Happy Improvement - Japanese Style

A hotel group had invited Mr. Masai Imai from Japan to hold a workshop for its staff. The staff were very skeptical- the hotel is doing excellent business, this person from Japan has no exposure to hotel industry- what exactly is he going to teach? 

But everybody as planned gathered for the workshop in the conference hall sharp at 9 am. Mr. Masai was introduced to them- a not so impressive personality, nor the English all that good; spoke as if he was first formulating each sentence in Japanese and then translating it into rather clumsy English. 


“Good morning! Let’s start work. I am told this is a workshop; but I see neither work nor shop. So let’s proceed where work is happening. Let’s start with the first room on the first floor.” Mr. Masai, followed by the senior management, the participants, the video camera crew trouped out of the conference room and proceeded to the destination. That happened to be the laundry room of the hotel. Mr. Masai entered the room and stood at the window, “beautiful view!” he said. The staff knew it; they need not invite a Japanese consultant to tell them this! 


“A room with such a beautiful view is being wasted as a laundry room. Shift the laundry to the basement and convert this into a guest room.” Aa Haa! now nobody had ever thought about that! The manager said, “Yes, it can be done.” 


“Then let’s do it.”, Mr. Masai said. 


“Yes sir, I will make a note of this and we will include it in the report on the workshop that will be prepared.” Manager 


“Excuse me, but there is nothing to note down in this. Let’s just do it, just now.” Mr. Masai. 


“Just now?” Manager 
“Yes, decide on a room on the ground floor/basement and shift the stuff out of this room right away. It should take a couple of hours, right?” Mr. Masai.


“Yes.” Manager. 


“Let’s come back here just before lunch. By then all this stuff will have got shifted out and the room must be ready with the carpets, furniture etc and from today you can start earning the few thousand that you charge your customers for a room night.” 
“Ok, Sir.” The manager had no option.


The next destination was the pantry. The group entered. At the entrance were two huge sinks full of plates to be washed. Mr. Masai removed his jacket and started washing the plates. 
“Sir, Please, what are you doing?” the manager didn’t know what to say and what to do.
“Why, I am washing the plates”, Mr. Masai.
“But sir, there is staff here to do that.” Manager
Mr. Masai continued washing, “I think sink is for washing plates, there are stands here to keep the plates and the plates should go into the stands.”


All the officials wondered – did they require a consultant to tell them this? 


After finishing the job, Mr. Masai asked, “how many plates do you have?’ 
“Plenty, so that there should never be any shortage.” Manager.


Mr. Masai said, “We have a word in Japanese-‘Muda’. Muda means delay, muda means unnecessary spending. One lesson to be learned in this workshop is to avoid both. If you have plenty of plates, there will be delay in cleaning them up. The first step to correct this situation is to remove all the excess plates.” 


“Yes, we will say this in the report.” Manager. 
“No, wasting our time in writing the report is again an instance of ‘muda’. We must pack the extra plates in a box right away and send these to whichever other section of Taj require these. Throughout the workshop now we will find out where all we find this ‘muda’ hidden.”


And then at every spot and session, the staff eagerly awaited to find out muda and learn how to avoid it. 


On the last day, Mr. Masai told a story. 


“A Japanese and an American, both fond of hunting, entered a jungle with guns. In the pursuit of game they entered deep jungle and suddenly realized that they had run out of bullets. Just then they heard a lion roaring. Both started running. But the Japanese took a short break to put on his sports shoes. The American said, “What are you doing? We must first get to the car.” 
The Japanese said, “No. I only have to ensure that I remain ahead of you.” All the participants engrossed in listening to the story, realized suddenly that the lion would stop after getting his victim!

“The lesson is competition in today’s world is so fierce, that it is important to stay ahead of other even by just a couple of steps. And you have such a huge and naturally well endowed country. If you remember to curtail your production expenditure and give the best quality always, you will be miles ahead as compared to so many other countries in the world.”, Mr. Masai. 


HAPPY IMPROVEMENT... 

Health Benefits of Consuming Dates

1) Dates are free from cholesterol and contain very low fat. Dates are rich in vitamins and minerals.

2) They are rich source of protein, dietary fiber and rich in vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B5 along with vitamin A1 and C.

3)It helps improve the digestive system as it contains soluble and insoluble fibers and different kinds of amino acids.

4) Dates are great energy boosters as they contain natural sugars like glucose, sucrose and fructose. To get more advantage add dates to milk and make it a very nutritious snack.

5)Dates are very low in calories and are extremely suitable for health conscious people.

6) Dates are rich in potassium and reduced in sodium. This helps regulate a healthy nervous system. Researches have revealed the fact that potassium intake up to a certain extent can reduce risk of stroke.

7) Dates also help in lowering of the LDL cholesterol.

8) Dates have high iron content and are very useful in treating anemia. The patients can eat many dates for better advantages.

9) Dates also have fluorine that slows down the process of tooth decay.

10) It helps people suffering from constipation. Soak dates overnight and take it along with water to have added advantage.


11) Dates help in weight gain and are beneficial for those who suffer from over slimming problem.

12) Dates are excellent for alcoholic intoxication.Cures abdominal cancer.

13) It also helps in improving eye sight and helps in curing night blindness as well.


"The best thing is that it does not have any side effect on the body and is completely natural as well as it works better than medicine."

NAILS IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.  His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.


The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.  Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.  Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.


He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.



The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
 

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.  The fence will never be the same.  When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there.  A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

The role of GURU in Indian culture

The role of GURU in Indian culture:-

Meaning of the word GURU:

The word ‘Guru’ is derived from the Sanskrit language and has a deep spiritual meaning. Its two syllables Gu and Ru stand for the following:

Gu denotes the spiritual ignorance that most of humankind is in.
Ru represents the radiance of spiritual knowledge that dispels the spiritual ignorance.
In short, the Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance in humanity and bestows upon them spiritual experiences and spiritual knowledge.

In the Aapastambgrah Sutra it is said:
“The mother and father give birth to physical self. It is the Guru who gives true birth. Wise people call it a special birth.
Wise people say that without Guru nobody can be successful in his spiritual life.

The human soul, even though initiated in the spiritual path, cannot love an abstract power; and it is for this reason that the scriptures advise us to venerate those who lead us to God and to love their physical presence as the Divine manifesting itself in human form. The Guru's physical body is just a receptacle of the mighty Divine, and as such worthy of the utmost devotion and reverence.
God as the abstract Creator eludes our imagination, but when a human temple enshrines divinity we begin to understand through this familiar medium the purpose of our own ultimate destiny. Thus, when God assumes a human form, He establishes Himself as the Guru. Guru is manifested God- this is perhaps the most succinct and satisfying definition of the word, and eliminates the false claims of some so-called Gurus who are ready to assume the mantle of spiritual authority without the true manifestation of the divine principle.The Guru as manifested God soon becomes the Light, the inspiration and the great exemplar.

The Guru and God are one because the Almighty and his medium of manifestation cannot be different. The Guru embodies not only the Saguna (characteristics) but also the Nirguna(quality) of the Supreme Being, and so to that extent the Guru is approachable and accessible to man's needs and comprehension.

Once a contact between the Guru and the bhakta(disciple) is established, the relationship between master and disciple becomes a thing of beauty. This leads us to consider the principle of reciprocity which operates in this relationship. In return for the innumerable demands which a bhakta makes on the Master, it is but natural that the Guru too should impose a few conditions on the bhakta. The Guru expects total surrender, absolute obedience ,and, the last and most important, supreme effort.

||Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshath Parambrahma Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha||

Meaning: The guru is the creator, the guru is the preserver, and the guru is the destroyer. The guru is the Absolute. I bow before you!
by: Bharatiya samskruthi/Indian culture

The Law of the Seed

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, each with ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds. We might ask, "Why  would   you need so many seeds to grow just a few more trees?" Nature has something to teach us here. 

 

 It's telling us: "Most seeds never grow. So if you  really  want to make something happen, you had better try more than once.

 

This might mean:

 

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.

You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. You'll talk to

Fifty people to sell one house, car, vacuum cleaner, insurance policy,  or   idea. 

And you might meet a hundred acquaintances to find one special  friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed.

We  stop feeling like victims. Laws of nature are not things to take  personally.

We just need to understand them - and work with them.

 

IN A NUTSHELL

 

Successful people fail more often. They plant more seeds.

 

When Things Are Beyond Your Control Here's a recipe for permanent  misery...

 

a) Decide how you think the world SHOULD be.

b) Make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.

Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, get angry! That's what  miserable people do!

 

Let's say you expect that:

Friends SHOULD return favours.

People SHOULD appreciate you.

Planes SHOULD arrive on time.

Everyone SHOULD be honest.

Your wife/husband SHOULD remember your birthday.

 

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't  happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

 

There's a better strategy. Have less demands.

 

Instead, have preferences!

 

For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I WOULD PREFER "A",

 

BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!" This is really a game that you play in your head. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of  mind.

 

You prefer that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't  ruin your day. You prefer sunshine ... but rain is ok!

 

To become happier, we either need to

a) change the world, or

b) change our thinking. It is easier to change our thinking!

 

IN A NUTSHELL

It's not what happens to you that determines your happiness. It's how you  think about what happens to you.

 

Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

What a man!

Man O Man !
 

When he is without money, he eats vegetables at home;
When he has money, he eats vegetables in a fine restaurant.

When he is without money, he rides bicycle to work;
When he has money, he rides bicycle to exercise.

When he is without money, he walks to eat food;
When he has money, he walks to burn food.

When he is without money, he wishes to get married;
When he has money, he wishes to get divorced.

When he is without money, his wife becomes secretary;
When he has money, his secretary becomes wife.

When he is without money, he acts like a rich man;
When he has money, he acts like a pauper.

He says share market is bad but he keeps on speculating;
He says money is evil but he keeps on craving for it.

He says high positions are lonely but he keeps on struggling for it;
He says gambling & drinking is bad but he keeps on indulging in it.

Man O Man !
He never means what he says and never says what he means !
He simply cant tell a simple truth !!!

Murungai Elai Essence – Drumstick Leaves Juice

Pluck a few branches from the Murungai Maram – Drumstick Tree.

Wrap them in a wet towel and leave the roll overnight. 

The leaves will fall of the branches.

Gather a fistful of leaves.

Wash and rinse the leaves in plain water.

Boil plain water in a vessel.

Put the leaves in boiling water. Boiling will stop.

Let the water with the leaves boil again.

Remove the vessel from the fire and let it simmer for few minutes.

Strain the leaves and throw the leaves away.

Do not add any salt or sugar or any other item to the essence.

The warm essence of drumstick leaves is ready for you to drink and enjoy the taste.

Generally Murungai Leaves are readily available in most localities. If the leaves are tender, the colour of the drink is pale yellow, if the leaves are more mature, then the colour is dark yellowish green. The drink is refreshing, tasty and very healthy.

The juice is very easy to prepare, very good to drink and is very nice to serve to guests at any time.

If you do not get fresh leaves, then you can buy the powder of Murungai Leaves from authentic herbal shop.

The powder is prepared by sun drying the leaves. The leaves will have to be separated from the stem. Only leaves can be used to make a dry powder, not with the stalk/stem or twigs.

You can use 2 teaspoonful powder to prepare 2 glasses of the drink. After boiling the water, add the powder, let it boil again, then take the vessel off the fire, let it simmer for a few minute, then strain/filter through thin clean cloth and drink the warm juice.

Benefits of this healthy drink:

Enhances your body strength, stamina and energy.  

Helps your eyes, bones and nerves.

Helps normalize, balance and maintain blood pressure and corrects Hypertensiveness.

What is so special about a drumstick tree?

Most of you may know that even if you plant a twig of this tree in a good soil, it will take roots and grow very fast. This tree knows only growth. It grows very straight and strong. The essence that pervades its tiny multitude of leaves is very good for giving you strength and stamina.

Since the twigs/stalk and stem are not fit for human consumption, the leaves must be properly separated.

In olden days, the home makers were using Muram to sift the leaves and separate the unwanted twigs/spikes from the bare leaves.

It is very interesting to note that in many plants, one part will be edible and some other part will not be edible/poisonous. For example in betel leaves, the Kambu is to be discarded. In Arugan Pul, the white stem must be discarded and only the green blade of grass must be used to powder it and use as  medicine. Likewise in Murungai, the kutchi has to be discarded and only clean leaves must be used when you make a dry powder.

The authentic source of medicinal values of most plants can be studied from Dravya Guna Shastram.