Overflowing Cup The Japanese master A great Japanese master received a university professor who came to enquire abou

t wisdom. The master served tea. He poured his visitor s cup full, and then kept o n pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. It is overfull. No more will go in! Like this cup, the master said, you are full of you r own opinions and speculations. How can I show you wisdom unless you first empt y your cup? Main Uses: : Be willing to learn ----------------The Obstacle in Our Path In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king s wealth iest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly bl amed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getti ng the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of ve getables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many g old coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person w ho removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others ne ver understand: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one s condition. Main Uses: : TOTE Model ---------------The Carpenter The carpenter, who has always had a great reputation, decides to retire. Boss as ks him to build one more house. Reluctantly, he does. Heart not in it, does sloppy job cos he wants to finish. Goes to boss, I m done! G reat. Let s go see the house. They do. Boss says, To thank you for all these years o f great work, we d like to give you this house. Here are the keys ". i.e. always do your best. Main Uses: : Reframing, Values, Life and Mind are Systemic -----------------The Blue Butterfly A wise, old man lives in a village. One day 2 boys catch butterfly and go to his home. He sees them coming and welcomes them but they rebuff him saying they jus t want an answer to the question is the butterfly held in their hands alive or d ead. Old man thinks about it for a long time Finally he says. The answer is in your hands. Main Uses: : Reframing, Beliefs ------------------Choosing the Emperor It was time for the Emperor to choose the next emperor. As a test, he calls youn g people to his castle. gives each one a seed. One young man takes his home, pla nts it, takes care of it. He hears that others seeds are growing beautiful plants

. He s sad. One year later, everyone assembles at castle to show the emperor their plants. Only this young man has no plant. Emperor chooses him because Your next e mperor will be an honest man. " Main Uses: : Reframing, Values, Strategies, Behavioural Flexibility -----------------Rich and Poor Young couple living in Beverly Hills raising a young son. Want him to know that they don t live like many other families do. (Want to teach him to understand about poverty.) Driving across the country, stop at a restaura nt in a poor town. Converse with family at next table they invite the B.H. family over. Son goes to play with the kids, goes swimming in the river. Later, time to leave. Parents ask their son, What did you learn tod ay? " Mom, dad, we have trees and shrubs around our back yard they have the whole hor izon. We have a swimming pool, they have a river. We have the lights at night, t hey have the stars. Thank you for teaching me how poor we are. " Main Uses: : Reframing -------------------Treasure A long ago, a rich man lived in a city in Japan called Nagoya. The economy was n ot in a good state, and the rich man was losing money. But every night, he had t he same repeating dream that he would find great treasure in Hiroshima so finall y went there in search of treasure. He spent a night in a temple and that night the temple was robbed. The police suspected and arrested the Nagoya business man . When taken to the judge, he was asked why did you come to Hiroshima? " He replied B ecause I had a dream about finding treasure here . The Judge replied, You re crazy, ne ver believe your dreams they aren t real. I had a dream that if I went to Nagoya I could enter a rich man s empty house and find great treasure under his fountain i n the garden, but it is just a dream. The businessman was released and rushed hom e to Nagoya. He dug under the fountain in his own garden and found great treasur e. i.e. our greatest treasure is at home, inside us. Main Uses: : Values, There is no failure, only feedback ------------------The Necklace An exquisite necklace was displayed in a store for a long time because nobody se emed to notice and to want to buy it. While rearranging the exhibits, someone ac cidentally added a figure in front of the number representing its former price. And the jewelry was bought. Main Uses: : Reframing, Values, Beliefs, If you want to change something, take a ction --------------------Half of What I Say is False The scene is a lecture room in a Medical Faculty of a University. The eminent Pr ofessor of Medicine is addressing the students at the end of the last lecture be fore their final exams. Ladies and gentlemen, " he says, I congratulate you all on com pleting my course of lectures. I wish you all well in your future honorable prof ession. That leaves only two more thing to say. The first is this. Half of the things I have taught you as medical facts are, in f act, false! The second is that neither I nor anyone else today knows which half! " Main Uses: : The Map is not the Territory, There is no failure, only feedback

------------------changing behaviour We can t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them Main Uses: : Reframing, Perceptual Positions, Beliefs ----------------How realistic is your goal How do you eat an elephant? one piece at a time Main Uses: : Well-Formed Outcomes, Reframing ------------------The archer When you re betting for tiles in an archery contest, you shoot with skill. When yo u re betting for fancy belt buckles, you worry about your aim. And when you re betti ng for real gold, you re a nervous wreck. Your skill is the same in all three case s but because one prize means more to you than another, you let outside consider ations weigh on your mind. He who looks too hard at the outside gets clumsy on t he inside Main Uses: : Reframing, Life and Mind are Systemic, Sensory Acuity, ----------------The Axe A man was using a rusted axe to cut a huge oak tree. A friend was passing by and saw that the man was make no progress at all. At this rate it would take him ye ars to chop the mighty tree down. He said, why don t you sharpen your axe? " The man r eplied, I can t afford the time. Must cut this tree by tomorrow. " Main Uses: : Logical Levels, Behavioural Flexibility -----------------5 Balls Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. The y are Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit, and you re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bou nce back. But the four others Family, Health, Friends and Spirit are made of gla ss. If you drop one of these, it will be scuffed, nicked, damaged, even shattere d. And it will never be the same. Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give proper time to your family and friends, and take a decent rest. Value has a value only if its value is valued. " Main Uses: : Values, Life and Mind are Systemic ------------------The Eagle Oh to be an eagle

And swoop down from a peak With the golden sunlight flashing From the fierce hook of my beak. Oh to be an eagle And to terrify the sky With the beat of wings like thunder And a wild, barbaric cry. Oh to be an eagle but why keep dreaming? I must learn to be myself, Said the rubber duckling sadly On its soapy bathroom shelf. Main Uses: : Responsibility