The key to a joyful life

                               The key to a joyful life



      Two students went to a wise, scholarly teacher to learn the secret of success and joy in life. Before undertaking the teaching, the teacher wanted to to test the mental alertness and readiness of the students. So, he gave a small gift of flower seeds to each of them, asked them them to grow, cultivate and bring their pot of flowers after six months. Six months over, both reported to the master with their pot of flowers. The first student’s pot had three flowers only. He accounted for this that when he planted the seeds, half of the seeds were eaten away by the ants in the soil. There was no rain at all. While budding, insects ate away the flowers whatever grown. So, he could save and get only three flowers.
The other student’s pot was full of healthy flowers. On being asked about the cause of the same, he replied thus, “ I looked at the seeds you gave and developed a love for them. I put proper soil in a clean pot, planted the seeds with love, and watered with care. I took care to take out the weeds, protected them from extreme heat and cold. When the plant grew, I felt happy and prayed. When the buds appeared, a sense of gratitude and achievement overwhelmed me. When the first flower bloomed, its fragrance, structure and texture  transported me into a world of unique joy, unknown, unexperienced until then. I looked at it with a smile. Daily I would go and look at it with love and care like a child. It seems that the happy plant also reciprocated its feelings, expressing its smile in the form of bountiful flowers. That is why I could bring this pot full of flowers.
Then the teacher explained to them, “ you should develop a mind to love both animate and inanimate objects equally. Such people will find joy in everything, anywhere, at anytime. If you quietly observe natural things like a flower, a leaf, a fly, a dog or simply the grain of a piece of wood and marvel at their color, texture and other specialities in each of them, you cannot but admire at the unique craftmanship and wisdom of the creator by whom these masterpieces have been brought into being. Cultivate the mindset of a master craftsman. Think deeply about what you are doing .What you are really trying to achieve.Do the best as you can. Mistakes do occur. Take them as lessons only. Whatever we get in life, we should feel grateful for that. We should live life with faith and joy.
The wiseman, is a life-long learner and a student of human nature, always thirsting for the insights and understanding that leads to joy and success. He builds up a valuable store of useful knowledge and appliies it.
This is the first and basic lesson to be learnt for finding success and joy in every sphere of life.”