Tuesday, December 13, 2005

How to make a difference

Scott Berkun has written a good article on the subject of making a difference, and here are two thought-provoking extracts from the article:

"I know now what a fool I’ve been, for it takes a better man to acknowledge goodness in others than it does to merely be good oneself. Anyone can criticize or accept praise, but initiating a positive exchange is a hallmark of a difference maker."

"Money can come and go, but my time on this planet is finite. How I spend my time, or who I spend it with means more than anything else in my universe. From at least the selfish view, giving my time is the most valuable gift I can give."

Certainly worth a read.

btw, my blog activity has been (and will be for some time) much less as I'm a bit 'tied down' with my dad at the moment.

17 comments:

ricky said...

msingh, i hope your dad's okay!

Anonymous said...

Me too - hope all is good with you and your family.

Rab Rakha
ss

S.K. said...

May Guru Ji protect you and your family always, god bless!

Anonymous said...

Sending warm thoughts and wishes your way. I hope your dad is blessed with good health.
God bless him!

ricky said...

msingh,
check it out: (by Dr. Lehal at Punjab University, Patiala)...

www.advancedcentrepunjabi.org

Anonymous said...

Hope your dad's ok, MS veer ji.
Waheguru ang sang sahaai.

Anonymous said...

Msingh - hope all is good with you and yours.

ss

Anonymous said...

i was thinking abt your father today: hope he is much better in health and spirit.
Satnam Waheguru!

msingh said...

ik singh, ss, sk, sikhi seeker, satvinder thanks for you good wishes.

my father hadn't been eating very well and was admitted to hospital over 2 weeks ago. We were told he had a chest infection, he's been on a drip since then (fluids and antibiotics). The infection's cleared, but they want to assess his ability to eat, so it'll be a while yet before he's allowed home. I'm amazed how well he copes with everything, better than I ever could.

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ

ricky said...

welcome back! he's a fighter! did you ever envision how you would take care of your parents when you were younger msingh? and how is it different from the way you had imagined it?

Anonymous said...

Sat Sri Akal Msingh ji.
It's good to c you back and your father back in strength and fitness:)
Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy 2006!

msingh said...

ik, when one is younger there are too many other distractions to look ahead and think about having to look after one's parents, especially if one happens to be the youngest. As your parents get older and need more care and attention, it can become stressful and tiring if you are also having to continue working full time.

In the past I have sometimes viewed this additional responsibility of care and attention as a burden, but have fortunately come to the realisation that this is really an opportunity for me to do real sewa - if I fail now, then what's the point of me going to the gurudwara or doing other sewa like washing the dishes, etc? This realisation changes your whole outlook, and you then tend to get on with the job with more determination.

I considered going part time about a year ago, but in the end gave up my job (9 months ago) to be able to look after my dad.

If you ask me now, I can honestly say I'm not doing as good a job looking after him as I should be doing. He's still in hospital, hasn't eaten for 3 weeks, although he did agree to drink a small amount of tea today; not out of the woods yet by any means.

So my blogging is going to be a bit slow and intermittent - I'm still managing to read your blogs and post the odd comment.

Thanks for your good wishes.

Waheguru

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Veer ji,

Hope your dad makes a speedy and full recovery. I just wanted to say that I think it's brilliant that you've given up your job to care for your father. I hope that I will be in a position to do the same or similar if and when time requires this of me.

Keep up the good work. All the best.

sat

msingh said...

Thank you for you good wishes satvinder bhenji, also wishing you a happy 2006 full of chardi kala.

To be honest, I fall short in many respect in trying to look after my father, wish I could do a better job.

Waheguru

Anonymous said...

It's tough balancing responsibilties towards parents with other things in life. I'm sure you are doing the best you can. Don't be too hard of yourself.

Stay in high spirits veer ji. As SS veer ji reminded me a few days ago... It's all in waheguru's hands.

Anonymous said...

MS Veer ji,

Haven't seen much of you on your blog for a while. Hope all is well. (",)

sat

Unknown said...

Gurufateh Ji

Beautiful thoughts!

Guru rakha