What is the Price?

“Is the price of living a dream much higher than the price of living without daring to dream?” asked the disciple.

The master took him to a clothes store. There, he asked him to try on a suit in exactly his size. The disciple obeyed, and was very amazed at the quality of the clothes.

Then the master asked him to try on the same suit – but this time a size much bigger than his own. The disciple did as he was asked.

“This one is no use. It’s too big.”

“How much are these suits?” the master asked the shop attendant.

“They both cost the same price. It’s just the size that is different.”

When leaving the store, the master told his disciple, “Living your dream or giving it up also costs the same price, which is usually very high. But the first lets us share the miracle of life, and the second is of no use to us.”

Courtesy Paulo Coehlo

Keep driving

One day a young lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm. The young lady asked her father what should she do, he said "keep driving". Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse. What should I do the young lady asked, "keep driving"
her father replied. On up a few feet she noticed eighteen wheelers was pulling over also. She told her dad, I must pull over I can barely see ahead. It is terrible out here everyone is pulling over. Her father told her not to give up just keep driving. Now the storm was terrible but she never stopped driving and soon she could see a little clearer.
After a couple of miles she was on dry land and the sun was out. Her father said now pull over and get out. She said "but why now?" He said "get out look back, at all the people that gave up and is still in the storm". You never gave up and now your storm is over.

I thought this was a testimony for anyone of you that is going through something. Just because everyone else, even the ones who appear to be the largest and strongest give up. You don't have to, because if you keep going, on up ahead your storm will soon be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.

10 Principles for Peace of Mind

1. Do Not Interfere In Others’ Business Unless Asked:

Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others’ affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction. This thinking denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God.. God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because God within them prompts them that way. Mind your own business and you will keep your peace.
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2. Forgive And Forget:

This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often develop ill feelings inside our heart for the person who insults us or harms us. We nurture grievances. This in turn results in loss of sleep, development of stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure. This insult or injury was done once, but nourishing of grievance goes on forever by constantly remembering it. Get over this bad habit. Life is too short to waste in such trifles. Forgive,20Forget, and march on. Love flourishes in giving and forgiving.
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3. Do Not Crave For Recognition:

This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motives. They may praise you today because you are in power, but no sooner than you are powerless, they will forget your achievement and will start finding faults in you. Why do you wish to kill yourse lf in striving for their recognition? Their recognition is not worth the aggravation. Do your duties ethically and sincerely.
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4. Do Not Be Jealous:

We all have experienced how jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know that you work harder than your colleagues in the office, but sometimes they get promotions; you do not. You started a business several years ago, but you are not as successful as your neighbor whose business is only one year old. There are several examples like these in everyday life. Should you be jealous? No. Remember everybody’s life is shaped by his/her destiny, which has now become his/her reality. If you are destined to be rich, nothing in the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere; it will only take away your peace of mind.
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5. Change Yourself According To The Environment:

If you try to change the environment single-handedly, the chances are you will fail. Instead, change yourself to suit your environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has been unfriendly to you, will mysteriously change and seem congenial and harmonious.
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6. Endure What Cannot Be Cured:

This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations, and accidents that are beyond our control. If we cannot control them or change them, we must learn to put up with these things. We must learn to endure them cheerfully. Believe in yourself and you will gain in terms of patience, inner strength and will power.
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7. Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew:

This maxim needs to be remembered constantly. We often tend to take more responsibilities than we are capable of carrying out. This is done to satisfy our ego. Know your limitations. . Why take on additional loads that may create more worries? You cannot gain peace of mind by expanding your external activities. Reduce your material engagements and spend time in prayer, introspection and meditation. This will reduce those thoughts in your mind that make you restless. Uncluttered mind will produce greater peace of mind.
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8. Meditate Regularly:

Meditation calms the mind and gets rid of disturbing thoughts. This is the highest state of peace of mind. Try and experience it yourself. If you meditate earnestly for half an hour everyday, your mind will tend to become peaceful during the remaining twenty-three and half-hours. Your mind will not be easily disturbed as it was before. You would benefit by gradually increasing the period of daily meditation. You may think that this will interfere with your daily work. On the contrary, this will increase your efficiency and you will be able to produce better results in less time.
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9. Never Leave The Mind Vacant:

An empty mind is the devil’s workshop. All evil actions start in the vacant mind. Keep your mind occupied in something positive, something worthwhile. Actively follow a hobby. Do something that holds your interest. You must decide what you value more: money or peace of mind. Your hobby, like social work or religious work, may not always earn you more money, but you will have a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Even when you are resting physically, occupy yourself in healthy reading or mental chanting of God’s name.
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10. Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret:

Do not waste time in protracted wondering ” Should I or shouldn’t I?” Days, weeks, months, and years may be wasted in that futile mental debating. You can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings. Value your time and do the things that need to be done. It does not matter if you fail the first time. You can learn from your mistakes and succeed the next time. Sitting back and worrying will lead to nothing. Learn from your mistakes, but do not brood over the past. DO NOT REGRET. Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Why cry over spilt milk?

The Magic Instant

After watching the MJ memorial yesterday and listening to the speeches given by the many who knew him personally, I thought I should share this short article I got from Warrior of Light by Paulo Coehlo.
This world is not our home, soon and very soon we will all go to see the King of Kings. Thank God we shall find the King of Pop waiting for us.
RIP Michael Joseph Jackson 1958-2009






The magic instant

We have to take risks. We can only truly understand the miracle of life when we let the unexpected manifest itself.

Every day – together with the sun – God gives us a moment in which it is possible to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day we try to pretend that we don’t realize that moment, that it doesn’t exist, that today is just the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if you pay attention, you can discover the magic instant. It may be hiding at the moment when we put the key in the door in the morning, in the silence right after dinner, in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. This moment exists – a moment when all the strength of the stars passes through us and lets us work miracles.

Happiness is at times a blessing – but usually it’s a conquest. The magic instant helps us to change, drives us forward to seek our dreams. We shall suffer and go through quite a few difficult moments and face many a disappointment – but this is all transitory and inevitable, and eventually we shall feel proud of the marks left behind by the obstacles. In the future we will be able to look back with pride and faith.

Poor are those who are afraid of running risks. Because maybe they are never disappointed, never disillusioned, never suffer like those who have a dream to pursue. But when they look back – for we always look back – they will hear their heart saying: “What did you do with the miracles that God sowed for your days? What did you do with the talent that your Master entrusted to you? You buried it deep in a grave because you were afraid to lose it. So this is your inheritance: the certainty that you have wasted your life.”

Poor are those who hear these words. For then they will believe in miracles, but the magic instants of life will have already passed.

We must listen to the child that we once were, and who still lives within us. This child understands about magic instants. We can muffle his sobbing, but we can’t hush his voice.

If we aren’t reborn, if we don’t see life again with the innocence and enthusiasm of childhood, then there is no more sense to living.

There are many ways to commit suicide. Those who try to kill their body offend God’s law. Those who try to kill their soul also offend God’s law, although their crime is less visible to the eyes of man.

Let us be heedful of what the child within us has to say. Let’s not feel ashamed of it. Let’s not allow it to feel afraid, because it’s lonely and is scarcely ever heard.

Let’s allow the child within us to take the reins of our existence a little. This child says that one day is different from another.

Let’s make the child feel loved again. Let’s please this child – even if it means acting in a way that we’re not used to, even if it seems foolish in the eyes of others.

Remember that the wisdom of men is madness before God. If we listen to the child we bear in our soul, our eyes will shine once more. If we don’t lose contact with this child, we won’t lose contact with life.

Let’s live all the magic instants of 2009!

No dull moment in Kenya

When Micheal Joseph said, Kenyans have peculiar calling habits, he had not lived in Kenya long enough to realize, our peculiarity spreads into more than just our calling habits. We are just plain peculiar but that's exactly what makes us special. Watch this...

Wings of Forgiveness

I listened to this great song by India Arie. I love the way she talks about real issues. Hope you learn a thing from this....Listen to it here

"Wings Of Forgiveness"

I just want you to know
After everything that we've been through
I just want you to know
That I still love you
That I still love you:

Had to go
Across the water
Just to find
What was here in my heart all along
Spend so much time
Trying to be right
That I was dead wrong

If Nelson Mandela can forgive his oppressors
Surely I can forgive you for your passion

You're only human
Let's shake free this gravity of resentment
And fly high, and fly high
You're only human
Let's shake free this gravity of judgment
And fly high on the wings of forgiveness

Had to run
To the arms of curiosity
Just to find
What was here in my life all along
I had found that the art of simplicity
Simply means making peace of your complexity

If Gandhi can forgive persecution
Surely you can forgive me for being so petty

I'm only human
Let's shake free this gravity of resentment
And fly high, and fly high
You're only human
Let's shake free this gravity of judgment
And fly high on the wings of forgiveness

I've searched for romance
Flowers and affection
What I found is a lesson
Of what love really is
Found the game of love is
Not about how much you can take
In fact authentic love is about
How much you can give

After everything that we've been through
I just want you to know
That I still love you
I want you to know
That I forgive you
(thank you for teaching how to give)
And I wanna let you know how much you changed my life
I wanna let you know you taught me how to fly
And I wrote this song to tell you this
I'm better cuz you taught me how to give

I took a swim
In the sea of guilt and misery
To find myself in an island
In the middle of nowhere
In my solitude
I asked to know the highest truth
And what I was told
Is to let own self be true

If Jesus can forgive crucifixion
Surely we can survive and find resolution

Let's keep it moving
Let's shake free this gravity of resentment
And fly high, and fly high
You're only human
Let's shake free this gravity of judgment
And fly high, and fly high
Let's keep it moving
Let's shake free this gravity of commitment
And fly high on the wings of forgiveness

After everything that we've been through
I just want you to know
That I still love you
I want you to know
That I still love you
And I wanna let you know how much you changed my life
I wanna let you know you taught me how to fly
And I wrote this song to tell you this
I'm better cuz you taught me how to give

I still love you
I want you to know
I still love you
Want you to know
I still love you
(And I always will love you)
And I wanna let you know
I forgive you
I wanna let you know
That I still love you
Want you to know
I still love you
I just want you to know
I still love you
Want you to know
I still love you
Want you to know
I still love you
And I wanna let you know
I forgive you
I wanna let you know
I still love you

Kenya

As Marvin Mambo says, I'm still Proud to be Kenyan. Some may "jivunia", others "vumilia" while the rest "hurumia" but we are all Kenyans and some of what makes us Proudly Kenyan all the time is this:
1. The dress code for the urban nairobian is jeans.Upcountry people wear bright coloured shiny polyester-type clothes.
2. We have an amazing way of relating to people who don't know us. Our mannerisms and accent change. For example we say jambo,only to mzunguz. When have you ever heard a kenyan say to another kenyan jambo?
3. One of the crazy things is the way we somehow find time to worship, even when we are in the middle of a demonstration, someone says let's pray and we bow our heads and everyone keeps quiet...
4. In the middle of the night when people are drunk we start singing gospel songs. We don't just drink to relax,we drink to get drunk, "Hi! Jana si tumepewa, sikuku ilikua noma sana."
5. We are still the only country left where people buy rounds. Our women are the only ones who never contribute towards the bill, they are that amazing everywhere else the bill is split.
6. We've been taking shortcuts from kitambo mpaka shule we started copying, mtu anaingia exam room na mwakenya. This is the country where we cheat during exams and gets away with it, if u get away with it you are a hero ukishikwa shauri yako.
7. We love the news, especially our men who watch the first 15mins which are filled with political intrigues. We don't watch business news, sponsors watch that, we don't watch the weather forecast, we don care we know about weather in the morning, unaamka unaangalia nje unasema leo kutanyesha.
8. We love complaining, even when we have twins and are not ready for them
9. Makosa si yetu n it never is, we just feel that things are not right and that it's someone else's fault, serikali, city council or just wanasiasa. Makosa ni ya mtu mwingine, we always have to look good. That's why you see, computer errors running to the billions ama mahindi imekuliwa and no one takes responsibility
11. We are impatient, if u go to london, you stay in traffic for 3hours but when a kenyan is in kenya, n there is a bit of rain n jam, we complain endlessly, hata tunapigia kiss100.It's as if wataimaliza hiyo jam. That's why the matatus are the heart of our culture(n others still wonder why they are driven so fast)
12. All kenyans like to be known to have a piece of land somewhere “niko na shamba OL KALAO” Not that you are doin anything with that property, nor that it's even economically viable
13.We love watching 3rd rate mexican soap operas because they cry and they speak english slowly. They have simple and easy to understand plots and it's a clean pic. “Is it true Diego and Paloma have split? Sasa kutaenda aje??”
14. A car is like the epitome of success in Kenya if you don't have a house but have a car then you are somebody.“Have u seen the car he drives these days?!”
15. Kenyans forget very fast so they don't like dwelling on emotions or uncomfortable topics. Tunataka kumaliza and we move on. When something happens we'll be so emotional at that moment, after that it's as good as over. Unaona nakumatt downtown imekuwa parking lot.If it was wazunyez they'd be reminding us constantly, having anniverseries year after year, kenyans meanwhile...
16.The amount of tea we consume is unbelievable, that tea drinking habit that we were taught by our parents and forefathers has made us addicts. Mtu wa chai na mtu wa bangi ni sawa, the level of addiction is the same mpaka usipokunywa chai waumwa na kichwa.
17. We are obsessed with asking people about their journeys “Ah ulipitia ile njia ya blablabla?"

Courtesy of my lovely cousin