Category Archives: Motivational Insights

Tribute To Lakshmi

Inspiration, Motivational Insights, Spirituality

The Temple Elephant

By Céline Théron

Lakshmi Is The Icon Of Her Town

Lakshmi, a female temple elephant in Puducherry, India, is world-famous. She has devotees and fans all over the world. Hundreds of the faithful, along with people of other religions, came to see Lakshmi or to get her blessings in the temple entrance.

I Love My Child, Lakshmi

I personally knew Lakshmi since she was seven years old. She was such a beautiful elephant. I used to give her fruits like bananas and guavas, and she would eat them with relish. She could recognize me from a distance. When I went to India several years later to see Lakshmi, she still remembered me. Sometimes I met her outside of the temple while she went for a walk with her mahout. It was amazing to have beside me such a majestic giant. She would look at me with eyes filled with love and she would wait patiently while I was talking with her mahout, Sakthivel, a nice person. A few years ago, I organized a grand celebration announced via TV news in which thousands of people attended. Lakshmi participated in that festival as an honored guest. Her presence made that event unique and memorable. Lakshmi was well known as Puducherry’s beloved child, and I consider Lakshmi as my precious and cherished own child. It’s a great sorrow thinking I can no longer see her joyfully balancing her trunk. It is very painful for me to write these lines about Lakshmi, because I had never thought she would leave so soon; she was only 32 years old. It was a shock when I heard about her sudden death by heart attack. Her last moment was recorded in outdoor CCTV camera footage. That day she went for a morning walk as usual, and then tragedy struck. It was heartbreaking to see her fall down unconscious and lose her life in a few seconds. Her passing was a great loss not only for me but for all India.

A Special Leader Is Born

The Last Journey of Lakshmi

Lakshmi Is God’s Gift To India

God Himself made Lakshmi exceptional. Asian female elephants don’t have a tusk. Only one female elephant among a thousand would have a tusk. Lakshmi is that one. She had a tusk much longer than other female elephants. Some people mistakenly took her for a bull elephant. She had the stature of a male elephant, and this combined with the sweetness of her nature to make her exceptional. All the Glory is to God who created such a divine creature.

You Can Shake The World With Gentleness

With her gentleness and love, Lakshmi touched the hearts of thousands of people all over the world.  People were so fond of her that they would touch her legs, tail and her back while she was on her way to the temple. Some elephants don’t like being touched and they would sometimes react defensively. As for Lakshmi, she was so soft, she had never hurt anyone even accidentally. Like a person, she would walk in the middle of the crowd, moving with it, not disturbing it. She showed special care and affection while blessing babies and children. Even if she was 32 years old, she would play as if she was still a child. If you had seen Lakshmi once, you would never forget her, because she made such an impact on people with her pure and unconditional love.

Who Will Cry When You Die ?

Lakshmi received the honor given to great leaders. Thousands and thousands, a human tide, followed behind Lakshmi’s funeral procession. They paid homage to her last journey with tears and flowers. Many human beings die without anyone knowing that they lived on Earth. Lakshmi lived in this world only 32 years, and even though she was an animal, she lived her life in such a way that she left her legacy on this planet. A memorial would be built in her honor. People even created a statue that represents Lakshmi. School children, and old people, as well as young ones, all went to see her statue to get her blessings as if she was still alive. Indeed, she will live in our hearts forever. Words are not enough to express my deep grief, gratitude and respect towards Lakshmi. I would simply say to my lovely child: I will never forget you! By your exceptional life you are an inspiration for us. Rest in peace with God, your Creator.

Glory to the Mother

Change, Motivational Insights, Success

‘Mother’’ is a pure term that comes from a child’s mouth and stays with him until his old age.

The Mother represents all the wealth of the world.

The tenderness of a mother does not see the age of her child. She will always regard him as the child she held on the first day he was born.

Her love is divine. Even if we have forgotten her on our days of joy, she is always present to share our suffering and wipe away our tears. She is a source of compassion.

Her generosity teaches us gratitude. She deprives herself of sleep to watch over us, and she forgets about herself, thinking only of us. Our debts to her can never fade away. Thus, her child’s thankfulness is the greatest touch to her soul.

‘‘The heart of a mother is a deep abyss, at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness’’, Honoré de Balzac. The forgiveness of a mother has no limit, as illustrated in this story of a mother and her son…

One day, the fiancée of a young man asks him to offer her the heart of his mother. To please his loved one, he kills his mother and carries her heart on a platter. On the way, the young man stumbles on a rock and falls. Then, the heart of his mother which is dripping blood, asks him: “My son, are you hurt?’’ Hence, a mother is willing to forgive everything.

She is like a candle burning itself to give light to others. What sacrifice would she not accept for her child? In return for all of her goodness, we can only offer her our thankfulness. Oh! Mother wherever you are, thank you!

She is our life. Thanks to her, we rejoice in the beauty of our earth. Even if the one that has given us this life has disappeared from our world, her memory remains engraved forever in our spirit.

For those who still possess this richness, give her glory as well as to the Creator for this gift!

How To Face Uncertainty

Change, Motivational Insights

The world is changing fast, the future seems uncertain, we are afraid of the future whether professionally or in our personal life. In your business, especially in the context of economic crisis, you may be worried about the productivity of your company or, perhaps, anxious about your job. In your personal life, you may fear for yourself having health issues, you may be afraid for your family or losing someone you love.

How do you explain that fear of something that has not yet happened?  Most of the time, your fear of the uncertain will make you imagine the worst. For example, when a person receives registered mail, they often fear it is bad news. Even though the fact that you perceive the negative side is the product of your imagination, the fear is very real.

Many people don’t feel secure if they don’t know exactly what will happen next. They want to control what is not actually in their control. They seek certainty. Maybe you are one of them.

Let me tell you that certainty doesn’t mean security and uncertainty does not equal unsafe. The more you embrace uncertainty, the better you’ll feel in your life. Here are 3 tips to help you to be less stressed and to keep your peace of mind when unexpected events come into your life.

Have Faith In Yourself

Self-confidence is the foundation of any success, it’s a resource in troubled times. When you face uncertainty, anxiety, fear and doubt may arise. In fact, faced  with unexpected events, you don’t have a clear vision and don’t yet know what is necessary to solve the problem. Similarly, you can’t see your face in blurry water. You seek certainty as a solution for your problems. If you are focused on your fears and doubts, you are held back and, ultimately , get stuck. Instead, a great confidence in yourself can help you to avoid depending on outside circumstances. The tragedies and adversities can come along in life, but you will have the strength to overcome them. Having self-confidence will help you to find solutions and move forward.

There Are No Guarantees In Life

Accepting that nothing is sure in life can help you to take measurable risks to achieve your objectives and realize your projects. Take risks! You may be uncomfortable at the thought of this suggestion because taking risks is often considered as something to avoid. Your family, friends or co-workers have probably told you what to do in order to not take risks.

If you are looking for guarantees, you’ll be disappointed; there are no guarantees in life. If you are a businessperson, you know that you should invest in the development of your company and spend time in your business even though you are not certain in advance of the outcome and the benefits. You can’t expect a profit without having the courage to take necessary risks to reach the intended goal. You never know the end of a situation at its beginning. Many men and women are looking for security in their work. They prefer to do a job they don’t like rather than taking the risk of walking away from it. Many of them end up being unemployed. Finally, not willing to take any risks becomes more risky.

Appreciate the Adventure

Life is full of surprises, let yourself be surprised! Discover life’s mysteries! Hellen Keller said, ‘‘Life is either a great adventure or nothing’’. If life were completely predictable, we would have no more hope. Why are so many people shocked when a doctor announces to them they have cancer? Because their death is predicted, they know an approximated date of the end of their lives. If you know in advance everything that will happen, you’ll find life tasteless and boring. For instance, when you go to a movie, if you are like me you probably don’t want someone telling you the story or the climax before you have seen it, because you would like the suspense held until the end of the movie.