Magic of cucumbers

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium,  phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for
hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give
off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber
cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7 Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum ormints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the
phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a'green'way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outsideurce of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

(Not sure who the author is but got it from a friend)

Iron Sharpens Iron

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. 

We all learn from one another, if I can learn from an experience someone else has gone through, then I would rather not that than have to go through it myself. The late Steve Covey shared with the world a few things he had learnt in his life that would be worth taking a look at.

In honour of renowned author Stephen Covey, who died a week or so ago at age 79, I would like to share some of the truths that he wrote in his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". 

1) Be Proactive

As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. We have the independent will to make our own choices and decisions, and the responsibility ("the ability to respond") to make the right choices. You have the freedom to choose your own fate and path, so having the independent will, imagination and self-awareness to make the right move makes you a proactive and not a reactive, person.

2) Begin with the End In Mind

Mental visualization is extremely important. Covey says that all things are created twice: first, the mental conceptualization and visualization and a second physical, actual creation. Becoming your own creator means to plan and visualize what you're going to do and what you're setting out to accomplish and then go out and creating it. Identifying your personal statement and your principles will help.

3) Put First Things First

With your power of independent will, you can create the ending you want to have. Part of that comes with effective time management, starting with matters of importance. Then tasks should be completed based on urgency after you deal with all the important matters. If you deal with crises, pressing problems and deadline-driven projects first, your life will be a lot easier.

4) Think Win/Win

If you believe in a better way to accomplish goals that's mutually beneficial to all sides, that's a win/win situation. "All parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan," Covey wrote. "One person's success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others." If you have integrity and maturity, there's no reason win/win situations can't happen all the time.

5) Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood

If you're a good listener and you take the time to understand a concept, it will help you convey your opinions, plans and goals to others. It starts with communication and strong listening skills, followed by diagnosing the situation and then communicating your solution to others.

6) Synergize

Synergistic communication, according to Covey, is "opening your mind and heart to new possibilities, new alternatives, and new options." This applies to the classroom, the business world and wherever you could apply openness and communication. It's all about building cooperation and trust.

7) Sharpen the Saw

Sometimes you're working so hard on the other six habits that you forget about re-energizing and renewing yourself to sharpen yourself for the tasks in front of you. Some sharpening techniques include exercise and nutrition, reading, planning and writing, service and empathy and commitment, study and meditation.

BEAUTY FOR ASHES

As we walk through life, many things seem to bring us down from time to time. Some really weigh us down and it seems like the cloud will never pass. I have good news for all of us. Nothing lasts forever. Like the sun rises and sets so will the issues we are facing start and end. Question is do we let these situations scar us forever?

After what I have just said one might think I have not been through my fair share of hard, difficult and depressing times. On the contrary, I have. Sometimes I wanted to get up really fast dust off and move on, sometimes I just lay there in the dirt for lack of strength to move on but mostly I needed a helping hand to help me get up. God has used many people in my life to help me get up and keep to the journey. Some of these people know others don't but the point here is that we cannot do it all alone.

One of the main reasons I get up time and time again is because I know somewhere deep within me, that I was created for more than just the hard times I face. God has an interesting way of making all things beautiful even those we want to never remember. We are important to him and for this reason He draws us more to Him so that we can do our part in making the earth he created look like what He intended it to.

Isn't it just awesome that God deems us so important?

Isaiah 61 is a great encouragement to me and I know this is so for most people. No one should go through life without knowing what this verse says about them. God considers us greatly, not just as his children but also co-creates with Him. Why do I say this, you would ask? Well in verse 1 to 3of Isaiah 61 the bible says that…..

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord    for the display of his splendor......"

To me this means that I have the potential and the ability to create a better place for all around me not relying on my strength only but through the strength that comes from God, through His anointing upon my life. I am the hope that the poor are waiting for, that I may tell them of a good God who cares for them. I am the instrument that God will use to heal the broken hearted, declare the captives free, release prisoners, comfort those mourning and for those who grieve to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. I like that part. This means that you and I have the potential and ability to make someone smile even when they have no reason to. From my perspective I have great power at my disposal.

And the great thing about this is, it’s not rocket science. All need to do is believe it myself and when I tell it to others I am convinced that it is life changing. We need to believe that God can heal our broken hearts and take away the shame before we can tell it to somebody else. ?

What are we doing today that make others choose to stay with their broken hearts and hopeless? Are we being salt and light? Are we helping other be a “planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor?”

Be encouraged..

http://youtu.be/2CZ6IsGjEug