Rise above storm

Author unknown. Received in social media. If you are author of this, please contact.

I just had to share this because I really liked this analogy:

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet.

Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small space with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.

If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.

It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, we are a lot like the buzzard, the bat and the bee.

We are struggling about with all our problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above us.

Rise above the problem for the solution.

This too shall pass.

Rise above the storm, find the sunshine and stay blessed forever.

My thoughts:At a time when the whole world is going through this crisis of Corona virus, let's find a silver lining in the dark clouds and discover the sun that shines brightly over there.

Adopting positive attitude as a way of life

Everyone wants to be happy in life. But no one believes that happiness is a choice. People blame all outside forces for being unhappy —relationships, fate, workplace experiences, … anything that they are not happy with.

Remember, you can either be a prey or a producer. The choice is yours. Making the choice empowers you to shift from prey mode to producer mode. Adopting positive attitude as a way of life, brings constructive changes in the way we live. We are in control of our happiness quotient by being so.

True, it’s easy said than done. If and when we really work hard on it, we can easily find something good about a situation that looked bad a while ago. Practice makes it perfect.

A little boy was heard talking to himself as he walked through the playground, carrying his cricket bat and ball: “I’m the greatest batsman in the world.”

Then he tossed the cricket ball in the air, swung at it with the bat and missed.

Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air again, swung the bat at it, and missed again for the second time.

He did this four more times and missed all four times.

After missing the ball for the sixth time, he yelled out: “I’m the greatest bowler in the world!”

Life can be tough at times, painful at other times and testing at more times. But turning a situation to your advantage, like the little boy did, is the key. It’s certainly a state of mind well worth developing.

First secret of success--Believe in yourself

– by Steve Goodier, www.lifesupportsystem.com

Adam was ready to retire. His wife Anna, however, was less enthusiastic.

As she explained to a friend, "Adam has never done anything that required physical exertion. He never played golf, mowed the lawn or even washed the windows. When he retires, he will sit in his easy chair and expect me to bring him his food."

But to Anna's surprise, soon after her husband retired, he joined a health club. And one night, when Adam arrived home from exercise class, he announced, "I signed up for the wrestling tournament. I am going to wrestle Friday night."

Anna was shocked. "Please don't do it, Adam," she begged. "You're not in shape. You will be so beat up they will have to carry you home!"

However, he couldn't be dissuaded and she told him that if he went through with his "lame idea," she was not going to watch.

True to her word, she stayed away that Friday evening as Adam wrestled.

And just as she predicted, two men practically carried Adam home. He lay down on the couch, every muscle strained and bruised.

Before she could speak, he sputtered, "Don't say a word, Anna! This is not the worst of it. I won tonight. I have to wrestle again tomorrow night!"

As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

Concentrate on your goals

The yogi Raman was a true master of the art of archery. One morning, he invited his favorite disciple to watch a display of his skill. The disciple had seen this more than a hundred times before, but he nevertheless obeyed his teacher.

They went into the wood beside the ashram and when they reached a magnificent oak tree, Raman took a flower which he had tucked in his collar and placed it on one of the branches.

He then opened his bag and took out three objects: his splendid bow made of precious wood, an arrow and a white handkerchief embroidered with lilacs.

The yogi positioned himself one hundred paces from the spot where he had placed the flower. Facing his target, he asked his disciple to blindfold him with the embroidered handkerchief.

The disciple did as his teacher requested.

'How often have you seen me practice the noble and ancient sport of archery?' Raman asked him.

'Every day,' replied his disciple. 'And you have always managed to hit the rose from three hundred paces away.'

‘But without blindfolding,’ the disciple said to himself. He did not dare to say that to his Master.

With his eyes covered by the handkerchief, the yogi Raman placed his feet firmly on the ground, drew back the bowstring with all his might - aiming at the rose placed on one of the branches of the oak tree - and then released the arrow.

The arrow whistled through the air, but it did not even hit the tree, missing the target by an embarrassingly wide margin.

'Did I hit it?' said Raman, removing the handkerchief from his eyes.

'No, you missed completely,' replied the disciple. 'I thought you were going to demonstrate to me the power of thought and your ability to perform magic.'

'I have just taught you the most important lesson about the power of thought,' replied Raman. 'When you want something, concentrate only on that. No one will ever hit a target they cannot see.'

When one has clear and specific goals in front of one’s eyes, its easier to get motivated. When a goal is vague, the motivational value is limited. Commitment plays an important role in achieving goals. Setting and meeting goals leads to feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment. It also allows us to choose how we want to move through life.

   

Discovering a new way of life

In the mid 1970s, when he was about to complete his doctorate in physics, the scientist Stephen Hawking - who was already carrying the disease that would gradually paralyse all his movements - heard a doctor say of him that he had only two more years to live.

‘Right then,' he thought to himself. 'now that I don't need to worry about things like pensions or paying the bills, I can concentrate on trying to understand the Universe.'

Since the disease was progressing rapidly, he was forced to come up with ways of explaining his ideas as simply and as briefly as possible.

Two and a half years went by, twenty years went by, and Hawking is still alive.
He can communicate his highly abstract ideas through a tiny computer hooked up to his wheelchair and which has a vocabulary of only 500 words. He wrote his classic "A Brief History of Time" and was responsible for creating an entirely new vision of modern physics.

Rather than leading him into a life of complete disability, the illness forced him to discover a new way of thinking.

Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; his "A Brief History of Time" stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking has a motor neuron disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years. He is almost entirely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device.

Achieving a dream

By unknown

Two grains were lying side by side on the fertile soil. The first grain said: “I want to grow up ! I want to put down roots deep into the ground and sprout from the ground. I dream to blossom in delicate buds and proclaim the coming of spring. I want to feel the warm rays of sun and the dew drops on my petals!”.

This grain grew up and became a beautiful flower.

The second grain said: “I’m afraid. If I will put down my roots into the ground, I don’t know what they will face there. If I will grow tender stems, they can be damaged by wind. And if there will be flowers , they may be disrupted . So I’d rather wait for the safer time.

The second grain was waiting, while the chicken that passed by pecked it.

Taking the first step is perhaps the most difficult thing to do in achieving a dream. But that first small step makes a huge difference. Sure enough no dream is easy to achieve, but not impossible. Having firm belief in one’s own self melts the obstacles away.

There is no end, only the beginning

Found at http://inspirationalstories.eu/

The creator created people, gave them words for communication and thinking, settled them in the fertile valley at the foot of the mountains, gave them longevity and started to observe, how they will aspire to develop. 

Time passed, but people did not develop.

Their feet did not go beyond their village and did not climb up the mountains. Their eyes did not look at the sky and did not look in the Heart.

And they became old.

The Creator decided to find out, what was the matter.

He became a man and came to them as a traveler. Before sunset people gathered at the square to talk with the traveler.

He described them a life beyond the horizon and suggested:

“Do you want me to lead you there, and you will see how people live in these places?”

“Oh,” they answered sadly, “it is late, we became old.”

“Then come with me to the mountains to look at the world from the top!” said the creator

“Oh,” they said, “it is too late, we have no energy.”

“Look at the sky,” the creator told them, “and I will tell you about the life in the Kingdom of Heaven!”

They answered again, “It is late; our mind will not understand your story.”

The creator became sad. He decided to cheer people.

“Let‘s sing a song!” he said and was going to sing first, but people noticed that the san went down.

“It is late,” they said, “it is time to sleep…” and so they went to their huts.

The creator shouted to them, “People, when life is continuous and infinite, it is not late for any achievements!”

But they did not turn back.

Then the Creator told himself, “I will take away all words of limitation from people—‘late, not, impossible, far, high, hard, will not understand,’ and will place in their hearts the joy of infinity. Maybe they will perceive my Law: ‘nothing is late, because there is no end, there is only the beginning!’”

He did so and waited for the morning. 

Will people change and will they go with him to the mountains?

“Stop waiting for what you want and start working with what you’ve got. Your greatest limitation is God’s greatest opportunity.”

Develop Self-confidence to gain success in life

As told by Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Prasanthi Nilayam, 21st Feb 2009

"You all know about Abraham Lincoln, the past President of the United States of America. He was a perfect example of such self-confidence. He came from a very poor family and could not afford to have a decent dress and books. He was so poor that he had to study under streetlights.

His mother used to support him with the meager amount of money she earned by mending old and worn-out clothes.

One day his classmates, who were rich and wearing fine suits, boots, and hats, made fun of him and heckled him, saying that he did not deserve to walk along with them in that poor attire and that he should walk on the footpath. He came home crying and poured out his agony to his mother, explaining how he was insulted and humiliated.

His mother consoled him saying, “My dear son! Do not get affected by praise or blame. Understand the situation at home. Your father cannot afford to spend money on your education. Develop self-confidence. That is your property.”

These words made a lasting impression on the tender heart of Lincoln. He acquired selfconfidence and self-respect, with the constant support and encouragement of his mother. He even did some odd jobs and earned some money to support himself. The good name he earned for himself in society commanded the respect and love of his fellowmen for him.

In due course, his friends and well-wishers advised him to run for election. They assured him of their support and votes. On their advice, he ran for election and won. He became the President of America. Thus, Abraham Lincoln, the son of a poor artisan with little spare money even to pursue primary education, became the President of America by sheer hard work and selfconfidence infused by his mother.

People cannot reach great heights without self-confidence. Not even the nine forms of devotion — sravanam (listening), kirtanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), vandanam (salutation), archanam (worship), dasyam (servitude), sneham (friendship), and Atmanivedanam (self-surrender) — can help. Any amount of sadhana (spiritual practices) without self-confidence will be of little use. Hence, I wish that all of you should develop self-confidence. Face your examinations with selfconfidence. Without self-confidence, not even your friends can help."

Lincoln's Road to Whitehouse:

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House: (by author unknown)

· 1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
· 1818 His mother died.
· 1831 Failed in business.
· 1832 Ran for state legislature - lost.
· l832 Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in.
· 1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
· 1834 Ran for state legislature again - won.
· 1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
· 1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
· 1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.
· 1840 Sought to become elector - defeated.
· 1843 Ran for Congress - lost.
· 1846 Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.
· 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.
· 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.
· 1854 Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.
· 1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention - get less than 100 votes.
· 1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.
· 1860 Elected president of the United States.

Practice makes it perfect

A Zen story

A rich man, fond of felines, asked a famous Zen ink painter to draw him a cat. The master agreed and asked the man to come back in three months.

When the man returned, he was put off again and again, until a year had passed.

After a year, finally, at the man’s request, the master drew out a brush, and, with grace and ease, in a single fluid motion, drew a picture of a cat – the most marvelous image the man had ever seen.

He was astonished; then he grew angry. “That drawing took you only thirty seconds! Why did you make me wait a year?” he demanded.

Without a word, the master opened up a cabinet, and out fell thousands of drawings of cats.

Progress takes time. Those who make it look easy have worked hard over time.

My comments:
Growing up, we all have heard the expression “practice makes it perfect” from our teachers and elders at home. Doing something over and over again is the only way to learn to do it well. If I practice dancing, I'll be the perfect dancer. If I practice guitar, I'll play guitar perfectly. If I practice driving, I'll drive to perfection. It simply deduces that every time you make a mistake while practicing, you have to try to repair it and improve on it. That’s called smart practice. Ultimately it’s the level of smart practice that brings out the best in you.

Endurance and Hard work

Once a king had announced that anyone who wanted the post of personal assistant must meet him.

Many people gathered in the palace. The king led them to a pond and said, "Whoever will empty this pond's water with this pot will be chosen for the post. But remember, there is a hole in the pot."

Many left without a single try. They said, "The king has already chosen someone else. Let's go."

But one man kept filling the pot with pond water patiently. But always within few moments, the water poured on the ground completely. He never gave up and kept trying persistently.

At last the pond became empty. The man found a diamond ring in the empty pond and he gave it to the king.

At this the king said, "This ring is a reward for your endurance and hard work. You are fit for the job."

Message:
1. Tough times don’t last; tough people do
2. Life is just repeated attempts at trying to do better
3. Endurance is patience concentrated

Become What You Want to Be

Author: Unknown

Let me tell you about a little girl who was born into a very poor family in a shack in the Backwoods of Tennessee. She was the 20th of 22 children, prematurely born and frail. Her survival was doubtful. When she was four years old she had double pneumonia and scarlet fever - a deadly combination that left her with a paralyzed and useless left leg. She had to wear an iron leg brace. Yet she was fortunate in having a mother who encouraged her.

Well, this mother told her little girl, who was very bright, that despite the brace and leg, she could do whatever she wanted to do with her life. She told her that all she needed to do was to have faith, persistence, courage and an indomitable spirit.

So at nine years of age, the little girl removed the leg brace, and she took the step the doctors told her she would never take normally. In four years, she developed a rhytmic stride, which was a medical wonder. Then this girl got the notion, the incredible notion, that she would like to be the world's greatest woman runner. Now, what could she mean - be a runner with a leg like that?

At age 13, she entered a race. She came in last - way, way last. She entered every race in high school, and in every race she came in last. Everyone begged her to quit! 

However, one day, she came in next to last. And then there came a day when she won a race. From then on, Wilma Rudolph won every race that she entered.

Wilma went to Tennessee State University, where she met a coach named Ed Temple. Coach Temple saw the indomitable spirit of the girl, that she was a believer and that she had great natural talent. He trained her so well that she went to the Olympic Games.

There she was pitted against the greatest woman runner of the day, a German girl named Jutta Heine. Nobody had ever beaten Jutta. But in the 100-meter dash, Wilma Rudolph won. She beat Jutta again in the 200-meters. Now Wilma had two Olimpic gold medals.

Finally came the 400-meter relay. It would be Wilma against Jutta once again. The first two runners on Wilma's team made perfect handoffs with the baton. But when the third runner handed the baton to Wilma, she was so excited she dropped it, and Wilma saw Jutta taking off down the track. It was impossible that anybody could catch this fleet and nimble girl. But Wilma did just that! 

Wilma Rudolph had earned three Olympic gold medals. 

Take risks to enjoy the fruits

Two monkeys, a father and his young son, were sitting in a large tree together.

The son turned to his dad and said, “I’m hungry, can you get me some leaves to eat?”

The father looked at his son and smiled, “Well, then you had better get some yourself.”

“But I don’t know how.” the son protested.

“You have a choice,” responded the dad. ”You can pick the dry, unpalatable leaves that are found near the trunk or you can go to the edge of the limbs and choose the freshest, most delectable leaves.”

“That’s not fair, why can’t the nicest leaves be found where everyone can get to them easily?”

“That’s just the point. If everyone could get to them, they wouldn’t be so fresh.”

“But it’s risky to go out on the smaller branches. They could break or I could lose my grip and fall!”

“Son, listen closely. If you remember this, you’ll be successful in everything that you do and will always have the nicest leaves to eat. When you take a risk and go out on a limb, the fall isn’t nearly as bad as it looks.”

“But why doesn’t every monkey go and get the fresh leaves?” asked the son.

“Because fear of perceived danger is a powerful motivator and too many monkeys would rather eat rubbish and complain about it than take a risk and go for what they really want. The challenges are out there son, go face them!”

Covering the Sun With One's Hand

by Paulo Coelho

A disciple went to Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav:

"I shall not continue with my studies of sacred texts," he said. "I live in a small house with my brothers and parents, and never have the ideal conditions for concentrating on that which is important."

Nachman pointed to the sun and asked his disciple to place his hand over his face, in order to hide it. The disciple obeyed.

"Your hand is small, yet it can completely cover the power, light and majesty of the great sun. In the same way, the small problems manage to give you the excuse you need in order to hinder your progress along your spiritual journey."

"Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun, mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light. Do not blame others for your own incompetence."

Being Positive

Louise L. Hay in her book “You can Heal your Life”

Think for a moment of a healthy tomato plant with a hundred tomatoes on it. In order to get this, we need to start with a small dried seed. That seed doesn’t look like tomato plant and it sure doesn’t taste a tomato. If you don’t know for sure, you would not even believe it could be a tomato plant. However, lets say you plant this seed in fertile soil, you water it and let the sun shine on it.

When the first little tiny shoot comes up, you don’t stomp on it and say, “That’s not a tomato plant.” Rather, you look at it and say, “Oh boy! Here it comes” and you watch it grow with delight. In time if you continue to water it, give it lots of sunshine, pull away any weeds, and you might have a tomato plant with hundred luscious tomatoes. It all began with that one tiny seed.

It’s the same with creating a new experience for yourself.
The soil you plant is your subconscious mind.
The seed is the new affirmation. The whole new experience is in this tiny seed.
You water it with affirmations.
You let the sunshine of positive thought beam on it.
You weed the garden by pulling away the negative thoughts that come up.

And when you see the first tiniest little evidence, you don’t stomp on it and say, “that’s not enough!”. Instead you look at this first break through and exclaim with glee, “Oh boy! Here it comes! Its working!”
Then you watch it grow and become your desire in manifestation.

A Determined Spirit

This beautiful story is from a popular parable that originated with the Quechua (Incan) Indians of South America.

Once upon a time, a small bird named Tasoo lived in a vast jungle.

One hot summer day, a terrible wildfire erupted and the flames devoured many trees and animals living in the jungle.

Other birds flew high into the sky and far away to safety, but Tasoo couldn't bear to leave her precious jungle home to burn.

Day and night, she flew with all her might back and forth to the river, filling her tiny beak with water to drop on the raging fires.

Tasoo's rare heart of courage and unshakable determination moved the heavenly gods to shed tears, and a great rain poured down upon the jungle, extinguishing the flames.

And so it is that even the smallest actions of a determined spirit can change the world.

The Spider web

A young soldier was battling for his country. His army was being defeated by the enemies. The soldier and his friends started running away from the enemies who were chasing them. Soon, he found himself separated from his friends. 

Full of fear and desperation, he chanced upon a cave. He decided to hide there. He crawled into the cave, fervently praying to God to save him. He vowed to God that he would serve Him for the rest of his life if He saved him.

As he was praying, he saw a spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance of the cave. The fine threads from the spider’s mouth started to make a web soon. He prayed, “God I’m asking you to save me and you are showing me this insignificant spider? How is he going to help me?” The young soldier lost all his hopes thinking that the enemy would find him soon.

Soon he could hear the footsteps of the enemies near the entrance of the cave. His heart was in his mouth. He was waiting for the moment to be caught.

As the enemy came near the entrance, he saw the spider’s web which was by now complete. The young soldier heard the enemy telling his comrades, “There’s spider’s web here. If anyone has gone inside they would have had to break this web. Hence there can’t be any one here. Lets move on.”

The young soldier thanked God profusely for sending the spider to save him. 

And yes, as he promised God, he became a preacher to serve Him the rest of his life.

The true sight

Author Unknown

The Park bench was deserted as the lady sat down. She was disillusioned with life. “The world is intent on dragging me down,” she thought.

If that weren't enough to ruin her day, a young boy approached her. He was breathless, all tired from play.

He stood right before her with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

There was a flower in his hand, with its petals all worn out. It was a dead flower. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, she faked a small smile and then pretended to look away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to her side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

She knew she must take it, or he might never leave. So she reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in her hand, he held it mid-air.

It was then that she noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

Her voice quivered; tears rolled down as she thanked him for picking the very best one.

"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on her day.

She sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. “How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight,” she wondered.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last she could see that the problem was not with the world; the problem was with her. And for all of those times she herself had been blind.

She vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's hers. And then she held that wilted flower up to her nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.

She smiled as she watched that young boy, with another weed in his hand, about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

Face the world Head-on

An eight-year-old boy went to his grandfather and proudly announced, “I am going to be very successful when I grow up. Can you give me any tips on how to get there?”

The grandfather nodded, and without saying a word, took the boy by the hand and walked him to a nearby plant nursery.

There, the two of them chose and purchased two small saplings.

They returned home and planted one of them in the back yard.

The other sapling was placed in a pot and kept indoors.

“Which one do you think will be the most successful in the future?” asked the grandfather.

The boy thought for a moment and said, “The indoor tree. It’s protected and safe while the outdoor one has to cope with the elements.”

The grandfather shrugged his shoulders and said, “We’ll see.”

The grandfather carefully tended to both plants and in a few years, the boy, now a teenager came to visit again.

“You never really answered my question from when I was a young boy. How can I become successful when I grow up?” he asked.

The old man showed the teenager the indoor tree and then took him outside to have a look at the towering tree outside.

“Which one is greater?” the grandfather asked.

“The outside one. But that doesn’t make sense, it has to cope with many more challenges than the inside one.”

The grandfather smiled, “Yes, but the risk of dealing with challenges is worth it as it has the freedom to spread its roots wider and its leaves towards the heavens. Boy, remember this and you be successful in whatever you do; If you choose the safe option all of your life you will never grow and be all that you can be, but if you are willing to face the world head-on with all of its dangers and challenges, the sky’s the limit.”

The young man looked up at the tall tree, took a deep breath and nodded his head, knowing that his wise grandfather was right.

Challenges make you stronger

There was a young boy who used to come for regular soccer practice but always played in the reserves and never made it to the soccer eleven.

While he was practicing, his father used to sit at the far end, waiting for him.

The matches had started and for four days, he didn't show up for practice or the quarter or semifinals.

All of a sudden he showed up for the finals, went to the coach and said, "Coach, you have always kept me in the reserves and never let me play in the finals. But today, please let me play."

The coach said, "Son, I'm sorry, I can't let you. There are better players than you and besides, it is the finals, the reputation of the school is at stake and I cannot take a chance."

The boy pleaded, "Coach, I promise I will not let you down. I beg of you, please let me play." The coach had never seen the boy plead like this before.

He said, "OK, son, go, play. But remember, I am going against my better judgment and the reputation of the school is at stake. Don't let me down."

The game started and the boy played like a house on fire. Every time he got the ball, he shot a goal. Needless to say, he was the best player and the star of the game. His team had a spectacular win.

When the game finished, the coach went up to him and said, "Son, how could I have been so wrong in my life. I have never seen you play like this before. What happened? How did you play so well?"

The boy replied, "Coach, my father is watching me today."

The coach turned around and looked at the place where the boy's father used to sit. There was no one there.

He said, "Son, your father used to sit there when you came for practice, but I don't see anyone there today."

The boy replied, "Coach, there is something I never told you. My father was blind. Just four days ago, he died. Today is the first day he is watching me from above."

Self-confidence, the power to achieve anything

Author Unknown

There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. ”I can see that something is troubling you,” he said.

After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.”

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

“I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.”

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.