_GageRead his Blog at http://www.RandyGage.com/blog

(Hollywood, FL) - While many people struggle financially, feel hopeless, unfulfilled and unhappy--self-made multi-millionaire and professional author, Randy Gage is living the life of his dreams and experiencing all the joys of true prosperity. However, Gage recognized a real need to help people escape their life of desperation and has written a series of books called The Prosperity Series, to teach others the secrets and mindset necessary to manifesting health, wealth and total abundance in life.

Developing the prosperity mindset to live the life of abundance, is a difficult statement for most people to comprehend or even understand that such a mindset exists. But in economic downtimes when people are searching for answers on how to better themselves and their lifestyle, understanding that prosperity is a state of mind is the one thing that will help pave the way to attaining true wealth and happiness in life.

For more than 20 years, Randy Gage has been studying and applying the spiritual laws of prosperity to help people transform their lives to achieve their dreams of a life of abundance. In the 5 book prosperity series, Gage will share those concepts and beliefs to achieving a prosperity mindset.
· How to identify self-limiting beliefs that hold you back;
· The 5 common expressions used every day, which program you for failure on a subconscious level;
· How to practice the "vacuum law" of prosperity to attract good in your life;
· Imaging techniques to manifest things you want;
· How you can actually program your own subconscious mind;
· Secrets to expand your prosperity consciousness so you feel comfortable with great wealth;
· Ways to identify and eliminate negative patterns and dysfunctional relationships;
· How to recognize and disconnect from negative friends and family who want to hold you back;
· Positive visualization techniques to improve scholastic results, athletic performance, and healing;
· How to create the mindset to manifest great wealth in your life!

Randy Gage is an expert in the arena of success, prosperity and developing a life of true abundance. His story of rising from a high school dropout to a self-made multi-millionaire inspires millions around the globe. His compelling journey of triumph over fear, self-doubt, and addiction, uniquely qualifies him as an undisputed expert in the arena of peak performance and extraordinary human achievement.

Randy has authored over 40 works, including the "Prosperity Mind" and "Accept Your Abundance" books, and the best selling audio albums "The Midas Mentality" and "Prosperity." He is a former Chamber of Commerce president, civic leader, 10 year member of the National Speakers Association, and has been featured on talk shows, radio shows, and interviewed by many print publications.

Thoughts Create Behavior

"Cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things." - As a Man Thinketh, James Allen.

We remember from science class Newton's physical law that "every action creates an equal and opposite reaction." Or, every cause has an effect. And because it is a law, iris absolute and undeviating. It always happens - in every circumstance, under every condition.

James Allen says the same law that applies in the physical also applies in the world of thought. Every effect must have an originating cause. Our life does not develop as a result of chance but as a result of causes.

In the thought world, a thought (the cause) creates a feeling (the effect). Feelings can eventually materialise in the physical world because they create actions or behavior. These actions cause results or outcomes, and thus our life goes.

When we say a person "looks worried" what has taken place? A negative thought of some kind (the cause) triggered a feeling of worry (the effect) that materialised in the physical world through the persons facial actions. Those feelings may also materialise in other ways. For instance, by increased blood pressure or nausea. All of these "effects" originated from the original cause which was a thought.

Dr. Wayne Dyer writes that "all of our behavior results from the thoughts that preceded it... So the thing to work on is not your behavior but the thing that caused your behavior, your thoughts."

That was so liberating to me because I was so frustrated in trying to change the behaviors that I knew were causing the pain in my life. But I had been working on the wrong thing.

We cannot change anything in our life without first changing the originating cause. And everything in our life originates in our thoughts.

As Jim Rohn says: "if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause."

And that's worth thinking about.

- Vic Johnson


-- Posted from my iPhone

A Dream Realized.

I feel certain that when my classmates compiled our high school yearbook, nobody suggested that I be voted most likely to become a successful, bestselling author. To those who knew me then, my achievements as an adult are probably a bit of a surprise. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that our intention, propelled by our positive emotions, can make any dream a reality.


In the early 2000's, I set a goal to be a New York Times bestselling author. To me, that symbolized a pinnacle of success. I had spent countless hours learning about personal growth and self-discovery, enjoyed a career in the technology industry, and had transitioned into a new career as a seminar leader, speaker and mentor. I loved helping people formulate and achieve their goals and wanted to communicate my ideas in a way that would uplift and inspire people all over the world.


I didn't grow up wanting to be an author. In fact, I've often heard interviews with authors who talk about loving their English class in school and how they enjoy writing stories and have always known they wanted to be a writer, but that isn't me at all. When I first wrote down my ambitious goal of becoming a bestselling author, I immediately thought to myself: "Yeah right, Peggy!" I had little formal education and no idea how to write a book or create a bestseller. I didn't know anyone in the publishing business or anyone who marketed books. With no clue how to achieve my goal, I just planted a seed and opened myself up to whatever opportunities came my way.


I could have dwelled on all the reasons someone like me couldn't become a New York Times bestselling author. Instead, I discarded those negative thoughts about reaching such a lofty, even seemingly impossible goal. That's where many people can get stuck. They think, "That's something I'd really like to have," but then, BOOM, up come 101 reasons why they can't get it. They don't know how to get from where they are to where they want to be, become frustrated and lost, then let the fire of their passion subside, and the dream dies. Looking back, they'll sigh and say, "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."


As unrealistic as my goal might have seemed to others, I held on to the belief that we don't need to know how something is going to manifest, we just have to trust that it will.


Our intention, coupled with strong feelings of curiosity, enthusiasm, and faith, takes us from seed to flower, and becomes the driving force of achieving or attracting anything.


Our job is simply to identify what we want and then begin generating the emotions we'd feel if our dream had already come true. For me, that meant using my imagination to create the emotional experience of being a bestselling author. I had to act as if my name and book title were already on that prestigious New York Times list. I planted the seed of my intention, then watered and nurtured it with my feelings, thoughts, and actions.


My enthusiasm propelled me into action, and I began to create a file of ideas. It occurred to me to try to figure out the ingredients of a successful book, so I went to my bookshelf, took down books I'd really loved and been moved by, and skimmed them to see how they were organized and what elements had made them such excellent guides. I went on to study more bestselling books and soon I had clarity about how I would go about presenting my thoughts.


All the while, I was constantly visualizing my bestselling author experience. Actually, "visualizing" doesn't quite capture the intensity of what I was doing. I truly lived the experience, heart and soul. One day, it occurred to me that if I wanted to achieve my goal, I was going to have to be extremely persistent, like a dog holding on to a bone that someone wants to take away.


I can't say that the writing flowed easily. It was very hard work at times, but I stuck to my plan and sat down at that computer even when I was feeling a little nervous or insecure. I told myself, "I'll just expand on my ideas and see where they go." I thought positively, generated a feeling of confidence and excitement, and started typing away.


At last, I'd completed my first manuscript. One book lead to another book and in my quest to become an author, at first, I chose to self publish my books. However, to become a New York Times bestselling author, I needed to find a Publisher.


During this whole process, I continued being a student. From what I've found, successful people are all on a lifelong path of learning and constantly improving themselves.


When I came up with the concept for Your Destiny Switch, I felt it was very important for me to promote the message of the book: that the power of our emotions is what allows us to reach our goals.


I'd found a literary agent through a business associate, and she sold Your Destiny Switch to a large publisher, Hay House. I decided that this was the book that was going to be on the New York Times bestseller list.


To make this happen, I used a primary strategy of online marketing. I specifically lined up promotional activities for the week that the book would be launching and available on shelves in bookstores as well as online. I prepared a massive internet marketing campaign, joyfully watched my book climb to the top of the Amazon.com andBarnesandNoble.com bestseller lists the week of the launch, and was elated a few days later when my agent, Cathy, called to tell me that the book had hit the New York Times bestseller list.and on the very first week of release! (Note: When your book reaches the list, it doesn't actually appear until a couple of weeks later.)


I remember jumping up and down like I was on a pogo stick, feeling absolutely exhilarated. While I was tingling with excitement, I was also thinking, "You know, this is exactly what I knew it would be like." The feeling was very familiar.


You see, I'd been experiencing this excitement for years, every time I envisioned myself having already achieved my goal, whether I was feeling the emotion during the call from my agent or reading my affirmations and expressing my joy and gratitude that I was a New York Times bestselling author. The Universe had answered my intention with the very situation I'd imagined. It was magical.


Our thoughts, feelings, and actions have tremendous power. We can tap into positivity at any moment we choose and begin to shift our energy, sending a clear message that we're ready and eager to receive all that we desire. The intensity of our emotions, and the ease with which we can switch them, is what Your Destiny Switch is all about.


I would love to go to the top of the highest mountain and scream this out so that everyone in the world could hear me: "You don't have to know how you will achieve your dream.set the dream and feel the elation of achieving it and it will happen!" Each day, I'm inspired to spread the word that we all can use the rocket fuel of positive emotions to make our dreams come true. The Universe always answers the clear call of our intention.



Peggy McColl

New York Times Best Selling Author

Identify Your Vision

"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by; this you will become." - As a Man Thinketh, James Allen.

Whether you liked his politics or not, much can be learned from the life of former President Clinton. Grolier's New Book of Knowledge reports that as a teenager "Clinton thought of becoming a doctor or a reporter or even a musician. But after a fateful meeting with President John F. Kennedy, while still in high school, he made up his mind to enter politics." At that moment a vision was born that he would hold on to - for the next 30 years, until he himself was elected President at the age of 46.

Jay Leno, who succeeded the venerable Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show, first envisioned that he would be the host when he was just 22 years old and unknown and unproven as a comedian, much less as a host of a show of such regard. For twenty years he enthroned in his heart an ideal that most people would have thought "foolish", "outlandish" and "impossible".

Thoreau told us that "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." No doubt it's because the masses are without a vision for their lives.

What is your vision for your future, your ideal life? Is it written down? Do you review it and think about it often? Have you "enthroned" it in your heart? Is your life organized around goals and objectives that will ensure your vision is reached?

Wallace D. Wattles wrote, "There is no labour from which most people shrink as they do from that of sustained and consecutive thought; it is the hardest work in the world." And yet it is the "sustained and consecutive thought" about our vision that is the first and primary labour of achievement.

Thoreau also wrote one of my most favourite passages of all time. And it gives you the best reason there is to stop what you're doing today and identify the vision for your life. "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

And that's worth thinking about.

- Vic Johnson


-- Posted from my iPhone