The Philosophers Zone

We have been discussing life and what importance we place on certain things in our lives. We know we have to reduce our stress in any way we can, we have to eat properly, we have to remember how to be happy, we have to keep our eyes on the prize if we want to live a a more successful life, and we have to learn to appreciate our families and loved ones.
We cannot allow ourselves to be sidetracked with the unimportant or we will have no time or energy for what should be our top priorities. Do you want to become an old person with too many regrets? I don't.
The following article came across my desk and I thought it was rather humourous with yet a solid message attached to it.

What Can Taking A Crap Teach Us About Life?
Copyright 2005 Rasheed Ali

This story was told to me as a joke but, the power of its
meaning is something many of us have taken for granted as
we go through life from one problem to another and never
being satisfied.

Many years ago a young man who had moved to the Big City to
pursue his goals of becoming wealthy, decided that it was
time to visit his aging father in his home town. It had
been five years since he last saw him, so this was a very
important trip. Not only that but he was on the verge of
something Great and he wanted to tell his father in person.

Luckily a friend was passing through his home town and he
sent the message of his trip to his father. You see, his
father was too poor for a phone and couldn't read. So, it
was very difficult for him to contact his father. The young
man was just getting started so purchasing a train ticket
was a HUGE deal, financially for him at this time. He did
purchase the ticket however and headed on the long voyage
home.

As he sat in his cabin on the train, he became pretty
friendly with the other people he was sharing the space
with on the trip. He told them of his voyage to see his
father and how he hadn’t seen him in five years since he
left for the city.

They were expressing their joy and best wishes for his
trip, when all of a sudden the conductor announced that
they would only pause for a few seconds at the young man’s
stop, not letting anyone off and proceed on to the next
stop since the train was behind schedule and some very
important people had to get off there.

The young man’s heart sank into his stomach because he
realized that he could only afford to go straight back to
the city and he wouldn’t get to stay with his father. He
sat and thought very carefully, with the focus of a surgeon
about what to do.

Suddenly he sat up with a glowing smile on his face as
though the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

When the train arrived at the station, the young man stuck
his head out of the window and screamed to his father to
come closer.

He then said to his father, “Father the train is not going
to stop, but I need to know; Have you been taking a crap?”

His father looked up at him with a smile of content and
said, “Yes son, yes I have.”

The train then took off and he sat down with a look of
relief and feeling pretty good about the situation. The
people on the train were sitting, still shocked by his
question. They asked, “Why, why would you ask such a
question after you haven’t seen your father in FIVE years?

The young man smiled and said, “Well, if he’s been taking a
crap then he’s had food and if, he’s had food, he has money
to buy that food, then everything is okay for now. Maybe
not perfect, but okay for now!”

They smiled and nodded, since they finally understood.

Although money for food is something most of us take for
granted, remember it and appreciate it for what it is.

Too often we are distracted by the things that make us
unhappy and problems or obstacles we have, that we never
celebrate the small things in life. Cumulatively such small
treasures, gives us immense power and success if only we
recognize them for what they are.

Think about the things that you haven’t celebrated and what
they mean to you. Write them down in a journal. It doesn’t
matter what it is. Whether you saved $1 more, gave $1 more
or learned something new.

How do those things make you feel?

Remember that feeling every time things get rough. There’s
power in it!

----------------------------------------------------
** Rasheed Ali was once homeless and penniless on the
streets of New York and is now helping to change the lives
and businesses of THOUSANDS of people around the world with
his innovative coaching, mentoring and newsletters. He is
the worlds first Solution Coach and 80/20 Principle Expert.
You can learn more about him and his newsletters at
http://www.SleepYourWayToRiches.com
key and http://www.RasheedAli.com

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