Sunday, February 8, 2009
Life is like building a house
My Paper, Wednesday February 4, 2009.
Life, for all of us, is but a journey of sorts.We partake in this unpredictable yet compulsory adventure one step at a time, taking in whatever is dished out onto the platter of our experiences, and making the best of each and every moment.As someone once said:"Live it once and live it best!"The date of birth and the date of death on every tombstone merely speak of the length of life. Knowing how long a person lives is perhaps not as significant as the 'dash' that unassumingly resides between the dates.How much this little "dash" is worth depends on how we live our lives and how much good we choose to do for the people around us.Mother Teresa once said: "The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow, do good anyway."This speaks volumes of the selfless attitude which this humble saint exuded when ministering to the poor and needy along the streets of Calcutta.Undeniably, some of us do good in the hope of praise and recognition. The affluent society we live in perpetuates this even more and taint the wholesome innocence that's at the very heart of selfless service.Charles Michael Schwab, the American industrialist, lived by a business commandment: " In all things, do your best. The man who has done his best has done everything. The man who has done less than his best has done nothing."You may not succeed every time you do your best, but no one can fault you if you've put your heart and soul into the task.A story is told of an elderly builder who was ready to retire. His boss was sorry to see him go and asked him build one more house as a favour to him. Although the builder said yes, his heart was not in his work and he turned in shoddy workmanship.When he has done, his boss came and gave him the key to the front door, saying: "This is your house, my gift to you!"If the builder had known he was building his own house, he would have given his very best. Just as you have to sleep in the bed you made, the builder had to live with the consequences of his poor effort.Regret will not bring back the opportunity. You can only chalk it up as a lesson learnt, and not repeat it.Life is very much like building house. Every phase we live through is akin to a part of the construction. Delivering consistent good work ensures a well-built house that you can cherish forever.If more of us can embrace Mother Teresa's adage, the world would be a better and happier place to live in. "Giving of your best" can be positively infectious. If you're already doing it, keep up the good work. If you're not - and only would know it - today's not too bad a time to start.Good luck!
happiness in a box
9:02 AM
