男孩, 屠夫, 小豬

一個小男孩有一個好朋友，小男孩從小就跟這個好朋友每天形影不離，這個好朋友是一隻小豬。

而這個小男孩的爸爸是個以殺豬為生的屠夫，小豬養大了，有一天會是爸爸要屠宰的對象。

小男孩一直很怕小豬長大，他怕失去最要好的朋友。

可是，小男孩不知道的是──爸爸也快死了，因為爸爸得了癌症，醫生告訴爸爸只剩半年的時間可活了。

爸爸還是每天靜靜的工作，他想只剩半年了，更要好好工作，多賺點錢留給兒子過日子。

「除了錢之外呢？孩子，我還應該留給你什麼呢？」爸爸這樣想著。

爸爸告訴小男孩：「再過一陣子，我要殺你的那隻小豬了，到時候，請你當我的助手，在一旁幫我。」小男孩不只悲傷，還很生氣。他想：「爸爸真過分！真殘忍！」爸爸依然每天工作、殺豬。

小男孩對小豬很不捨，全心全意珍惜跟小豬相處的每一天，也因為對爸爸的不諒解，小男孩要求自己要更堅強面對這一切，他不願在爸爸面前示弱。

到了該殺小豬的那一天了.......爸爸沒有殺小豬，因為爸爸在那一天死了。

小男孩靜靜的流眼淚，他終於了解爸爸的心意了。

小男孩沒有嚎啕大哭，因為他對「失去」一直有準備，現在他更知道──爸爸要他一直有這種準備。每個父母都愛孩子，愛的方式通常只想到「保護孩子、給孩子快樂、讓孩子得到很多」。

但是，人生不只是一直得到的吧？我們還要面對很多「失去」。大一點的失去，是像那個小男孩一樣，失去至親；小一點的失去，有可能是丟掉一個心愛的玩具，或是一個好朋友搬家、轉學。

這些不都是孩子每天都在面對的嗎？怎麼能不教呢？怕孩子被綁架，最好的保護不是一天二十四小時跟著他，而是教他遇到狀況時如何自保；怕孩子生病，不要將他關在無菌室，而是教他懂得自我保健，萬一生病了，又該如何自救；怕孩子跌倒受傷，更要教他如何讓自己避免跌倒，萬一跌倒了，自己又該如何處理.....愈是愛孩子，愈要想：「如果有一天我不在他身邊時，我該留什麼給他？」讓孩子學會面對「失去」、面對不那麼完美的人生、有能力安慰自己，我想是必要的。


笑遊人間的話：

現今的社會，很多的家庭只生一個小孩，每個小孩寶貝的像什麼似的，父母親都希望給小孩最好的，讓小孩從小就無煩無腦的長大，要什麼有什麼，這點是出自父母的愛心，並沒有錯。而這個故事的內容裡卻給了人一個蠻大的省思…當為人父母的給了小孩那麼的多東西時，是否亦給了他人生中最重要的東西「經的起挫折，自己跌倒了有辦法自己爬起來」一個人生活在無煩腦，要什麼有什麼，從小到大一帆風順，那此人的抗壓性必定比較弱，較經不起失敗。所以古人說：「人生三不幸，為首者便是少年得意」，人在年輕時多吃些苦、受些磨練，這都將成為未來在商場上、職場上，面臨那些風風雨雨與挫折的一個基礎磨練，磨練的愈多則成就愈大。

珍惜

美麗的東西其實不需要珍藏 ,而是要珍惜.生活裏那些美麗的東西其實不需要珍藏,婚姻中亦是。

女友打來電話,說她前一段日子出了車禍,現在正在家靜養,問我有沒有時間去看看她。放下電話,我急忙往江那邊趕。開門的是她的先生,女友坐在客廳沙發上,腿上蓋了條毛毯。見我進來抱歉地笑笑:沒去接你,我站不起來了。我大驚。毯子拿掉,露出她長短不一的雙腿。我頓時呆住了。怎麼會這樣？女友說:在高速公路上被一輛失控的大卡車給撞的。女友拍拍身邊的沙發讓我坐下,待我擦了眼淚,她叫先生把輪椅推過來。看見嶄新的輪椅心裏又是一痛,看著女友的先生把她抱上輪椅,感覺真是觸目驚心,她曾經有多美的一雙腿啊!女友讓我推她進了臥室,指著衣櫥讓我打開。

我上前打開,裏面是一件漂亮的象牙白吊帶裙,裙長及膝,兩條纖細的吊帶中間隨意搭著條透明的銀灰色真絲長披肩,上面用銀絲繡著柳葉圖案,標明價格的商標小吊牌還掛在上面。女友讓我把裙子和披肩都取下來,拿在手裏細細地撫摸,比在身上給我看:好看嗎？我的鼻子酸酸的:真好看!女友把裙子疊好遞到我手上:送給你。
我連忙擺手。女友低著頭:你想我以後還用得著嗎？一句話,兩人又迸出眼淚。
女友又拿出個白色的鞋盒,打開來是雙漂亮的白色六英寸高跟鞋,她說:這鞋和裙子是配對的。我點點頭:真漂亮!女友的眼睛深深地看著窗外,過了一會兒才轉過頭來,無比傷感地慢慢對我說:你知道,當我發現我以後永遠是現在這樣,心裏最遺憾的是什麼？
我最遺憾的是我再也不能穿漂亮的裙子了。
我知道我的腿很長很美,尤其穿這種露著小腿的裙子更好看。
我有很多漂亮的裙子,車禍後我都送人了。
只是這一件是我最喜歡的,我一直珍藏著捨不得穿,總想要等到一個最特別的日子,一個與眾不同的日子和場合,但好像日子每一天都很平常都不特別,我也就永遠失去了穿它的機會。她停了一下,拉過我的手:現在我知道美麗的東西永遠也不要去珍藏,不要珍藏著去等待不確定的特別的日子。

從女友家出來,天已經很晚。我懷抱著這件美麗昂貴的裙子、披肩、皮鞋坐在車裏,腦子裏女友傷殘的雙腿和美麗的裙子交疊在一起不停地閃現,心痛到抽搐成一團那些"重要的日子"、"特別的日子"也許將來還會出現在她的生活裏,但漂亮的露著小腿的裙子和美麗的六英寸高跟鞋已經不存在於她的字典裏了。

其實,生活裏我們不是常常把那些自認為最美麗最珍貴的物和事都細心收藏,總想要等到一個重要的場合、一個合適的時候、一個特別的機會才肯拿出來展示？

回到家,先生還在邊看電視邊等我。去臥室換上裙子、鞋子、披肩出來,先生眼睛一亮:天啊!你真漂亮!這些東西都是哪里買的？我搖搖頭,對他說是女友送的,因為她再也不能穿裙子了,因為她沒有腿了。先生的眼睛黯淡下去,拉我坐下拿過裙子看著上面的標籤說:怎麼回事？這是三年前買的,但裙子還是新的。我的淚又湧出來:她買了好久,她以為總有一天她會穿上,她一直在等一個特別的日子......先生摟過我,撫著我的頭髮:那個特別的日子從來沒有來,是嗎？

第二天早上起,先生已經在廚房裏忙碌,當我睡眼蒙目龍地走進廚房,看到餐臺上擺放著早餐,裝早餐的是幾只象牙瓷的盤子,那是兩年前我在一次展銷會上買的一套餐具,盤子表面的光澤非常細膩,周邊點綴著紅的草莓和細小的綠葉。

這會兒裏面盛著只黃白的荷包蛋,非常好看。我知道先生一直不讓我拿出來用,怕失手砸碎了再也配不成一套,他常說將來有一天搬了大房子需要請客的時候七零八落的不好看。今天早上不知道他幾點鐘起的床,用了多久才把這套收藏在儲藏室的碟子找出來。吃完早餐,我搬了張凳子去開一排吊櫃的門,那裏收藏著整套各式各樣的從買回來後就束之高閣的雕花水晶玻璃酒杯。那是我陸陸續續買回來的,有的只在過年請客時用過一兩次,有的從來沒用過。每次用完都趕緊收起來,怕被孩子打碎,總想等孩子長大到不會失手打碎的年齡再拿出來用的,但我發現我一直都覺得他會打碎,不管他是2歲還是12歲。所以這些美麗的食具、酒具平時是絕不擺上我們家的餐桌。現在我把它們通通搬上餐桌,我不要再等到不確定的某個特別的、不平凡的日子。
那些美麗的東西,我現在隨時都要看到。

中午先生和孩子去了電子城,我坐下來給先生寫一張生日卡片,儘管他的生日已經過去一周了。以前我每次想寫封信給他,表達一下濃郁的情意,感謝他對我這麼多年的寵愛和包容,我甚至想讓他知道我很佩服他很愛他,但每次總是告訴自己不用著急。下一次下一個生日還會來,我甚至想,或者到兩個人都老得走不動了的時候再寫給他也不晚。現在我知道並不是所有的"明天"都會一如既往地站在前面等我,我必須把我對他的那些愛與感激隨時告訴他。我還打電話給一家影城,告訴他們我要訂三張週末的«哈利·波特»的電影票,兒子說過很多次想讓我陪他去看他喜歡的一些電影,但我總覺得自己很忙,抽不出時間陪他去看那些兒童電影,往往要他等,等到天氣好的時候,心情好的時候,等到我有時間的時候。一拖再拖,拖到所有的電影院都放過一遍了,那個"天時地利人和"的時間總也還沒到來。而孩子已經快到了不需要我陪著看電影的年齡,想到突然有一天他就會長大離家,只留給我一個匆匆的背影和永久的遺憾--我錯過了陪他看電影聊電影的樂趣,這個樂趣再也不會回來了。晚上看電視的時候,先生拿出了一疊售樓宣傳單,每一張上面都印著精美的圖片,先生把它們放在我面前說:來,挑一處你喜歡的房子。我看看先生,他以前從來不會把這種東西帶回家的,也反對我帶回來。
他一向認為自己有房子再買房子是增加無謂的開支。這時他坐在沙發上,把其中一張挑出來給我看:這處不錯,離東湖很近,在自己家裏就可以看到湖水,院子裏有網球場和游泳池,有大片的草坪和鮮花.......我們可以先付首期,剩下的向銀行貸款,那樣我們可以住到全家人都喜歡的地方去,你累了可以去樓下打球游泳,孩子也可以在院子裏滑旱冰......

我看著他:你不是說單位裏會有福利分房嗎？先生說:不等了。一來不知道要等多少年;二來就算等到了,房子也不一定是好的。。。。

朋友。。要珍惜每一天哦!

你那最初的心還在嗎 ?

(一個平凡的小故事，給人的震撼卻無法形容)

有個老魔鬼看到人間的生活過得太幸福了，他說：「我們要去擾亂一下，要不然魔鬼就不存在了。」

他先派了一個小魔鬼去擾亂一個農夫。因為他看到那農夫每天辛勤地工作，可是所得卻少得可憐，但他還是那麼快樂，非常知足。

小魔鬼就開始想，要怎樣才能把農夫變壞呢？他就把農夫的田地變得很硬，讓農夫知難而退。 那農夫敲半天，做得好辛苦，但他只是休息一下，還是繼續敲，沒有一點抱怨。小魔鬼看到計策失敗，只好摸摸鼻子回去了。

老魔鬼又派了第二個去。第二個小魔鬼想，既然讓他更加辛苦也沒有用，那就拿走他所擁有的東西吧！ 那小魔鬼就把他午餐的麵包跟水偷走，他想，農夫做得那麼辛苦，又累又餓，卻連麵包跟水都不見了，這下子他一定會暴跳如雷！

農夫又渴又餓地到樹下休息，想不到麵包跟水都不見了！「不曉得是哪個可憐的人比我更需要那塊麵包跟水？ 如果這些東西就能讓他得溫飽的話，那就好了。」又失敗了，小魔鬼又棄甲而逃。

老魔鬼覺得奇怪，難道沒有任何辦法能使這農夫變壞？就在這時第三個小魔鬼出來了。 他對老魔鬼講：「我有辦法，一定能把他變壞。」

小魔鬼先去跟農夫做朋友，農夫很高興地和他作了朋友。因為魔鬼有預知的能力，他就告訴農夫，明年會有乾旱，教農夫把稻種在濕地上，農夫便照做。結果第二年別人沒有收成，只有農夫的收成滿坑滿谷，他就因此而富裕起來了。

小魔鬼又每年都對農夫說當年適合種什麼，三年下來，這農夫就變得非常富有。 他又教農夫把米拿去釀酒販賣，賺取更多的錢。慢慢地，農夫開始不工作了，靠著經濟販賣的方式，就能獲得大量金錢。

有一天，老魔鬼來了，小魔鬼就告訴老魔鬼說：「您看！我現在要展現我的成果。這農夫現在已經有豬的血液了。」只見農夫辦了個晚宴，所有富有的人都來參加；喝最好的酒，吃最精美的餐點，還有好多的僕人侍候。他們非常浪費地吃喝，衣裳零亂，醉得不省人事，開始變得像豬一樣癡肥愚蠢。

「您還會看到他身上有著狼的血液。」小魔鬼又說。這時，一個僕人端著葡萄酒出來，不小心跌了一跤。 農夫就開始罵他：「你做事這麼不小心！」「唉！主人，我們到現在都沒有吃飯，餓得渾身無力。」「事情沒有做完，你們怎麼可以吃飯！」

老魔鬼見了，高興地對小魔鬼說：「唉！你太了不起！你是怎麼辦到的？」小魔鬼說：「我只不過是讓他擁有比他需要的更多而已，這樣就可以引發他人性中的貪婪。」

心若改變，你的態度跟著改變；
態度改變，你的習慣跟著改變；
習慣改變，你的性格跟著改變；
性格改變，你的人生跟著改變。

第一次看到這個故事，當時只是抱著姑且看看的心態，但在看完後帶給人的震撼，卻絕不是筆墨可以表達、言語可以形容的，

這篇文章分享給每一個在為夢想努力奮鬥的你，提醒我們在努力追求夢想的同時，千萬不要忘了最初的本心。

When 24 Hours A Day Are Not Enough

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions. And if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else, the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about.

Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."

There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?

Now you have two choices.

1. You can send this page on and spread a positive message.

2. Or ignore it and pretend it never touched your heart.

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which -- To burn ..

Did I Marry The Right Person?

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said,” How do I know if I married the right person?"

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" In all seriousness, she answered, “How do you know?"

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind. Here's the answer.

Every relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies.

Falling in love with your spouse wasn’t hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience.

You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love… Because it's happening to you.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet." Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened to you.

Falling is love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of every relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does not lie outside your marriage.

It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn’t fall in love with someone else. You could. And temporarily you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because:

"THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND."

Sustaining love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll never just happen to you. You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression "the labor of love."

Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes wisdom. You have to know what to do to make your marriage work, make no mistake about it. Love is not a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship will make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable... you can "make" love.

Love in marriage is indeed a”decision"... Not just a feeling.

丁世燕的创业故事

一无所有未必是创业的障碍，没有眼光，没有勇气才是最可怕的事，一个女孩用她的经历验证了这一点。

　　这是一个令人称奇的创业故事:一个既没有技术、又没有资金、从乡下进城的打工妹，凭着自己精明的头脑，善于捕捉商机利用借鸡生蛋的高超经商之道，巧妙地发了财，在城里住上了大洋房，开起了小轿车，成了古城安阳最年轻的百万富翁。也许她那颇具传奇特色的创业经历，更能让那些在生意场上挣扎打拼的人们从中受到启迪。

鲜花铺路

　　丁世燕出生在河南省宜阳县的乡下农村。1998年初中毕业后，她在家里帮父母侍弄了一段田地。单调的农村生活令丁世燕感到非常失望。那时候，中央电视台正在播放《红旗渠的故事》，看完电视剧，丁世燕突发奇想，到安阳去看看红旗渠，然后再到北京去打工。她怀揣着父母亲给她凑的800元钱，兴冲冲地赶到古城安阳。谁知乐极生悲，她来到安阳的第二天，钱包就被偷了。那一刻，年仅16岁的丁世燕眼泪哗哗地流了下来，要知道在安阳她可是举目无亲，连一个认识的人都没有啊！想打电话向家里求援，可爸妈当初就不同意她到处乱跑，现在还不知道爸妈怎么训斥她呢。

　　回到10元钱一宿的旅馆，她一夜没睡，心里反复琢磨着下一步该怎么办。反正北京是去不成了，不如就先在安阳落个脚，找个包吃包住的地方。晨光大亮，丁世燕用仅剩的3元钱买了一份早点。吃饱了，人变得有精神了，就四处寻找哪里用人。

　　说来她的运气竟然出奇地好，当她找到一家鲜花店时，这家鲜花店正需要人手，于是女老板收留了她，管吃管住。而且还有500元钱工资。丁世燕心中说不出有多激动，从小就喜欢各种花花草草的她，如今终于能和花草打交道了。丁世燕不仅虚心向比她早来的姐妹们学习鲜花护理、插花艺术，而且还特别留心女老板的经营之道。

　　当时光进入2000年的时候，在安阳从事鲜花服务的店铺如雨后春笋般地在大街小巷冒出。各家鲜花店为了争取顾客竟相压价，曾经辉煌一时溢香鲜花店举步维艰。

　　2000年8月，花店倒闭了。没有领到分文工资的丁世燕并不想为难老板，因为当初在她流落安阳、身无分文的时候是女老板收留了她。

　　当天晚上，丁世燕躺在床上久久不能入睡，她想不通一个曾经如此辉煌的鲜花店，怎么说倒闭就倒闭了呢？这到底是什么原因？她想首先是市场饱和、供大于求，激烈竞争，造成了溢香鲜花店经营困难。其次是女老板铺得摊子过大，造成入不敷出。如果女老板能把花卉苗圃卖掉，直接去批发花木出售，最起码不至于亏损。如果再把鲜花店的8名服务员，换成钟点工，在生意忙时按点付酬，没有生意时放他们回家，岂不节约一大笔开支？如此一来，溢香鲜花店起死回生是不成问题的。想到这里，丁世燕感到非常兴奋。她当即找到女老板希望接手这个花店。女老板看丁世燕是个干事业的人，对她说：“我把店子转让给你，就等于给你付清了6个月拖欠的工资，祝愿你能成功。”

　　丁世燕接手鲜花店后，只留下了一个要好的姐妹给自己打工。她骑着一辆自行车，头顶烈日每天骑车上百公里，终于以较理想的价格郊区的一些鲜花种植基地谈妥了合作事项。事实证明，溢香鲜花店的客户资源确实是一笔不菲的财产，转眼到了国庆节，安阳市各大单位庆贺节日都要摆放鲜花装饰，以前与溢香建立合作关系的老客户，纷纷前来订货，丁世燕忙得不亦乐乎，她紧急招聘了10名钟点工，雇了6辆货车到市郊拉送鲜花，一个国庆节下来，她轻轻松松赚了1万多元。

　　2002年3月的一天，一位老顾客在买花木时抱怨说：“唉，这花好看是好看，就是不好养，在你们这里这花木都水灵灵的，可一到家没几天就蔫了。”说者无意，听者有心。丁世燕想：是啊，许多人都不懂得如何养花护花，一些很名贵的花卉由于买花人不懂得养护知识，买回家没多久就死了。如此一来，许多买花者的积极性受到了挫伤。何不为顾客提供“免费花木护理服务”呢？这样既解决了养花的后顾之忧，又能提高自身的竞争力。

　　想到就做。丁世燕随即又聘请了一位有经验的养花工，每天义务为溢香花店的客户提供免费花木护理。这一项措施推出后，受到了养花户的普遍欢迎，来她这买花的人一下子就多了起来，当月的营业额就翻了两番。

　　一年下来，她轻轻松松赢利7多万元。她私下算了一笔账：仅“溢香鲜花店”以前的客户资源就给她带来了4万多元收益。看来她当初“借鸡生蛋”这一着棋真是走对了。

2002年5月的一天，丁世燕办事途经安阳市制伞厂，看见厂门口许多职工在摆摊卖伞。五颜六色的雨伞撑满了街道两边，像一朵朵盛开的鲜花煞是好看。丁世燕禁不住看呆了，她还以为是伞厂在举办什么促销活动呢。上前一问情况，才听一位卖伞的大嫂叹着气说：“伞厂倒闭了，厂子里半年多时间没给工人发一分钱工资，没办法只好给每个工人发1000把雨伞，以每把2元的价格顶工资呢，你说这么多的雨伞让人上哪儿去卖呢!”这么漂亮的雨伞，才2元钱一把，在商场每把伞少说也得六七元，如果自己把这些雨伞倒卖出去肯定能大赚一笔。

　　她首先想到把雨伞批发给商场，可这些日常用品，各大商场早有固定的供货渠道，要能批发出去，还能轮到她这个门外汉吗？也许是福至心灵的缘故，“雨中送伞”这个古老的成语闯进了丁世燕的脑海。对，专在下雨的时候，把伞卖给那些没带雨具的人，肯定能行。想到这里，她禁不住为自己的想法叫好。她找到卖伞的大嫂，让她先送100把雨伞过来。随后的日子，丁世燕特别留心天气预报。

　　机会终于来了。2002年6月1日下午两点多钟，安阳的天气骤然突变。丁世燕不敢怠慢，赶紧穿上雨披，发动摩托车，戴着一大捆沉甸甸的雨伞，风驰电掣地向安阳市少儿游乐中心驶去。她心想今天是六一儿童节，许多家长带着孩子出来游玩，出来时天气晴朗，许多父母肯定想不起带雨伞。10分钟后，丁世燕来到儿童游乐园时，天空也霹雳啪啦地下起了雨点，一时间毫无准备的父母们带着孩子四处躲雨。正在他们惊慌失措的时候，丁世燕从容地打开了一把漂亮的雨伞叫卖起来，人们蜂涌而至围了个水泄不通。只是一眨眼功夫100把雨伞便被抢购一空，每把雨伞她卖了7元钱，前后不到一个小时的时间她就轻轻松松地赚了500元钱。

　　初试成功，于是她又进了1000把雨伞。雨伞进回来后，丁世燕一下子变成了个气象迷，每天到晚捧着个半导体收音机，时刻关注着安阳人民广播电台的《天气预报》节目。只要一听到天要下雨，心中就感到异常地兴奋。因为对她来说，老天爷下雨就等于在给她下钞票呢。

　　就在她进回1000把雨伞的第三天中午，她收听到安阳人民广播电台的天气预报:下午将有暴雨，丁世燕兴奋极了，她又紧急联系了4名钟点工，匆匆忙忙地叫来4名摩的司机，让他们每人带200把雨伞到安阳市纺织厂门口集合，可当他们兴冲冲地赶到纺织厂门口时，天丝毫没有要下雨的迹象。一直等到晚上6点多钟，天气仍然没有变化。丁世燕在心中暗叫倒霉，只好又费了好些力气将雨伞送回去。在采访时，丁世燕笑着告诉笔者：“也许对别人来说，商机或许是几周、几个月，而对于当时卖伞的我来说，商机只有短短的十几分钟，转瞬即逝。”

　　机遇总是垂青有准备的人，半个月后的一天，丁世燕终于恰到好处地逮住了一次下雨的机会，在安阳市纺织厂门口她用了短短半个多小时的时间，就将1000把雨伞卖了个干干净净，除去雇人雇车的成本，丁世燕赚了4200元钱。

　　从2002年6月到10月，短短4个月的时间里，丁世燕如法炮制，先后在安阳市机床厂、亚西亚商场、安阳市技工学校、新华书店门口卖出10000多把雨伞，净赚4万多元，她不仅为自己赚来了大把的钞票。

　　进入10月份以后，降雨量减少，卖雨伞赚钱这条道路已经走不通了，可是丁世燕已经养成了收听收音机的习惯。她的生活中已经离不开收音机了。令人万万没有想到的是，收听广播使丁世燕又发现了一条轻松赚钱的商机，说来真叫人眼红。

　　2002年10月份以来，一连一个多月，电台中午的保健节目让沈阳一家钙厂给包了。这是个热线节目，可是没有听众打进电话来，任凭伶牙俐齿的主持人说破嘴皮也无济于事，丁世燕着急了：“这不是浪费吗？浪费了厂家的广告费，也浪费了电台的时间，我得跟他们谈谈。”

　　丁世燕打通了厂家驻安阳办事处的电话，跟女经理谈了自己的想法，“你们厂的产品是适合中老年人的，可中年人中午在单位，老年人中午在午睡，他们都听不到你们的节目，所以没有人参与你们的节目……”

　　丁世燕的一席话让女经理茅塞顿开。女经理虚心请教，丁世燕帮她设计了几个广告方案。方案针对性强，效果非常好。事后，女经理执意把1000元的广告费送给她作酬费，丁世燕推辞不下，只好收了下来。她这样做是出于帮助人的善良动机，没想到这一善意之举会让她闯进广告领域，又赚来一笔令人眼馋的财富。

　　从那以后，半年多的时间里，丁世燕都在给一些厂家出主意，告诉他们去电台做广告如何才能既省钱又有好的效果。仅此一项，她每月的收入就高达3000多元。这下一传十，十传百，许多厂家都知道溢香花店年轻漂亮的女老板还是个很有实力的广告策划人，纷纷上门来让其出谋划策。丁世燕每月的广告收入3000、4000、5000元的速度递增，在安阳市广告界引起了巨大的震荡。

致富有方

　　2003年初，受非典病毒的影响，丁世燕的鲜花店门庭冷清，2个多月分文未进，花店面临关门歇业的困境。

　　10多名服务员也不能干坐着呀，总要找点事做才行。心急如焚的丁世燕首先发现药店发财了，卖口罩的也脱销了，自己做什么才能赚钱呢？丁世燕发觉那几天，从他花店门前走过的人，许多人都带着“出入证”。那时为了管理方便，安阳市几乎所有单位、企业、工厂、学校都要求职工佩带出入证。一时间，各个制作胸卡的打印店门庭若市。了解到这一信息后，丁世燕暗暗为自己没有及时捕捉到这条致富的商机而惋惜。

　　然而，就在她在痛惜不已的时候，一位从她身边走过的行人佩带的胸卡竟然掉在了她的面前，丁世燕叫住了那位行人将拾到的胸卡还给了她，那位行人道谢后说：“唉，这胸卡总夹不紧，如果能挂在脖子上该多方便啊。”说者无意，听者有心。丁世燕当时眼前一亮：对啊，安阳市这么多人戴胸卡，如果制作些胸卡套出售，一定是个不小的市场。

　　她立即赶到安阳市皮革厂联系制作胸卡套。经过半个多小时的洽谈，最终以一个胸卡套5角钱的价格谈成，一下子她订做了1万个。第二天下午，她带着花店的10多名员工来到安阳市最大的一家国营企业——安阳钢铁集团公司的门口出售胸卡套，下午3点正是该厂上下班的高峰期。丁世燕把12名员工分别安排在3个大门口出售胸卡套。也许是她的胸卡套正好解决了职工容易丢失胸卡的烦恼，职工们争相购买，一个胸卡套她只卖4元钱，前后一个小时，丁世燕带去的1万个胸卡套所剩无几，从制卡到销售仅一天时间，一个小小的胸卡套让丁世燕赚了 3万多元。那一刻丁世燕光奋得几乎要昏厥过去，即便天上下钞票也没有来得这么快呀。

　　丁世燕并没有被转眼到手的巨大财富冲昏头脑，事不宜迟她火速赶到了皮革厂又预定了10万个胸卡套，随后几天，她又紧急雇佣了100名钟点工在安阳市各大厂矿、学校、小区门口摆摊销售卡套。一星期后，她的10万个胸卡套销售一空。安阳市许多个体户见卖胸卡套市场火爆，纷纷订做销售，可惜偌大的市场几近饱和，他们订做的胸卡套大部分积压在了手中。这就是商业市场的游戏规则。

　　短短半个月的时间，一个小小的胸卡套，让丁世燕赚了30多万元，这简直就是一件不可思议的事情，可它却真实而又幸运地降临到了丁世燕的头上，她那善于捕捉商机的精明头脑，让我们在惊叹之余，怎不深受启发？

　　几年摸爬滚打下来，丁世燕从一个一贫如洗的打工妹，成了一个身家百万的大富翁。眼下腰包鼓涨的丁世燕正准备上补习班，她说物质丰富了，头脑也不能贫困呀。她打算今后一边学习，一边捕捉商机做生意。将来条件在成熟的时候，她还要自费进大学深造呢。

　　编者按：

　　看过本文，可能有读者会在惊讶主人公成功的同时，对其冠以“幸运儿”+“聪明”的评语。如果您真的那样想，就大错特错了。丁世燕的成功固然有其运气的成分，可敢想敢做、想到就做才是她创业成功的最大前提。读者经常会在创业的门槛上徘徊，不知如何入手，不知项目能不能成功，怕失败等等。在此我要说，创业从来具有风险，相对于以前的铁饭碗，更是极大的风险。如果不敢于尝试，或没有敢于尝试的条件，就不要妄谈创业。因此，敢想敢做是一个人创业成功的首要条件。

　　创业决不讲运气和聪明，因为运气不可能长久，聪明也只是认真思考的结果。而在多数情况下，创业者的智商相差并不大。丁世燕的成功，在于她的敢想敢做，在于她的勤奋和好学，在于她的肯吃苦不退缩，在于她熟识行业后的认真观察，在于她面对商机的认真思考……

　　创业成功外部因素固然重要，但最重要的仍是创业者本身。只有想成功的人才可能成功；只有有能力创业的人创业，才有可能收获财富。

Help Stop Violence In The Home

You can help stop violence in the home by:

• Learn about the issue and share your knowledge with family and friends.


• Pledge not to commit, condone or remain silent about violence.


• Be willing to listen to people experiencing violence.


• Assure the person the abuse is not their fault.


• Direct someone who is being abused to the support networks available. Eg. Women’s Aid Organisation, Malaysia at +603-79563488.


• Be a role model to the children in your life, by letting respect guide your words and actions.


• Speak out against sexism, racism, homophobia and other forms of abuse.

After the Date

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to dating. What works for some may backfire for others.

Some expert advise that girls should never make the first move, but in this modern day and age, I feel that girls are allowed to initiate the next date.

Drop your date an SMS on the same day, or the day after to thank him/ her for the great time you had, and maybe suggest a meet up soon.

But if you’re not interested in the person he/ she asks you out again, always be polite. The direct approach would be to tell the person that you’d prefer to stay friends so as not to lead him/ her on.

Or, if you’re for the gentler approach, decline his/her invitation by telling him/ her you are busy or already have other engagements. Most (although sadly not all) will get the message after a few turn downs.

During the Date

Don’t go to the date only intending to have a good time, go with the desire to give your date a good time.

Be sensitive to the cues your date will give you. You can easily gauge how comfortable the person is by observing his/her body language.

Don’t try to get too close too fast. On the first date, keep the same distance you would with a normal friend. However, it’s true that each person has a different comfort zone.

If he/she steps backward, or tilts his/her body away to create a distance between you, or crosses his/her arms to create a barrier, then you know you’re too close.

To show interest without intruding, bend your body towards the person when you’re conversing. By nodding your head, and tilting it slightly you indicate your interest in the conversation.

For guys, pay the girl a compliment now and then throughout the date. If she exposes the palms of her hands facing you, or twirls her hair around her fingers, she’s probably flirting with you.

For a girl, try mirroring your date’s body language and positions (femininely of course).

For conversation topics, seek to find common ground. Hobbies, passions, travel- just be sure to steer clear of the following: politics, religious, sex, ex-boyfriends/ ex-girlfriends. Much too heady for a first date!

Be positive on your first date. No one wants to go out with someone who is always whinging, whining and complaining.

Before the Date

Alright! You’ve got the date! Now what?

Pleasant and presentable is the way to go. Dress according to the occasion. If it’s a movie date, jeans and t-shirt for guys and jeans with a nice top for girls will do.

But if you’re going to a fine-dining restaurant, you may want to dress up slightly. Guys, ironed (not crumpled) shirts, and in my opinion, a pretty sundress for the girls does the trick.

When in doubt, remember it’s usually good to be over-dressed rather than underdressed.

Guys, please remember to comb your hair, trim your nose hair, shave and if you have tendency to sweat a lot, a dash of cologne or deodorant.

For the girls, please don’t overdo the perfume. French perfumer Annick Goutal, says,”Once it goes beyond your two-foot and three-foot personal space, perhaps you put on a bit more than you want to.” Just a whiff, dears, just a whiff.

If you’re using makeup, keep it light and fresh. Guys are generally put off by the caked-up, kabuki-mask look.

And be sensible, there’s a limit to suffering for beauty. Wear something comfortable, don’t wear stilettos if you’ll trip and fall flat on your face before you date knows you well enough to catch you!

If you’re little stressed out and butterflies have taken residence in your tummy, relax. It’s good sign! It means you’re excited to meet him/her, and you’ll be on your best behaviour. Try to give yourself an hour or two before the date where you’re not tied up with work, or rushing to your date from soccer match. This will give you time to calm yourself down, relax, and look forward to the date.

Try calling up a good friend for moral support as well.

Getting the date

Ask! If you don't, you'll never know!

If you're friends to start with, try casually mentioning a movie you really want to watch, and ask if he/she would like to join you.

But if you're not friend, it's a little risky to go out alone with someone hardly know, invite the person out with a group of your own friends, and get to know him/her well. Once you're friend, see above.

Girls, there's no reason why you should sit around waiting for a guy out! Most guys are probably relieved when the pressure is off them to make the first movie.

How to Date with Confidence?

College life, the activities, the increased freedom and the mad scramble to pair up.

“But how do I find a love if I have no love-life?” You moan, tossing your curls restlessly upon your pillow each night.

Well, the first step to obtaining a love life is to start dating. Now your parents allow you out unsupervised, it’s time to take that big step and begin dating!

Dating is a fun, but nerve-wracking experience. Will he like me, will I like her? What if I hate him and she stalks me? What if I love her and she hates me?

Or worst of all…… What if he/she thinks I'm icky?

The wisdom on how to date with confidence will be posted in this blog soon.

Stay Stress Free

Don’t let stress drive you up the wall. Here are some ways to distress:

1. Don’t take more work than you can cope.
2. Wherever possible, delegate or share your responsibilities with someone else so you can take the occasional breather.
3. Always tell yourself that thing could be worse.
4. Be thankful for small achievements and simple pleasures in life.
5. Do one activity a day that make you happy.
6. Do one thing a day that makes someone else happy- giving is as pleasurable as receiving.

The Blue Ribbon

A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her Seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told each of them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with old letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."

Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened."

Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favour? Would you take this extra one and pass it on by honoring somebody else. The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people.

That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says "Who I Am Makes a Difference" on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he wouldn't stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, Dad earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don't think I need it after all.

His father walked upstairs and found a heart felt letter full of anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed, "Mom and Dad." The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. The junior executive helped several other young people with career planning and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life...one being the boss's son. And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable lesson.

Who you are DOES make a difference?