Marhaban Yaa Ramadhan..

Seekor burung Garuda di usia 40 Tahun, membutuhkan puasa 150 hari, untuk mendapatkan vitalitasnya kembali. Cakar yang kuat dan paruh baru yang tajam. Seekor ulat bulu yang menjijikan, juga membutuhkan puasa untuk menjadi kupu-kupu yang indah. Seekor Ular juga membutuhkan puasa untuk mendapatkan kulit barunya yang jauh lebih menawan.

Manusia membutuhkan puasa satu bulan di bulan Ramadhan, untuk mendapatkan kembali keindahan dalam hidupnya, yaitu lebih nikmat dengan parasaan penuh taqwa.

Kekeringan hati, kesibukan yang menyita, sering kali manusia berjalan bagaikan robot atau boneka-boneka hidup. Hanya berjalan dan menjalani tanpa perenungan yang mendalam tentang perjalanan hidup. Allah SWT menghadiahi satu bulan penuh makna, barokah, hidayah dan ampunan. Bulan Suci Ramadhan. Siapa yang beriman diajaknya untuk memasuki kepompong Ramadhan dengan suka cita, agar sehat jasmani dan rohani, serta kembali menjadi hamba yang bertaqwa.

Sepintas serasa berat, namun segala kebaikan pasti ada bayaranya. Jika anda bermain golf, ingin memukul jauh, maka anda harus mengayunkan stick golf lebih kencang. Jika Anda ingin mendapat nilai tiga dalam permainan basket, maka anda harus keluar dari garis three point. Anda harus melempar lebih kencang dan tepat.

Anda ingin sesuatu tanpa, mau membayarnya dengan harga, maka lupakan saja, karena anda pasti akan menemui kekecewaan. Allah SWT tidak akan membingungkan hambaNya dengan hal-hal yang tidak pasti. Esok pagi matahari terbit di timur, dan itu sebuah kepastian. Anda isi terus menerus mesin pencernaan anda dengan makanan, maka tidak akan mendapatkan sensasi-sensasi yang Tuhan rencanakan untuk kita yang berpuasa. Mengenal rasa lapar, lebih solider, belajar bersabar, belajar disiplin, belajar jujur.

Banyak kebaikan dalam ibadah puasa. Bulan Ramadhan bagi anda yang muslim, maka bulan ini adalah bulan yang sempurna untuk membuat perubahan. Ada beberapa aktivitas baru, yang bisa kita gunakan untuk breaking the patern, Ada kondisi fisik, mental yang berbeda, yang bisa lebih mudah untuk memunculkan aktivitas baru dan pemikiran baru.

Bulan Ramadhan, dimana aktivitas berdialog dengan Tuhan dan diri sendiri lebih intent, maka bulan ini sangat baik untuk menemukan jati diri, panggilan jiwa, hal-hal yang sesuai dengan keinginan dan hati nurani kita.

Selamat menjalankan ibadah puasa Ramadhan. Mohon maaf lahir dan bathin dan semoga kita menjadi hambaNya yang bertaqwa.

Kekuatan Dari Keputusan Memilih

Seekor keledai tua sedang berjalan bersama pemiliknya. Karena kurang hati-hati keledai itu terperosok ke dalam sebuah lubang besar yang dalam. Sesaat kemudian tampak keledai tua kesakitan dan menjerit. Pemilik keledai merasa kasihan melihat ‘penderitaan’ keledai tua tersebut. Jeritan keledai mengundang kedatangan orang sekitar. Terdengar kata-kata kasihan pada makhluk yang ‘malang’ itu. Lubang yang dalam membuat pemilik keledai kesulitan untuk menolong makhluk itu. Untuk menghentikan penderitaan keledai tua, sang pemilik lalu memutuskan untuk menimbun keledai dengan tanah dan batuan. Dibantu dengan orang sekitar mereka mulai menimbun lubang tempat keledai jatuh. Beberapa saat tampak keledai kesakitan dan meronta-ronta. Namun hal itu tak berlangsung lama. Keledai yang merasa nyawanya terancam mencari akal bagaimana bisa keluar hidup-hidup. Kali ini ia tak menjerit lagi. Saat tanah, batu atau benda apa saja yang menimpanya, ia akan menggoyangkan tubuhnya ke kiri dan ke kanan. Dan benda yang jatuh tersebut ia jadikann sebagai pijakan. Semakin lama keledai itu semakin dekat dengan permukaan tanah, hingga akhirnya keledai itu berhasil keluar dari lubang maut tersebut.

Dari kisah ini saya mencoba menyampaikan beberapa pesan yang terkandung di dalamnya.
Pesan Pertama, saya percaya, anda pernah mendengar Istilah ‘sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga lagi’ dan mungkin anda merasa sering mengalaminya, seperti peristiwa berikut ini :

1. Seorang pelajar sudah belajar dengan baik setiap hari. Tetapi mendapat nilai yang tak memuaskan. lalu dimarahi oleh gurunya, diejek oleh teman-temannya. Pulang ke rumah dimarahi lagi oleh orang tuanya.
2. Seorang wanita berjanji setia untuk menikah 5 tahun lagi dengan sang kekasih yang sedang berada di luar negeri. Ia menutup pintu hatinya ‘rapat-rapat’ untuk pria lain, membatasi pergaulan, rela menunggu sekian lama. Ternyata 5 tahun kemudian sang kekasih pulang dengan membawa istri dan anak yang sudah berumur 3 tahun. Saat itu wanita itu pun sudah berusia di atas 30 tahun, tak punya banyak teman lagi.
3. Seorang karyawan sakit keras dan akhirnya dirawat di rumah sakit, setelah keluar dipecat oleh perusahaan. Melamar kerja, tapi tak ada lowongan kerja.
4. Seorang bisnis networker sudah bekerja keras, di tolak orang, dihina, dilecehkan bahkan oleh keluarganya sendiri dan pada bulan-bulan berikutnya mendapat bonus yang hanya cukup untuk membeli semangkok mie.
5. Seorang Bos yang baik hati membina karyawannya dengan baik, memberikan fasiltas dan mengajarkan cara berbisnis. Setelah merasa ‘pintar, karyawannya ‘menusuk’nya dari belakang, menfitnah bosnya, membuka bisnis yang sama, mengambil relasi bisnis dari bosnya.

Masih banyak kisah serupa. Bagaimana anda menghadapi itu semua ?

Semua sudah terjadi. Marah, sedih, kecewa, menyesal, benci, dendam tak mungkin bisa menyelesaikan semua itu bukan ? Kita tak mungkin kembali ke masa lalu. Meratapi masa lalu pun tak ada manfaatnya. Kita hanya punya 2 pilihan saja. Larut dalam penyesalan, menyalahkan orang lain / lingkungan, lalu jatuh tak bangun lagi atau bangkit untuk melanjutkan kehidupan kita. Dalam kehidupan ini, kita punya pilihan terbatas dengan waktu yang sangat terbatas.
Seperti halnya keledai tua. Ia hanya punya 2 pilihan, membiarkan dirinya kesakitan terus-menerus, lalu akhirnya terkubur hidup-hidup atau mencari cara bagaimana bisa keluar dari lubang untuk melanjutkan kehidupannya. Keledai tua telah memilih langkah yang tepat. Kesakitan, kesulitan,batu dan tanah justru menjadi ‘alat’ baginya untuk keluar dari bahaya.
Sejak kita dilahirkan ke dunia ini, sebenarnya kita telah memulai sebuah perjalanan untuk menuju suatu ‘ tempat ’ yang hanya ada 2 yaitu ‘tempat bahagia’ atau ‘tempat sengsara’.
Seorang pengemudi bus akan mencari cara bagaimana melanjutkan perjalanan, saat di tengah jalan timbul masalah pada busnya seperti kehabisan bahan bakar, ban kempes, mati mesin, jalan rusak dan kejadian lainnya.

Kita semua sebenarnya adalah ‘sang pengemudi bus kehidupan’. Masalah, hambatan, tantangan, kesulitan,hinaan, rasa tak suka, bosan adalah kerikil-kerikil perjalanan kehidupan yang pasti akan kita alami. Kita tidak mungkin bisa menghindari itu semua. Yang harus kita lakukan adalah mencari cara bagaimana untuk menghadapi itu semua. Tak ada pilihan mundur bagi kita. Jika berhenti total, kita tak akan pernah sampai ke tujuan. Tak ada orang lain yang bisa membawa ‘bus kehidupan’ kita. Mereka hanya bisa menunjukkan jalan benar atau justru bisa jadi yang ditunjukkan mereka adalah jalan sesat yang membawa kita semakin jauh dari tujuan.

Bagaimana agar kita tak tersesat ? Lakukan pembelajaran terus menerus. Tak ada kata gagal selama kita masih terus melangkah, walaupun terkadang langkah kita terasa berat dan lambat. Yang benar-benar gagal adalah ketika kita berhenti untuk berjalan.

The Mountain Story

“A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Curious, he yells: “Who are you?” He receives the answer: “Who are you?” And then he screams to the mountain: “I admire you!” The voice answers: “I admire 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.” 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. It gives you back everything you say or do.

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!”

Richness, Success, and Love

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said “I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.” “Is the man of the house home?”, they asked.”No”, she said “He’s out.” “Then we cannot come in,” they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. “Go tell them I am home and invite them in!” The woman went out and invited the men in. “We do not go into a House together” they replied. “Why is that?” she wanted to know. One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and then pointed to another one,”He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. “How nice!!,” he said. “Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!” His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!”

“Let us hear our daughter-in-law’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be ourguest.” The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.” Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?” The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!”

Little Boy Asks the Meaning of Life, The

An eight-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up into his eyes, and asked:

“I understand you’re a very wise man. I’d like to know the secret of life.”

The old man looked down at the youngster and replied:

“I’ve thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words

The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your life by.

The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you’ve done about the values you’re going to live your life by.

The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values you’re going to live by.

The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values. “

And with that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy,

Think, Believe, Dream, and Dare.

Fisherman, The

There was a group called ‘The Fisherman’s Fellowship’. They were surrounded by streams and lakes full of hungry fish. They met regularly to discuss the call to fish, and the thrill of catching fish. They got excited about fishing!!

Someone suggested that they needed a philosophy of fishing, so they carefully defined and redefined fishing, and the purpose of fishing. They developed fishing strategies and tactics. Then they realized that they had been going at it backwards. They had approached fishing from the point of view of the fisherman, and not from the point of view of the fish. How do fish view the world? How does the fisherman appear to the fish? What do fish eat, and when? These are all good things to know. So they began research studies, and attended conferences on fishing. Some traveled to far away places to study different kinds of fish, with different habits. Some got PhD’s in fishology. But no one had yet gone fishing.

So a committee was formed to send out fishermen. As prospective fishing places outnumbered fishermen, the committee needed to determine priorities.

A priority list of fishing places was posted on bulletin boards in all of the fellowship halls. But still, no one was fishing. A survey was launched, to find out why… Most did not answer the survey, but from those that did, it was discovered that some felt called to study fish, a few to furnish fishing equipment, and several to go around encouraging the fisherman.

What with meetings, conferences, and seminars, they just simply didn’t have time to fish.

Now, Jake was a newcomer to the Fisherman’s Fellowship. After one stirring meeting of the Fellowship, Jake went fishing. He tried a few things, got the hang of it, and caught a choice fish. At the next meeting, he told his story, and he was honored for his catch, and then scheduled to speak at all the Fellowship chapters and tell how he did it. Now, because of all the speaking invitations and his election to the board of directors of the Fisherman’s Fellowship, Jake no longer has time to go fishing.

But soon he began to feel restless and empty. He longed to feel the tug on the line once again. So he cut the speaking, he resigned from the board, and he said to a friend, “Let’s go fishing.” They did, just the two of them, and they caught fish.

The members of the Fisherman’s Fellowship were many, the fish were plentiful, but the fishers were few.

Believe in Yourself

There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren’t the way you had hoped they would be.

That’s when you have to tell yourself that things will get better. There are times when people disappoint you and let you down.

But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are.

So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be.

Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep Believing in Yourself

24 Things To Always Remember

Your presence is a present to the world. You are unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be. Take the days just one at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles. You will make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers. Understand, have courage, be strong.

Do not put limits on yourself. So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance. Reach for your peak, your goal and you prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying. The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets.
Do not take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot … goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment. Life’s treasure are people together.

Realize that it is never too late. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
Have hearth and hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a start.

AND DO NOT EVER FORGET ….
FOR EVEN A DAY HOW VERY SPECIAL YOU ARE !

Trees That Wood

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, “Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.”

Then the second tree said, “Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”

Finally the third tree said, “I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.”

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, “This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter” … and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, “This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.” The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, “I don’t need anything special from my tree so I’ll take this one”, and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said “Peace” and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because God had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don’t seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don’t always know what God’s plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

The Wise Songbird

Once upon a time there was a golden songbird that lived in a beautiful garden. It spent all its days singing the loveliest songs to the honour of its maker and the delight of all the people who heard it.

But the keeper of the garden, who was a foolish and greedy man, coveted the little songster, and one day he made a cunning net in which he snared it. The little bird begged the man to release him and promised to tell him three great secrets if only he would let him go. Now the gardener really was a very greedy man and rubbing his hands together, he eagerly released the bird.

Then the songbird told him it’s three great secrets:
Never believe all that you hear;
Never regret what you have never lost, and never throw away that which you have in your keeping.

The gardener was furious when he heard this and said he had known these so-called ‘secrets’ since he was a little child and shouted that the bird had tricked him. But the songbird quietly replied that if the man had really known these three secrets, or only the last of them, he would never have let him go.
Then the bird added:

“I have a most precious jewel weighing over three ounces hidden inside me and whoever possesses that marvellous stone will have every wish granted.”

On hearing this, the keeper roared like a lion and cursed himself for setting the songster free. But the little bird only added fuel to his rage by explaining that since he weighed no more than half an ounce at most, as anyone with eyes could plainly see, how was it possible that a gem weighing more than three ounces could be hidden within it’s tiny body?

At that the man tore his hair and lunged at the bird in a towering rage, but the little songbird flew to a nearby branch and added sweetly:
“Since you never had the jewel in your hands you are already regretting what you never lost, and believing what I told you, you threw it away by setting me free.”

Then the little songbird told the man to study well these three great secrets and so become as wise as the bird himself!