Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport in Dubai. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said: ‘I’m Abdul, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk I’d like you to read my mission statement.’

Taken aback, I read the card. It said: Abdul’s Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Abdul said, ‘Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.’

I said jokingly, ‘No, I’d prefer a soft drink.’

Abdul smiled and said, ‘No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water and orange juice.’

Almost stuttering, I said, ‘I’ll take a Lassi.’

Handing me my drink, Abdul said, ‘If you’d like something to read, I have The NST , Star and Sun Today.’

As they were pulling away, Abdul handed me another laminated card, ‘These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.’

And as if that weren’t enough, Abdul told me that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.

Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know that he’d be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

‘Tell me, Abdul ,’ I was amazed and asked him, ‘have you always served customers like this?’

Abdul smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about POWER OF CHOICE one day.”

Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle.

‘If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining!’

‘Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.’

‘That hit me. really hard’ said Abdul.

‘It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes, slowly … a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.’

‘I take it that it has paid off for you,’ I said.

‘It sure has,’ Abdul replied. ‘My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.’

Abdul made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and start soaring like an eagle.

Start becoming an eagle today … one small step every week … the next week… And the next.

“You don’t die if you fall in water, you die only if you don’t swim.”

Thats the Real Meaning of Life.

Improve yourself and your skills in a different way: Be an eagle not a Duck.

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I got on to the bus. Seeing the crowd inside, I was upset. There was no place to sit. Just then, a person vacated his seat.The man standing next to the vacant seat could have sat there, but instead he offered the seat to me.

At the next stop, the same thing happened again. He gave his seat to another. This happened 4 times during the entire journey. The man looked like a  normal worker, returning home after a long day at work…

At the last stop when all of us got off, I spoke to him. 

“Why were you giving your seat to another person every time you got a vacant seat?”

His answer took me by surprise.

“I haven’t studied much in my life nor do I know many things. I don’t have much money either. So I don’t have anything much to give to anyone. That’s why I do this everyday. It is something I can do easily. 

“After working all day I can stand for a little longer. I gave my seat to you and you said thank you. It gave me satisfaction that I did something for someone. 

I do this daily & feel I am contributing in some way. 

I go back home refreshed & happy every day that I gave something to someone.”

 I was speechless!

Wanting to do something for someone on a daily basis is the ultimate gift.

This stranger taught me a lot  – 

How easy it is to be rich from within! 

Beautiful clothes, lots of money in the bank account, expensive gadgets, accessories & luxuries or even educational degrees – may or may not make you rich and happy; but a small act of giving is enough to make you feel rich & Happy everyday

By Soolian Lim

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A car ahead was moving like a turtle and not giving me way inspire of my continuous honking!   I was on brink of losing my cool when I noticed the small sticker on the car’s rear!

“Physically challenged; Please be patient.”

And that changed everything!!

I immediately went calm & slowed down!!

In fact,  I got a little protective of the car & the driver!!!

I reached home a few minutes late, but it was ok!

And then it struck me.

Would I have been patient if there was no sticker?

Why do we need stickers to be patient with people!?

Will we be more patient & kind with others if people had labels pasted on their foreheads?

Labels like ——

“ Lost my job” ,

“Fighting cancer”,

“Going through a bad divorce”,

“Suffering Emotional abuse “, “Lost a loved one”,

“Feeling worthless”,

“Financially broken”

….and more like these!!

Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.

The least we can do is to be patient ,kind & compassionate

Let us respect the Invisible Labels !

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Throughout her prolific career, both as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and a novelist, Laura Lippman has written an impressive collection of tales, ranging from the beloved Tess Monaghan series to her riveting and intellectually complex stand-alones. Critics and fans alike have praised Lippman’s unparalleled ability to weave together thought-provoking, intricate plotlines with fully realized and compelling characters. USA Today calls her work “disarming and fascinating,” while The Washington Post simply proclaims that Lippman is “one of the best novelists around, period.” Now with her new stand-alone, page turning novel AND WHEN SHE WAS GOOD (William Morrow), Lippman solidifies her position as one of the best voices of contemporary fiction.

Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at the Baltimore Sun where her beat was crime stories. Her Tess Monaghan books: By a Spider’s Thread, The Last Place, The Sugar House, Baltimore Blues, Charm City, Butchers Hill, No Good Deeds, and In Big Trouble have won every major mystery prize including the Edgar, Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, and Nero Wolfe awards, and her novel In a Strange City was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She is also the author of five previous stand-alone novels: To the Power of Three, Every Secret Thing, What the Dead Know (winner of the Quill Award for Best Mystery), Life Sentences and I’d Know You Anywhere-the last three were New York Times bestsellers. In 2008 Lippman’s award-winning short stories were anthologized for the first time in one volume, along with an original novella, under the title Hardly Knew Her. Fall 2008 also marked Lippman’s serialization in the New York Times Magazine with The Girl in the Green Raincoat-a continuation of her P.I. character Tess Monaghan. A recipient of the first Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the 2003 Maryland Author Award, she and her husband, television producer David Simon, divide their time between New York, Baltimore and New Orleans. Laura is a step parent to David’s son and last year they had their first baby girl. For more information on Laura: www.lauralippman.com.

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