DIALOGUE

WITH GURU
NANAK

1
 CONTENTS
Preface

Introduction

Chapter–1 life lessons------------------------------------

life lessons -----------------------------------------

Trees-----------------------------------------------------

Bamboo----------------------------------------------------

Animals--------------------------------------------------------

Farmer and donkey--------------------------------------------

Snakes--------------------------------------------------------------
-----

Chapter –2 Things that Matter Most------

Things that Matter Most---------------------

Habits----------------------------------------

Coffee Beans---------------------------------

Ant and the Elephant-------------------

Chapter –3 Success------------

Success-----------------------

2
 Butterfly--------------------------

BEE------------------------------
Ant---------------------------------------

Chapter –4 Management & Leadership-----

Management ----------------------

Leadership ------------------------------------------------

Key Leadership Lessons------------------------------

Geese------------------------------------------------------

Penguins------------------------------------------------

Monkey story on company policy -------------------------

WHICH TYPE OF BIRD ARE

YOU?-----------------------------------------

learn the philosophy of life taught by him by reciting Gurbani.

3
 Preface
Each of us strives for success and
happiness in life .Success is not
accumulation of wealth and materials
alone .Many rich men are failure in
life .True secret of successful living
are not material but contentment and
joy of usefulness. Guru Nanak Dev Ji
says, NO ONE CAN GET
HAPPINESS, BY INDULGING IN
THE PASSIONS OF LUST,
ANGER, GREED AND CONCEIT.
Attachment (Moh) is the excessive
love of a wife, children or material
goods. Individual has Strong
attachment to worldly possessions
and relationships. The Guru is the
4
tree of contentment, with flowers of
faith, and fruits of spiritual wisdom.
Watered with the Lord’s Love, it
remains forever green; through the
performance of good deeds and
meditation, it ripens (SGGS, p-147).
We can learn from behaiour and lies
of birds, animals and nature. honey
bees, ants and butterflies show us
road to success .leadership
inspirations can be taken from eagles,
geese, horses and elephants. Giraffes,
ducks and penguins are management
experts. As deer searches for it
outside; the musk is within its own
body. That is how God is; always
within us; never away from us: inside
us and all around us. the patience of
5
the devotees has been compared with
the trees in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ,
the humble devotees have the
patience and endurance of trees
(SGGS, p-1381). . DONOT WORRY
ABOUT PROBLEMS; Life is full of
problems and mistakes .Don't worry
about them .Rather understand them
and learn the art of solving them as
birds and animals do. LIVE WITH
ENTHUSIASM; everyone faces
hardships in chosen path. Enthusiasm
makes one to work and not to quit.
Chardikala is answer to all problems
of life like spider and woodpecker.
Sugar is a deadly trap for the flies, so
is greed for humans. BE MASTER
OF POSSESIONS and not lose
6
freedom by becoming slaves of
money and material things. Learn
judicious use of money and share
with needy. The Guru says, ―Eating,
drinking, laughing and sleeping, life
passes uselessly. (SGGS, p-1229).
Since we are the inhabitants of this
pious land and benefit from its
innumerable benedictions, it becomes
our duty to protect and sustain it.
Walking on the path of virtues we
should take care of the treasures
bestowed on us by the Lord as He
takes care of the whole humanity.
This book is dedicated to youth to
live successfully and help in
maintaining ecological balance and
7
preservation of environment .I am
thankful to my parents, my family, s.
jaspal singh mumbai and charanpreet
singh. Lots of thanks to those
unknown authors whose material has
been taken from internet. Hope this
new addition to list of publications
by living successfully foundation will
help in making this world a better
place to live.

Dr pushpinder singh

8
 SUCCESS

mnu qnu hoie culµBu jy

siqgur BwieAw ] clY jnmu
svwir vKru scu lY ]

The mind and body are dyed in the

deep red color of devotional love, if
it pleases the True Guru. He departs
with his life embellished and
successful, taking the merchandise of
the True Name.
To some people, success might mean
wealth. To others, it is recognition,
good health, good family, happiness,
satisfaction, and peace of mind. What
this really tells us is that success is
subjective. It can mean different
things to different people. Success is
the progressive realization of a
9
worthy goal."Progressive" means that
success is a journey, not a
destination. After we reach one goal,
we go on to the next and the next and
the next.
A man was travelling on his path he
was determined to reach his ultimate
goal. Along the way he started
feeling hungry. He now had a new
goal: To eat, he also felt thirsty so he
left his original path and started
walking towards the river. Reaching
the river he thought it's best to wash
my hands before eating or drinking -
yet another goal. So he bent down.
The river was still he could see a
golden bracelet deep down. All of a
sudden he forgot his hunger and
10
thirst, he forgot about washing his
hands and thought only of possessing
the golden bracelet. He jumped into
the water but couldn’t find it, a
passerby saw him jumping in and out
of the river and asked why. The
passerby said 'O Friend, the bracelet
is not in the river .It is high up on the
branches of the tree, you are chasing
the reflection!' The man now had yet
another goal to climb the tree . . . and
so on.

Success without fulfillment is empty.

Success does not mean being
accepted by everyone. There are
some groups you would not want to
be accepted by, out of choice. You
11
would rather be criticized by fools
than appreciated by unsavory
characters.

scw Drmu puMnu Blw krwey ]

dIn kY qosY dunI n jwey ]

One who practices truth, righteous

living, charity and good deeds,
follows God's Path. Worldly success
shall not fail him.
Success can be defined as
manifestation of good luck that
results from inspiration, aspiration,
desperation and perspiration;
generally in that sequence. Success
and happiness go hand in hand.
Success is getting what you want and
happiness is what you get! Existence
12
alone is not success! It is a lot more!
Success doesn't mean the absence of
failures; it means the attainment of
ultimate objectives. It means winning
the war, not every battle.
One may have met people who
literally wander through life. They
simply accept whatever fate brings
them. A few may succeed by
accident, but most suffer through a
lifetime of frustration and
unhappiness. Human nature generally
resists change. Regardless of its
positive or negative effect, change
can be stressful. Sometimes we get
so comfortable with our negativity
that even when the change is for the
13
positive, we don't want to accept it.
We stay with the negative.
A man once owned an eagle, and for
many years kept him chained to a
stake. Every day the eagle walked
around and around that stake, and
over time wore a rut in the ground.
When the eagle was getting old, his
master felt sorry for him and decided
to set him free. So he took the metal
ring off the eagle's foot, lifted the
eagle from the ground, and tossed
him into the air. He was free--but he
had forgotten how to fly! He flip-
flopped to the ground, walked back
over to his old rut, and started
walking in circles like he had for
14
years. No chain and shackle held
him, just the habit! There is a saying:
“The chains of bad habits are too
weak to be felt until they are too
strong to be broken” --and that
would be true if it weren't for the
Lord and His power. You may think
it’s not possible for you to change,
but if you really want to and are
sincerely willing to, God can change
you by the miracle-working power of
His Spirit. He'll do things you can't
do! You may have to put a great deal
of your own will to the
transformation process as well, but
with God's strength and His
intervention, you'll find you have
more resolve, determination, and
15
Building Habits ability to change
than you ever thought possible.
Have you ever wondered why some
individuals, organizations, or
countries are more successful than
others? None of them works unless
they have the right foundation, and
the right foundation is TQP. What is
TQP? TQP is Total Quality People--
people with character, integrity, good
values, and a positive attitude.

Success is not an accident. It is the

result of our attitude and our attitude
is a choice. Hence success is a matter
of choice and not chance. A priest
was driving by and saw an
exceptionally beautiful farm. He
stopped his car to appreciate the
bountiful crop. The farmer was riding
16
on his tractor and saw the priest at
the corner. He drove towards the
Priest and when he got there the
priest said, "God has blessed you
with a beautiful farm. You should be
grateful for it. The farmer replied,"
Yes, God has blessed me with a
beautiful farm and I am grateful for
it, but you should have seen this farm
when God had the whole farm to
himself!"

"The lesson of focus"-- Woodpecker

Woodpecker is much smarter than we

are. Yes, he beats his head against a
tree, but he does it so very
successfully. His goal is always

17
 realistic – he never tries to split the
tree in half and in a single motion, as
many of us do. Woodpecker stays
focused. He never knocks at all sides
of a tree at the same time. He focuses
his effort on a single point, slowly
getting to his worm. What we always
want is not a worm but at least a
snake. We want to find the snake
under lose leaves sprinkled on the
ground leaving hard to reach places
unchecked.

"Stream lesson".-Fish

The fish always swims against the

current and rarely downstream. This
is crazy! Why would they complicate
18
 their lives when they could use the
force of the current to move down
the stream? In fact, moving upstream
allows more water to pass through
their gills. It brings more oxygen and
food. So life of the fish swimming
upstream is several times richer. In
contrast to the fish, we always try to
go with the flow or ‘swim in the
stagnant water’. As a result, instead
of 40 years of experience, we repeat
a one-year experience 40 times. We
do not want to leave our comfort
zone, and then wonder why our life
was so dull and unsuccessful. We
want to win the lottery of life, not
even buying a lottery ticket.

19
 "soil you face with blood".- Lion
cubs

Lion cubs know how to learn. And

they do not learn from textbooks but
rather from the older, more
experienced lions. They know
exactly – in order to learn how to
hunt, they should soil their muzzles
with blood. We are even afraid to soil
our hands. We learn hunting as we sit
in a classroom and look at the board
dressed teacher-hare. Or even worse,
- we lock ourselves in a room and
study ourselves, but when it comes to
real hunting, we do not know how,
we are afraid of the smell of blood.

20
 "Wiggle your social tail first".-Dog

In the 21st century, is not important

what you do yourself. What is
important is how efficiently you
motivate others. A perfect example of
this is a dog. The dog does not think:
"First, you bring me home, feed and
wash me and then I'll wiggle my tail
and play with you." No! Dog first
shows his good feelings, and only
then gets what it wants in return.
Dogs do not force you to do
anything; they make you want to do
everything for them.
SECRETS OF SUCCESS

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1. DESIRE
Most people want to be successful.
Wanting success is a waste of time.
Worse, it just produces frustration.
Only a burning, all-consuming,
fervent and passionate desire will
produce the exceptional results that
make up true success. Wanting is best
understood by its second meaning in
the dictionary: lack. To want for
something is to lack something and
so long as you merely want success,
you will lack success. Wanting is
mere wishful thinking. Desire, on the
other hand, is an extremely potent
force. It is a supreme motivator. It is
a metaphysical principle of creation.
22
Desire is an energetic emanation of
the human spirit that enacts the law
of attraction. Desire is the
metaphysical equivalent of gravity.
Desire draws to you the thing
desired, or the elements that will
constitute the thing desired. Desire is
the fuel that ignites the fire that
transmutes thoughts into things.
The sad truth about most people who
claim to want success is that they
actually do not desire success. What
they desire is comfort and security.
The path to real success often
demands that you give up comfort
and security in order to gain rewards
greater than mere creature comforts
23
and minor financial security. You
must have or develop a burning
passion for success. Without it, you
are highly unlikely to achieve it. Get
passionate or stay home. This is
critical…your desire must be
specific. It must be attached to a clear
and specific ideal, a clear and
consistent thought picture of what
success means to you.
2. FAITH
"All thoughts that have been
emotionalized (given feeling
through desire) and mixed with faith,
begin immediately to translate
themselves into their physical
equivalent or counterpart."
24
It is our beliefs themselves that either
empower us to soar to previously
unimaginable heights or chain us to
the lower echelons of achievement.
Not only must you have a burning
desire for a specific thought of
success, but you must also have the
faith or belief that success is not only
available to you as an abstract, but it
is your birthright and all you need to
do is claim it as your own and it shall
be yours.
3. AUTO-SUGGESTION
Clearly defined written goals that are
repeated, preferably out -loud to
oneself . It is very important to affirm

25
one's goals and ideals at some quiet
time.
When you intentionally think about,
repeat and affirm your ideals, you are
planting the seeds that will grow to
bear fruit. When your mind is busy
with all kinds of distracting thoughts,
or worse, non-contributory or
negative thoughts, you are planting
your seeds amongst an abundance of
weeds. When your mind is still and
focused, you are, in effect, preparing
fresh and fertile, weed-free, ground
in which to plant your thought seeds.
In addition to preparing the ideal
mental ground to plant your thought
seeds, meditation also stills your
26
mind so that intuition can be
accessed, insight can be attained and
your connectivity to the absolute can
be ascertained. Since all creativity
springs from the potentiality of the
infinite and absolute, it only makes
practical sense to become as intimate
with the infinite as you can manage.
Meditation is the well-worn and
proven method of achieving this
intimacy. Repeated affirmation of
ideals and goals is highly effective. It
is even more effective when done in
a meditative state. It is even more
effective when you use insight,
obtained through meditation and
contemplation of self, to come to
know and consciously choose which
27
core beliefs you will hold, discard or
take on.
4. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge only becomes valuable in
its application. You may have heard
that knowledge is power. Wrong. It is
applied knowledge that begets power,
wealth and the advancement of
humanity. The secret is in the
application, not in the knowledge
itself.
To quote one of the wisest of
teachers, Confucius:
"The essence of knowledge is,
having it, to apply it; not having it, to
confess your ignorance."
28
it is the application of the specific
education that will bring success and
happiness. These days, with the
accumulation of information and
training being as
easy as the 'click of a mouse', there is
no excuse for not being successful in
any field, except that you are
ignorant of the principles of success,
or for some personal perversity,
refuse to apply them to your life.
5. IMAGINATION
The great humanistic psychologist,
William James,:

29
"Many people think they are thinking
when they are merely rearranging
their prejudices."
Synthetic imagination is the
manipulation of effects. Creative
imagination is causal that creates
effects. All things, from the invention
of writing to the invention of the
Internet came about because of the
use of creative imagination.
Synthetic imagination merely, at best,
can improve upon what already
exists. The bringing of new things
into existence requires the use of
creative imagination.
your imagination is the workshop in
which you, mostly without conscious
30
recognition, create the results that
show up in your life. What you hold
as an image in your mind is what
shows up in your life.
6. ORGANIZED PLANNING
The need to have concrete written
goals that are in harmony with one's
chosen purpose and/or ideals. Goals
are not vague aspirations like, 'I want
to be rich.' They are concrete, defined
steps in the fulfillment of your
personal vision or purpose. They are
a specific plan. 95% of people who
have (and daily refer to) written
goals end up accomplishing them.
95% of people who do not have
written goals, do not accomplish
31
much of anything. When you have a
plan, you know what you are about;
you know when you are on (or off)
track; you can measure your
progress; you can tell others who
might enroll in your vision what it is
that needs doing; .
7. DECISION
Napoleon, Bonaparte, says this:
"Nothing is more difficult, and
therefore more precious, than to be
able to decide."
The ability to make clear, firm
resolute decisions is as precious a gift
as life itself. It is what enables human
beings to take control of their lives,
to rise above chance and
32
circumstance and to chart a destiny.
Those who fail to make conscious
choices may as well not have any
free will, for they squander the gift of
decisiveness. The successful and
happy human being is the one in who
choice is intentional and purposeful.
Decision produces results. It can,
also be said that the failure to decide
is, in itself, a decision, a decision to
let your life be governed by event
and circumstance.
8. PERSISTENCE
a very succinct formula that I like to
shorten to p3=P. It is this: purpose +
passion + persistence = Prosperity.

33
, "Persistence is an essential factor in
transmuting desire into its monetary
equivalent." desire (passion) plus the
power of will (persistence) make an
irresistible pair and almost always
end up producing wealth. Thomas
Edison commented that 90% of
people quit 90% of the way to
accomplishing their goals. These
days it is 99% who quit a mere 20%
of the way. Those who persist, win.
Those who do not, lose. Define your
ideals, plan their enactment and
persist in your plan and you will
produce results. Desire and faith
(belief) are the fuel that produces
persistence. Persistence turns
stumbling blocks into stepping-
34
stones on your pathway to success.
The many perceive a molehill as an
insurmountable mountain blocking
their path; the few choose to see a
mountain in their path as an
opportunity to gain a vaster
perspective of their pathway forward.
It is simply a matter of attitude.
9. POWER OF THE MASTER
MIND
The importance of brainstorming
with like-minded individuals cannot
be overstated. Work groups,
executive teams, board members are
all the direct recognition that the
collective power of several minds
working and planning together can
35
accomplish much more than one
mind alone.
Two or more minds, working in
harmony, produce a synergistic
energy that weaves a concrete reality
out of purpose, vision and
determination. Harmony is not just
some nice, feel-good environment.
All creation is comprised of
vibration. Harmonious vibrations are
creative. The people you hang around
with are a part of your mastermind
team.
11. THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
Most people have little understanding
of the workings of their conscious
mind and even less understanding of
36
the workings of their subconscious
mind. Here are the essential
understandings you need to acquire:
It is the subconscious mind, NOT the
conscious mind that exerts the most
control over your beliefs, thoughts
and actions and thus, your results.
The subconscious can, however, be
consciously programmed and
controlled by the conscious mind.
The subconscious mind is the source
of insight, intuition, imagination and
creativity.
The subconscious mind is also your
direct link to the collective sub
consciousness of humanity, which
also has a greater influence on your
37
beliefs, thoughts and actions than
does your conscious mind. The
subconscious mind is also your direct
link to universal consciousness,
which is the source of all power and
creativity. Your subconscious mind is
accessible only when you learn how
to still the hyper activity of the
conscious mind. Meditation
techniques are the best way to
accomplish this control.

38
 Snakes

ibsIAr kau bhu dUDu

pIAweIAY ibKu inksY Poil
PulITw ]3](171-16, gauVI
pUrbI, mÚ 4)

Even if the poisonous snake is fed

large amounts of milk, it will still
yield only poison.

You build your reputation. there's a

reason people fear snakes. Let's say
you didn't know anything about them
- they'd look pretty harmless, right?
Just like a snake, you have the
ultimate say in the person you
39
become and the way people interact
with you. ? Don't get disheartened
and keep working to achieve those
big dreams.
swpu kuMc CofY ibKu nhI
CwfY ] (485-16, Awsw,
Bgq nwmdyv jI)
The snake sheds its skin, but does not
lose its venom. Don't be afraid to
change. Snakes "moult" or shed their
skin on average two to four times a
year, although young snakes shed
more often. It's easy to feel
overwhelmed by big changes in your
life. Don't expect yourself to adapt
right away. Take the period of
transition, but know that you'll come
out stronger and much wiser.

40
Differences can be your strength. Do
you think that snakes let their
physical differences from the rest of
the animal kingdom, namely their
lack of arms and legs, stop them from
going great distances? No! They’ve
adapted and some snakes can even
"run" really fast, so don't
underestimate-mate them.
Don’t be defined by limitations--
Snakes don’t have legs despite their
obvious limitations; they are still able
to negotiate a wide variety of habitats
from desert dunes to trees to the
ocean. They don’t just eat vegetation
they are predators, outwitting and
outmaneuvering their prey and
becoming one of the most iconic
creatures of the animal kingdom.
41
Whether they are venomous or use
constriction, they take advantage of
their strengths to become successful.
Focus on skills - Focus on what
makes you unique and have
confidence in the gifts and skills that
God has given you. Just because you
can at-tack, doesn’t mean that you
should. Snakes are feared by most
people and rightly so as many of
them are venomous enough to kill a
grown man. However, despite their
reputation, most snakes aren’t
aggressive towards human and will
only bite as a last resort. They
understand that just because they
have the capacity to cause damage it
doesn’t mean that they have to.
During moments of conflict, instead
of lashing out, hurting yourself and
42
others in the process, try to find more
effective resolution strategies. Such
maturity and self-control will assist
greatly in building stronger
relationships.
Make a decision and act on it. one of
the unique aspects of snakes is their
forked tongues. they use their tongue
to smell and detect what’s going on
around them. they have very poor
eye-sight, so they rely on this sense
to find their prey. Each time they
stick their tongue out one of the forks
on the tongue will detect a stronger
smell than the other. They then move
towards the stronger side. After
moving a short distance, they test the
air again to ensure that they are
moving in the right direction. This
process is repeated until they find
43
their next meal. With our goals, we
need to constantly check to make
sure that we are on track.
Before you make a decision ask
yourself, is this going to take me
closer or further away from my aims?
once you’ve made that decision, take
action, ensuring that you are building
momentum and moving towards your
target.

44
 Butterfly
’
hau hau BIiq BieE hY bIco
sunq dyis inktwieE ] BWBIrI
ky pwq prdo ibnu pyKy
dUrwieE BieE ikrpwlu srb ko
Twkuru sgro dUKu imtwieE ]
khu nwnk haumY BIiq guir
KoeI qau dieAwru bITlo pwieE
] (624-12, soriT, mÚ 5)
The wall of egotism and pride
separates us, but I can hear Him
nearby. There is a veil between us,
like the wings of a butterfly; without
being able to see Him, He seems so
far away. The Lord and Master of all
has become merciful; He has
45
 dispelled all my sufferings. Says
Nanak, when the Guru tore down the
wall of egotism, then, I found my
Merciful Lord and Master.
”One day, a small opening appeared
in a cocoon; a man sat and watched
for the butterfly for several hours as
it struggled to force its body through
that little hole. Then, it seems to stop
making any progress.It appeared as
if it had gotten as far as it could and
it could not go any further. So the
man decided to help the butterfly: he
took a pair of scissors and opened
the cocoon.The butterfly then
emerged easily.But it had a withered
body, it was tiny and shriveled wings.
46
The man continued to watch because
he expected that, at any moment, the
wings would open, enlarge and
expand, to be able to support the
butterfly’s body, and become firm.
Neither happened!In fact, the
butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around with a withered
body and shriveled wings. It never
was able to fly. What the man, in his
kindness and his goodwill did not
understand was that the restricting
cocoon and the struggle required for
the butterfly to get through the tiny
opening, were God’s way of forcing
fluid from the body of the butterfly
into its wings, so that it would be
ready for flight once it achieved its
47
freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes,
struggles are exactly what we need in
our life.If God allowed us to go
through our life without any
obstacles, it would cripple us. We
would not be as strong as we could
have been. Never been able to fly.

48
 HONEY BEE
ijau mDu mwKI sMcY Apwr
] mDu lIno muiK dInI Cwru
] gaU bwC kau sMcY KIru ]
glw bWiD duih lyie AhIru ]
2] mwieAw kwrin sRmu
Aiq krY ] so mwieAw lY
gwfY DrY ] Aiq sMcY smJY
nhI mUV@ ] Dnu DrqI qnu
hoie gieE DUiV ]3] (1252-
11, swrMg, Bgq nwmdyv
jI)
The bee stores up loads of honey;
then someone comes and takes the
honey, and throws dust in its
mouth. The cow stores up loads of
milk; then the milkman comes and
ties it by its neck and milks it. For
the sake of Maya, the mortal
49
 works very hard. He takes the
wealth of Maya, and buries it in
the ground. This wealth remains
buried in the ground, while his
body turns to dust

In size the man is about a hundred

million times larger than the bee,
but in intelligence the bee is about
a hundred million times larger
than the man.
The man gazes proudly at his
handiwork the great skyscrapers
which blend into distance, and
says to himself – "See what a
wonderful being I am; see what
great buildings I have constructed;
see what evolution has done for the

50
human race; see the wealth I have
created.”
The intelligent little bee, standing
guard at the entrance to its hive,
hears the man boasting and replies
– "Yes, it is true you have made
wonderful changes on the earth’s
surface; you have turned dirt into
sky-scrapers; you have built
powerful locomotives; you have
mastered the air and you have
measured the distance to the stars;
but one thing you have not done,
in spite of all your achievement, is
to discover the possibilities within
that head of yours. Another thing
you have not discovered is the
community spirit! You have yet to
find out that there is something in
the world to work for which is
51
greater than your individual
welfare.
“You work for the selfish end of
taking away from your fellow-
workers that which they have
acquired. You have not yet
discovered the ‘hive spirit’ which
we little bees observe. We store
honey for the good of the hive,
while you store up money with
which to strangle your fellow-
worker and control him for your
individual gain.”
What a wonderful little insect!
What a wonderful lesson he can
teach us if we will only watch him,
analyze his habits, and think!

52
The bee is the only living thing on
earth that can control and
determine sex before birth!
Man, in all of his wisdom, with all
of his advancement, with all of his
knowledge of biology and
physiology can neither
predetermine nor control sex!
The little honey-bee can control
sex!
Go out and buy a book on bees
and study up on them. Go out to
the hive, lie down in front of it and
watch the bee at his work. He is an
interesting little insect, from which
you can learn much that will be of
value to you.
There are three kinds of bees in
every hive. One is the Queen,
53
which is the mother or female bee.
She lays the eggs and keeps the
race alive. That is her sole duty.
Then, there is the drone, or the
male bee. His sole function is to
fertilize the eggs which the female
lays. Then, there are the workers –
those little, intelligent fellows who
gather the honey from the flowers
and store it up for the use of the
whole hive. They are neither male
nor female.

There is only one female or Queen

bee in each hive. If a boy throws a
rock into the hive and kills the
Queen, or if she dies from any
other cause, the other bees,
through a process known only to
the bee, immediately fertilize an
54
egg that will hatch out another
Queen bee in as very short time.
After the male bee has performed
the function for which Nature
created him, the workers jump on
him and sting him to death. There
is a decree in “bee-kingdom” that
all who do not work must get out!
Not a bad idea.
You will notice that most of the
bees in every hive are workers!
This is no mere accident upon the
part of Nature. She has provided
the bees with a method of
producing drones, females and
workers in whatever proportion
they may determine.

55
But the greatest lesson that man
can learn from the bee is that of
unselfishness!
Bees work with the community
spirit. They recognize something
higher than the individual himself.
They work for their fellow-bees
and not against them.
They store up honey in a common
storehouse, from which the whole
hive may eat.
Imagine selfish, stingy, conceited
man doing likewise! Imagine man
sharing the product of his labors
with his fellowmen unless by so
doing he gets more than he givers!
Man has advanced far beyond the
bee, in some respects, but may it
not be possible that he kicked out
56
of the harness and strayed away
from Nature’s plans when he
discarded the “community spirit”
and started in to defeat and
defraud his fellow-workers out of
that which they have
accumulated?
We do not profess to know what
are Nature’s plans, but we strongly
suspect that before man can enjoy
the blessings which are here and
available for him he must
overcome the spirit of greed, the
tendency to get without giving and
come back to the bee habit of
working for the “hive!”
Only real happiness which one
enjoys is that which comes from
serving his fellowmen

57
After you have looked everywhere
else for the cause of your
unhappiness, turn the spotlight on
your own heart, examine the
thoughts in which you have been
indulging, and you may find it. Go
out and get whatever you wish by
first giving.
And whether a man is conscious of
this fact or not, his acts toward his
fellowmen are coming back to him
greatly multiplied. You are
constantly attracting to you men
and forces which exactly
harmonize with your own
thoughts, and deeds! There is no
escape from this. It is in
accordance with a law of the
universe.

58
In all this strife, in all this chaotic
turmoil which is going on between
so-called “capital” and “labor,” we
see a perfect antithesis of the “hive
spirit.”
What a profitable lesson both sides
could learn from the humble little
honey-bee!
We believe the only real success
comes from useful service – service
which helps others attain
monetary success and happiness.
Anything short of this sort of
service is not success, but failure!
We believe the human race must
develop the “hive spirit” before it
can advance higher. On every-
hand we see the futility of trying to
get without giving. Before we have
59
anything to give we must prepare,
through practice and labor; we
must develop the community
spirit.
“All great things are accomplished
easily – it is the years, the hours,
the moments of preparation that
count. Thomas Edison was not
twenty minutes, proving the value
of the incandescent light – he spent
a life time seeking the best
filament. Abraham Lincoln wrote
the greatest speech ever made in
the English language – the
Gettysburg address – on the back
of an envelope, an hour before he
delivered it – yet, the deep
understanding the rugged spirit,
the infinite compassion, the whole

60
life of Lincoln thrills in its every
word.
“Work – constantly, patiently,
every day – striving toward the
highest and the best. The moments
of supreme action will come to you
as they have come to all men we
call great. The way of success is
the way of struggle. Strive for
perfection in the little things you
do, and when the great moment
comes you will be ready. You get
your strength in the sweat of your
body – in the tumult of your mind
– in the aspiration of your soul.
And, before you start to run the
race which is going to mean
success or failure to you, there is a
great lesson which you can learn

61
from the little honey-bee – that of
persistency!
It matters not how many times
man robs the store-house of the
bee,. it will begin all over and
replenish its supply of. honey. No
bee was ever known to wail or
complain that someone had stolen
the fruits of its labor. How unlike
man the bee is in this respect. No
bee ever quit trying as long as it
was able to gather honey.
All down the road of life you will
meet obstacles, many of them.
Time after time failure will stare
you in the face, but just remember
this – that there is a great lesson in
every obstacle you master and in
every failure which you overcome.
It is a part of Nature’s plan to
62
place obstacles in your way. Every
time you master one of these, you
become stronger and better
prepared for the next one.
Obstacles are nothing more or less
than necessary. hurdles which
train you and make you fit for the
great race of life!
If you begin the New Year with a
firm resolution to perform MORE
work and BETTER work than you
are paid to perform, you are apt to
make this your most prosperous
year.
Do not waste any time pitying the
man who has met with many
reverses and overcome numberless
obstacles; he will be able to take
care of himself; but, if you have
sympathy that you wish to
63
squander, give it to the man who
was born with a silver spoon in his
mouth and who has never known
what it is to go hungry, and who
has never found it necessary to
permit any desire to go
unsatisfied.‘ He is the fellow who
really needs your sympathy; the
others will know how to take care
of themselves.
Any fool can QUIT the job when
things go wrong, but the man who
has the right sort of stuff in him
MASTERS the obstacles that
made him want to quit and when
he has done this he no longer
wants to quit.

64
 ANT
khq kbIr sunhu ry sMqhu
kItI prbqu KwieAw ]
Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints -
the ant has eaten the mountain.
One morning I wasted nearly an
hour watching a tiny ant carry a
huge feather across my back
terrace. Several times it was
confronted by obstacles in its
path and after a momentary
pause it would make the
necessary detour. At one point
the ant had to negotiate a crack
in the concrete about 10mm
wide. After brief contemplation
the ant laid the feather over the
crack, walked across it and
65
picked up the feather on the
other side then continued on
its way. I was fascinated by the
ingenuity of this ant, one of
God’s smallest creatures. It
served to reinforce the miracle
of creation. Here was a minute
insect, lacking in size yet
equipped with a brain to
reason, explore, discover and
overcome. But this ant, like the
two-legged co-residents of this
planet, also shares human
failings. After some time the
ant finally reached its
destination– a flower bed at the
end of the terrace and a small
hole that was the entrance to
its underground home. And it
was here that the ant finally
66
met its match. How could that
large feather possibly fit down
that small hole? Of course it
couldn’t. So the ant, after all
this trouble and exercising
great ingenuity, overcoming
problems all along the way, just
abandoned the feather and
went home. The ant had not
thought the problem through
before it began its epic journey
and in the end the feather was
nothing more than a burden.
Isn’t life like that! We worry
about our family, we worry
about money or the lack of it,
we worry about work, about
where we live, about all sorts
of things. These are all
burdens – the things we pick
67
up along life’s path and lug
them around the obstacles and
over the crevasses that life will
bring, only to find that at the
destination they are useless
and we can’t take them with us.
When one ant finds food,
others immediately gathered to
help pull the food to their
storage. Disturb the pattern,
quickly, they come together
and evacuate it. Then they get
re-organized and continued on
the line they had created. There
is no form of supervision, yet
they accomplish tremendous
tasks, such as moving pieces
of food that were about 30
times their individual sizes. As
the follower ants learn the new
68
 route by recognising and
remembering landmarks, they
would be slower along the path
than the leader ants. Leader
ants would actually slow down
their journey to allow the
follower ants to catch up with
them. In all aspects of training
and instruction therefore, the
leader ants appeared to be
teaching the followers. In fact,
if the leader ants raced directly
to the food on their own, they
would arrive four times faster.
Occasionally some leader ants
grabbed the followers by the
mouth and dragged them to the
source of the food! This was
three times faster than having a
follower tag along. Leading and
69
 teaching the followers to
memorize landmarks and to
communicate by tapping their
antennae was a much slower
process. Yet most of the time,
the leader ants appeared
willing to teach the followers at
the personal cost of slowing
down their own efficiency and
effectiveness. The leader and
follower ants were running
together in tandem and this
action also involved
bidirectional feedback between
mentor and mentee. If the gap
between the leader and
follower was too close, the
leader accelerated its pace. If
the gap was too far, the leader
slowed down. Meanwhile, the
70
follower ants were also seen to
tap the leaders with their
antennae when they caught up,
seemingly providing
acknowledgement and
encouragement to proceed to
the next step.

Ants are diligent workers and

frequently carry loads larger
than themselves. "No single
ant rules the colony… The
queen is not the ruler of the
colony. . . . The ant colony has
no government, although the
tasks are divided among the
workers." All the ants in the
colony work together, each
apparently "knowing" what to
71
do and doing its part. This
principle is certainly well-
illustrated in ant colonies. Each
ant is made for a particular
function and spends its life
doing what it was created to
do. There are workers, nursery
attendants, soldiers, farmers,
ranchers, harvesters, and
more. Wouldn't things go more
smoothly in the organisation if
we all exercised our own gift
for the-good of all and stopped
trying to be something we were
never meant to be
And let us not lose heart in
doing good, for in due time we
shall reap if we do not grow
weary.

72
One ant was struggling with a
large load. As it came across
the bridge, it slipped and
almost fell off. It managed to
hang on tightly to the bridge
with 2 legs and to the load with
2 more, but was in quite a
predicament. At that moment
several other ants came to its
rescue. At great personal risk,
they managed to save the ant
and the load.
Do not merely look out for your
own personal interests, but
also for the interests of others.
The ants worked as a team: form
a team, bringing professionals
together.

73
The ants trusted one another: do
away with the notion that only
by working alone can one
ensure quality.
The ants were open: share the
idea with like-minded people.
When ants discovered food,
they informed others, who
came along and helped.
The ants were partners and of
different sizes: bring help and
make the task our project, not
mine. As much as possible,
each team member should get
assignment based on his
capability.
The ants were diligent and
focused: The team must keep
74
working, even slowly.
Deadlines will give us focus.
The ants regrouped: be open to
try new ideas if present ones
are not working.
By engaging everyone in the
organization, and trusting
people, you will have more
success. You must not think
that only you can close the
sales, install the products, and
fine-tune the design all by
yourself. Give others the
opportunities to fail or
succeed, and always ask for
help. forward emails on the
projects to others, instead of
hoarding them for days. share
project progress and
75
challenges to all team
members. The more people
know where we are, the more
they come up with solutions.
You never know which member
of your staff has information or
networks that can unlock future
growth opportunities unless
you share and communicate
with the team. It means
understanding like my
ancestors that “The ant-hills
are not built by elephants, but
by the collective efforts of the
little rejected ants.”

76
 Animals
psU imlih cMigAweIAw KVu
Kwvih AMimRqu dyih ] nwm
ivhUxy AwdmI iDRgu jIvx krm
kryih ]3] (489-7, gUjrI, mÚ 1)

Even beasts have value, as they eat

grass and give milk. Without the
Naam, the mortal's life is cursed,
as are the actions he performs
Don’t Ever Give Up
If you ever need inspiration to keep
going, then look to the salmon. Our
fishy friends swim thousands of
miles upstream in efforts to make
it back to their birthplace just so
they can spawn the next
generation. That impossible task
77
on your to-do list doesn’t seem so
unachievable now, does it?
A man was walking down a deserted
beach at sunset. As he walked along,
he began to see another man in the
distance. As he grew nearer, he
noticed that the local native kept
leaning down, picking something up
and throwing it out into the water.
Time and again he kept hurling
things into the ocean. As man
approached even closer, he noticed
that the man was picking up starfish
that had been washed up on the
beach and, one at a time, he was
throwing them back into the water.
He approached the man and said,
“Good morning, friend. I was
78
wondering… what you are
doing?”“I’m throwing these starfish
back into the ocean. You see its low
tide right now and all of these
starfish have been washed up onto
the shore. If I don’t throw them back
into the sea, they’ll die up here from
lack of oxygen.” “I understand,” the
man replied, “but there must be
thousands of starfish on this beach.
You can’t possibly get to all of them.
There are simply too many. And
don’t you realize this is probably
happening on hundreds of beaches all
up and down this coast? Can’t you
see that you can’t possibly make a
difference?” The local native smiled,
bent down and picked up yet another
79
starfish, and as he threw it back into
the sea, he replied: made a difference
to that one!” We read that usually
governments and armies and wars
and great powers, great empires,
change history and the face of the
Earth. So sometimes we're
discouraged and think, "Well, who
am I? what can I do? It all seems so
hopeless and impossible!” "It looks
like there's nothing that one person
can do to change things for the better,
so what's the use of trying, what's the
use of doing anything?” And we're
tempted to just give up . SO, YOU
THINK YOU CAN'T ACTIVATE
ANY CHANGE? It's too late, too
bad, too big, too difficult? It is
80
tempting to shift responsibility to
those who have special expertise or
are in positions of authority instead
of doing our part. It seems too
complicated and overwhelming for
us. But complexity and difficulty do
not excuse us from our own
individual efforts. YOU CAN MAKE
THE WORLD A BETTER
PLACE.Just like that man at the
beach, you can reach out today and
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

Some people call it listening to

your gut; others refer to it as that
81
little voice in your head. Either
way, there is definitely something
that alerts us about the best course
of action to take in almost any
situation. The real question is how
often do we pay attention to
important signals about events,
circumstances and the people
around us? Animals rely solely on
their instincts, trusting their senses
and reacting to their environment
accordingly. Give your brain a
break! Instead of analyzing a
situation from 20 different angles,
listen to what your instincts are
telling you, and harness those deep
seated survival skills that all
humans are born with.
RESPECT YOUR ELDERS

82
Wisdom and knowledge is
oftentimes passed down from older
people to the younger generation.
Those with more years on the
planet have amassed a wealth of
information, experience and
acumen that is worth making the
time to listen to and learn from.
Elephants know this to be true and
their matriarchs remain the
leaders of African elephant tribes
till they pass away. Spend some
time with an elderly relative or
neighbor. Be sure to pay close
attention to the conversation, and
snag some incredible nuggets of
wisdom from the interaction.
REACH YOUR GOALS AND
PERSEVERE
83
Whether you have a big exam
coming up or you’re looking to
make the leap and switch careers,
goals can seem lofty and hard to
attain. Chin up! Salmon swim
thousands of miles upstream just
to make it back to their birthplace
so that they can properly spawn
their next generation – enduring
extreme physical odds.
Turn your intentions into action
with a little bit of help and support
from your friends. If you are
looking for inspiration on how to
keep on track, consult this
proactive list of 5 tips on how to
achieve your goals.
LIVE SUSTAINABLY

84
The planet is full of natural
resources and it is up to us to make
sure that we are conscious of our
carbon footprint - keeping track of
how much we purchase and throw
away. We can take a cue from
octopi who are some of the
thriftiest invertebrates out there
building shelters out of discarded
debris – modern day repurposing
if you will.
There are ways to recycle and
reduce waste here or there, try
living a zero-waste lifestyle with
these seven easy tips.
Don’t yield to helplessness:
It’s common to tie untrained
elephants’ ankles to a bamboo tree
85
using heavy-duty rope. After three
or four days of trying to free
themselves, elephants give up.
From that time on, they can be
restrained by tying a leg to a small
peg in the ground – something they
could escape from with minimal
effort. But with little resistance, the
elephants don’t try to get loose.
Despite their size, they have
learned helplessness. Do you let
your past experiences limit your
choices?

Conquer your fear of failure:

The African impala can jump to a
height of over 10 feet and cover a
distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet
86
these magnificent creatures can be
kept in an enclosure in any zoo
with a 3-foot wall. The animals will
not jump if they cannot see where
their feet will land.As with so many
humans, extreme caution gets in
the way of success.
Don’t say no for the other person:
According to the laws of
aerodynamics, it should be
impossible for a bumble bee to fly.
That is because its size, weight and
the shape of its body are all wrong
in relation to its total wingspan.
Fortunately, no bumblebees have
ever studied aerodynamics – so

87
they just naively keep on doing
what they’re incapable of doing.

Listen Carefully
Animal’s hearing abilities far
surpass that of humans. While we
might have evolved away from
using our hearing to survive on the
day to day, we tend to overlook the
importance of this ability. Animals
sit and listen before they react to
situations, something we could
surely all stand to do.
We Must Stick Together
Animals have enemies too, but at
the end of the day, having each
other’s back is the key to survival.
Scientists have found that birds
flock, bees swarm and lions have
88
social cliques because it maintains
the stability of the ecosystem.
Bottom line, groups of animals are
less likely to become the victim of
predators. While people might not
need to worry too much about
becoming the meal of a predator, it
is an important lesson to learn.
Being able to set aside differences
and work together for the mutual
benefit of our species is an
incredible skill.

89
 Eagle

ijQY ifTw imrqko iel bihTI

Awie ]2] (322-8, gauVI,
mÚ 5)
Roaming and wandering in the
ten directions , over water,
mountains and forests -
wherever an eagle sees a dead
body, she flies down and lands
on it.

Vision ;With a superior mind, the

leader can come up with a vision or a
dream, and that vision should be
90
communicated to the people. And
how true, creating a vision for the
people, the leader’s dreams can help
create a better world for the people.
One leadership lesson drawn from
the eagle is that of vision. It is said
that the eagle soars or flies high
when it is hunting. From the way of
the eagle, the leader can learn the
need to have a high vantage point,
giving vision to the people. The
leader should have a vision and see
the big picture. And vision, having it
is a necessity, serves as a guide or
even as a beacon and a guiding light
to the people.

DUCKS
91
 Water off a duck’s back – Ducks
are renowned for their waterproof
feathers and it’s amazing to watch
them when they get splashed. The
water just forms beads on their
back and rolls off back into the
pond. Leaders need to have a
similar level of resilience. They
can’t afford to allow problems,
especially trivial ones, to weigh
them down and distract them from
their plan or vision.

Smooth on top, paddling below –

When you watch ducks, it looks as
though they are smoothly gliding
along the surface of the water with

92
 very little effort. However, a
closer inspection reveals that they
are paddling hard under the water
to get where they need to go.The
best leaders are more like ducks.
Sure, they’re still working hard,
but they make it look easy, with
warm smiles and time to spare for
people. They bring a sense of
calmness and reassurance to those
around them. They are less likely
to explode in rage and their people
feel comfortable in their presence.

Head down, bum up – If a duck

wants to survive, it knows that it
has to put its head down below the

93
 surface of the water to reach its
food sources. Similarly, leaders
need to need to put in the hours
and work as hard (or harder) than
you expect your people to work.
You can’t delegate all of the ugly
tasks to others, you still have to
make tough decisions yourself.

Ducklings always follow someone

– When a duckling first comes out
of its egg, it invariably follows the
first thing it sees and remains
attached to it. It’s called
imprinting and it doesn’t matter if
the first thing it sees is its real
mother, a person or even a dog, it

94
 will continue to follow it around.
Similarly, in the absence of real
leadership, people will find
someone else to follow. They
need a clear vision, to know where
they fit in to delivering that vision
and to have consistent messages
delivered to them or they will
easily become distracted by
something else

THE WISDOM OF THE

ELEPHANTS
Fous; The leaders of elephant herds
can often be seen doing nothing, as if
they are frozen from one second to
another. To the human eyes it is
95
unclear as to what is taking place. In
those regular moments of stillness
the lead cow uses her senses to the
fullest. She becomes aware of the
position and movement of the group,
its surroundings and gets in touch
with each individual group member
on an energetic level. What a
powerful leadership tool! at the
beginning of every meeting, refrain
from any activity for a couple of
seconds, focus on the group, the
energy in the room and your own
physical condition. You will
undoubtedly find out it makes a BIG
difference
LEOPARDS
96
Flexibility ;The hidden champions of
flexibility Leopards are flexible in
every way imaginable, adapting
themselves to every change in habitat
that might happen. They are excellent
runners and climbers, with the ability
to attack from the ground and from
trees, and hunt at night or during the
day. Regularly stepping out of one´s
comfort zone is something
recommended to anybody, especially
to leaders loaded up with daily tasks
and routines. Let´s not forget:
Routines kill creativity. And
creativity is something we urgently
need to re-inject into our corporate
lives in order to remain successful in
a changing marketplace.
97
 CROCODILE

.mwgrmCu PhweIAY kuMfI

jwlu vqwie durmiq PwQw
PwhIAY iPir iPir pCoqwie
jMmx mrxu n suJeI ikrqu n
myitAw jwie ]5] (1009-18,
mwrU, mÚ 1

The crocodile is caught by the

hook and line;caught in the trap of
evil-mindedness, he regrets and
repents, again and again.He does
not understand birth and death; the
inscription of one's past actions
cannot be erased.

98
Coping With Change Consistently:
Resilience - 'The capacity to recover
quickly from difficulties; toughness.
there is one creature that has lived for
thousands of years without changing
itself much. What it is today, is very
much what it was thousands of years
ago. Very little has changed of the
crocodile. It can live on land and in
water with the same ease. It is very
powerful when it is in water and on
land practically the entire exposed
part of its body is covered with
armor, making it a difficult target for
predators. Many successful
companies have the hallmark of
resilience that allows it to survive
over years and grow from strength to
99
strength. Some companies are good
at managing changing technology
while others are good at managing
changing business models. Only a
few companies are good at managing
both. Apple is a company that is good
at managing both.
BEARS
Conserving Scarce Resources,, In the
world of nature, when winter gets too
harsh and it becomes difficult to find
food, some animals go into
hibernation to conserve energy and
wait for winter to pass. Bears that
live in cold areas will go into a light
hibernation for about six months of
winter during which time they do not
100
eat. During recessionary and troubled
times, organizations that are able to
conserve their resources and cut out
flab, tend to survive better that
organizations that carry on with a
Business-As-Usual approach. Take
the case of Nissan Motors that in
1999 was facing bankruptcy. At that
time, Carlos Ghosn was sent to
Tokyo, with orders from France’s
Renault SA to rescue its floundering
Japanese business partner, Nissan
Motor. He slashed costs, closed
unprofitable factories, shrank the
supplier network, sold unprofitable
assets, and rewired Nissan’s insular
culture. Within a year, Japan’s

101
second-largest auto manufacturer had
returned to profitability.
DOG

suAwmI ko igRhu ijau sdw

suAwn qjq nhI inq nwnk ieh
ibiD hir Bjau iek min huie iek
iciq ]45] (1428-17, slok, mÚ
9)
A dog never abandons the home of
his master.O Nanak, in just the same
way, meditate on the Lord, single-
mindedly, with one-pointed
consciousness.

Adaptability ;One of the most

common pets worldwide, this animal
has adapted itself to living with
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human beings as perhaps no other
animal has. Somewhere in its
evolution it made this call. In the
process, it has made its own life easy
and ensured its survival. People who
have the capability to adapt to their
surroundings and environment
quickly, tend to be far more
productive in and valuable to
organizations, than others who don't.
It is the same with organizations as
well. Animals adapt to changing
environment naturally without
conscious effort. Human beings on
the other hand are different.

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104
 BamboO
kbIr bWsu bfweI bUifAw ieau mq fUbhu koie ] cMdn kY
inkty bsY bWsu sugMDu n hoie ] kbIr dInu gvwieAw
dunI isau dunI n cwlI swiQ ] (1365-3, slok, Bgq kbIr jI)

Kabeer, the bamboo is drowned in its egotistical pride. No one

should drown like this. Bamboo also dwells near the sandalwood
tree, but it does not take up its fragrance. the mortal loses his faith,
for the sakeof the world, but the world shall not go along with him
in the end.

A woman baked chapati for members of her family

and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the
extra chapati on the Window-sill, for whosoever would
take it away. Everyday, a hunchback came and took
away the chapati. Instead of expressing gratitude, he
muttered the following words as he went his way:
"The evil you do remains with you: The good you do,
comes back to you!" This went on, day after day.
Everyday, the hunch-back came, picked up the
chapati and uttered the words: "The evil you do,
remains with you: The good you do, comes back to
you!" The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of
gratitude," she said to herself...

"Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What

does he mean? "One day, exasperated, she decided
to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this
hunchback," she said. And what did she do? She
added poison to the Chapatti she prepared for him! As
she was about to keep it on the window sill, her
hands trembled. "What is this I am doing?" she said
Immediately, she threw the chapati into the fire,
prepared another one and kept it on the window- sill.
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As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapati
and muttered the words: "The evil you do, remains
with you: The good you do, comes back to you!".

Everyday, as the woman placed the chapati on the

window-sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had
gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many
months, she had no news of him.. She prayed for his
safe return. That evening, there was a knock on the
door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her
son standing in the doorway.. He had grown thin and
lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was
hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he
said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a
mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would
have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by.
I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind
enough to give me a whole chapati."As he gave it to
me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday: today, I
shall give it to you, for your need is greater than
mine!" " As the mother heard those words, her face
turned pale.

She leaned against the door for support. She

remembered the poisoned chapati that she had made
that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would
have been eaten by her own son, and he would have
lost his life! It was then that she realized the
significance of the words:"The evil you do remains
with you: The good you do, comes back to you!

"Do good and;

Don't ever stop doing good, even if it's not

appreciated at that time!

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 Bend but don't break. Be flexible yet firmly rooted
The bamboo sway with even the slightest breeze. This gentle
swaying movement with the wind is a symbol of humility. Their
bodies are hard and firm and yet sway gently in the breeze while
their trunks stay rooted firmly in the ground below. Their foundation
is solid even though they move and sway harmoniously with the
wind, never fighting against it. In time, even the strongest wind tires
itself out, but the bamboo remains standing tall and still. A bend-
but-don't-break or go-with-the-natural-flow attitude is one of the
secrets for success whether we're talking about bamboo trees,
answering tough questions in a Q&A session, or just dealing with
the everyday vagaries of life.

What looks weak is strong

The body of a single bamboo tree is not large by any means, but the
plants endure cold winters and extremely hot summers and are
sometimes the only trees left standing in the aftermath of a typhoon.
They may not reach the heights of the other trees, but they are
strong and stand tall in extreme weather. Bamboo is not as fragile as
it may appear, not by a long shot. Remember that we must be
careful not to underestimate others or ourselves based only on old
notions of what is weak and what is strong. You may not be from
the biggest company or the product of the most famous school, but
like the bamboo, stand tall, believe in your own strengths, and know
that you are as strong as you need to be.

Be always ready
Unlike other types of wood which take a good deal of processing
and finishing, bamboo needs little of that. "The warrior, like
bamboo, is ever ready for action." In presentation or other
professional activities too, through training and practice, we can
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 develop in our own way a state of being ever ready.

Unleash your power to spring back

The important image of snow-covered bamboo represents the ability
to spring back after experiencing adversity. The bamboo endured the
heavy burden of the snow, but in the end it had to power to spring
back as if to say "I will not be defeated." In winter the heavy snow
bends the bamboo back and back until one day the snow becomes
too heavy, begins to fall, and the bamboo snaps back up tall again,
brushing aside all the snow.

Find wisdom in emptiness

The hollow insides of the bamboo reminds us that we are often too
full of ourselves and our own conclusions; we have no space for
anything else. In order to receive knowledge and wisdom from both
nature and people, we have to be open to that which is new and
different. When you empty your mind of your prejudices and pride
and fear, you become open to the possibilities. It is said that in order
to learn, the first step is to empty ourselves of our preconceived
notions. One can not fill a cup which is already full.

Commit to (continuous) growth

Bamboo trees are among the fastest-growing plants in the world. Yet
even with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement,
our growth — like the growth of the bamboo — can be quite
remarkable when we look back at what or where we used to be. We
may not notice our own improvement. How fast or how slow is not
our main concern, only that we're moving forward. The bamboo
grows fastest around the rainy season. You too may have "seasons"
where growth accelerates, but is slower at other times. Yet with
sustained effort, you are always growing. Do not be discouraged by

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what you perceive as your lack of growth or improvement. If you
have not given up, then you are growing

Fast regeneration ;

Bamboo has the fastest reforestation potential than any plant. Any
deforested area can be replaced in a matter of months when planted
with bamboos. This shows that when you fail, when there is a
setback or a challenge in your life you should bounce back quickly
and go on with your work.

Giving out
A bamboo requires very little care, yet produces edible food and
building materials that benefit the world’s ecosystem. Every part of
the bamboo tree from shoots and sap to the leaves and stalks are
used in one way or the other. How many of us give back to the
world? We consume a lot, we earn a lot but only few give back to
the society. There is no point in just amassing and consuming. You
must also give back a fair amount, enough to make a difference. As
humans we need to be helpful towards our fellow beings. This
shows that whenever possible we should help others even if it’s only
a small favor. What matters in the end is were you able to make a
difference. Did your life prove useful?

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