If you’re living in the U.S. you have a four day holiday to look forward to. To all of you who are off for Thanksgiving: enjoy yourselves! In keeping with the holiday theme of giving thanks we’ll talk a bit about experiences during the past year which we are grateful for (this list is just a quick summary!):
Good health for ourselves and our loved ones because without it nothing else matters;
The wonderful people we met during the past year who motivated and inspired us, made us laugh and exited us with their enthusiasm and optimism;
Being able to have visited beautiful places in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, The U.K., The Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and The U.S;
Having enjoyed fantastic lunches and dinners prepared by people with an absolute passion for cooking;
Time spent in numerous activities that were outright fun amongst which the many late nights and early mornings in alcoholic circumstances :);
Our ability to dream and get exited about the infinite opportunities that lie ahead of us;
The privilege of doing what we love doing on a daily basis.
Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture on the 18th of September 2007 before a packed auditorium. In this moving talk Randy looked back at his life, the dreams he achieved and offered students advice on how to achieve their own personal and professional goals.
Everyone in life should be known for at least one quote. I have one that I would like to share with you. But first let me tell you a story.
Seven years ago I attended a three-day leadership conference in San Francisco. The first morning I arrived a few minutes early. There must have been a hundred people in the room. Many people were already sitting in their seats, and others were drinking coffee at the back of the room. But all had staked a claim on a seat for the day. There was just one chair left; I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for it.
The first day of the conference was good, and it was interesting to talk with the people around my table.
Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize — much less cultivate — the talents of many brilliant people. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: “If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk, please stop whatever you’re doing and watch it now.”
For other interesting and inspiring videos on a variety of subjects, we highly recommend browsing www.ted.com >:)
In no more than one year after posting the original Free Hugs Campaign video on YouTube, free hugs teams have been mobilized all over the world. The original video has been viewed about 19m times and counting.
Since the first posting of the video on the 22nd of September 2006, the concept has been copied in: Amsterdam, Korea, Scotland, Peru, New York, Bucharest, Venezuela, Israel, Greece, Milan, Tokyo, Syndey, Paris, Manila, Vienna, Portugal, Boston, Helsinki, Kiev, Madrid, Warsaw, London, Vancouver, Slovenia, Ottawa, Hong Kong, Krakow,Eindhoven, Gothenburg, San Francisco…..and the list just goes on and on and on.
The campaign has its own website, ofcourse Wikipedia has a piece on it as well as Squidoo. What a wonderful success for the simple act of reaching out to hug a stranger and brighten a life. Having some Dutch blood in the team, we’d conclude this post with a Free Hugs Amsterdam video. >:)
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied “Mother has taught us never to accept payment for a kindness.” He said… “Then I thank you from my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally, she looked, and something caught her attention on the side as she read these words…..
“Paid in full with one glass of milk.” (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
First seen posted on a forum by Anrun_2000 from Chennai, India
If you’re living in the U.S. you have a four day holiday to look forward to. To all of you who are off for Thanksgiving: enjoy yourselves! In keeping with the holiday theme of giving thanks we’ll talk a bit about experiences during the past year which we are grateful for (this list is just a quick summary!):
