Opening / Moodset / Beginnings

Once a man walked past a construction site and saw three workers busy at work.

He was very curious what was going on and approached them.

He came to the nearest worker and asked him what he was doing.

The worker replied angrily, “Can’t you see for yourself I am carrying concrete, now get out of my way!” and pushed the man aside.

The man moved along and went to the second worker to ask him the same thing.

The second worker replied indifferently, “ I am a construction worker, I’m constructing a building” and he went back to work.

The man moved along and went to the third worker to ask him the same thing again.

The third worker replied with great pride, “You see my friend I am building a hospital, in the future the people from around here would finally be able to receive medical aid and their lives will be improved greatly,” and he took the man on a tour of the building.

These three workers were all doing he same thing yet their view points were all very different.

Your stay here in OBS and the course itself is also the same thing.

Lum Tang Liang

YDP Instructor

5th August 2006 

A knife consisted of two parts, the handle and the blade. The characteristics of the blade are sharp, usually metal, rusty or shiny, useful and potentially dangerous. The characteristics of the handle are blunt, a useful part for the usage of the knife and mostly handled. There are many ways to catch the knife. They are to catch it by the handle, the blade or just duck it.

It’s inevitable that a knife tossed towards a person will spin. Chances of catching it unhurt remains 50/50 unless it is timed to perfection. No matter how you catch hold of it, you may injure yourself or not, but you would still have gotten hold of the experience. So, the knife is experience.

A person will always be confronted with challenges, likened to a person is tossing knives at you. If you know a knife is coming towards you and you duck, you will never get the experience except that you will realize that ducking is the best way not to get hurt.

When knives tossed towards you are caught unhurt, you will feel proud and happy and want to share your experience with others. You’ll remember them and gain more confidence in catching more knives.

Knives will keep coming towards you but when you decide to catch it, luck is not with you and you end up getting yourself injured because you caught it by the blade, you’ll bleed and will be in pain. However the pain will stop and the wound will heal. What is left is a scar on your palm, which you can show your children or grandchildren as proof that you have caught the knife. With this scar, you’ll have stories to share and lessons to teach.

One of the duties of an Outward Bound Instructor, I believe is to toss as many “knives” as possible to their participants and tend to them when they get hurt by facilitating their thoughts and feelings. Enable them to turn this pain into strength as time will heal all wounds. So harness their potentials when they are confident, happy and proud after managing to catch your knives!

“Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical ‘glass half empty or glass half full’ question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, ‘How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?’

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, ‘From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter.  It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.’

As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, ‘Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.'”

A son and is father were walking on the mountains.

Suddenly his son falls, hurts himself and screams, “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain, “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”

Curious, he yells, “Who are you?”

HE receives the answer, “Who are you?”

Angered at the response, he screams, “Coward!”

He receives the answer, “Coward!”

He looks to his father and asks, “What’s going on?”

The father smiles and says, “My son, pay attention”

And then he screams to the mountain, “I admire you!”

The voice answers, “I admire you!”

Again the man screams, “You are a champion!”

The voice answers, “You are a champion!”

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains, “People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.

Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.

If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.

If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;

Life will give you back everything you have given to it.”

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT’S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.”

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here after one year from today with what you have frown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!”

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Everyday he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn’t have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrive, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey nice try.”

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. “What great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the emperor. “Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!” All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. “The emperor knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!”

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd. “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!” Ling couldn’t believe it. Ling couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!”

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you reap forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you reap openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.

If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.

If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.

If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.

If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.

If you plant greed, you will reap loss.

If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.

If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.

If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So be careful what you plant now. It will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter, will make life worse or better, your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.

ITEMS NEEDED: Toothpick, Rubber Band, Band Aid, Pencil, Eraser, Chewing Gum, Mint, Candy Kiss, Tea Bag. Why????

1. TOOTHPICK: To remind you to pick out the good qualities in others

2. RUBBER BAND: To remind you to be more flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out

3. BAND AID: To remind you to heal hurt feelings yours or someone else’s

4. PENCIL: To remind you to list your blessings everyday

5. ERASER: To remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it’s OK

6. CHEWING GUM: To remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything

7. CANDY KISS: To remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday

8. TEA BAG: To remind you to relax daily and go over that list of blessings   

I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I AM IMPORTANT

My job is to choose what kind of day I was going to have

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy

Or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have any more money 

Or I can be thankful that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste

Today I can grumble about my health

Or I can rejoice that I’m alive

Today I can lament over all my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up

Or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born

Today I can cry because roses have thorns 

Or I can celebrate that thorns have roses

Today I can mourn my lack of friends 

Or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships

Today I can whine because I have to go to work

Or I can shout for joy for I have a job to do

Today I can complain because I have to go to school

Or eagerly open my mind and fill it with new tidbits of thoughts

Today stretches ahead of me waiting to be shaped

And there I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping

What today will be like will be up to me

I get to choose what kind of day I will have.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walked alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have 2 hands; 1 for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

The good you find in others, is in you too.

The faults you find in others, are your faults as well

After all, to recognise something you must know it.

The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well.

The beauty you see around you, is your beauty.

The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are.

To change your world, you must change yourself.

To blame and complain will only make matters worse.

Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.

What you see in others, shows you yourself.

See the best in others, and you will be your best.

Give to others, and you give to yourself.

Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.

Admire creativity, and you will be creative.

Love, and you will be love.

Seek to understand, and you will be understood.

Listen, and your voice will be heard,.

Teach, and you will learn.

Show your best face to the mirror,

And you’ll be happy with the face

Looking back at you.

Life’s circumstances are not always what you might wish them to be. The pattern of life does not necessarily go as you plan. Beyond any understanding, you may at times be led in different directions that you never imagined, dreamed, or designed. Yet if you had never put any effort into choosing a path, or tried to carry out your dream, then perhaps you would have no direction at all.

Rather than wondering about or questioning the direction you life has taken, accept the fact that there is a path before you now. Shake off the “whys” and “what ifs”, and rid yourself of confusion. Whatever was – is in the past whatever is – is what’s important. The past is a brief reflection. The future is yet to be realised. Today is here.

Walk you path one step at a time – with courage, faith, and determination. Keep your head up, and cast your dreams to the stars. Soon your steps will become firm and your footing will be solid again. A path that you never imagined will become the most comfortable direction you could have ever hoped to follow.

Keep your belief in yourself and walk into your new journey. You will find it magnificent, spectacular, and beyond your wildest imaginings.

-         Vicki Silvers