Short Inspiring Stories

8/8/2019 Short Inspiring Stories

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The Great Motivating Stories

http://www.happynesscoach.blogspot.com

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Preface

I am thrilled to present you a first series of mycollection The Great Motivating Stories. This

is something I have ever wanted to do so thatmore & more people could be benefited. I

dont know actual origin and name of writersof these stories. However, I found each &every story very useful and helpful in buildingcharacter and attitude. Most of these storiescan be used very well for coaching and

training sessions. Based on these stories, wecan have excellent interactive exercises, whichcan be used in assessing various attributes.Even, these can be used as Icebreakers also. Ihave mentioned Coaching Questions &Exercise for couple of stories, I am sure manyof you will find it suitable. I would like torequest all of you to provide inputs enablingme to do better things in future. Perhaps, youwould have already heard / read all / few ofthese stories, however, I wanted to have it inbetter way. I have already used few of thesestories in various training programs andbelieve me; it helps a lot to many people in

changing their attitude.



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This work could have not been possible

without the inputs of large numbers ofprofessionals, it is not possible to name them

and acknowledge their contributionindividually. Primilarily, this work could havebeen possible because of strong desire oflearning, improving and contributing. It is myfervent hope that this collection will lead toimproved interpersonal relations and betterperformance at the work place, within the

family and elsewhere.

With best of learning!!!!!!!MuraliThe happyness coachhttp://www.happynesscoach.blogspot.com


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I N D E X

S.No. Name of the Story Page

1. Failure is behind every success 32. Is it Attitude? 43. Attitude Is Everything 54. Work 85. Answer this 96. Barber and the king 117. Carrot, Egg & Coffee 128. Dont act like an elephant 149. Act like Farmer's Donkey 1610. Dont ever forget 1711. Grumble town 1812. How dare you lecture me 2013. Innovation and team work wins

the race22

14. Is your hut on fire? 2415. Joke 2516. Learning from every one 2617. Learning points 28

18. Make a difference 2919. Make others happy 3120. Fly : Salesman : Different story 3321.

Never let your yesterdaysdisappointments overshadowtomorrows dreams

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22. Now or never 3623. Part of ocean 3824. Smoking and praying at the same

time39

25. Struggle 4026. Try with running engine 4127. Three managers 4228. The truth 4529. The rose 4630. The mountain 5131. The man who sold hot dogs 5332. Two camels 5433.

Build wisely 55


RainMakers Collection #1

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Failure is behind every success

All success stories are stories of great failures. Theonly difference is that every time they failed, theybounced back. This is called failing forward, ratherthan backward. You learn and move forward.Learn from your failure and keep going.

Henry Ford forgot to put the reverse gear in thefirst car he made. Do you consider these peoplefailures? They succeeded in spite of problems, notin the absence of them. But to the outside world, itappears as though they just got lucky.

In 1914, Thomas Edison, at age 67, lost his factory,

which was worth a few million dollars, to fire. Ithad very little insurance. No longer a young man,Edison watched his lifetime effort go up in smokeand said, "There is great value in disaster. All ourmistakes are burnt up. Thank God we can start anew." In spite of disaster,Three weeks later, he invented the phonograph.

What an attitude!


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Is it Attitude?

A man was washing his new car when his neighbor

asked him , " when did you get the car ?" Hereplied "My brother gave it to me." The neighbor'sresponse was, " I wish I had a car like that."

The man replied, " You should wish to have abrother like that."

The neighbors wife was listening to theconversation and she interrupted. " I wish I was abrother like that." What a way to go!



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Attitude Is Everything

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He wasalways in a good mood and always had somethingpositive to say. When someone would ask him howhe was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better,I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had severalwaiters who had followed him around fromrestaurant to restaurant. The reason the waitersfollowed Jerry was because of his attitude. He wasa natural motivator. If an employee was having abad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how

to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so oneday I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't getit! You can't be a positive person all of the time.How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to

myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You canchoose to be in a good mood or you can choose tobe in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood.Each time something bad happens, I can choose tobe a victim or I can choose to learn from it. Ichoose to learn from it. Every time someone comesto me complaining, I can choose to accept theircomplaining or I can point out the positive side oflife. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy", I protested.

"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices.When you cut away all the junk, every situation is achoice. You choose how you react to situations. Youchoose how people will affect your mood. Youchoose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The

bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, Ileft the restaurant industry to start my own


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business. We lost touch, but often thought abouthim when I made a choice about life instead ofreacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry didsomething you are never supposed to do in a

restaurant business: he left the back door open onemorning, and was held up at gunpoint by threearmed robbers. While trying to open the safe, hishand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off thecombination. The robbers panicked and shot him.Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly andrushed to the local trauma center.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive

care, Jerry was released fromthe hospital with fragments of the bullets still in hisbody. I saw Jerry about six months after the

accident. When I asked him how he was, hereplied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want tosee my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him whathad gone through his mind as the robbery took

place. "The first thing that went through my mindwas that I should have locked the back door", Jerryreplied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I rememberedthat I had two choices: I could choose to live, or Icould choose to die. I chose to live.

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?",I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. Theykept telling me I was going to be fine. But whenthey wheeled me into the emergency room and Isaw the expressions on the faces of the doctors andnurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read,

'He's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."



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"What did you do?", I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shoutingquestions at me", said Jerry. She asked if I wasallergic to anything. "Yes", I replied. The doctorsand nurses stopped working as they waited for myreply... I took a deep breath and yelled, "Bullets!"Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing tolive. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, butalso because of his amazing attitude. I learned fromhim that every day we have the choice to live fully.Attitude, after all, is everything.


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WORK

God created Man to WorkWork is Mans Greatest Duty

Man is nothing-IF avoids WORKING -

HE can do nothing

Achieve Nothing Fulfill nothing without WorkingWork is Mans Most Dependable Function

If You are poor WorkIf You are rich Work

You have been burdened with unfairResponsibilities Work

You have been entrusted with DeservingResponsibilities Work

You have been paid Low WorkYou have been paid Fairly Work

You have been Paid Handsomely Work

When Dreams Are Shattered WorkWhen Faith Falters Work

When the future appears Bleaks WorkWhen Hope Deems dead Work

Work is the greatest stress hunterWork is the mightiest morale Booster

Work is the Best Boredom HealerWork is equally Effective Disease Fighter

If You neglect Your WorkYou invite Worry, Fear, and Doubt & Debt

Work is the greatest Solution for all ProblemsWork..WorkWork..

Work Sincerely



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Answer This

This was an important question asked during aninterview session by a certain company. Themanagement actually decided to employ the personwho answered this question most appropriately.There was of course no right or wrong answer tothis question but it all depends on how eachindividual answers it. Read the question below &think of how you would answer it before you scrolldown to see the best answer given by thisparticular person, who of course got employed.

On a dark & stormy night with rain pouring heavily,wind blowing wildly, lightning striking fiercely &thunder sounding loudly....... It was 2am. Youwere driving a 2-seater car by yourself on a verylonely stretch of the countryside in this terriblestorm when you came to a sheltered bus stop.There were 3 people at the bus stop.... 1 was adoctor who saved your life previously when you hada heart attack. Another was an extremely sick oldman who seemed on the verge of death while the

3rd was the dream of your life, someone whom you

had wanted to get to know for a long time!The stormy weather was getting worse & the 3people in the sheltered bus stop were getting wetfrom the heavy rain. Lightning continued to strike &thunder roared....... The question is: What wouldyou do in a situation like this? Remember..... Youhave only a 2-seater car & will not be able to ferryall the 3 people in your car to a more shelteredplace.

So, what would you do?

Ponder this situation & think of ananswer before you go down for the supposedlybest answer!


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There are no right or wrong to the above answers,only how the individual perceives the situation.

Most said theyll drive the old man then followed bythe doctor. Several say since the old mans dying &they might not be able to save him by the time hereaches the hospital, they might as well drive thedream of their life and secure their future?!! So,what was the answer that impressed theinterviewer so much?

This particular person said ill get out of my car,pass the car key to the doctor to drive the old manto the hospital so he might be able to save him justlike he saved me. Then ill be able to be with thedream of my life together in the sheltered busstop.

With this answer, that person got the jobimmediately. As human beings, we are naturallyselfish. From all the other answers given, none ofthem actually thought of giving up their car.......

It is not something wrong but at times, ourthoughts are too narrow Minded & we think mainly

of ourselves. Hope you all learn from this & if Yourinterviewers ask you similar questions, youll beequipped & be able to answer the questions withease.



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Barber & The King

The barber was giving a haircut to the king and asusually all barbers do, entered into a conversationwith his master. He told the King that he is so closeto the King yet the king's minister is being paid avery much higher salary. Barber felt that to berather unfair & wanted an explanation. King said"Ok, I will give you a task which I would normallygive the minister, for you to perform so that I could judge" King told the barber "I understand that aship has arrived in the harbor please brief me aboutit" Barber ran to the harbor and came back and toldthe King Yes, Sir. There is a Ship! King: When has itarrived? Barber again ran to the harbor and

returned to tell that the ship has arrived 2 daysago. Barber had to run to the harbor several timesto the harbor till the king got the requiredinformation such as from where the ship has come?

What the ship has brought?, Who had come, Whatthey would take back, when? At what Price etc,the Barber was extremely tired after making so

many trips. At this stage the King called his minister

in the presence of his barber and gave him thesame task. Minister made just one trip , cameback and gave a report which contained all theinfo. King had wanted to know.

King then told the barber "This should explain whythe minister is paid a higher salary!!


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Carrot, Egg & Coffee

A certain daughter complained to her father abouther life and how things have been so hard for her.She did not know how she was going to make itand she wanted to give up. She was tired of

fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as oneproblem was solved another arose.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filledthree pots with water and placed the fire on high.Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one heplaced carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and inthe last he placed ground coffee beans. He let themsit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatientlywondered what he was trying to do. She hadproblems, and he was making this strangeconcoction. In half an hour he walked over to the

oven and turned down the fire. He pulled thecarrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled

the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then heladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her he asked. "Darling what do yousee,"

Smartly, she replied. "Carrots, eggs, and coffee."

He brought her closer and asked her to feel thecarrots. She did and noted that they were soft. Hethen asked her to take an egg and break it. Afterpulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiledegg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Herface frowned from the strength of the coffee.

Humbly, she asked. "What does it mean Father?"

He explained. "Each of them faced the sameadversity, 212 degrees of boiling water. Howevereach reacted differently."

"The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting.



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But after going through boiling water, it softened

and became weak."

"The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected aliquid center. But after sitting through the boilingwater, its inside became hardened."

"The coffee beans are unique however. After theywere in the boiling water, it became stronger andricher." "Which are you," he asked his daughter.

When adversity knocks on your door, how do yourespond?Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with thesmallest amount of pain, adversity, heat you wiltand become soft with no strength?

Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleableheart? A fluid spirit. But after a death, a breakup, adivorce, a layoff you became hardened and stiff.

Your shell looks the same, but you are so bitter and

tough with a stiff spirit and heart, internally.

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean does notget its peak flavor and robust until it reaches 212degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets thehottest, it just tastes better. When things are thereworst, you get better. When people talk the most,your praises increase. When the hour is thedarkest, trials are their greatest, your worshipelevates to another level.

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, anegg, or a coffee bean?


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DONT ACT LIKE AN ELEPHANT

Strange statement, isn't it?

But listen carefully because it can make thedifference of success and failure in your business

and private life.

So, let me explain...

You might know that in India elephants are usedfor manual labor. But what to do with them whenthey are not working? How to restrain them?

Their handlers came up with the idea to "program"

them while they are still very young - by settingself-imposed limits into their thinking.

How does it work?

When the elephants are still small, weighing around150 pounds, they get tied up with a very heavyrope. All day long, the elephants try to get rid of it,

whine, tug at it and some of them even try to chewit. But they can't break free.

Finally, the elephants give up and the fight is over.

And now it's getting interesting...

From this moment on, they strongly believe thatthere is absolutely no chance to get rid of the rope.They accept the "fact" that the rope limits them.

And with this imprinted belief in place, theirhandlers are able to tie them with extremely smallropes!



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And even as adults, weighing 8,000 pounds and

more, they never attempt to break free becausethey "know" they have no chance at all!

As you can see, the elephants limits are not real,but exist only in their mind.

And also we are programmed with built-in-boundaries. They are also not real but exist only inour minds.

But with these imprinted belief systems, with theseinner boundaries, we are unable...

- to live our lives to the fullest- to be successful as we could be

- to set and reach higher goals- to make 10 times more money as we do now- to build a successful business- to get the promotion and pay increase we always

dreamed of- to fulfill our true dreams and desires etc.

But it hasn't to stay this way. Our negative belief

systems don't have to limit us for good.

If you *truly* want to become successful and arenot kidding yourself, you *can* change your innerbelief system, your attitude, and break your innerboundaries.

You *always* have the inner strength; the personalpower to change everything in your life for thebetter. Just try!

So, never give up! Never act like an elephant!


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Act like Farmer's Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmertried to figure out what to do. Finally he decidedthe animal was old and the well needed to be

covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it toretrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors tocome over and help him. They all grabbed a shoveland began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening

and cried horribly. Then, toeveryone's amazement, he quieted down. A fewshovel loads later, the farmer finally looked downthe well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, thedonkey was doing something amazing. He wouldshake it off and take a step up. As the farmer'sneighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of theanimal, he would shake it off and take a step up.Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey

stepped up over the edge of the well and trottedoff!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it offand take a step up. Each of our troubles is astepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wellsjust by not stopping, And by never giving up! Shakeit off and take a step up!



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Don't Ever Forget

Your presence is a gift to the world,You're unique and one of a kind.

Your life can be what you want it to be -Take it one day at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles,

And you'll make it through what comes along.

Within you are so many answers,Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don't put limits on yourself,Your dreams are waiting to be realized.

Don't leave your important decisions to chance -Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying -The longer a problem is carried, the heavier it gets.

Don't take things too seriously -Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way -Remember that a lot goes forever.

Remember that friendship is a wise investment,Life's treasures are people... Together.

Have health and hope and happiness,Take the time to wish on a star.

And don't ever forget for even a day...How very special YOU are!


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Grumble Town

There was once a place called Grumble Town whereeverybody grumbled, grumbled, grumbled. Insummer, the people grumbled that it was too hot.In winter, the people grumbled that it was too cold.

When it rained, the Children whimpered becausethey couldn't go outside. When the sun came out,they complained that they had nothing to do.Neighbors griped and groaned about neighbors,parents about children, and brothers about sisters.

Everybody had a problem, and everybody whinedthat someone should come do something about it.

One day a peddler trudged into town, carrying a bigbasket on his back. When he heard all the fussingand sighing and moaning, he put his basket downand cried: "O citizens of this town! Your fields areripe with grain, your orchards heavy with fruit. Yourmountains are covered by good, thick forests, and

your valleys watered by deep, wide rivers. Neverhave I seen a place blessed by such opportunity

and abundance. Why are you so dissatisfied?Gather around me, and I will show you the way tocontentment."

Now this peddler's shirt was tattered and torn. Hispants showed patches, his shoes had holes. The

people laughed to think that someone like himcould show them how to be content. But while theysnickered, he pulled a long rope from his basketand strung it between two poles in the townsquare. Then, holding his basket before him, hecried: "People of Grumble Town! Whoever isdissatisfied, write your trouble on a piece of paper,and bring it and put it in this basket. I will exchangeyour problem for happiness!"

The crowd swarmed around him. No one hesitatedat the chance to get rid of his trouble. Every man,woman and child in the village scribbled a grumbleon a scrap of paper and dropped it into the basket.

They watched as the peddler took each trouble andhung it on the line. By the time he was through,



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troubles fluttered on each inch of the rope, from

end to end. Then he said: "Now each one of youshall take from this magic lines the smallest troubleyou can find."

They rushed forward to examine all of the troubles.They hunted and fingered and pondered, eachtrying to pick the smallest trouble. After a while themagic line was empty.

And behold! Each held in his hand the very sametrouble he had put into the basket. Each hadchosen his own trouble, thinking it was the smallestof all on the line.

From that day, the people of Grumble Town

stopped grumbling all the time. And wheneveranyone had the urge to whimper or whine, hethought of the peddler and his magic line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is also a great conference exercise to have

the group do as the town did. You cansubstitute grumbling with business obstacles,personality conflicts, etc.

Coaching Questions:

1. What did the peddler see that everyone else didnot?

2. How easy is it to be "deep in the middle" of anorganizational problem and not see what thepeddler saw?

3. What do you think the group talked about asthey mulled over the scraps on the rope?

4. What issue is you or your team dissatisfied iswith?


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How dare you lecture me!

It isnt no disgrace for a man to fall, but to lie thereand grunt is. Once upon a time Nasrudin and hismaster went hunting in the forest. The master cut

his thumb while shooting his bow and arrowbecause he held it incorrectly. Nasrudin stopped thebleeding and bandaged the deep wound as hismaster moaned in pain. In an attempt to consolehis master, Nasrudin said. "Sir, there are nomistakes, only lessons, and we can learn from themif we're willing."

The master became enraged. "How dare youlecture me!" he barked. And with that he threwNasrudin into a deserted well and continued onwithout his devoted servant.

A little further on, a group of forest people capturedthe master and took him to their chief for human

sacrifice. The fire was roasting hot, and the masterwas about to be thrown into it when the chief

noticed his bandaged thumb and set him free. Itwas a rule that all sacrificial victims had to beperfect specimens. Realizing how right Nasrudinhad been, the master rushed back to the well torescue his faithful servant. Acknowledging hisunjust actions, the master pulled Nasrudin out and

asked him to forgive him for the terrible mistake.

Nasrudin assured him that he had not made amistake at all. On the contrary, he insisted thatthere was another lesson concealed here. Nasrudintold his master that he had done Nasrudin a greatservice by throwing him into the well. He thankedhis master for saving his life explaining that if hehad continued with him into the forest, the forestpeople would have taken him for sacrifice andsurely he would had died.

"You see," Nasrudin ventured, "there are nomistakes, only lessons to learn. What we call ourmistakes can be blessings in disguise, if we're

willing to learn from them." This time the mastersmiled and nodded in agreement.



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Coaching Questions:

1. Why did the master respond to the servant's firstmessage so negatively?

2. Is this response from master's similar to those inleadership roles? How?

3. Was there an "Amygdala Hijacking" in the story?

4. Is the ending too simple? Do things always workout perfectly?

5. Can you point to positive things that happened

as a result of things that are going negative!


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Innovation & Team work wins the race

A hare and a tortoise live in Ahmedabad. They aregood friends and like all good friends , sometimeshave a dig at each other. One day , in a light moodthe hare ridiculed the tortoise for his slow pace.

The tortoise reacted by challenging the hare for arace between Paldi to Navarangpura. On theappointed day and time the two assemble at thestarting line and start the race. The hare dashes offthe start line like a flash. After crossing the midwaymark , he feels that a short nap would do no harm.The short nap turned out to be a bit too long.Meanwhile the tortoise crosses the hare andreaches the destination. The hare wakes from theslumber, oblivious of the time, and dashes offtowards the finish. To his dismay he finds thetortoise having a nap at the finish line.

The moral of the story is "Slow and steady wins therace."

The story does not end here.....

The hare goes home and soon understands thatcomplacency and overconfidence were the reasonsof his defeat. He vows not to repeat the mistakeagain. He then invites the tortoise for another race.The tortoise agrees to his friends request. They

meet at the appointed day and time at the startingpoint. The race starts. This time the hare dashes offto the finishing line without taking a break and winsthe race comfortably.

The moral of the story is "Fast and steady wins therace".

The story does not end here.....

The tortoise goes home and thinks hard. He wasaware that the hare cannot be defeated in speed.He then ponders over his core competence. At lasthe finds a solution and invites the hare to anotherrace. This time the course is changed. It is from

Paldi to Airport. The hare agrees. At the appointedday and time the two meet at the start line and the



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race begins. The hare dashes off like a flash. Soon

he arrives at the banks of river Sabarmati and isoverwhelmed by a sense of dejection as he did notknow how to swim. The tortoise comes to the bank, looks at the hare with sympathy and coolly getsinto the water. He swims to the other side goes tothe airport and comes back.

The moral of the story is "Core competence winsthe race."

But the story does not end here.....

Both the friends decide it was enough of racingagainst each other. Why not think hard and find away by which they together could travel from Paldi

to airport at the minimum possible time. At the endof a brain storming session they come out with asolution and decide to try out the next morning. Atthe appointed time they meet at the starting line.

The tortoise sits on the back of the hare. The haredashes off form Paldi to the banks of Sabarmati.There the hare gets on the back of the tortoise and

the tortoise swiftly crosses the river. On reaching

the other side the tortoise again sits on the back ofthe hare. The hare runs as fast as he can to theairport. Thus they both reach airport in the fastestpossible time.

The moral of the story is "Innovation and teamwork wins the race"


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Is Your Hut on Fire?

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up ona small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishlyfor God to rescue him, and every day he scanned

the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a littlehut out of driftwood to protect himself from theelements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrivedhome to find his little hut in flames, the smokerolling up to the sky. The worst had happenedeverything was lost. He was stunned with grief andanger. God, how could you do this to me? Hecried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened bythe sound of a ship that was approaching theisland. It had come to rescue him. How did youknow I was here? Asked the weary man of his

rescuers. We saw your smoke signal, theyreplied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are goingbad. But we shouldnt lose heart, because God is atwork in our lives, even in the midst of pain andsuffering. Remember, next time your little hut isburning to the ground, it just may be a smokesignal that summons the grace of God.

For all the negative things we have to say toourselves, God has a positive answer for it:

Disadvantage can become your advantage-A lessonin Creativity



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JOKE

A man enters a pet shop and sees three monkeyspriced $500, $1500 and $5000 each. The manpuzzled and asked the owner. Why the pricevaries? Why it just $500 for that first one?. Theshopkeeper replies, He knows nothing. Thats whyits just $500.

And why is that cost $1500? What he knows? Askthe man. Actually, he knows little about computernetworking. Replied the shopkeeper. Surprisedthe man and asked, And what that expensive onedoes?

Actually, I have seen him doing nothing. But, hehimself says he is the consultant. The shopkeepergives the explanation.


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Learning from every one

It is almost 250 years old story. There was a SaintRamdev. During his life time he had traveled almostall the world. He had lot of pupil (disciple) also.

When he was about to leave this world, all of hisdisciple came to near him. One of his disciplenamely Hari Ram asked him Gurudev, we havelearned a lot of things from you, but we are notaware who was your Guru. Gurudev smiled andsaid I had lot of gurus. I have learned fromalmost every one to whom I met. His all the pupilswere stunned how it is possible. Theysurprisingly asked to Gurudev But Gurudev tellus from whom you have learned most?

Gurudev replied that he had learned most from aDog and from a Thief. Again, pupils were surprisedhow one can learn from a Dog and from a Thief.

But they didnt said any thing except that Gurudev,please tell us how you have learned from them.The Guru told them

Once, on a very hot days noon he wasgoing through from a village namely Narsingh Pur.For rest, he sat down under a tree on the bank of ariver. At about 2.30 pm, he has observed that a dogcame to river to drink water. But what happenedthat dog seen his shadow in the water and barked

on it and found that shadow has also barked onhim. And the dog came back with out drinkingwater because of an unknown fear. The dog didthis exercise at least for six times and every time hereturned without drinking water. But 7th time, thatdog gone there, again barked on his shadow andhis shadow again barked on him but this time hedrunken the water. In fact he was so thirsty that allthe fears have gone away. So what I have learnedfrom him that if your thirst is too much(unbearable) then no fear can stop you in achievingdesired thing.

They were in agreement and said- OK Gurudev,you have learnt from Dog but tell us what you have

learnt from a thief. Thief is anti social element andhow one can learn any thing from him. The



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Gurudev said that once he was going through

from jungles of Ranikhet and found a goodbeautiful place. There was also hut where a Thiefwas residing. He thought & decided that he will bestaying here for few days. So he stayed with thief.During the first night the thief went out for theftbut came back without any success. The same storyhappened for six nights. Every night the thief wentout and returned back with out success, then thesaint asked him that you have been going everynight but returning back without any success. Areyou not losing your hope?. The Thief said thatevery time I am trying different method, no matterthat I have not been successful but very soon I willbe successful.

So I have learned from the thief the PERSUATION. You should never lose your hope,always try different methods and continue doingyour job differently. Later or sooner, you will be

successful.


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Learning Points

Once upon a time, I had an interesting meetingwith an Architect who had an establishedrelationship with Sheik Mohammed from Dubai. After a number of building projects had been

completed the Sheik asked the Architect to build ahospital for him. The Sheik was a man of few wordsand the Architect had a short Q&A session to getsome basic information. Based on this, the Architecthad a vision in his mind of what the hospital wouldlook like. A few days later the Architect had draftedout a concept and presented it to the Sheik andstated This is a basic layout but Im not sure howmany beds you think you would need. The Sheiklooked at him long and hard and replied What doyou mean - beds! This is a hospital for mycamels!!!

I am sure there are many learning points in this -aside from making assumptions and asking theright questions. Any other learning points, do youthink???



30

Make a Difference!

There was a young boy taking a morning walk atthe beach. He saw that along with the morningtide came hundreds of starfish and when the tidereceded, they were left behind and with themorning sun rays, they would die. The tide wasfresh and the starfish were alive. The boy took afew steps, picked one and threw it into the water.He did that repeatedly.

Right behind him there was an older man whocouldnt understand what the boy was doing. Hecaught up with him and asked, What are youdoing? There are hundreds of starfish you cantpossibly help all of them. What difference can it

make?

The boy did not reply, took two more steps, pickedup another one, threw it into the water, and said,It makes a difference to this one.

Here is an awesome Creative Session Closer

for a leadership session.

Here is how I make this story come alive inleadership sessions. I buy little starfish from thecraft store (about 30 cents each at Hobby Lobby)and paste them on a 2 x 4 colored sheet of paper(thick paper). I hand write Make a Difference onthe paper. (Creating the cards is a great familyactivity. My kids love to help Daddy make histraining stuff. I also tell them the story all overagain when they help.) If you cant find the starfisha simple drawing is sufficient.

At the last break I place one of the cards at eachparticipant area. If possible, I try to strategicallyplace them in an area that is not obvious. After thelast segment of the session and after any summaryor debrief I tell the story. I also have a hugestarfish that I pull out of a bag and as I tell thestory I use the larger starfish to make the storymore visual by picking it up and pretending to


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throw it. I play the part of the boy who is listeningto the wisdom of the older man.

The boys face considers the older mans philosophybut he remains determined and focused on the taskof saving starfish. As I recite the boys last words,It makes a difference to this one I pick up one ofthe cards on the table and hold it up and say, What are we doing here? There are so manycoworkers with so many difficult situations we cantpossibly help all of them. What difference can itmake? [Silence]

I stare at the card for a while and then close with,Lets go make a difference!



32

Make others happy

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the samehospital room.One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for anhour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from hislungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.The other man had to spend all his time flat on hisback.The men talked for hours on end. They spoke oftheir wives and families, their homes, their jobs,their involvement n the military service, where theyhad been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by thewindow could sit up, he would pass the time by

describing to his roommate all the things, he couldsee outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those

one-hour periods where his world would bebroadened and enlivened by all the activity andcolor of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.Ducks and swans played on the water whilechildren sailed their model boats. Young loverswalked arm in arm. Amidst flowers of every colorand a fine view of the city skyline could be seen inthe distance.

As the man by the window described all this inexquisite detail, the man on the other side of theroom would close his eyes and imagine thepicturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the windowdescribed a parade passing by.

Although the other man couldn't hear the band -hecould see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman bythe window portrayed it with descriptive words.Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring waterfor their baths only to find the lifeless body of the


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lead to similar results, again and again. To getdifferent or desired results : we have to bring abouta change in our attitude, in our approach towardsour customer, bring about a change in our style offunctioning, thus we must open different doors.

There is a different story attached to firststory. It says :

If you put an equal number of bees and flies in aglass bottle and keep the bottle horizontally withthe open end away from the light, the bees will notbe able to get out of the bottle while the flies will.The reason being, bees are quite smart and knowthat opening must be the place from which light isvisible. They do not understand the glass and hencekeep banging against it. However, the flies arequite ignorant of all this intellectual reasoning andtherefore fly hither and thither and discover theopening quite by chance and fly off to freedom.

The bees' own intelligence is its' undoing.

Are there too many bees doing Strategy formulationin Companies and not enough flies?

"In times of transitions, the question itself is theanswer"



36

Never let yesterdays disappointments

overshadow tomorrows dreams

A well - known speaker started off his seminar byholding up a $ 20 bill. In the room of 200, heasked, "who would like this $ 20 bill?" Handsstarted going up. He said, "I am going to give this$ 20 to one of you but first let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He thenasked. "who still wants it?" Still the hands were upin the air. "Well, he replied. 'What if I do this?" Andhe dropped it on the ground and started to grind itinto the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, nowall crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?"Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuablelesson. No matter what I did to the money, youstill wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth $ 20. Many times in

our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground

into the dirt by the decisions we make and thecircumstances that come our way. We feel asthough we are worthless. But no matter what hashappened or what will happen, you will never loseyour value. You are special Don't ever forget it!

"Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadowtomorrow's dreams"


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NOW or NEVER

Its a great image booster!

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account

each morning with $86,400. It carries over nobalance from day to day and every evening deletes

whatever part of the balance you failed to useduring the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!!!

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of thisyou have failed to invest to good purpose.

It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.

Each day it opens a new account for you. Eachnight it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to

use the days deposits, the loss is yours. There is nogoing back. There is no drawing against the

tomorrow. You must live in the present ontodays deposits. Invest it so as to get from itthe utmost in health, happiness, and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a studentwho failed a grade. To realize the value of ONEMONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to apremature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor ofa weekly newspaper.To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the loverswho are waiting to meet.To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a personwho missed a plane.To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a personwho just avoided an accident. To realize thevalue of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person whowon a medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! Andtreasure it more because you shared it withsomeone and something special, special enough



38

to spend your time. And remember that time waits

for no one.

Yesterday is history.Tomorrow is mystery.

Today is a gift.Thats why its called


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Part of the Ocean

The story is about a little wave, bobbing along inthe ocean, having a grand time. Hes enjoying thewind and fresh air - until he notices the otherwaves in front of him crashing against the

shore.

My God this is terrible, the wave says Lookwhats going to happen to me!

Then along comes another wave. It sees the firstwave, looking grim, and it says to him, Why doyou look so sad?

The first wave says, You dont understand! Wereall going to crash! All of us waves are going to benothing! Isnt it terrible?

The second wave says, No, you dont understand.

Youre not a wave, youre partof the ocean.

Coaching Questions:

Have you ever faced the inevitable reality of theshore?

What was the first waves initial response tochange?

What negative things can come out of watching theother waves crash in front?

What positive things can come out of watching theother waves crash in front?

How different will the first wave be AFTER crashingon the shore?

Who is this second wave guy? Why is he important?

What does it mean to be part of the ocean?



40

Smoking and Praying at the same time

This reminds me of the two priests who got into an

argument about smoking andpraying at the same time. They couldnt resolve it,so they decided to each write the Pope and havehim decide it.

When both had received their answers, they gottogether. What did His Holiness tell you? Askedthe first.

He said that it was fine, answered the second.What did he tell you?

Very strange, responded the first. He told me

that it was forbidden. What did you ask him,anyway?

I asked if it was all right to pray while smoking. Hesaid that prayer is always appropriate. What didyou ask him?

I asked him if it was all right to smoke whilepraying. He said that smoking would defame thesacred act, so it is forbidden.

Often, its all in how you ask the question!


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Struggle

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day asmall opening appeared; he sat and watched thebutterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its

body through that little hole. Then it seemed tostop making any progress. It appeared as if it hadgotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the

butterfly, so he took a pair of scissorsand snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had aswollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly becausehe expected that, at any moment, the wings would

enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent therest of its life crawling around with a swollen bodyand shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not

understand was that the restricting cocoon and thestruggle required for the butterfly to get throughthe tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluidfrom the body of the butterfly into its wings so thatit would be ready for flight once it achieved itsfreedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need inour life. If nature allowed us to go through our lifewithout any obstacles, it would cripple us. Wewould not be as strong as what we could havebeen.

And we could never fly...



42

Try with running engine

A mechanic was removing the cylinder heads fromthe motor of a car when he spotted the famousheart surgeon in his shop, who was standing off tothe side, waiting for the service manager to cometake a look at his car.

The mechanic shouted across the garage, "HelloDoctor! Please come on over here for a minute."The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked overto the mechanic.

The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands ona rag and asked argumentatively, "So doctor,

look at this here. I also open hearts,take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and

when I finish this will work as a new one. So how

come you get the big money, when you and me isdoing basically the same work?"

The doctor leaned over and whispered to themechanic "Try doing it with the running engine."

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what isexcellent in others belong to us as well.


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43

Three Managers

Some years ago, three

managers at a Boston-area high tech company came up with an idea for anew product that they thought the companyscustomers would really love. They developed aplan for the product and presented it to companymanagement. The response from the companysmanagement was: Its an interesting idea, butwere taking the company in a different direction, sowere not going to make this product.

The three managers really believed in what they

had created. They wrote a business plan, got someventure capital, and started their own company.And they were right! Customers loved that product,

and they loved the follow-on product even more.Within a few years, the new company had severalhundred employees. A few years later, they wentpublic and the three managers became multi-millionaires.

But recently, things werent going so well. Acompetitor was going to beat them to market withthe newest innovations. Customers were startingto complain about their lack of progress. Therewas even a rumor that a few of their key employeeswere thinking of leaving to start their owncompanyjust what they neededanothercompetitor!

The three managers had tried everything they couldthink of to turn the situation around. They readevery new business book, every issue of theHarvard Business Review, and they tried every newidea, but to no avail.

One day, the three of them were sitting in one of

their offices, bemoaning their fate, when one said: You know what we need to do? We need to getout of here for a while. Far away from the



44

company, from our customers, from our problems.

Do something totally unrelated to the business.Clear our heads. Then maybe one of us will comeup with an idea to turn this place around.

Thats a great idea, said one of his buddies. Youknow, we havent taken our annual deer huntingtrip up to the Maine woods this year. How aboutwe go deer hunting for a week?

The others agreed. The next Friday morning, theyarrived at work early, spent a couple of hourclearing their desks, and then stashed all of theirequipment in one of the managers suvs. Theydrove up to Portland, Maine, where they chartereda sea-plane to take them to their favorite lake inMaines northern wilderness.

As the pilot approached the lake, he turned to hispassengers. Look, guys. Before you start hunting,you need to decide which ONE of you is going tobring back a deer, because this plane will only carryyou, your equipment, and ONE deer on the wayback.

Dont worry about it, said one of the managers.

We understand.The pilot dropped them off at the shore. A weeklater, the pilot returned. He taxied over to theshore to find the three managers waiting withTHREE deer. He got out of the plane, and gotangry with the three managers: Look, I told youwhen I dropped you off. This plane will only carryyou, your equipment and ONE deer.

No, you look, argued one of the managers. Lastyear, we were in the same situation. We charteredthe same model of plane that youre flying. Thepilot also told us we could only bring back one deer,and when he returned and saw that we had three,he got angry just like you.... But we gave him an

extra $100 and he agreed to carry all three deer.

The pilot looked at the hunters, then at the plane,then at the deer. Finally, he said: OK, give me the$100.

They stashed themselves, their equipment and thethree deer into every available inch of space on that


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plane. The pilot taxied way down the end of thelake to get as long a runway as possible. The planestruggled and struggled to get off the water, andfinally it was airborne. But the load was too much.They couldnt gain speed and altitude fast enough,and the plane hit a 90-foot pine tree at the end of

the lake and crashed.

One of the managers climbed slowly out of thewreckage, holding his head. Where are we? Heasked. One of his friends, who had gotten out aminute earlier, looked around. Id say were about100 yards... From where we ended up last year.



46

The Truth

(A lesson in Communication)

There was a securityguard who continued to be deployed for 3 years inthe same establishment.. One night he got drunk.This was the first time it ever happened.. Theduty manager recorded it in the log book,; Thesecurity guard was drunk tonight. The guard read itand he knew this comment would affect his career.,so he went to the duty manager ,apologized andasked the manager to add that it only happened

once in 3 years which was the complete truth. Themanager refused and said,: what I have writtenhere is the truth.

The next day it was the guards turn to fill in thelog. He wrote, The duty manager was sobertonight. The manager read the entry and askedthe guard to change or add to it explaining the

complete truth because this implied that the

manager was drunk every other night. The guardtold the manager that what he had written in thelog was the truth.

Both statements were true but they conveyedmisleading messages


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"The Rose"

Who needs to grow up anyway?

The first day of school our professor introducedhimself and challenged us to get to know someonewe didn't already know. I stood up to look aroundwhen a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turnedaround to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming upat me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'meighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" Ilaughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of courseyou may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocentage?" I joked. She replied, "I'm here to meet a rich

husband, get married, have a couple of children,and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what mayhave motivated her to be taking on this challengeat her age. "I always dreamed of having a college

education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.After class we walked to the student union buildingand shared a chocolate milkshake. We becameinstant friends.

Every day for the next three months we wouldleave class together and talk non-stop. I wasalways mesmerized listening to this "time machine"as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.Over the course of the year, Rose became acampus icon and she easily made friends wherevershe went. She loved to dress up and she reveled inthe attention bestowed upon her from the otherstudents. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose tospeak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what



48

she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up

to the podium. As she began to deliver herprepared speech, she dropped all of her 3 x 5 notecards.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned intothe microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey iskilling me! I'll never get my speech back in order solet me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began,"We do not stop playing because we are old; wegrow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being

happy, and achieving success.

You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your

dreams, you die. We have so many people walkingaround who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference growing older andgrowing up. If you are nineteen years old and

lie in bed for one full year and don'tdo one productive thing, you will turn twenty yearsold. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bedfor a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't takeany talent or ability. The idea is to grow up byalways finding the opportunity in change.

Have no regrets. The elderly rarely have regrets for

the things we did, but rather for things we did notdo.The only people who fear death are those withregrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing"The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the


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lyrics. At the year's end Rose finished the collegedegree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully inher sleep. Over two thousand college studentsattended her funeral tribute to the wonderful

woman who taught by example that it's never toolate to be all you can possibly be.

These words have been passed along in lovingmemory of Rose. REMEMBER, "The Rose"Who needs to grow up anyway?

The first day of school our professor introducedhimself and challenged us to get to know someonewe didn't already know. I stood up to look aroundwhen a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turnedaround to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming upat me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm

eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I

laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of courseyou may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocentage?" I joked. She replied, "I'm here to meet a richhusband, get married, have a couple of children,

and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what mayhave motivated her to be taking on this challengeat her age. "I always dreamed of having a collegeeducation and now I'm getting one!" she told me.After class we walked to the student union buildingand shared a chocolate milkshake. We becameinstant friends.

Every day for the next three months we wouldleave class together and talk non-stop. I wasalways mesmerized listening to this "time machine"as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.Over the course of the year, Rose became a

campus icon and she easily made friends wherevershe went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in



50

the attention bestowed upon her from the other

students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose tospeak at our football banquet. I'll never forget whatshe taught us. She was introduced and stepped upto the podium. As she began to deliver herprepared speech, she dropped all of her 3 x 5 notecards.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned intothe microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey iskilling me! I'll never get my speech back in order solet me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began,"We do not stop playing because we are old; wegrow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, beinghappy, and achieving success.

You have to laugh and find humor every day.

You've got to have a dream. When you lose yourdreams, you die. We have so many people walkingaround who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference growing older andgrowing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie inbed for one full year and don't do one productivething, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year andnever do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybodycan grow older. That doesn't take any talent orability. The idea is to grow up by always finding theopportunity in change.

Have no regrets. The elderly rarely have regrets forthe things we did, but rather for things we did notdo.

The only people who fear death are those withregrets."


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This relationship applies to everything, in all aspectsof life;Life will give you back everything you have given toit. YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. ITS AREFLECTION OF YOU!

The most beautiful things in life cannot be seen ortouched, they can only be felt with the heart.



54

THE MAN WHO SOLD HOT DOGS

During the 1930s there was a man who lived by theside of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard ofhearing, so he had no radio. He had trouble withhis eyes, so he read no newspapers. But he soldgood hot dogs. He stood at the side of the roadand cried: "Buy a hot dog, mister? And peoplebought. He increased his meat and bun orders. Hebought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.

Business was so good he broughthis son home from college early to help him out. And his son said: "Father, haven't you beenlistening to the radio? Haven't you been readingthe newspapers? The European situation is terrible.The domestic situation is worse."

The father thought to himself, "Well, my son's beento college, he reads the papers and he listens to theradio -- so he ought to know. So the father cutdown his meat and bun orders, took down hissigns, and no longer bothered to stand out on thehighway to sell his hot dogs. And his hot dog salesfell almost overnight. The father said to the boy,"You're right, son, we certainly are in the middle ofa great depression."


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Two camels

Two camels (a mother and a baby) were lazingaround, when suddenly baby camel said.

Baby: "mother, mother, can I ask you somequestion?"

Mother: "sure! Why son, is there somethingbothering you?"

Baby: "why do camel have humps?"

Mother: "well son, we are desert animals, we needthe humps to store water and we are known tosurvive without water."

Baby: "okay, then why are our legs long and ourfeet rounded."

Mother: "son, obviously they are meant for walkingin the desert. You know, with these legs I can move

around the desert better than anyone" said themother proudly.

Baby: "okay, said baby camel. "than why are oureye lashes long? Sometimes it is bothering mysight." said baby camel.

Mother: "my son, those long thick eye lashes areyour protective cover. They help to protect youreyes from the desert sand and wind." said mothercamel with eyes brimming with pride.

Baby: "I see. So the hump is to store water whenwe are in the desert, the legs are for walkingthrough the desert and these eye lashes protect myeyes from the desert. Then what the hell are wedoing here in a zoo???

THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS, SOMETIMESSKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE ARE ONLYUSEFUL IF THE ENVIRONMENT OR SITUATION

REQUIRES THEM!



56

Build wisely

"An carpenter was ready to retire. The employerwas sorry to see his good worker go and asked ifhe could build just one more house as a personalfavor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it waseasy to see that his heart was not in his work. Heresorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferiormaterials.

When the carpenter finished his work the employercame to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," hesaid, "my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked!What a shame! If he had only known he was

building his own house, he would have done it allso differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time,

often putting less than our best into the building.

Then with a shock we realize wehave to live in the house we have built. If we coulddo it over, we'd do it much differently. But wecannot go back. "Life is a do-it-yourself project,"someone has said. Your attitudes and the choicesyou make today, go into building the "house" youlive in tomorrow."

Build wisely


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Watch your thoughts ; theybecome words.

Watch your words ; they

become actions.

Watch your actions ; they

become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character

.

Watch your character; it becomes your

destiny .

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