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“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure!”
| VBA's Positive News |
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US, Pakistan agree to start new chapter in long-strained relations
The United States and Pakistan agreed on Thursday to re-establish a 'full partnership', hoping to end years of acrimony. 'We are here to speak honestly with each other, openly about any gaps that may exist that we want to try to bridge,' US Secretary of State John Kerry said during an unannounced visit to Islamabad. 'Our people deserve that we talk directly.' Both sides are now keen to overcome the grievances and start afresh, a shift in priorities they hope is possible with a new government in Pakistan and a new secretary of state in the United States.
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South Africa: Food for thought - school creates food garden
Sandy soil between prefabricated classrooms at Surrey Estate Primary School was transformed, in just four hours, into a smorgasbord of vegetable seedlings as part of the 'paying it forward' project to celebrate Mandela Day. Pupils from the school worked side by side with the 20 volunteer horticulturists from Stodels Nurseries to create the food garden. The newly established vegetable garden is part of a sustainable food programme initiated by principal, Imtiaz Adams.
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US: S&P tops 1,700 on data, central bank support
US stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 topping the 1,700 level for the first time, after economic data pointed to a modestly improving global economy and kept afloat expectations for continued support from global central banks. China's official PMI for manufacturing rose to 50.3 in July, defying expectations it would fall and suggesting a pick up in activity as growth in new orders increased. Adding to the optimism, Markit's Eurozone Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.3 in July from June's 48.8, topping the 50 threshold for growth for the first time since July 2011.
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Thailand: Launching of the Thai-Africa Initiative
Thailand has announced the launching of the 'Thai-Africa Initiative,' aimed at enhancing the partnership between Thailand and Africa and providing the building block for a wider Asia-Africa link. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Thai-African Initiative will help generate greater momentum for closer cooperation between Asia and Africa, which are currently two important driving forces of the world economy. This Initiative will be based on mutual respect and trust, mutual learning, shared interest, and a common belief in their shared destiny.
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Video of the Day:
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World Round-Up
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Centre may skip Andhra Pradesh assembly resolution on Telangana
HYDERABAD: The Congress bosses are on the horns of a dilemma: They can't decide whether to ask the state government to sponsor and get a resolution passed in favour of Telangana in the state assembly. The thinking is that although Kiran Reddy has been assuaged and been convinced to stay, his ability to ensure safe passage of the resolution in the House is in doubt.
Faced with the situation, the leadership is now mulling a proposal to skip the resolution from the T process. The party's dilemma became clear when Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday told the media in Delhi that the "Telangana issue had already been discussed in the AP assembly. Stating that a prior resolution from the state assembly was not mandatory, Shinde said the alternate route — of a direct in-principle Cabinet nod and constitution of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to work out the modalities of AP 's bifurcation — was faster and in keeping with the procedure prescribed under the Constitution.
Answering a query whether the Centre was bypassing the normal practice of the state assembly adopting a resolution for creating a separate state, the home minister said the Centre wanted to complete the process within six months as against the normal time of eight to 10 months. Shinde, however, said it may not be possible to introduce the Telangana Bill in Parliament during the Monsoon session and will be tabled during the Winter session.
Sources said the Centre might bank on a statement made by late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy on the floor of the House on February 12, 2009 promising steps for formation of Telangana. The assembly had a detailed debate on the issue and expressed a unanimous view. Now, that Congress high command plans to harp on the YSR's statement to take the process forward and at the same time fix YSR Congress, which is gaining strength in Seemandhra after the T announcement.
Two days ago the Congress high command had decided to send the T resolution to the state assembly after the approval of Union cabinet in the first or second week of August. AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh disclosed to media while announcing the decision on Telangana that the process of formation of the new state would start by asking the state assembly to pass a resolution in this regard.
"Everybody knows that this would be a numbers game and the number of MLAs from Seemandhra region, are more compared to that from Telangana. In this situation, no chief minister will be able to ensure a safe passage of resolution and he cannot be blamed for this," said a minister who is in the inside track.
The Congress high command now wants to go ahead with formation of Group of Ministers to resolve the contentious issues once the Cabinet recommends the President to take steps to create India's 29th state.
"If the resolution gets defeated even before it is being presented to the President, it would send wrong signals and may attract litigation stating that the state is not in favour of the division," said Congress sources. To avoid this embarrassment, the Congress high command held discussions with some legal experts and is now examining the proposal to appoint GoM without obtaining the view of the State government.
Kiran Reddy is in a fix as he cannot assure safe passage of resolution and at the same time cannot afford to sit silently when the entire process is being expedited by the party high command.
If the high command decides against sending the resolution to the state assembly, it would be even more embarrassing to the chief minister who then might face allegations that he did not even give opportunity to people's representatives on a crucial issue like division of the state.
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Astrology
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Aries March 21 to April 19
A complex yet intriguing arrangement of planetary activity may provide you with new insight regarding your career. Your imagination may be quite active with regard to shifting into new areas. Ideas such as home-based initiatives, self-employment, and entrepreneurship may surface as you try and find a new method for creating prosperity for yourself and income for those you love. The home may figure prominently in your research as family members may offer suggestions for new fields and earning in new ways.
Taurus April 20 to May 20
Education and travel will be excellent outlets for you. You may be increasingly interested in pursuing new vistas that until now have not inspired you. Now, you may have found the fire that gets you up and out. The combination of Mercury and Venus together will bring this harmonious curiosity to the forefront of your imagination. Since you are slow and methodical, you may take steps with the same degree of caution. Once you decide to change, though, there will be no looking back.
Gemini May 21 to June 20
 A little research into finances and investment opportunities may prove helpful. Can you find the right outlet for this idea? Retirement programs, refinance plans, investment properties, and gathering funds from outside sources are all hot topics. You may want to temper your decisions with a degree of accountability and long-term growth, but with a little bit of outside advice and a healthy dose of cautionary optimism, you may be able to find just the right place for your money.
Cancer June 21 to July 22
Are you making new plans with your significant other? You may be quite talkative and active when it comes to asserting yourself, especially with a partner. Venus and Mercury, both in Cancer, may be prompting you to open up and express hidden desires with a relaxed attitude. All things might be running smoothly and the time may be perfect for stepping outside of your daily routine and smelling the roses. This could well be one of those days when saying something quite loving and unexpected may feel just right to you.
Leo July 23 to Aug. 22
 Plans may be winding down and a successful conclusion could be in sight. This may be the light at the end of the tunnel. You may have worked diligently with your head down and your eyes on the final product. The good news may be just around the corner, which can be remarkably satisfying and profound. You may have been working on your own sense of health and wellness, and you may be on the brink of finally seeing the results.
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Mamata Banerjee meets top industry honchos in Mumbai
Finally, "beckons" proved to be the lucky verb for Bengal. All the others used so far these last two years in the state's desperate promo drive had proved quite useless.
Not so on Thursday, when Mukesh Ambani responded to Bengal's beckoning, enabling an industrially-challenged chief minister to at least claim success and saving in the process a few top ministerial jobs at Writers' Buildings.
After all, the success of any event basically depends on the star of the show and on the turnout. And, by those yardsticks , some $22 billion of net worth occupying a front row seat made the lady sitting to his immediate right, justifiably proud.
And why not? She had come all the way from a one-storied house in Kalighat's Harish Chatterjee Street and he from the 27-floor gigantic Antilia — the only similarity being that both residences are located in the southern part of the metros they respectively live in.
That India's richest individual would attend a promo function of one of India's most financially bankrupt states was by itself a surprise.
But that he honoured an invitation of a chief minister who has practically nothing to show except her political mettle was laudable indeed. Not that the World Trade Centre in Mumbai exactly witnessed India Inc thronging to hear Mamata Banerjee — for not many of the glamour stars went — but the presence of the elder Ambani sibling along with the likes of Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO of ICICI BankBSE -1.48 %, or N Chandrasekaran, MD, TCS, did make at least some difference to the overall success of the event compared to the ones that Mamata's team had held in the past. True, she was nervous about the Mumbai event that was twice jinxed in the past.
The chief minister had put every one of her frontline people on the job of reaching out to Mumbai's who's who and these lieutenants in turn were in absolute jitters as the D-Day drew closer, because their jobs were on the line. As a prominent industrialist who attended Thursday's event told ET: "Friends called up friends who called up friends only to ensure that the invited attended.
The other variation was to find out if someone prominent was free on Thursday evening. If yes, the invite followed within hours. One could feel that her event managers were on the edge so I am happy that at least Mukesh-bhai went as did some others." These others included the likes of Nitin Paranjpe of Unilever, Adi Godrej who, of course, has been a fairly constant feature in Mamata's Bengal promos , Madhur Bajaj, Uday Kotak, Ashok Hinduja, Venugopal Dhoot and, of course, home recipes flown in like Harsh Neotia, Karan Paul, Subhalaxmi Panse of Allahabad Bank and, of course, Sanjiv Goenka whose elder sibling Harsh Goenka also attended.
ITC's YC Deveshwar was there and public sector chiefs like Sail CMD CS Varma and Gail CMD BC Tripathi. Such events are expected to draw good words only, at least on record. So Mukesh Ambani said
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Health benefits of pure ghee
Ghee is mostly considered unhealthy (and is unhealthy when consumed without the necessary portion control), but there are a few parameters that make 'pure ghee' healthy.
"Pure ghee contains only those fatty acids or saturated fats that are primarily (89%) short chain fatty acids, unlike some other animal fats," says nutritionist, Pallavi from Evolve Medspa. She lists out the health benefits of pure ghee. Let's take a look.
Before you indulge in pure ghee, here are the basic guidelines:
- Consume pure ghee if you are free from cardiovascular diseases, are not overweight.
- Completely avoid ghee if you are obese.
- The recommended amount of fat consumed in the entire day is 10 to 15 grams per person.
So, is ghee healthy for you?
Regular consumption of pure ghee enhances physical and mental strength, and keeps the body healthy. It also helps in taking out the impurities from the body. It enhances eyesight, keeps muscles and tendons healthy.
For people with cholesterol problems, ghee is a better option as compared to butter as pure ghee is lower in fat than butter.
Because of lesser amount of fat in desi ghee, it is easier to digest.
Pure ghee can last for a longer duration of time. It can be stored without refrigeration.
Some people believe that ghee can restore balance to the mind and enhance brain function.
Ghee also helps in stimulating the digestive system and hence also aids in weight loss provided your diet is well balanced and you are exercising.
It is full of Vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they have to be digested with other fat molecules in order for these vitamins to make it into our bloodstream. Ghee has lots of dietary fats (mostly saturated fats) that help our bodies absorb and make use of these vitamins.
Ghee is an excellent cooking medium because it does not break down in high heat like many cooking oils do, resulting in free radicals. Ghee has a high burning point, so it will neither smoke nor burn when cooked.
The body needs certain fats in its diet in order to perform vital functions, including protecting the stomach wall from digestive acids, building and strengthening cell membranes and supporting nerve, skin and brain health. The fats in ghee provide these benefits without any of the trans-fats, hydrogenated oils or oxidized cholesterol of butter and other oils.
Keep in mind, that we are only attaching these benefits to pure homemade ghee made with zero preservative or vegetable fats.
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Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Today you may have a very lively ability to collaborate on creative projects. Your intellect may be crisp and the ideas will be ripe for discovering and using. If you can find the right outlet, this theme can be quite powerful and helpful in creating something of value. The difference can be quite magical if you can find the appropriate team of people and set your ideas in the right context. A harmonious mix of thoughts, words, actions, and ideas may populate your conversations. You may leave a lasting impression that lingers way beyond the limits of this day.
Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
This may be an excellent time for getting your career in order. A new project or new organizational ideas may top your agenda list as the possibilities appear quite effortlessly. This may be an opportunity to gather together suggestions from co-workers and supervisors about directions you may decide to take. The impact may also be felt at home, so be certain that you have a chance to express your plans openly there as well. While your well-being and happiness may be important, your support system has to be along for the journey as well.
Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
 The lure of an open book may draw you in like a moth to a flame as your imagination is quite active and eager. You may be curious and bubbling over with ideas about education, travel, philosophy, religion, and anything else that feels expansive and worthwhile. You love research, and the time may feel just right for one of your favorite pastimes. If you can find a way to cobble your thoughts together and write them down, you may be surprised at what you are able to create with your words.
Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
You may be preoccupied with financial matters that relate to either your retirement and subsequent funds or an estate settlement. This may not be as daunting as it sounds when you consider that the news could be quite positive. Actually, you may just be curious and have some ideas that might be more beneficial to you down the line. Timing is everything when it comes to planning, so if you have a hunch, it might be wise to follow it.
Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
 A pleasant and playful conversation with your partner may allow you to share you true feelings. You may not always find it easy to express your deepest thoughts, but lately you may feel a certain sense of liberation that enables you to open up. Those who are closest to you may be surprised by your current state, so be sure that you speak the truth with conviction and clarity. You may leave quite an impact.
Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
 This should be a prime time for getting your body in shape. You may be very satisfied with the results as your hard work may be starting to show. New habits may be hard to establish but once they are in place, you may find that they are easy to maintain. The best part may be the long-term benefits, which could significantly and positively affect your health if you adhere to the routine.
Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20
This may be a fabulous time for getting together with close associates and knocking around ideas for doing something new and different. Whether your ideas are for a new creative project or just fun, you may find the climate will be ideal for any sort of frivolity. Today may be just the right time to let loose and have a night on the town with good friends at a warm and friendly neighborhood restaurant.
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Moral Story
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SMS
“3 nice thoughts-
“Kill the tension before tension kills YOU”.
“Reach your goal before goal kicks YOU”,
“Live LIFE before LIFE leaves YOU”:-).”
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love will not serve those who do not live for her, and in her, and to whom she is not the breath of life.
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
Husband: can u be the moon of my life?
Wife: Awww Yes sweetheart..!
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Husband: Great! then….
Stay 9,955,887.6 kms away from Me..!!!
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Institute spills beans on NIT admission gaffe
NEW DELHI: Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, has blown the lid off the story behind the normalization of class XII and JEE (Main) that was used for admission in prestigious NITs.
Blaming the HRD ministry and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the normalization that was eventually arrived at, ISI has distanced itself from the formula. It has said the suggestions made by the S K Joshi committee — of which the ISI was an important part — was partially disregarded.
ISI had said last September when the S K Joshi committee held its first meeting, CBSE chairperson Vineet Joshi told the panel that he has hired Jim Tognolini and John Twing of Indian Centre for Assessment Evaluation and Research to suggest how to normalize Board score. The report by Tognolini-Twing, ISI says, started with the premise that some Boards have more able students and suggested that the performance of students of different Boards in JEE (Main) be used to differentially adjust the scores of these Boards. ISI said this suggestion would benefit a CBSE student at the expense of a non-CBSE student with identical percentile.
ISI said CBSE chairman set up a core committee to shore up support for differential normalization method. Some data was also received from Glenn Rowley of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), and some supporting data analysis from IIT-Kanpur teachers.
According to ISI, in the meeting of S K Joshi Committee in October, 2012, Tognolini appeared as a special invitee and briefed on the merits of using JEE (Main) scores for "tracking" Board scores/percentiles are pointed out. The Joshi panel decides to include the Core Committee formed by the CBSE chairman in all its subsequent meetings. On October 31, the Core Committee did not support the approach promoted by the CBSE chairman and even flaws were pointed out.
By end-December S K Joshi Committee meets again and members of ISI present results of detailed analysis which shows that the "tracking" approach, suggested by the CBSE chairman, leads to gross distortion of the percentiles of different Boards. ISI said that just when the report was getting finalized Vineet Joshi requested another round of face-to-face discussion in Tognolini's presence. The simple percentile-based approach of Joshi Committee found favour, and the report was submitted in March.
ISI says that on April 9 when the NIT Council met to discuss Joshi Committee report, Vineet Joshi was allowed to present some new material to push for his method. The Joshi committee was expanded to review the new material. Members of the expanded committee like Sunil Sarangi, Anil Kakodkar and Samir Bahmachari supported the Joshi panel report. ISI says CBSE chairperson remained silent. By end-April, ISI says, a meeting was held in the office of Amita Sharma, additional secretary, technical education, where a completely new proposal by S S Mantha, chairperson, AICTE, was circulated. Everyone was asked to give views the next day.
Debasis Dasgupta pointed out flaws with Mantha's proposal but is asked by a senior ministry official not to get personal. The officer reminds Dasgupta that she is in the ISI Council.
On May 6, JEE Interface Group adopts a formula that is a mix of what was suggested by the Joshi Committee and CBSE chairperson. ISI says it learnt of the method from news reports.
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Tribal girls dribble past callous system, win U-14 bronze at Gasteiz
RANCHI: Neeta Kumari (13), lying in her cot at a village in Oremajhi block of Ranchi district, is still sailing on the clouds. Her memories of cheers, accolades, lifting the cup and being treated as princess are still fresh in mind.
There is a gleam in her eyes as she shares her experiences of her trip to Spain. She is one among 18 teenage footballers from Rukka village who brought laurels to the state and the country by bagging the bronze medal in the under-14 all-women Gasteiz Cup, a renowned testing ground for teenage football in Victoria Gastiez, also popular as Europe's 'Green Capital.'
Mentored by football lover Franz Gastler, originally from US, the team, named Yuwa, came back home after winning the trophy in mid July. "We were treated like princes everywhere we went after winning the third place," Neeta, the captain, said.
Contrast this with the horrifying treatment the poor tribal girls had to face while trying to get their birth certificates from the gram panchayat office and one shudders at the insensitivity of our system.
According to media reports in April, the girls had complained that they were asked to give bribes when they went to get their birth certificates made at the panchayat office located just outside the state capital Ranchi.
They were, reportedly, even slapped and made to sweep floors by a panchayat sewak when they requested him to hasten up the process as they desperately needed the certificates.
Now, they don't want to remember the hardships and are enthusiastic about sharing their experience about playing and winning matches in Spain. "We would like to play for the country as all the players are full of confidence," says Poonam, the vice-captain.
Co-coach Sandeep Chhetri told TOI that the Yuwa played brilliantly against teamms from 40 countries in the Donosoti Cup in San Sebastian, Spain's biggest football tournament. "The girls beat two teams from Spain before losing two games," he informed. This outing added to their spirit which was later reflected in the Gastiez Cup.
Working in partnership with Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra (KGVK) of Usha Martin group of industries, Gastler founded Yuwa four years back to train young kids, particularly girls, in football. With more than 200 girls and 55 boys under his tutelage, Gastler is now looking for a piece of land to construct a modest stadium with the $25000 grant that his organization has bagged from a global sports brand.
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Chennai Express
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Chennai Express
Movie Name : Chennai Express
Release Date : August 9, 2013
Genre : Comedy
Producer : Gauri Khan
Director : Sangeeth Sivan
Music Director : Vishal-Shekhar
Cast : Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sathyaraj, Manorama.
Synopsis:
The filming began at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai on 5th October 2012 . The lead actor was dressed in black casuals and the actress in a South Indian attire, wearing Kanjeevaram saree. Filming was done at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station with minimum crew members. These working stills of the lead actor were unofficially released in mid-October 2012. In November 2012, the cast and crew was off to Goa for the first filming schedule. The railway station of Vasco da Gama was used as a double up, portraying Kalyan. A romantic scene on board a train passing next to Dudhsagar Falls was also shot. In December 2012, the team was off to Jakarta for some scenes. By early January 2013, the next schedule was supposed to happen in Ooty but Khan opined that the opted place would be too far from commercial venue, Mumbai. Hence, recreation of the lanes of Ooty along with some of its tourist spots, was constructed as a set on the outskirts of Panchgani in Wai by art director Narendra Ruharikar. It took over 40 days to make the set at an estimated cost of INR1.5 crore (US$260,000). The Wai schedule of filming ran for entire month of March 2013. A 10-day shooting schedule began in Munnar, Kerala from mid of April 2013, scenes were canned at Devikulam Lake, Meesapulimala, Wagavara and Kannimala. The shoot had to be stopped for a few days due to the heavy rainfall and the schedule was slightly extended until end of the same month. A press conference was also held in the town Munnar. In May 2013, certain scenes were canned in North Goa The lead actress wrapped up all her portions of shoot on 25th May 2013. Khan flew to Hyderabad by end of May 2013 for remaining filming.
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The Statue of Liberty's tablet is two feet thick.
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" INSPIRING STORY "
Keep your dream
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse.
It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses.
As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch.He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track.
Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch. “He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’
“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an F?’
“The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land.
You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.”
He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.”
When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.” “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.”
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“We can win life by all means if we simply avoid two things in our lives.“Comparing with others” and “Expecting from others.” ”
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