With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Pinterest. All rights reserved worldwide.
As I was taking a walk recently, I saw a lame man who brought to mind the proverb "I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet."
The proverb has inspired me to count my blessings. And I have a lot to be grateful for: good health, a supportive family and a laptop that I need to excel as a blogger.
Looking back, I realize I didn't have a laptop for many years. And it was frustrating not to have one when I was at university. I had to ask my friends to let me use their computers.
Even more frustrating was when I took up writing as a hobby. I remember the time I had to wait for my kid brother to finish using his laptop so that I could write a story clamoring for expression.
Now that I have a laptop, it's strange that I am still uncontented. Not only have I wished for more, I have also regretted some things I have gone through.
Contentment, I now realize, is a virtue that seems unreachable. There is always something to be desired, and the last thing longed for seems to be the most necessary for our happiness.
Because we can't attain lasting happiness without contentment, I will just have to be content with what I have and what I have gone through, even the bad.
Eddie Rickenbacker had it right when he said, "If you have all the fresh water you want to drink and all the food you want to eat, you ought never complain about anything."
******************** RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story, you might also enjoy another one on "Choosing Gratitude".
With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Quozio. All rights reserved worldwide. When leaving Starehe Institute in April 2007, I developed a burning desire to get rich. I therefore thought of ways I could start a business. That led me to engage Evans Ogari, a bright accounting student, in a conversation on how businesses are founded.
Driven by that desire to get rich, I began noting the manufacturers of cars I saw on the road and got to know the logos of BMW, Toyota and Volkswagen. I also observed people having conversations in aristocratic restaurants along the streets of Nairobi City and imagined myself doing the same.
I was convinced that I could indeed get rich after reading a few books on how to become wealthy. One of the books was about how its author became a dollar millionaire by the age of 26. Another book was Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; do I have to say what it is about?
Soon, I hatched up an idea that could make me rich. I thought of starting a company that would operate a chain of cyber cafes in cities and towns in Kenya, much in the same way some companies run a chain of supermarkets. To make my company a cut above the rest, I envisioned it offering refreshments in its cyber cafes as well as tutorials on how to use computers effectively.
I went ahead and wrote a business plan for the company which I christened Mtandao Super-cyber. Actually, I didn't write the business plan; I plagiarized it from a sample on a website I came across on the internet. Then I shared my idea with several prominent people in Kenya in the hope that they would provide me with start-up capital.
The prominent people I contacted via email were businessmen Chris Kirubi and Manu Chandaria as well as Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, the then Kenya's Trade Minister. None of them replied to me but Manu Chandaria was kind enough to forward my email to one Mr. Kevit Detsei who invited me to his office in Nairobi to discuss my idea.
On the eve of the day I was to meet Mr. Detsei, I fizzed with confidence that my idea would be a raving success. But alas! Come the following morning, I became dull and confused as I headed to Mr. Detsei's office. By the time we met for our talk, I was a complete wretch.
As you can imagine, Mr. Detsei grew impatient as he listened to me babble on how my company would be a success because computers were revolutionizing the world the way the printing press did in the 15th century. He cut me short and called one of his employees named Rocky Mbithi to deal with me. (Rocky Mbithi was a classmate of mine in high school and I hadn't known Mr. Detsei employed him till he was called to deal with me. That was a surprise for me.)
Failing to win Mr. Detsei over to my idea made me give up starting the company I had envisioned. And in the next few years that followed, I faced several challenges that diminished my zeal in pursuing the dream I had of getting rich. To this day, more than a decade later, I have never grown rich enough to afford a car.
Today, I have resolved to fan the burning desire I have had of growing rich. But I want to gain not only riches but also honor like King David, my biblical hero. Now that I understand life better, I will just continue honing my talents in writing, music and public speaking as I endeavor to keep sharing on this blog stories, hymns and speeches that are entertaining, enlightening or inspiring. Adieu!
************************ RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on how I foolishly sought riches, you might also enjoy another one on "What I Didn't Understand at the University".
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."
~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)
About the Author
Name: Thuita J. Maina Marital status: Single Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.
Just for Laughs
There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"
The 7 Deadly Sins
Pride
Envy
Gluttony
Lust
Anger
Greed
Sloth
Author's Note
I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination; I have therefore given up the things that weighed me down and I am now living my life to the fullest because the tomorrow I had always hoped to live my dreams may never be mine.
Fun Facts
The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com
Health Tips
"So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help give you that greatest blessing of all - good health."
"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."
~Bill Clinton
Scientific Marvels
Space travel
Heart surgery
Fibre-optics communication
Concorde
Radios
Computers
Anesthetics
My Supreme Desire
To borrow the words of Elbert Hubbard, my supreme desire is to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without fear, hate, guilt, worry and jealousy; to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so; to treat all men with kindness; and to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.
Greatest American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Andrew Jackson
Making Peace With the Past
"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."
~Eileen Caddy
Toughest Colleges to Get Into
MIT
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Stanford
Brown
Columbia
Why You Should Trust God
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."
~Ezra Taft Benson
The 7 Greatest Scientists
Albert Einstein
Isaac Newton
Galileo Galilei
Nikola Tesla
Aristotle
Archimedes
Charles Darwin
You Matter
"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."
~Unknown
The Most Industrialized Nations
United States
Japan
Germany
France
United Kingdom
Italy
Canada
Keys to Success
"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."
~Booker T. Washington
The 7 Social Sins
Politics without principle
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Worship without sacrifice
Science without humanity
Cherish What You Love
"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen
The World's Largest Cities
London in England
New York in the United States
Tokyo in Japan
Berlin in Germany
Chicago in the United States
Shanghai in China
Paris in France
Benefits of Optimism
"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."
~Pepe Minambo
The World's Greatest Lakes
Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
Lake Superior in North America
Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
Aral Sea in C.I.S.
Lake Huron in North America
Lake Michigan in North America
Demonstrating His Love
"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."
