We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don’t send this to at least 8 people….Who cares?

George Carlin

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If we are given unlimited resources to solve a problem then we can always come up with something - and often it is expensive and over-engineered. When we have to use the limited set of resources contained in the problem and its immediate environment then we are forced to be more creative - and very often the result is a solution that is elegant, inexpensive and effective. Using the tunnel is a prime example.

When Hiram Maxim went pigeon shooting he noticed two problems. One was the strong recoil of the rifle into his shoulder. The second was that he had to stop to reload the gun. He wondered if it was possible to use one problem to solve the other and by doing so he invented the machine gun.

At the end of the first Gulf War fires were raging out of control in the Kuwaiti oil refineries. What could be used to put them out? One answer might have been sand. But a better solution was found. The pipelines that were normally used to pump oil from the refineries were used to pump water to the refineries. By using an existing resource and reversing the flow the problem was overcome.

Engineers are accustomed to working in very constrained conditions. In the very early Volkswagen Beetle car there was a problem of how to provide the power needed for the windscreen washer. The ingenious solution that the engineers came up with was to use the air pressure from the spare wheel (which was in the front of the car) to power the water jet.

But it is not just product engineers who can use internal resources in ingenious ways. In 2005 the IRA pulled off a major robbery at the Northern Bank in Belfast - they got away with £25m in banknotes. How could the authorities catch the criminals or stop them using the proceeds of their crime?

They came up with a clever idea using one of the resources within the problem - the stolen banknotes. They changed the currency in Northern Ireland and reprinted all bank notes. Anyone holding old bank notes had to bring them in to be changed - and that is a big problem if you are holding millions of stolen banknotes.

So how can you use this approach in your problem solving?

One of the methods taught in Systematic Inventive Thinking is to break the problem down into a chain of unwanted effects. Now consider in turn each element in the problem or its environment and say to yourself - this element can be adapted to stop one of the unwanted effects and to break the chain. Then come up with ideas.

By rigorously and imaginatively applying this technique you will often find an inventive solution.

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In the beginning , she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel the movements of the water. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and to reward him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dogs at home helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly , after only 6 months , like a miracle , Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow , he can now walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now.

No matter where he goes , he just attracts all the people around him.  

He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared in various newspapers and TV shows.

 There is even one book entitled ‘With a little faith’ being published about him.

He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching job and plans to take him around the world to preach, ‘that even without a perfect body , one can have a perfect soul.’

 What almost killed ‘Faith’ has now become what has made him world famous!

 Perhaps this message will bring fresh new way to think about your situation!

Life is the continual demonstration of the power of and having faith.

Remember… what doesn’t kill you will build you!

 Have FAITH!

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1. It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting

2. It is a major component of acid rain

3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state

4. Accidental inhalation can kill you

5. It contributes to erosion

6. It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes

7. It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer

Conclusion:

He asked fifty people if they supported a ban of the chemical.

Excitedly forty-three said yes to the ban of “dihydrogen monoxide”

A total of six were undecided…

Only one knew that the chemical, “dihydrogen monoxide” was water.

The title of his prize-winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?”

The student felt that the conclusion is obvious.

You better start asking questions!

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-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit - Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

Its often hard to believe that so many of the traditions of our culture come from times of oppression. 

Now you know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol…

So there is your history lesson for the day.

Casey Combden

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He knows that if you keep asking questions you can keep finding better answers.

When Greg Dyke became Director-General of the BBC in 2000 he went to every major location and assembled the staff. They came expecting a long presentation. He simply sat down with them and asked a question:

‘What is the one thing I should do to make things better for you?’

Then he listened. He followed this with another question:

‘What is the one thing I should do to make things better for our viewers and listeners?’

He knew that at that early stage he could learn more from his employees than they could from him. The workers at the BBC had many wonderful ideas that they were keen to share. The fact that the new boss took time to question and then listen earned him enormous respect.

From the 70’s TV show, Columbo solved his mysteries by asking many questions; as do all the great detectives - in real life as well as fiction.

 All the great inventors and scientists asked questions. Isaac Newton asked:

‘Why does an apple fall from a tree?’ and, ‘Why does the moon not fall into the Earth?’

Charles Darwin asked, ‘Why do the Galapagos islands have so many species not found elsewhere?’

Albert Einstein asked, ‘What would the Universe look like if I rode through it on a beam of light?’

By asking these kinds of fundamental questions they were able to start the process that led to their tremendous breakthroughs.

The great philosophers spend their whole lives asking deep questions about the meaning of life, morality, truth and so on. We do not have to be quite so contemplative but we should nonetheless ask the deep questions about the situations we face. It is the best way to get the information we need to make informed decisions.

If it is obvious that asking questions is such a powerful way of learning, then why do we stop asking questions?

For some people the reason is that they are lazy. They assume they know all the main things they need to know and they do not bother to ask more. They cling to their beliefs and remain certain in their assumptions - yet they often end up looking foolish.

Other people are afraid that by asking questions they will look weak, ignorant or unsure. They like to give the impression that they are decisive and in command of the relevant issues. They fear that asking questions might introduce uncertainty or show them in a poor light. In fact asking questions is a sign of strength and intelligence - not a sign of weakness or uncertainty.

Great leaders constantly ask questions and are well aware that they do not have all the answers.

Finally, some people are in such a hurry to get with things that they do not stop to ask questions because it might slow them down. They risk rushing headlong into the wrong actions.

At school, at home, in business, with our friends, family, colleagues, customers or managers, we can check assumptions and gain a better appreciation of the issues by first asking questions. Start with very basic, broad questions then move to more specific areas to clarify your understanding. Open questions are excellent - they give the other person or people chance to give broad answers and they open up matters. Examples of open questions are:

What business are we really in?

What is our added value in this business?

Why do you think this has happened?

What are all the things that might have caused this problem?

How can we reduce customer complaints?

Why do you think he feels that way?

What other possibilities should we consider?

As we listen carefully to the answers, we formulate further questions.

When someone gives an answer we can often ask, ‘Why?’ The temptation is to plunge in with our opinions, responses, conclusions or proposals. The better approach is keep asking questions to deepen our comprehension of the issues before making up our mind. Once we have mapped out the main points we can use closed questions to get specific information.

Closed questions give the respondent a limited choice of responses - often just yes or no. Examples of closed questions are:

When did this happen?

Was he angry?

Where is the shipment right now?

Did you authorise the payment?

What’s the best possible solution to this challenge?

Would you like to go to the cinema with me on Saturday evening?

By giving the other person a limited choice of responses we get specific information and deliberately move the conversation forward in a particular direction.

Asking many questions is very effective but it can make you appear to be inquisitorial and intrusive. So it is important to ask questions in a friendly and non-threatening way. Do not ask accusing questions.

‘What do you think happened?’ will probably get a better response than, ‘Are you responsible for this disaster?’

Try to pose each question in an innocent way and ensure that your body language is relaxed and amicable. Do not jab your finger or lean forward as you as put your requests.

Practise asking more questions in your everyday conversations. Instead of telling someone something, ask them a question.

Intelligent questions stimulate, provoke, inform and inspire. Questions help us to teach as well as to learn.

I have a question… What do you think?

 Casey Combden

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