Goodbye 2012 … Hello 2013

Goodbye 2012 … Hello 2013

Today, as we pass from the Old Year into the new, may we accept the following advice for a worthy New Year resolution and remember to apply these principles every day of the year:

Smile at a stranger; listen to someone's heart; hug a loved one.
Tell someone you're thinking of them.
Drop a coin where a child can find it.
Learn something new then teach it to someone else.
Look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are.
Don't hold a grudge.
Don't be afraid to say, "I'm sorry."
Look beyond the face of a person into their heart.
Make a promise and keep it.
Call someone for no other reason than to just say "hello."
Show kindness to an animal. Stand up for what you believe in.
Smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind.
Use all your senses to their fullest.
Cherish all your todays."

And send an email or two of love and appreciation to a friend and to a loved one.

Dear God ...
Thank you ...
for all your blessings ...
of this past year ...
and  please help me ...
throughout the New Year ...
to always be a channel ...
of your love ...
to every life I touch ...

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ...

30 - Second Speech

There's No 'I' in 'Team'

Companies are finding that team wellness challenges work better to create behavior change than individual incentives. But team challenges have their limits, too.

• By Rebecca Vesely
• Published: October 30, 2012

In an effort to inspire employees to take charge of their health, Kaiser Permanente in May launched an online nutrition program to encourage employees to eat more fruits and vegetables every day.

Called Mix it Up, the program has a database of more than 120 possible fruits and vegetables to choose from. Employees signed up with the goal of eating at least five servings of produce per day. They have logged in to the site through their computer or a smartphone application, clicked on images of the produce they ate, then dragged them over to a virtual blender. Mix it Up then added up the number of fruits and vegetables eaten per day and tracked progress over time.

Mix It Up is just one example of team wellness challenges that are catching on at companies nationwide. Team-wellness challenges at the workplace are relatively new, says Steven Noeldner, principal and senior consultant at Mercer. It's part of the "gamification" of workplace wellness programs, he says.

Indeed, wellness gaming companies such as Keas of San Francisco and Kairos Labs of Seattle are harnessing mobile technology and online social networking to get people to change their behavior.

A total of 13,350 employees participated in the six-week Mix It Up challenge. Registrants could sign up individually or as a team with colleagues. Forty-four percent chose to work as teams, while the other 56 percent took the challenge as individuals. Seven hundred teams participated in Mix It Up over the summer.

While Kaiser Permanente did not specifically encourage team participation, it found that teams ate more fruits and vegetables than employees doing the Mix it Up program on their own, says Nancy Vaughan, vice president of national accounts at Kaiser Permanente.

More than twice as many people on teams completed the challenge as those who competed individually. And though more people registered as individuals, team participation success was about double that of individuals. Overall, 32 percent of all participants increased their fruit servings, while 29 percent of participants increased their vegetable servings, the Oakland, California-based integrated health system says.

While there is little research on team versus individual outcomes in wellness programs in the workplace, anecdotal evidence suggests that team challenges can be an important motivator, Noeldner says.

"More people tend to participate on team challenges; people do like competition," he says. "It's not inconsistent from what we know from behavioral economics."

However, Noeldner cautions that employers should view team challenges as just one aspect of their wellness offerings.

"These activities are typically short in duration," he says. "I think there's some limits to it."

While most people would benefit from adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet or walking several times per week, other aspects of their health status also need to be addressed, Noeldner says. For instance, a diabetic would benefit from a tailored, ongoing program that could include a personal coach, he adds.

Challenges can lose their novelty as well. "Any organization that uses these types of campaigns has to think about changing them regularly," Noeldner says. "There's a clear drop-off in the number of participants in repeat campaigns."

And some team challenges can have unintended consequences. Team weight-loss challenges have spurred the use of diuretics, laxatives and crash dieting at some workplaces, he says.

"Often times, short-term contests don't support long-term healthy behavior changes," he says.

Rebecca Vesely is a writer based in San Francisco. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.

Tact

Tact 

When President Gerald Ford was in office, he was on one occasion visited in the White House by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. When the Ford's son, Jack, was dressing for a formal dinner with the queen and prince, he couldn't find the studs for his shirt so he rushed into his father's bedroom to see if he could borrow some. 

He ran into the elevator with his shirt unbuttoned and hanging out and his hair disheveled—too late to discover that somebody else was already in the elevator. It was his parents with their guests, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. 

Mrs. Ford, feeling awkward, introduced Jack to their distinguished visitors. Sensing Mrs. Ford's embarrassment, the queen remarked sympathetically, "I have one just like that!" 

Tact and kindness are great gifts to use every day. Indeed, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." 

Do You Want to Be Made Well ? 

You may have heard the story (a fable to be sure) about the father who knocks on his son's door. "Jaime," he says, "wake up!" Jaime answers, "I don't want to get up, Papa." 

The father shouts, "Get up, you have to go to school." Jaime says, "I don't want to go to school." "Why not?" asks the father. "Three reasons," says Jaime. "First, because it's so dull; second, the kids tease me; and third, I hate school." And the father says, "Well, I am going to give you three reasons why you must go to school. First, because it is your duty; second, because you are forty-five years old, and third, because you are the headmaster." 

Many people say they want to overcome their problems too, but are not prepared to do their part to make it happen. Even the best psychologists will tell you that "people don't really want to be cured. What they want is relief; a cure is too painful." One surgeon said that many patients who come to him with a problem would rather that he operate on their body than they operate on their lifestyle, and that only about 25 percent of his patients accept responsibility for their wellness. 

To be made well needs to be more than a wish. It needs to be a true desire, with determination and commitment to do what one has to do to get well. As a Chinese proverbs puts it, "Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes." 

Do you want to get well … to achieve something worthwhile with your life … to become happy and fulfilled … and to go to Heaven when you die ? Or do you just wish all these things ? Remember that wishes don't make it. 

One Step at a Time

One Step at a Time

Are you facing a daunting task, a major responsibility, or just need to clean your garage. If it's the latter, start in one corner and work your way around it in a clockwise pattern picking up one thing at a time and either store it in its proper place, put it in a pile to be given away, or throw it away.

Treat cleaning your house the same way, systematically tidying one room at a time. As you see one corner and then one room tidied, each of these successes will help keep you motivated. Just don't jump all over the place or discouragement will quickly dampen your enthusiasm. Apply the same principle to any task you have to face. Do it one step at a time—one day at a time. As the old saying goes, "Inch by inch anything's a cinch" to which a friend added, "but yard by yard it's miles too hard." 

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses 

"Douglas Bernstein, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois, recently asked faculty members for the 'most unusual, bizarre and amazing student excuses' they had ever heard. He got dozens." Following are a few: 

"An old favorite, but one professor's class established some sort of record when 14 out of 250 students reported their grandmothers' deaths just before final exams. In another class a student reported that he could not take the mid-term because his grandmother had died. When the instructor expressed condolences a week later, the student replied, 'Oh, don't worry. She was terminal, but she's feeling much better now.'

"I had an accident, the police impounded the car, and my paper is in the glove compartment." 

"I can't be at the exam because my cat is having kittens, and I'm her coach." 

"I need to take the final early because the husband of the woman I'm seeing is threatening to kill me."

Excuses go all the way back to Adam and Eve who said when they blew it, "The devil made me do it." Yeah. 

Right! 

Sir Walter Scott put it realistically when he wrote, "Oh, what tangled webs we weave / When first we practice to deceive." 

Of one thing we can be sure. God sees all and knows all. We can never deceive Him. There will be no excuses when we stand before Him on our final examination day.

Things That Bug Us

Things That Bug Us 

As the ditty goes, "It's the little things that bother us and put us on the rack, you can sit upon a mountain but you can't sit on a tack." 

And isn't that the truth? It's the little annoyances in life that get us tied in a knot. A slight criticism, a driver who cuts us off on the freeway, a green light that turns red before we get to it, a friend running late, and so on. 

Let us realize, however, that somebody's negative reaction may have more to do with them than us. A criticism may be somebody projecting their unresolved issues onto us. Somebody failing to thank us may indicate that they are having a "bad hair" day, and somebody cutting us off on the freeway may be an indication of their impatience—as well as a reflection of ours ! 

What somebody else does to me may or may not be a problem. How I react, though, is always my issue, and when I overreact, that is always my problem. What the other person does is their issue. How I act, react, or overreact is always my issue and my responsibility. 

If we'd remember that "whatever others think of me is none of my business," I would at least learn to cope much better with many of life's little annoyances. I know it's easier said than done, but it is a goal to work towards. Furthermore, the more mature and whole I become, the less life's little annoyances will bother me. I'm still working on this issue. 

Dear God

as it is your purpose for me, 

please help me to grow 

through the circumstances of life 

that 'push my hot buttons' 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz

Well Done

Well Done 

Theodore Roosevelt said, "It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of good deeds could have done better. 

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena: Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again … 

"Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause… 

"Who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement …

"And who, at worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." 

Every one of us has been given at least one talent; many have been given several. Regardless of whether we have one or many talents, what is important is to use well what God has given and entrusted to us and therewith give life our best shot. 

Taking Risks

Taking Risks

To have meaningful goals in life is to risk failure. Not to have any goals may keep one feeling safe and comfortable, but it is to guarantee failure. "Equally comfortable," writes Peter Wagner, "is to define your goals in terms of what you happen to be doing at any given time. If you shoot first, then draw the target around the bullet hole, you'll never miss the bull's eye. If someone looks later, he might even call you a good marksman." Then you can brag about your accomplishments!

But this is not success. It is allowing life to shape you rather than you shaping your life and deciding how you want to invest it.

True success is to discover what God's purpose for your life is and then give life everything you've got to achieve that purpose.

Whatever that is, it's not failure that is a crime, but to have such a low aim that there is no chance of failure. Or, as somebody else put it, "Not to have a goal is more to be feared than not reaching it." If you tried and did your best, even if you failed to achieve all of your goal, you are already a success. All God requires is that we do our best.

Remember, however, if your goals are in harmony with God's purpose for you, he has already equipped you with the wherewithal to be able to achieve them. It's up to us to get well trained and learn how to effectively use these abilities. So, don't waste your life. Invest it in a worthwhile God-given life purpose—a noble cause into which you can put your best efforts and be excited about it. 

Don't Be a Part of the Living Dead

Washington Irving is credited with having made the remark that "a barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion."

Another way of saying the same thing is that "the race is not always to the swift but to those who keep on running."

Frank Lloyd Wright, the world-famous architect, tells how a lecture he received at the age of nine helped set his philosophy of life. An uncle, a stolid, no-nonsense type, had taken him for a long walk across a snow-covered field. At the far side, his uncle told him to look back at their two sets of tracks. "See, my boy," he said, "how your footprints go aimlessly back and forth from those trees, to the cattle, back to the fence then over there where you were throwing sticks? But notice how my path comes straight across, directly to my goal. You should never forget this lesson!" "And I never did," Wright said. "I determined right then not to miss most things in life as my uncle had."

To experience the wonders of life we need to be in touch with all of our God-given emotions—including the emotion of wonder. "Life without emotions," said one humorist, "would be like playing a trombone with a stuck slide," which of course would be dreadfully monotonous and boring. The same is true when one's emotion of wonder is repressed, the effects of which are to be characteristically bored with life.

Emotions are God-given. They are a vital part of living a life with vitality, joy and wonderment. So learn to enjoy the emotion of wonder. Learn to let your hair down more often. Have fun. Hang loose. Go with the flow. Plant a tree. Write a poem. Draw with your non-dominant hand. Tell your spouse and kids how much you love them … tell them now and tell them often. Get out of your ruts. Do something different. Stretch your imagination. Step out of your comfort zone.

As Robert Frost said in his poem, "Road Less Traveled," "I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence / Two roads diverged in a wood / And I took the one less traveled by / And that has made all the difference." 

Where's the Scent ?

Earl Nightingale told how on one National Secretaries Day he gave his secretary flowers and she remarked how beautiful they were. She also said that she couldn't understand why they didn't have any scent.

He informed her that the flowers came from a hothouse and explained that because flowers raised in this type of environment have everything done for them, they don't have to attract insects to pollinate them. As a result they lose their scent. In the same way fruit raised in a hothouse, because it doesn't need to attract insects to scatter its seeds, doesn't taste as good as fruit grown in its natural environment.

It's similar to the child who wanted to help a butterfly out of its cocoon by putting a slit in it and, in so doing, caused it to die. He didn't realize that the struggle to get out of the cocoon is needed to strengthen the butterfly's wings so that it is able to fly.

When people do too much for us or overprotect us, especially in our early developmental years, they can do serious harm to us. And even in adulthood it's the problems and difficulties we have that strengthen us, build character, give wisdom, understanding, and compassion—if we let them.

Dear God
help me
not to run
from my fears,
 trials, and problems
but accept them
as opportunities
for personal
and spiritual growth.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz

To Make a Life

Haim Potok, a Jewish rabbi, scholar and writer, was born into an orthodox Jewish family in 1929. He grew up in New York City and started writing fiction when he was only sixteen years old.

Repeatedly his Polish immigrant parents would keep telling him, "Haim, be a brain surgeon. You will make a lot of money and you will save a lot of people from dying."

Time and again they would give him the same advice, "Haim, be a brain surgeon. You will make a lot of money and you will save a lot of people from dying."

However, Heim wanted to be a writer and after repeated advice from both his mother and father telling him what he should do with his life, he shouted back at his mother, "I don't want to stop people from dying. I want to teach them how to live."

True, making a living is very important but learning how to live is much more important. 

Dear God ...

please help me ...

to get my priorities straight ...

so that I will always live in harmony ...

with your Word and become prosperous ...

and successful as you define these qualities ... 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ..

The Pleasure of an Icy Caress

The man huddled on the cabin floor was slowly freezing to death. It was high in the Rockies in southwestern Alberta, and outside a blizzard raged. John Elliott had logged miles that day through the deep snows of the mountain passes. As he checked for avalanches and as dusk and exhaustion overcame him he had decided to "hole-up for the night."

He made it wearily to his cabin but somewhat dazed with fatigue, he did not light a fire or remove his wet clothing. As the blizzard blasted through the cracks in the old cabin walls, the sleeping forest ranger sank into oblivion, paralyzed by the pleasure of the storm's icy caress. 

Suddenly, however, his dog sprang into action, and with unrelenting whines, finally managed to rouse his near-comatose friend. The dog was John's constant companion, a St. Bernard, one of a long line of dogs famous for their heroics in times of crisis.

"If that dog hadn't been with me, I'd be dead today," John Elliott says. "When you're freezing to death you actually feel warm all over, and don't wake up because it feels too good."

Life can be like that too. Millions of people, whose lives are filled with the pleasures and occupied with the pursuits of the world, are lulled to sleep spiritually, warm and cozy in their complacency, oblivious to the fact that they are heading pell-mell towards a lost eternity without God and without hope.

Dear God ...

please use me ...

to help awaken those ...

who are spiritually asleep ...

and unaware ...

that they are ...

on their way ...

to a lost eternity ...

without you ...

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ..

Enrich Your Personal Life

Enrich Your Personal Life

 

Several years ago one grandmother sold off the old family home, pulled up her roots, left many of her friends and activities behind, and moved to a retirement village in another town. She had been healthy and energetic all her life, but in the last year after her move she aged considerably and developed a terminal illness.

At age 65 another retired and set up a full-time counseling center and wrote his first book. His book became a bestseller and he has since written ten more. At age 80 he had slowed down but was still counseling and writing.

What made the difference between these two people ?

 

Like many elderly people who retire or move to another place, the first person suffered deeply from the loss of friends, her home of many years, and the activities she was used to. She became lonely and life for her seemed to lose its meaning. She had no real purpose to carry her through this time of major change and readjustment.

The second person, however, had something to live for long before his retirement. He just continued it after "retirement."

Loneliness, emptiness, boredom, and lack of purpose are all a very real part of modern man's dilemma. They are indicative of our failure to find meaning for living and they show up in the alarming abuse of alcohol and other drugs, and in the high depression and suicide rate.

In America, for example, the most affluent country on earth, some 40,000 people take their own lives each year, while it is estimated that ten times that number attempt to. That means one person out of every 6,000 commits suicide each year. And there are countless others who, while living in the midst of abundance, to quote Henry D. Thoreau, live lives of "quiet desperation."

The tragedy in life, however, is not death, but rather, as Albert Schweitzer once said, "what dies inside a man [or woman] while he/ she lives." A person dies inside when he has no meaningful purpose outside of himself for which to live.

It is purpose—not wealth or success—that makes life worthwhile. Purpose makes even drudgery acceptable and is an immunization against many sicknesses. How then can we find more meaning and purpose to life ?

 

The following tips can help:

Getting out of yourself. Another grandmother had a large family to bring up and was widowed reasonably early in life. She had her share of heartaches but never allowed these to get her down. She lived a full and active life and had a wonderful gift for passing on cheer to those around her. Her secret was helping other people. She was active and had a deep conviction that one of the basic purposes to help people less fortunate than herself. One way she did this was through years of hospital visitation to pass on a word of comfort to the sick.

No matter how busy we are or how many problems we have, we can all find little ways to bring cheer to those around us—like bringing home a rose for your wife, a special treat for the children, a favor for a neighbor. Visit someone who is shut-in. Write a note, use your telephone, or send an email to tell a friend you appreciate him or her. Words of encouragement and acts of kindness do wonders for both the giver and the receiver.

A vital part of finding happiness and contentment is found in discovering something more important than yourself to believe in, by helping others, and by directing your thoughts and actions towards them. Egotists are seldom happy.

Love and friendship are also essential for giving life meaning and purpose. Without wholesome relationships, which give us a sense of belonging, we live as islands alone in a very large universe.

So take time for friends. They are a priceless asset in life. "Do you want to make friends?" asks Dale Carnegie, who gives the following advice. "Be friendly. Forget yourself. You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

And remember, as another has said, "The person all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package."

Another way for enriching your personal life is by investing your life in a worthwhile cause. Everybody needs something to live for that is bigger than him or herself—a noble or worthwhile cause into which he/ she can put his/ her best efforts.

A few years ago I was going through a particularly difficult time. Had it not been for both my work and an outside project, I'm sure I would have cracked under the strain. My work is helping people discover more meaningful personal and spiritual values and my outside project at that time was building my own site without any help—both worthwhile causes.

A creative use of one's talents is also essential for giving meaning to life. God gave us all talents to use. When we aren't using them, we feel unfulfilled.

One man I know was very successful in his work but he was feeling very unfulfilled in it. He felt his job was too small and that he wasn't using his best talents. So he took the risk, quit his job and went back to college to train for the work he really wanted to do. He struggled for several years but today he has built a work that is helping many people, and this has greatly enhanced his purpose for living.

This is why I believe it is important to discover what your best talent is (or talents are), get the training you need to sharpen that talent, and find a place where you can use it—either in your job, in a hobby, or with a volunteer organization. God's purpose for your life will definitely involve the use of your gifts and talents in ways to help others.

Faith, hope, and charity. The poet Goethe lists nine requisites for meaningful living. They are as follows:

 

"Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future."

There is, I am sure, no greater way to increase your hope for the future and enrich your personal life than by learning to love others more fully, by developing a vital faith in God, and discovering and fulfilling your God-given life purpose. Why not tell God right now that you want to do that and confirm your decision by becoming more involved as a volunteer in community service.

Dear God ...

please help me ...

to discover ...

my God-given life purpose ...

and then, with your help ...

employ all of my powers ...

for the achievement of this purpose ...

And please grant that what I contribute ... 

will help make the world ...

in which I live a better place ...

for others to live ...

 

Dear God ...

please help me ...

to live life beyond myself ...

love people, and therein serve others ...

 

Dear God ...

please help me ...

to increase ...

my hope ...

and trust ...

in You ...

and thereby ...

renew my strength ...

and, help me to soar ...

on wings as eagles ...

run and not be weary ...

and walk and not faint ...

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ... 

Story of resignation of CEO Punjab Agriculture & Meat Company (PAMCO) (Outsourcing Operations & Management of Lahore Meat Processing Complex)

----- Original Message -----
From: Muhammad Zahid Inam

From: DR KHALID SHOUQ pakissan2002@yahoo.com


Story of resignation of CEO Punjab Agriculture & Meat Company (PAMCO)
(Outsourcing Operations & Management of Lahore Meat Processing Complex)

Punjab Agriculture & Meat Company (formerly known as Lahore Meat Company) is Govt of the Punjab owned not for Profit Organization registered under Section 42, Company Ordinance 1984.

Lahore Meat Processing Complex (modernized slaughtering & processing facility) is one of the projects of PAMCO. This is a joint venture project in collaboration with Mashhad Meat Industrial Complex Iran. Salient features of this project are as under;

History

• 1999 Lahore Metropolitan Corporation acquired 717 Kanal land at Shahpur Kanjra 18 KM Multan Road Lahore
• May 2010, Agreements were signed by Govt of Punjab for technical consultancy & 80:20 % JV with MMIC Iran.
• Lahore Meat Company was formed under Section 42, Company Ordinance 1984 in May 2010. The position of MD/CEO was internationally advertised &Dr. Hamid Jalil was selected as CEO in July 2010.

Construction process

Planned gestation period ~                                     18 months
Completion ~                                                         12 month
Designing, BOQs, top supervision etc.~                   MMIC Iran
Equity of MMIC Iran
Mechanical slaughtering equipment cost ~              Rs.300/-million

Equity of PAMCO Govt. of Punjab

Civil & mechanical works, etc. ~                             Rs.1200 million
Total approx. project cost~                                    Rs.1500 million

Lahore Meat Processing Complex ~ Features

• Mechanical slaughtering lines & processing system for beef & mutton
• Value addition through allied products
• Blood Rendering Plant, Meat & Bone Meal Rendering Plant
• Waste Water Filtration Plant
• Refrigeration & cooling system( Chilling, Blast freezing & Cold storage)
• Compliance of standards at all tiers of value chain
• Meat technology institute in collaboration with UVAS
• Contracted Internationally recognized Certification Body (Bureau Veritas Group)
• Contracted internationally recognized firm (CABROP) for e-tagging & traceability at all level

Operations

• Capacity: 500 beef & 6000 mutton animals/8hr shift
• Two shifts: One municipal & one commercial
• Local & export meat supply
• More than 2200 fattening farms registered with e-tagging system to ensure traceability system for supply of quality animals
• A meat brand, “ TAYBISH” registered
• Local Quarantine Certificate issued
• NOC awarded by Environment Protection Agency
• HACCP, ISO & Halal certification achieved
• Saudi Food & Drug Authority inspected ~ approval awaited
• Malaysian inspection for approval ~  due in May, 2012
• Mauritius approval in process
• Approval for Iran awarded
• Received demand from five Indian Ocean Islands ~ detailed finalized in consultation with Pak Ambassador & local businessmen
• Americana Company (supplier of Hardees Patties to 13 countries) visited & finalized business proposal with LMPC
• Malaysian Ambassador together with group of businessmen visited LMPC
• Received demand of by-products from Spain, Romania, China, India, etc

OUTSOURCING OPERATION & MANAGEMENT OF LMPC

• Ready for Project (RFP) package was vetted by the Finance & P&D Department Govt of Punjab.
• RFP package was also endorsed by the third party transaction advisor (M/S Ernst & Young).
• EOI was advertised in September 2011. Only one applicant was technically pre-qualified in response of 1st advertisement on 15 Oct 2011, which was not accepted on the basis of direct conflict of interest (M/S Polyline Pvt ltd a company owned by a powerful family of Punjab, was part of the bidder consortium).Dispute started from this event.
• EOI was re-advertised. In response to 2nd advertisement, four parties submitted their bids; three parties were prequalified.
• The RFP Package, agreement and bid documents were finalized by the eight members committee including three Board members.
• Out of four bidders one party M/S CoCo Traders & other partners (M/S Dogus Makina Turkish, and MS Martha German) emerged as the final candidatewho submitted financial bid.
• The evaluation of bid was carried out by the third party transaction advisor (M/S Ernst & Young).
• The bid evaluation report and the process of O&M was thoroughly perused by the Executive Committee, chaired by Secretary Livestock in its first meeting, the committee unanimously endorsed the process and recommended M/S CoCo trader (Pvt) Ltd as a successful bidder for formal approval of Board of Directors.
• The same was discussed in the Board on 28th Dec 2011 in its 13th meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Punjab and the, “house endorsed the process of O&M of LMPC and approved the recommendations of Executive Committee to award the contract to M/S CoCo Trader at 16% ROE for 15 years, the house also authorized the CEO/Management to sign the agreement”, thereby the finality of the transaction was achieved.
• Offer letter was issued, and contract was signed with M/S CoCo Traders Pvt Ltd (on behalf of three partners, M/S Dogus Turkey, M/S Martha German & M/S COCO Traders Pakistan) on 28th February 2012 after receiving the security amount of Rs.20 million.
• To hand over the charge of LMPC to M/S CoCo traders as Licensee before the last prescribed date (1st April 2012), the M/S CoCo Traders was liable to deposit performance security bond for three months revenue (Rs.60m) and to form Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of the other Bid partners that is M/S Dogus and M/S Martha German.
• Accordingly, M/S CoCo Traders submitted performance bond on March 31, that was proved invalid, furthermore SPV documents were also submitted indicating SPV name ‘Lahore Industrial Meat Complex (Pvt) Limited’ with certificate of incorporation and Form 29.
• It was astonishing to note that the said SPV which was supposed to be having composition of successful bidder M/S CoCo Trader and other partners (M/S Dogus and M/S Martha German), instead, a stranger Company, M/S Polyline Pvt ltd (owned by powerful family of Punjab) was present in SPV rather than the original partners (Form 29 of M/S Lahore Industrial Meat Complex Pvt ltd).
• This was a gross violation on the part of successful bidder M/S CoCo Traders who was originally pre-qualified on the basis of strength of other partners, M/S Dogus and M/S Martha German;
• The PAMCO management decided to take legal action & emergent meeting of executive committee was called on 4th April 2012 to get the approval of cancellation process.
• It is worth mentioning here that the same stranger company (M/S Polyline Pvt ltd -owned by the powerful family which is a subsidiary of HY Corporation holding company of Sharif Family----Form A& 29 can be verified from SECP) who emerged as a part of SPV formed by the M/S CoCo Traders was rejected by the PAMCO Management in response to 1st advertisement on the basis of direct clash of interest. The PAMCO management with the support of Executive Committee of BOD issued legal notices to cancel the agreement process of handing over O& M of LMPC to M/S CoCo traders &partner’s consortium.
• Consequent upon the legal action completed on April 18th, taken against the COCO Traders/Polyline, the CM Punjab called an emergent meeting of PAMCO BOD on 20th April 9 am, without any formal notice. Only public sector members participate. There was extremely aggressive & hostile attitude against the CEO, however CEO defended the management decisions & rendered his resignation.
• The above mentioned sequence of facts is self-explanatory to understand the background of resignation of CEO-PAMCO, who faced tremendous pressure for more than three months to accommodate a company, owned by the powerful family, but ultimately responded to his conscious. Now he is facing serious consequences. His name is placed on ECL & a malicious campaign is launched against him to cover up the facts. He is put under pressure to keep restrain from revealing the truth
• --
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Are you controlling them or vice-versa ?

Are you controlling them or vice-versa ?

We humans spend much of our time trying to control every aspect of our lives. Unfortunately, too often we try and control things that are simply beyond our control. The list of what we can control is quite short, but once you know these 10 things you will be able to take control of your own life.

1. What you do: Your actions are yours alone. You choose to make them or not make them and you are responsible for the effects of those actions.

2. What you say: Likewise, the words you speak (or write) are also consciously chosen. Like actions, they have an impact on your life and the lives of those you contact.

3. What you think:  Yes, there are some subconscious thoughts that you can't control. But the things that you really think about, your beliefs, your ideals, etc. are concepts you have chosen to accept and believe in.

4. Your work: Many people like to overlook this one, it being much easier to say, "Oh, I'm! trapped in my job because I don't have a degree, experience, etc." That's simple a way of denying one's responsibility in having chosen the job in the first place.

It's your job and you chose it. If you stay (or go), that's a choice as well.

5. The people you associate with:  There's a famous T-shirt that states: "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys." Colloquial is very often correct! Your friends can either lift you up or bring you down. You make the decision which type of friends you wish to have.

6. Your basic physical health.  Much about our health is a factor of genetics, environment, and exposure. Much more of our health is simply a matter of the decisions we make about our health, such as: diet, exercise, drugs, sleep, routine physicals, check-ups, etc.

7. The environment you live in:  Your house, the condition of your home, the town you live in, the amenities available to you are all things you can control, although some to a lesser degree (i.e., you decide to tolerate them or move someplace else).

8. Your fiscal situation: Having or not having enough money is a factor of what you make versus what you spend.

9. Your time: You choose how to "spend" your time and how much of your time to give to various activities.  You'll never get more time than the 24 hours your given each day.

10. Your legacy: All your actions, words, and knowledge that you share while you are living become the gift that you leave when you are gone

How To Be Strong In Hard Moments

When I was studying in my 12 grade, a teacher, sent me a post card having these lines. "Don't be afraid of problems. Meet them, greet them, treat them and you will surely defeat them"

 

So I dedicate this article to my teacher for teaching a wonderful lesson of life; the life which is tougher than a teacher. Because the teacher teaches first and then takes the test whereas life puts us in test and then teach a lesson.

 

These lessons come in different tastes (mostly bitter) because of the unavoidable circumstances such as Financial Issues, Marital issues, Clash due to difference of opinion, Accidents and Mistakes done by us. In such situations following points can be considered in order to cope up:

1-    Confess that you have a situation which you need to face in order to fix. Yes, this is very important factor. I know a lot of people, trying to convince themselves that nothing is wrong, though stress keeps building at the back of their heads. Consequently, the stress explodes all of a sudden resulting in extreme outcomes. So the foremost thing is to tell yourself that you have to address the issue, instead of ignoring it.

2-   Consider if the problem is something you should be really bothering about? Ask yourself whether it is not going to impact you if not addressed? If not, simply disregard it and be happy. However, if your brain think about the problem again and again then consider point-1

3-   Chose your attitude … Consider the wow approach.

 

4-   Consider if there are other people having same problem. If yes, check what they are doing to handle the situation. Search on internet, visit online answering services such as yahoo or wikihow.

5-   Consider if you can breakdown the problem in smaller problems and fix each problem one by one.

6-   Remember, if we cannot laugh again and again on the same joke, you shouldn't be worrying on the same issue again and again. Control your thoughts.

 

7-   Don't allow people to make your life miserable. No one is in-charge of your happiness except you so ignore negative comments and suggestions.

Conclusion: A wise man is the one who learns from other's mistake. If you really want to be strong, you need to develop strong observation skills. You need to closely study people on how they behave at stressful situations. So keep observing and keep learning new horizons of inner power at the cost of others' experiences.

Finally, don't give up. The successful and optimist people find solutions in nearly all kind of circumstances. So it's your choice either to be successful or to be a loser !

Story: The Cute Student Counts the Apples

A teacher teaching Maths to seven-year-old Laiq asked him, “If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”Within a few seconds Laiq replied confidently, “Four!”

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three).  She was disappointed.  “Maybe the child did not listen properly,” she thought.  She repeated, “Laiq, listen carefully.  If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”

Laiq had seen the disappointment on his teacher’s face.  He calculated again on his fingers.  But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy.  His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy.  This time hesitatingly he replied, “Four…”

The disappointment stayed on the teacher’s face.  She remembered that Laiq liked strawberries.  She thought maybe he doesn’t like apples and that is making him loose focus.  This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, “If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?”

Seeing the teacher happy, young Laiq calculated on his fingers again.  There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher.  She wanted her new approach to succeed.  With a hesitating smile young Laiq enquired, “Three?”

The teacher now had a victorious smile.  Her approach had succeeded.  She wanted to congratulate herself.  But one last thing remained.  Once again she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?”

Promptly Laiq answered, “Four!”

The teacher was aghast.  “How Laiq, how?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young Laiq replied, “Because I already have one apple in my bag.”

“When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect don’t think they are wrong.  There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion.”

Compromizing on Ethical Values ?

Ethical values are the treasure of each individual regardless of his/her financial wealth. However these values are put on stake by pushing someone for specific immoral goals achievements. In this article, I shall cover the aspects which are to be considered while trapped in such circumstances. The article covers both professional and personal aspects.

First of all you need to ask yourself following questions in order to have thorough analysis of the situation:

1-    Who is getting benefit out of it?
2-   Why you (and only you) are being asked/pushed to compromise?
3-   What are the short term & long term personal consequences if you compromise?
4-   What are the risks/impacts on the project/task if you compromise?
5-   What will happen if you don't compromise? 
6-   Can I consult some other person for advice?
7-   Can I share the risks with other by involving other personnel/department on this task?
8-   What does the company policy say? Are my actions in-line with Job Descriptions?

Now that you have analyzed the situation, here are the guidelines which you need to consider for corrective and preventive actions:

1-    Sometimes the matter is not really an ethical issue, it's just a difference of opinion so carefully understand on what you are being asked for. Sometimes you are doing a healthy compromise in the best interest of all stake holders (off course within your ethical values and in line with company policies)

2-   If the matter is really critical, consider approaching the Fraud Management Team of your company. In some of the mature companies 'whistle blowing' or 'anonymous reporting' systems are set in place.

3-   Seeking advice from your colleagues/close friends broadens your horizon and expose you to more options for consideration. Be careful whom you consider to seek advice. Ask the one who is honest and fair with you and would keep the secret in the long run.

4-   Discuss the matter with your manager and document it, if possible. Make records for what you do, there is surely someone to ask later. 

5-   Define your principles to others quite often and show it time to time so that people know what type of person you are and what your ethical boundaries are.  This is required to portray the characteristics of your personality so that others can develop a mental picture of you in their heads.  This will prevent them approaching you for the wrong deeds.

6-   Not every ethical issue is to be taken too much seriously, consequently, allowing it to steal your peace of mind. Every problem has several solutions. Keep it cool, stay mentally healthy, analyze the situation based on 8 points mentioned earlier in the post and then do the right act.

7-   Sometimes a simple "No" helps. Just say so and put a full stop to the matter. Sometimes this is the most effective tool to use.

Muslim's approach to handle:

On top of the already explained aspects, a Muslim needs to understand the following as well:

1-    Have faith in Allah and do what your religion expects from you to do. Once done, leave it to Allah and He will turn the table for you. He is suffice for all your problems provided you have done the 'right'

2-   Seek wisdom from Allah. Pray for the right path and He will guide you.

3-   Whatever single deed you are doing is being recorded. You are answerable for what you have been doing during your life cycle. Good deeds result in good outcome not only in this world but also on the Day of Judgment; bad deeds bad results, here and hereafter! Be Honest and be fair. Do your self-audit quite often, in line with Islamic Principles. Insha'Allah you won't regret for any of your deeds if done within Islamic boundaries.

4-   Don't analyze the situation on political grounds which might divert your attention from the right path. Remember, Islam comes first. You should consider this filter for All of your problems. Anything which passes from this filter is the right thing to do.

Conclusion: Ethical Values (such as Truth, Honesty, Fairness, Transparency and self discipline) are unique treasure which you possess. Don't lose them at any cost. Your values are defining your character which is leading you towards your destiny. Sine you don't want to be a failure at the end of the day, so you need to stick to the humanitarian principles because the ultimate fact remains the same; 'As you sow, so shall you reap'. A Study confirms that the people who possess high ethical values are more happy than those who are engaged in fraudulent acts even if former earn less than the deceitful people. If you would like to read the types of Wealth.

She Spat in His Face

B. Hinn tells the following story about the days of slavery. "During the years when slavery was legal in the United States, a gentleman happened upon a slave-bidding in a crowed street. The man paused to observe the activities. As he watched from the edge of the crowd, he saw one slave after another led to a platform, their arms and legs shackled with ropes as if they were animals. Displayed before the jeering crowd, they were auctioned off, one by one. 

"Some onlookers would inspect the 'merchandise,' grabbing disrespectfully at the women, examining the muscular arms of the men. The gentleman studied the group of slaves waiting nearby. He paused when he saw a young girl standing at the back. Her eyes were filled with fear. She looked so frightened. He hesitated for a moment and then disappeared briefly. When he returned, the auctioneer was about to start the bidding for the young girl he had noticed beforehand. 

"As the auctioneer opened the bidding, the gentleman shouted out a bid that was twice the amount of any other selling price offered that day. There was silence for an instance, and then the gavel fell as 'sold to the gentleman' was heard. The gentleman stepped forward, and waited at the bottom of the steps as the young girl was led down to her new owner. The rope which bound her was handed to the man, who accepted it without saying anything. The young girl stared at the ground. Suddenly she looked up and spat in his face. Silently, he reached for a handkerchief and wiped the spittle from his face. He smiled gently at the young girl and said, 'Follow me.' She followed him reluctantly. As they reached the edge of the crowd, he continued to a nearby area where each deal was closed legally. 

"When a slave was set free, legal documents, called manumission papers, were necessary. The gentleman paid the purchase price and signed the necessary documents. When the transaction was complete, he turned to the young girl and presented the documents to her. Startled, she looked at him with uncertainty. Her narrowed eyes asked, 'What are you doing?' The gentlemen responded to her questioning look. He said, 'Here, take these papers. I bought you to make you free. As long as you have these papers in your possession, no man can ever make you a slave again.' 

"The girl looked into his face. What was happening? There was silence. Slowly, she said, 'You bought me to make me free? You bought me to make me free?' As she repeated this phrase over and over, the significance of what had just happened became more and more real to her. 'You bought me to make me free?' Was it possible that a stranger had just granted her freedom and never again could she be held in bondage and servitude to any man? As she began to grasp the significance of the documents which she now held in her hand, she fell to her knees and wept at the gentleman's feet. Through her tears of joy and gratitude, she said, 'You bought me to make me free. I'll serve you forever!'

Mind Changes

Em Griffin in The Mindchangers said, "Some early studies concerned with prejudice show that we're quite capable of reordering our perceptions of the world around us in order to maintain our conviction that we're right. 

"A group of white, middle-class New York City residents were presented with a picture of people on a subway. Two men were in the foreground. One was white, one was black. One wore a business suit; one was clothed in workman's overalls. One was giving his money to the other who was threatening him with a knife.

"Now as a matter of fact it was the black man who wore the suit, and it was he who was being robbed by the white laborer. But such a picture didn't square with the prejudices of the viewers. To them, white men were executives; black men were blue-collar workers. Blacks were the robbers, whites the victims. And so they reported what their mind told them they saw—that a black laborer was assaulting a white businessman.

"As human beings who desperately desire our lives to be consistent and untroubled, we'll go to great lengths to reject a message that implies we're wrong."

The more dishonest we are with our inner self, the more we will distort all truth—including God's Truth/ Word—to make it match our twisted perception of reality in a vain attempt to justify our every thought, perception, and action while totally denying our reality and real motives.  

Never Missing a Wrong Note

Before Ansel Adams became famous as a landscape photographer, he studied piano and showed some talent. At one of his first recitals he played Chopin's Nocturne in F Major. "In some strange way," he said, "my right hand started off in F-sharp major while my left hand behaved well in F major. I could not bring them together. I went through the entire nocturne with the hands separated by a half-step. The next day, someone walked up to him and jokingly commented, "You never missed a wrong note."

Such mistakes are easily overcome. But some mistakes we make in life can have long-lasting serious consequences. With these mistakes, however, the good news is that God's mercy is always available to all who confess their sins and failures and ask for His forgiveness.

Have you forgiven all who have ever hurt you ? And have you experienced God's forgiveness ? If not, why not do that today.

Digging Up the Past

"In 1642 England was caught up in the Civil War with Cromwell and the roundheads. Five years later King Charles the First was captured, tried and sentenced to death. He was executed on January 30, 1649. Fifty-nine men put their signatures to the death warrant.

"When Charles II was restored to the throne some eleven years later, he wanted to avenge his father's death. However, by that time, some had died and others were living abroad. They were arrested, taken back to England, and ordered to stand trial.

"As for those who had died, the bodies of fifteen signatories, many of whom had been dead for years, were exhumed and then hung on the gallows."

That's exactly what resentment does. It digs up the past. It is caused by nursing grudges and failing to forgive—a practice that God's Words warns us not to do. This is because buried and/ or unresolved anger, hurt, grief, bitterness, etc., work like emotional cancer that "rots the bones," destroys relationships, and keeps one bound by the past.

As I've quoted before, "Failing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

Dear God ...
please deliver me ...
from the sin of nursing grudges ...
and holding on to all negative emotions ...
so that I can become a happier, healthier person ...
and a clear channel of your love ...

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer ...

When to Speak Up and When to Shut Up

"When we speak out against others we believe are in the wrong, are we being judgmental ?"

This is a good question to ask and a lot harder to know the right answer.

when is it right for us to speak out and when do we need to keep silent?

How do we know we aren't projecting our own unresolved issues onto other people?

Or when someone attacks us personally, when do we need to turn the other cheek, and when do we need to stand up and confront?

Or when we see wrong in society, business, or politics, should we speak out or should we look the other way and say nothing?

The bottom line is motive.

What we need to do if we are going to make a difference in our society is, first of all, to acknowledge our own shortcomings and, with God's help, work at overcoming these. Second, we need to love the things God loves and hate the things he hates and speak out against these. These are the things we need to be angry at too. We simply cannot love righteousness without hating and opposing unrighteousness.

Meekness is not weakness and let us not forget the words of Edmund Burke who said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Dear God ...
please continue ...
to purify my motives ...
and give me ...
the insight ...
to know ...
when to keep silent ...
when to be non-defensive ...
and give me the courage ...
to speak out against evil ...
when I see it ...

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ...

Because We Are What We Are

Have you ever felt in the pits when a well-meaning friend told you that you shouldn't feel that way ?

It makes you feel worse.

Right ?

 

Whether we should or shouldn't feel what we feel is beside the point. We feel what we feel because we are who and what we are.

Feelings are neither right nor wrong. They just are. It's what we do with them that counts. And, contrary to what many of us were taught, feelings are important. They are a God-given vital part of our humanity.

In one sense feelings are an "emotional thermometer." They tell us what's going on inside of us—what our emotional temperature is and, when interpreted correctly, can indicate when we are emotionally well or if there is some issue in our life we need to resolve.

When feelings are repressed, one's "thermometer" is out of order. It's a very unhealthy way to live. You don't even know when you are sick (emotionally and/ or spiritually). Furthermore, people whose feelings are repressed may be clever but can, at the same time, be very cold, calculating, insensitive, callous, and—in the extreme—even murderous.

Feelings can be trusted. What we can't always trust is our interpretation of them. That's the difficult part, but with help it can be learned and learn it we must if we are to be emotionally, spiritually and physically healthy.

Learn to listen to your emotions. Take time to write something daily. Record what you are feeling without any kind of self-judgment. Get into a support, recovery or therapy group where it is safe to express your feelings and get them out into the open where they can be accepted and examined. If emotions are deeply buried, chances are you will need a capable therapist to help you work through and resolve the barriers in your life that are blocking your feelings.

Be aware, too, that the negative emotions we fail to talk out creatively we will inevitably act out in one way or another destructively. Also remember that how to feel or how not to feel—only how to act.

Dear God ...

help me ...

to get in touch with ...

all of my emotions ...

—both positive and negative—

and learn ...

how to express them ...

creatively ...

in a healthy manner ...

so that ...

I will become ...

an honest ...

and real person ...

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ...

People Who Need People

Many readers will be familiar with the song made popular by Barbara Streisand, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." She's right of course.

We all need some close, supportive friends. "Bear one another's burdens" and "love one another"

Make time to develop and maintain close friendships. In a day of trouble you will need them. You will also need them in good days. We were created for relationships and can only live healthy lives when we are in healthy relationships.

A poet wrote:

    I went out to find a friend,
    But could not find one there.
    I went out to be a friend,
    And friends were everywhere.

Dear God ...

help me first of all ... 

to be a loving friend ...

and then find loving friends ...

to be with ...

 

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz  

All I Need to Know

You are probably familiar with the article by Robert Fulghum titled, "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." It's a classic and contains priceless advice.

"Most of what I really need to know about life, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but here in the sandbox at nursery school.

"These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush ! Live a balanced life. Learn and think, draw and paint, sing and dance, play and work a little every day.

"When you get out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder.

"Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up, and nobody really knows why, but we are all like that.

"Goldfish, hamsters, white mice, and even the little seed in the plastic cup—they all die. So do we.

"And then remember the book about Dick and Jane, and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule, love and basic sanitation, ecology, politics and sane living.

"Think of what a better world it would be if all of us—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon, and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation, and other nations, always to put things back where we found them, and cleaned up our own messes.

"And it's still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it's best to hold hands and stick together."

Going Around in Circles

I remember reading the following story in Reader's Digest about an independent trucker who was having difficulty finding his delivery location. "Take exit 20, turn right, and then take the second left," were the instructions he was given.

He took the correct exit, turned right, then took the second left and ended up back on the highway.

He tried again. The same thing happened.

He called the company, who gave him some adjusted directions. His next two attempts put him back on the highway going the opposite direction.

However, he recalled having seen a police car parked not far from the exit. So on his fifth attempt, he parked his rig, walked over to the police car and asked the officer for help.

"Don't worry," said the officer, "just wait a while. Your trucks have been coming by all morning. All you need to do is follow the next one that gets off the highway."

Do you ever feel like you are also going around in circles getting nowhere fast ?

 

Sometimes it takes a while to get God's directions—but while we're waiting there's always something for us to learn. 

"Your Time Is Limited ..."

 

In October of last year the passing of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, was a shocker even though it was well known that he had battled cancer for some time. The shocker was that he was only 56.

Steve, a genius with computer technology—from the personal computer to the iPod and iPhone—had a profound impact pretty much on the entire world with his incredible computer-related inventions. He will be known among the greatest of inventors. Interesting that in 1993 he said, "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me…. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful—that's what matters to me."

One word of wisdom Jobs shared when he made it known that he had cancer was this: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

How true this is. Time is limited. Life is short—and we only have one shot at it.  

Challenging Fear

Most of us struggle with fear of one sort or another at one time or another—some mild, some serious, some healthy, some unhealthy and self-defeating.

Healthy fear is a self-protective mechanism. We rightly fear (or should) driving through a red light, or doing anything that could hurt us or others. Unhealthy fear is that which is caused by someone who hurt us deeply, and especially when we bury and deny it. This fear can become a floating anxiety and cause us to be fearful of everyday living, separate us from close relationships and cause loneliness, give us ulcers or other physical ills, or cause us to hide it and "protect" ourselves with anger.

Fears that are relatively harmless can often be overcome by doing the thing we fear and thereby reconditioning our response to the particular thing we fear.

Unhealthy or self-defeating fears need to be dealt with at their root cause. Sadly, the things we fail to resolve we are destined to repeat.

To be made perfect in love means we need to resolve any unhealthy fears. To do this these fears need to be recognized and if repressed, they need to be brought into the conscious mind so they can be confronted and resolved.

Look at the symptoms in your life ...

Do you avoid close relationships ?

Is your life filled with anxiety ?

Are you an angry person ?

Do you have any impaired close relationships ?

Is your marriage a wreck ?

If any of these apply to you, chances are you may have unresolved fear. So when you pray, admit these and any other symptoms to God and ask Him to give you the courage to see the root cause of these—and to lead you to the help you need to overcome these. If the fears are buried, you may need qualified professional counseling help to overcome these.

As we resolve unhealthy fears, we open ourselves to love, and the more we are filled with God's love, the less fearful we will be because perfect love drives out fear.