"An Eagle Kiss" an inspirational story worth sharing.

Today, I would like to share with you this inspirational story about Freedom & Jeff. I received an email from a friend of mine Richard Novak. After reading this story and I believe this story is worth sharing with our readers.

This is the kind of story you need when it seems like the world is spiraling out of control…..

Not many people get a picture of this proud bird snuggled up next to them!

This is Jeff & Freedom inspirational story...

Freedom and Jeff

"Freedom and I have been together 11 years this summer. 

She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery,it was broken in 4 places. She's my baby.

When Freedom came in she could not stand and both wings were broken. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vet's office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a 

huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay 

there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week. You know you don't want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was 

winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn't 

bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day. 

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her.I got her used to the glove, and then to jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools

in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets even did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had stage 3, 

which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of 

chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November 2000

the day after Thanksgiving,I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was =told that all the cancer was gone.

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn't said a word to 

Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped bother wings around me to where I 

could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don't know how long . That was a 

magic moment. We have been soul mates ever since she came in. This is a very special bird.

On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power course through his body. I have so many stories like that..

I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom.

Hope you enjoyed this!

Cancer is a strange cell. 

You can go along for years in remission and then one day it pops its head up again.  If you ever have it you will never be free of it.

A SMALL REQUEST...

93% won't forward, but I'm Sure You Will.
A small request.....Just one line

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.
Even if it's only to one more person.
In memory of anyone you know who has been
struck down by cancer or is still living with it

Or just someone who enjoys a GREAT STORY

Sources & Images:

An email forward by  Richard Novak

Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO0O0SAgPuc

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2- Tale 7: The Farmer & The Fisherman

There’s a story that I’d like to share with you. You might have read one of my post about two years ago. The post was part of a marketing series "How to attract your Ideal customer or audience.

Here are the marketing series if you would like to learn more about it:

• Part1. Selecting The Best Sales Distribution Channels For Your Design Practice

• Part 2. The Farmer and The Fisherman
• Part 3. Selecting the Right Marketing Strategy for your Design Practice
• Part 4. Choosing the Right Marketing Approach for your Design Business
• Part 5: How could a customers' "lifetime value" benefit your Art & Design Business?

Now let's get back to this week tale my mother told me...

The tale "The Farmer & Fisherman " is an old Chinese folktale that my mother told me  when I was a young boy. 

I can recite it from memory because as a child I made my mother repeat this story over and over again. At the time it was just a funny story about a silly farmer that amused me. Now we can see the deeper meaning...

The story goes like this:

Under a the bright light of a new, full moon each month the silly farmer goes down the river foreshore and starts digging and scrounging around the mud like a crazy man. Each month at the same time a local fisherman passes him by and wonders what on earth this farmer is up to.

Filled with curiosity one month the fisherman lands his boat near the farmer, who is still madly scratching way in the mud, and says “Hello farmer, I’ve been seeing you here in the same spot for the past three full moons and I wondered what you’re doing here.”

“I lost my gold coin.” the farmer replies.

The fisherman nods and smiles. “Now I understand” he says. “I’ll help you look, and together we can find your gold coin.”

So together they dig and scrape in the mud, getting quite dirty, but still come no closer to finding the gold coin.

After about an hour they’ve managed to cover the whole area... And again, they’ve found nothing.

“We’ve found nothing here” the fisherman says, quite exasperated. “You’ve worked this area twice before, and together we’ve just dug everywhere all over. Are you certain that this is where you dropped your gold coin?”

“Oh no, I dropped my coin way over there near the water” the farmer replies as he points to a big rock in the shadows about ten metres away from where they were both standing.

Now the fisherman is standing there covered in smelly mud having just wasted an hour searching in vain for the famers’ gold coin. So he’s naturally a little puzzled and upset. “Then why do you keep looking here month after month?"

“Well” says the farmer, “I like it here, it’s nice and bright under the full moon. Plus I’m comfortable with soil and mud, I’m a farmer. I understand dirt and mud. Over there could be dangerous, it’s dark, it’s near the water, and I can’t swim... I’m nervous near water... I’m not a fisherman after all!”

So you might now be thinking what does this story have to do with you in your creative practice?

Well, think about yourself in your business. Where are you looking? Are you looking in the same places repeatedly because it’s safe and comfortable?

No matter how hard he looked, the farmer was never going to find his precious gold coin. The same applies to you in your business too.

No matter how much money you invest, or how much time you invest, you are never going to attract your ideal customers to your business unless you are looking for them where they really are.

Yes, you can stay where it’s bright and safe, doing the things you know and are comfortable with - Stay in your comfort zone - but that’s not going to change your circumstances.

If you are not good with marketing your business to your ideal clients then get out of your comfort zone and learn how. Or get someone else who is good at marketing to help you.

Start by mapping out where you think your ideal customers may be, and then you can decide on some your strategies to better attract them.

Want to learn more about marketing for your fashion & design business the ArtSHINE way?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Come along to the next “How to attract your ideal customer” workshop.

    E-mail Quantum Compass: ideacustomer@QuantumCompass.com.au  for details of the      

    next half day session near you.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: 

    www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2- Tale 6: Bore a Hole in the wall in Order to Get Some Light from the Neighour's House

My brothers and I first heard this tale when we were young children.

I still remember that day. We were all doing our homework and started to complain about  our text books being old. If we had brand new text books we decided, we would study harder. Thinking back, we were just little kids and we were very lucky that our parents provided all the  things we needed as we grew up.

"You are very fortunate to have text books and a nice home to live in. Unlike the scholar Kuang Heng who was so poor. He did not complain like you naughty ones." Mum said with disappointment.

"We are sorry mum." I said in a shamed tone.

"Who is the scholar Kuang Heng anyway?” my little brother asked curiously.

"Yeah mum, who is he? Is here famous?” I asked.

Mum sat next to us and started to tell us about Kuang Heng; a poor young man with clever ways of leveraging the things around him.

Here’s where the tale begins...

During the Western Han Dynasty (206BC - 25AD) there was a young boy named Kuang Heng. Kuang loved to read books, but his family was very poor and could not afford to buy any books for him. So at a young age, in order for him to continue to read more books, he found himself a job working for the rich families and asked for nothing but books in return.

As he grew the young man also needed to work hard to support his family. In the daytime he worked on the farm with little chance to read. This situation caused great concern to him as the only time left that he could read would be in the evening. His other concern was that he could not afford to buy the oil to light his lamp at night. These concerns were constantly playing in his mind and he kept trying to think of ways to get some light into his room so that he could read at night.

One summer evening, Kuang Heng was resting on the bed and reciting what he had read. Suddenly, he noticed a beam of light coming from the wall. He quickly got up and investigated. To his surprise, there was light emerging from the neighbour's home through a crack in the wall. He was so excited. His eyes lit up, and he said to himself "I’ve got an idea! I can leverage this light from the neighbours to do my reading. But first I need to widen the crack so there will be more light slipping through the crack in the wall".

So Kuang Heng used a little knife and bored a large crack in the wall. The minute he began to widen the crack the light grew brighter.

From then on Kuang Heng finished working in the fields to return every evening to leverage the emerging light  from the neighbours to do his reading.

With his hard work and dedication to his study Kuang Heng later became a well known Confucian scholar of the Western Han Period.

So what this tale really telling us?

My Mum used to tell this tale to us when we whinged about what we had and what we didn't have.

Mum wanted us to realised that we should be grateful for everything that we had, and we should not take things for granted. She encouraged us to look around and recognise all the things that we could be grateful for.

There was Kuang in a situation where he was so poor but never complained about anything. Instead he found solutions that helped him achieve his goals. He had a passion for reading, and was keen to study hard so that he could have a bright future. With focus, he achieved just that.

The moral behind to the story demonstrates to us how a person who works hard, works smart, and who knows how to apply leverage even under difficult or harsh conditions, can triumph.

Now, how does this apply to our Art & Design practice?

There are many ways to leverage that we can start to apply into our businesses. The first one is TIME.

Leveraging Time

In business, whether a new startup, or an existing business, you need to master the "art of leverage".

Sometimes (most times?) we feel like we don't have enough time in the day to do all the jobs we need to do to run a business.

In reality, you can't really manage time or control time. That’s because we've all been given the same 24 hours in a day. No more. No less.

When your 24 hours is gone, you’re given another 24 hours the next day. And so it goes...

The real secret to success is what you do with those 24 hours!

Once you master in leveraging time you can focus on the tasks that really matter, and those that make you happy. That way can head forward to complete your tasks and achieve your goals.

We’d also like to share with you the meaning of GRATITUDE.

The Power of Gratitude

Look around you. Look at where you are, and what you have. Being grateful for what you have, and showing gratitude is an important aspect in creating a successful Business Lifestyle.

It’s important to think about all the things that you have to be thankful for everyday, and to appreciate what you’ve got. Your family, supportive partner, friends.

When we thank others for their actions they immediately feel like doing more for us too.

Expressing gratitude calms the emotions. Expressing gratitude brings us into harmony. It’s good for the heart and for the soul.

Expressing gratitude opens so many doors to happiness, serenity, and good health.

Expressing gratitude is one of our tools for enhancing and increasing the good things in our lives.

So.

What are you grateful for?

Tune in next week tale " The Farmer & The Fisherman"

More Tales My Mother Told Me...

Volume 2:

Tale 1: Pulling Up the seedlings to help them grow
Tale 2: Grind an Iron Pestle into a Needle

Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.

Tale 4: Being Persistent

Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline

Tale 6: Bore a Hole in the wall in Order to Get Some Light from the  Neighour's House

Volume 1:

Tale 1: "When You Help One, You Help Thousands"

Tale 2: "Your Mind is Powerful"

Tale 3: "The Importance of Self Understanding"

Tale 4: "Being Compassionate"

Tale 5: "Finding the Inner Calmer In You"

Tale 6: "The Magic Pen"

Tale 7: "Here comes the Fair- Weather Friend"

Tale 8: "Confidence & Competence"

Tale 9:"Being Present"

Tale10: "Chicken scratches for what it gets"

Tale 11:"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done"
Tales12: "Frog In The Well"

Image:

Weigo

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2- Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline

This tale came about when my mother and I were watching a documentary on video one evening. The documentary was about a well known Chinese poet and writer named Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan’s poetry and essays were highly regarded across China during the South & North Dynasties.

Although Jiang Yan came from a very poor family that did not stop him from studying hard and following his passion to become a writer. In his time, Jiang Yan achieved fame as a poet as a young man. The people across the nation loved him and recognised his work everywhere. There was so much talk about his brilliant poetry.

By the time Jiang Yan had reached his middle age he was distracted by fame, wealth  and comfort. He felt that he could no longer produce works of quality as he once did as a young poet. At the time there were many rumours and theories put about why Jian’s ability to create had declined.

Chatting with my Mum after the documentary she told me the tale that she had heard as a  young girl about why Jiang Yan lost his creative spirit.

One sunny summer day Jiang Yan took a boat ride on the river near the Tangling Temple and fell into a deep sleep as the small boat slowly traveled down stream. As the sun danced and shimmered off the water Jiang Yan dreamt of two old friends. In the dream one of his friends demanded that Jiang return the roll of silk fabric that he had borrowed long ago.

“What does that mean Mum?” I asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Ah, my little one,” my mother explained. “In ancient times silk was regarded as a symbol of power and wealth. So by being asked to return the roll of silk he was being asked to give up all his influence and wealth.”

Mum continued telling her tale...

Then in the dream another of Jian’s friends made his demand. He wanted the return of a multi coloured brush that he had lent to Jiang in the days before Jiang achieved fame and fortune as a great poet.

“What does the pen symbolise Mum?” I asked.

“The pen symbolised his writing ability Little One.” Mum said.

I was reminded of this tale the other day.

So, what’s the moral behind this story?

It’s not as if Jiang Yan suddenly lost his talent to write and compose great poems. The truth  is that once he found fame and started to enjoy the lifestyle that this fame and fortune brought him he started to let go of his passion and moved his focus to other the other aspects of his life, like his official government job, and protecting his privileged position.

His creative passion, and composing great poems were no longer his priority as he no longer need them to earn his living. Bedsides that, he was proud to have achieved the great heights of his official career. It was another reason that he did not need to write any more.

I’m grateful to my mother for telling me this tale and reminding us about how we could lose sight of our own destiny if we don’t really know what we want from life. We could work hard to build a Business LifeStyle only to find that down the track we lose it through lack of focus.

Now let’s look at how we could apply the story into our Art & Design Practices:

•   Don’t fall for distractions & shinny objects (insert link).

•   Don’t get too comfortable. Remember to pay attention to the three critical areas in your Business LifeStyle:

•   Working On your Business

•   Working In your Business

•   Working Above your Business

•   Stay in touch with your passion and check in regularly to ensure that your passion is still in line with your business.

•   Whether you have a passion to create, or a business to run, the key to success is to nurture your talent, to establish clear goals. and to stay focused on those goals.

•   Whatever you do, keep your passion and business inspiring and interesting. Nothing kills a Business LifeStyle quicker than boredom.

More Tales My Mother Told Me...

Volume 2:

Tale 1: Pulling Up the seedlings to help them grow
Tale 2: Grind an Iron Pestle into a Needle

Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.

Tale 4: Being Persistent

Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline

Volume 1:

Tale 1: "When You Help One, You Help Thousands"

Tale 2: "Your Mind is Powerful"

Tale 3: "The Importance of Self Understanding"

Tale 4: "Being Compassionate"

Tale 5: "Finding the Inner Calmer In You"

Tale 6: "The Magic Pen"

Tale 7: "Here comes the Fair- Weather Friend"

Tale 8: "Confidence & Competence"

Tale 9:"Being Present"

Tale10: "Chicken scratches for what it gets"

Tale 11:"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done"
Tales12: "Frog In The Well"

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2. Tale 4: Being Persistent

Welcome to Tales my Mother told me volume 2:

Tale 4: Being Persistent

"To succeed, one must be creative, consistent, and persistent." ~ ArtSHINE

This idiom "Being Persistent" comes from a book called Family Instruction by Yu Jize

Back in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) there was a minister, Zenf Guofan who was very strict with his children's education.

One day he told his youngest son Seng Jize, "You should think carefully before talking and should never be too anxious to express your opinions."

He also advised his son to "Act like a gentleman, be calm, and avoid behaving like a child. When you are reading a book, always try to have a deep understanding of what it 's saying."

The minister expected that his son would act according to his guidance when come to study and work.

So the young boy remembered his father instructions, studied hard, and work diligently.

Over time, and with much practice, the young boy became an expert in essay writing.

The story provides us some lessons:

One should be persistent and hold onto one's goals when doing something, which will lead good results.

The same principle applies in our Art & Design practices too. Working smart, being consistent, and staying persistent will give you the results you desire.

There are times when we’re faced with hardships in life and in business and sometimes we felt like giving up is the easiest way out don't we.  Just remember this, no matter how bad things are, don’t ever give up. When you throw in the white towel without  searching for every option and possibility, you’re selling yourself short. Explore all the options and get help where possible.  Trust yourself and believe in yourself. Know that you can accomplish your goals with persistence and consistency.

Promise yourself that today, tomorrow, next week, or next month… You’ll Never Give Up!

More Tales My Mother Told Me...

Volume 2:

Tale 1: Pulling Up the seedlings to help them grow
Tale 2: Grind an Iron Pestle into a Needle

Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.

Tale 4: Being Persistent

Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline

Volume 1:

Tale 1: "When You Help One, You Help Thousands"

Tale 2: "Your Mind is Powerful"

Tale 3: "The Importance of Self Understanding"

Tale 4: "Being Compassionate"

Tale 5: "Finding the Inner Calmer In You"

Tale 6: "The Magic Pen"

Tale 7: "Here comes the Fair- Weather Friend"

Tale 8: "Confidence & Competence"

Tale 9:"Being Present"

Tale10: "Chicken scratches for what it gets"

Tale 11:"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done"
Tales12: "Frog In The Well"

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2- Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.

This tale "Talking about army on paper"  is an interesting story. I remember a day, when we had a visitor; my Uncle Chau who came to visit. I had always respected and admired my Uncle Chau. Each time he came to see us I loved to hang around with him and listen to his conversations with Mum and Dad. Uncle Chau would stay with us for hours and talk virtually non stop about everything you could think of. He’s wealth of knowledge was inspiring.

So after his visit on this particular day I said to my Mum "Wow, Uncle Chau is such wise man. He knows everything. He seems to have all the answers."

Mum just smiled and gave me one of her special looks.

"Well Mum, isn't he smart?" I asked.

"Yes he is my little one, your Uncle Chau is a typical example of "Talking about army on paper. Your Auntie and our families are all hoping that your Uncle uses his knowledge to do great things  and to apply it to real life. He’s a smart man, but unfortunately he just loves to talk but he’s not prepared to walk the walk.” she said. “Now do you remember the story I told you about the son of General Zhao She?."

"Of course I remember Mum" I said with enthusiasm.

So here’s a summary of the story; "Talking about army on paper."

Back in the olden times in China, there was a general named Zhao She who was known for his warfare strategies. He was a hands on type of leader, had fought many victorious battles and gained his knowledge and experience from the battlefield. General Zhao She had a son named Zhao Kuo who looked up to him and wanted to become a well known general just like his father.

As a child Zhao Kuo started to read books about the art of war. When ever he attended functions he loved to recite passages from these books about military strategy and tactics. He also loved to espouse about the process of commanding army troops. He really impressed all his peers with his wealth of knowledge about warfare. He also particularly impressed his own mother who was so proud of him and thought that he would make a great general just like her husband one day.

General Zhou She on the other hand did not think so. He had great concerns about his own son's arrogance and that he was ‘all talk and no substance’. The General did not think his son would be a good fit as a general. General Zhou She explained to his wife why he thought their son would not be an ideal general and specifically told his wife to make sure Zhao Kuo would not become a general.

To cut a long story short, when General Zhao She passed away the King summoned Zhao Kuo to take his father’s place as a general and ordered him to lead one thousand troops to fight the enemy.

Mrs Zhao begged the King to change his mind and told the King that her son only can talk about the army on paper and had no real life experiences to lead an army. The King was adamant. His decision was made, and Zhoa Kuo had no choice but to accept the role.

General Zhou Kuo marched off to war at the head of his thousand man army. And as his father has anticipated because of Zhou Kuo’s, over confidence, and inexperience as a leader made bad decision after bad decision, all good on paper, but ultimately resulting in an awful defeat, with the needless loss of so many lives, including that of the young General himself.

So what can we learn from this tale, and how can we ensure we don't follow Zhao Kuo's path?

Here are some of the points to consider when you’re running your Art & Design practice:

• Under Promise. Over Deliver - When a business under promises and over delivers it means that you set the expectations low and then you exceed those expectations. Over promising and routinely failing to live up to expectations can make a business look stupid, especially when it’s the business itself that sets those expectations. By managing customer expectations and then by routinely exceeding those expectations, a business will develop a solid reputation.

• Walk your talk - When a business makes ambitious claims or promises and then fails to meet those claims, customers will remember the unpleasant experiences and will have less trust in that business. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it.
• Be the authentic YOU -  Know who you are and what you stand for. Don't try to be like somebody else. Stop pretending that you know how to do a job when you only know the theory of how to do it. Be realistic with your commitments. Be honest with the people you are dealing with.
• Knowledge is not power- Having great knowledge is a great thing to have, however, you need to apply it in real life. At ArtSHINE we call the people, the "collector". They love collecting information and  top up their knowledge but they won't take action or implement anything that they have learnt. There are people who have all the knowledge and don't know how or not prepare to apply it into their personal and business life. So, the only way to get thing done is by taking action. Knowledge isn't power, taking action with knowledge is power.

More Tales My Mother Told Me...

Volume 2:

Tale 1: Pulling Up the seedlings to help them grow
Tale 2: Grind an Iron Pestle into a Needle

Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.

Tale 4: Being Persistent

Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline

Volume 1:

Tale 1: "When You Help One, You Help Thousands"

Tale 2: "Your Mind is Powerful"

Tale 3: "The Importance of Self Understanding"

Tale 4: "Being Compassionate"

Tale 5: "Finding the Inner Calmer In You"

Tale 6: "The Magic Pen"

Tale 7: "Here comes the Fair- Weather Friend"

Tale 8: "Confidence & Competence"

Tale 9:"Being Present"

Tale10: "Chicken scratches for what it gets"

Tale 11:"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done"
Tales12: "Frog In The Well"