A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo, he was given an audience with the sensei. “What do you wish from me?” the master of the zen martial arts academy asked. “I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy said. “How long must I train?” “Ten years at least,” the master replied. “Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?” “Twenty years,” replied the master. “Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all of my effort?” “Thirty years,” was the master’s reply. “How is it that every time I tell you I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” said the boy. “The answer is clear. When you have one eye fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the way.”
Y ou may never look at a cup of coffee the same way again! A young woman told her mother how difficult things were for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and felt like giving up. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. Soon the water started boiling. In the first pot, she placed carrots. In the second, she put eggs. And in the third, she placed coffee beans. She let them sit and boil. In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them on a plate. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “What do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” her daughter replied. Her mother handed her some carrots. They were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed that the egg was now hard boiled. Then the mother asked the daugh...