Page 121 - YOU CAN WIN - SHIV KHERA

RokZRooM Special ! You Can Win by Shiv Khera

There were two childhood buddies who went through school and college and even joined
the army together. War broke out and they were fighting in the same unit. One night they
were ambushed. Bullets were flying all over and out of the darkness came a voice,
"Harry, please come and help me." Harry immediately recognized the voice of his
childhood buddy, Bill. He asked the captain if he could go. The captain said, "No, I can't
let you go, I am already short-handed and I cannot afford to lose one more person.
Besides, the way Bill sounds he is not going to make it." Harry kept quiet. Again the voice
came, "Harry, please come and help me." Harry sat quietly because the captain had
refused earlier. Again and again the voice came. Harry couldn't contain himself any
longer and told the captain, "Captain, this is my childhood buddy. I have to go and help."
The captain reluctantly let him go. Harry crawled through the darkness and dragged Bill
back into the trench. They found that Bill was dead. Now the captain got angry and
shouted at Harry, "Didn't I tell you he was not going to make it? He is dead, you could
have been killed and I could have lost a hand. That was a mistake." Harry replied,
"Captain, I did the right thing. When I reached Bill he was still alive and his last words
were 'Harry, I knew you would come."'

Good relationships are hard to find and once developed should be nurtured.
We are often told: Live your dream. But you cannot live your dream at the expense of
others. People who do so are unscrupulous. We need to make personal sacrifices for our
family, friends, and those we care about and who depend on us.

Step 18: Avoid Bearing Grudges. Forgive and Forget

Don't be a garbage collector. Have you heard the phrase I can forgive but I can't forget?
When a person refuses to forgive, he is locking doors that some day he might need to
open. When we hold grudges and harbor resentment, who are we hurting the most?
Ourselves.

Jim and Jerry were childhood friends but for whatever reasons, the relationship fell apart
and they hadn't spoken for 25 years. Jerry was on his deathbed and didn't want to enter
eternity with a heavy heart. So he called Jim, apologized and said, "Let's forgive each
other and be done for the past." Jim thought it was a good idea and decided to visit
Jerry at the hospital.
They caught up on 25 years, patched up their differences and spent a couple of hours
together. As Jim was leaving, Jerry shouted from behind, "Jim, just in case I don't die;
remember, this forgiveness doesn't count." Life is too short to hold grudges. It is not
worth it.

Shame on Me

While it is not worth holding grudges, it doesn't make sense to be bitten time and again. It
is well said, "You cheat me once, shame on you; you cheat me twice, shame on me."
John Kennedy once said, "Forgive the other person but don't forget their name." I am
sure that his message was that one should not get cheated twice.

Step 19: Practice Honesty, Integrity, and Sincerity

Sometimes the brightness of truth does not enlighten but blinds the evil.

121 of 177