1，Foolish Monkeys

Before several centuries, there was a very large, dense and dark forest. A group of monkeys arrived at the forest. It was winter season, and the monkeys struggled hard to survive the freezing cold nights. They were hunting for fire to get warm.

One night, they saw a firefly and considered it a dab of fire. All the monkeys in the group shouted 'Fire, Fire, Fire, Yeah we got fire!'

A couple of monkeys tried to catch the firefly and it escaped. They were sad as they could not catch the fire. They were talking to themselves that they couldn't live in the cold if they didn't get the fire.

The next night, again they saw many fireflies. After several attempts, the monkeys caught a few fireflies. They put the fireflies in a hole dug in the land and tried to blow the flies.

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They blew the flies very hard without knowing the fact that they were flies!

An owl was watching the activities of the monkeys. The owl reached the monkeys and told them, 'Hey those are not fire! They are flies. You won't be able to make fire from it!'

The monkeys laughed at the owl. One monkey replied the owl, 'Hey old owl you don't know anything about how to make fire. Don't disturb us!'

The Owl warned the monkeys again and asked them to stop their foolish act. 'Monkeys, you cannot make fire from the flies! Please hear my words.'

The monkeys tried to make fire from the flies.

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The Owl told them again to stop their foolish act. 'You are struggling so much, go take your shelter in a nearby cave. You can save yourself from the freezing cold! You won't get fire!'

One monkey shouted at the owl and the owl left the place.

The monkeys were simply doing the foolish activity for several hours and it was almost midnight. They were very tired and realized that the words of the owl were correct and they were trying to blow a fly.

They sheltered themselves at the cave and escaped from the cold.

We may go wrong many times and should seek and accept the advice / suggestions provided by others.

2，The Secret of Happiness:

Once upon a time, there were three brothers named Samuel, Timothy and Xander, who lived in a cottage by the woods. They were honest and hardworking. Every day, they would venture into the forest to fell wood. Later, they would sell it in the market where it would fetch a decent price. Thus, their life continued in this manner.

However, the brothers were always sad and morose. Even though they lived a good life, they were unhappy. Each one hankered for something or the other and would pine for it.

One day, while Samuel, Timothy and Xander were returning home from the woods carrying their bundle of logs, they saw an old haggard woman bent low with a sack on her back. As they were kind and compassionate, the brothers immediately approached the poor woman and offered to carry the sack all the way to her home. She smiled and expressed her gratefulness, while replying that the sack actually contained apples that she had collected in the forest. Samuel, Timothy and Xander took turns in carrying the sack, and at last, when they reached the woman's home, they were very tired indeed.

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Now, this old woman was no ordinary person and had magical powers. Pleased with the brothers' kind and selfless nature, she asked them whether there was anything she could help them with, as a reward.

"We are not happy, and that has become our greatest cause of concern," replied Samuel. The woman asked what would make them happy. Each brother spoke of a different thing that would please him.

"A splendid mansion with plenty of servants would make me happy. There is nothing more that I would want," said Samuel.

"A big farm with lots of harvest would make me happy. Then I could be rich without having to worry," said Timothy.

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"A beautiful wife would make me happy. Every day, after returning home, her sweet little face would light me up and make me forget my sorrows," said Xander.

"That is fine," said the old woman, "If these things will give you happiness, you deserve them in every respect for helping a poor helpless person like me. Go home, and each of you shall find exactly what you have wished for."

This took the brothers by surprise as they did not know about the woman's powers. Nevertheless, they took leave and returned home. But lo behold, beside their cottage, there was a huge mansion with a doorman and other servants waiting outside! They greeted Samuel and ushered him in. At some distance, a yellow farmland showed itself. A ploughman came and announced that it belonged to Timothy. Timothy gasped. Just at that moment, a beautiful maiden approached Xander and coyly said that she was his wife. The brothers were beside themselves with joy at this new turn of events. They thanked their lucky stars and adapted to their new lifestyles.

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The days passed and soon a year was over. The situation was however, now different for Samuel, Timothy and Xander. Samuel had grown tired of owning the mansion. He became lazy and did not supervise his servants into taking proper care of the mansion. Timothy, who had built a decent house next to his farmland, found it burdensome to plough the fields and sow seeds from time to time. Xander too, grew used to his beautiful wife and no longer found any joy in keeping her company. In short, all of them were unhappy again.

One day, the three of them met up and decided to visit the old woman at her home. "That woman has magical powers which turned our dreams into reality. However, since we are no longer happy, we must go and seek her help now. It is she who will be able to tell us the secret to attaining happiness," said Samuel.

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When they came to the old woman, she was cooking stew in a pot. Greeting her, each of the brothers recounted how he had turned unhappy again. "Please tell us how we can once more be happy," said Timothy.

Old Woman"Well," replied the old woman. "It is all in your own hands. See, when each of you made his wish and it was granted, you were happy. However, happiness never lasts without a very important thing - content. Earlier, since you were happy but never really content or satisfied, boredom and misery overcame you and you became sad again. Only if you learn to be content, can you truly enjoy the bliss of happiness."

Samuel, Timothy and Xander realized their mistake and went back home. They saw how lucky they were to have the gifts for which they had once craved. Samuel felt grateful for being the owner of a mansion and began taking good care of it. Timothy began to plough his land diligently so as to have a good harvest in time. Xander too learnt to appreciate his pretty wife's chores in the house and her devotion towards him. Remembering that happiness and content went side by side, never again did the brothers take their blessings for granted. And thus, they lived happily ever after.

3，Real Solution to Problems

A group of employees was working in a software company. It was a team of 30 employees. This was a young, energetic and dynamic team with keen enthusiasm and desire to learn and grow. The management decided to teach the employees about finding real solution to the problems.

The team was called to play a game in a banquet hall. The group was quite surprised as they were called for playing game. All reached the venue holding various thoughts. As they entered the hall, they found the hall decorated beautifully with colourful decorative papers and balloons all over the place. It was more like a kid's play area, than a corporate meeting hall.

Everyone was surprised and gazed at each other. Also, there was a huge box of balloons placed at the centre of the hall.

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The team leader asked everyone to pick a balloon from the box and asked them to blow it. Every one happily picked a balloon and blew it.

Then the team leader asked them to write their names on their balloon, carefully so that the balloons didn't blow up. All tried to write their names on the balloons, but not everyone was successful. A few balloons blew up due to pressure and they were given another chance to use another balloon.

Those who failed to mark their names even after the second chance were ruled out of the game. After the second chance, 25 employees were qualified for the next level. All the balloons were collected and then put into a room.

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The team leader announced the employees to go to the room and pick the same balloon that had his name on it. Also, he told them that no balloon should blow up and warned them to be very careful!

All 25 employees reached the room, where the balloons carrying their names were thrown here and there. They were searching for the respective balloons carrying their names. While they were in a rush to find the respective balloons, they tried not to burst the balloons. It was almost 15 minutes and no one was able to find the balloon carrying his own name.