Failure is behind every success
All success stories are stories of great failures. The only difference is that every time they failed, they bounced back. This is called failing forward, rather than backward. You learn and move forward. Learn from your failure and keep going.
Henry Ford forgot to put the reverse gear in the first car he made. Do you consider these people failures? They succeeded in spite of problems, not in the absence of them. But to the outside world, it appears 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. It had very little insurance. No longer a young man, Edison watched his lifetime effort go up in smoke and said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burnt up. Thank God we can start a new." In spite of disaster,
Three weeks later, he invented the phonograph.
What an attitude!
Is it Attitude?
A man was washing his new car when his neighbor asked him , " when did you get the car ?" He replied "My brother gave it to me." The neighbor's response was, " I wish I had a car like that."
The man replied, " You should wish to have a brother like that."
The neighbor’s wife was listening to the conversation and she interrupted. " I wish I was a brother like that." What a way to go!
Attitude Is Everything
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad 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 one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! 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 can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. 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 a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose 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, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning, and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door", Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?", I asked.
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?", I asked.
"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me", said Jerry. She asked if I was allergic to anything. "Yes", I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply... I took a deep breath and yelled, "Bullets!" Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Jerry lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
Answer This
This was an important question asked during an interview session by a certain company. The management actually decided to employ the person who answered this question most appropriately. There was of course no right or wrong answer to this question but it all depends on how each individual answers it. Read the question below & think of how you would answer it before you scroll down to see the ‘best’ answer given by this particular 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. You were driving a 2-seater car by yourself on a very lonely stretch of the countryside in this terrible storm when you came to a sheltered bus stop. There were 3 people at the bus stop.... 1 was a doctor who saved your life previously when you had a heart attack. Another was an extremely sick old man 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 3 people in the sheltered bus stop were getting wet from the heavy rain. Lightning continued to strike & thunder roared....... The question is: What would you do in a situation like this? Remember..... You have only a 2-seater car & will not be able to ferry all the 3 people in your car to a more sheltered place.
So, what would you do?
Ponder this situation & think of an answer before you go down for the supposedly ‘best’ answer!
There are no right or wrong to the above answers, only how the individual perceives the situation.
Most said they’ll drive the old man then followed by the doctor. Several say since the old man’s dying & they might not be able to save him by the time he reaches the hospital, they might as well drive the dream of their life and secure their future?!! So, what was the answer that impressed the interviewer so much?
This particular person said “i’ll get out of my car, pass the car key to the doctor to drive the old man to the hospital so he might be able to save him just like he saved me. Then i’ll be able to be with the dream of my life together in the sheltered bus stop.”
With this answer, that person got the job immediately. As human beings, we are naturally selfish. From all the other answers given, none of them actually thought of giving up their car.......
It is not something wrong but at times, our thoughts are too narrow Minded & we think mainly of ourselves. Hope you all learn from this & if Your interviewers ask you similar questions, you’ll be equipped & be able to answer the questions with ease.
Barber & The King
The barber was giving a haircut to the king and as usually all barbers do, entered into a conversation with his master. He told the King that he is so close to the King yet the king's minister is being paid a very much higher salary. Barber felt that to be rather unfair & wanted an explanation. King said "Ok, I will give you a task which I would normally give the minister, for you to perform so that I could judge" King told the barber "I understand that a ship has arrived in the harbor please brief me about it" Barber ran to the harbor and came back and told the King Yes, Sir. There is a Ship! King: When has it arrived? Barber again ran to the harbor and returned to tell that the ship has arrived 2 days ago. Barber had to run to the harbor several times to the harbor till the king got the required information such as from where the ship has come? What the ship has brought?, Who had come, What they 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 the same task. Minister made just one trip , came back and gave a report which contained all the info. King had wanted to know.
King then told the barber "This should explain why the minister is paid a higher salary!!
Carrot, Egg & Coffee
A certain daughter complained to her father about her life and how things have been so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved another arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high. Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what he was trying to do. She had problems, and he was making this strange concoction. In half an hour he walked over to the oven and turned down the fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her he asked. "Darling what do you see,"
Smartly, she replied. "Carrots, eggs, and coffee."
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Her face frowned from the strength of the coffee.
Humbly, she asked. "What does it mean Father?"
He explained. "Each of them faced the same adversity, 212 degrees of boiling water. However each reacted differently."
"The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after going through boiling water, it softened and became weak."
"The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid center. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened."
"The coffee beans are unique however. After they were in the boiling water, it became stronger and richer." "Which are you," he asked his daughter.
When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with the smallest amount of pain, adversity, heat you wilt and become soft with no strength?
Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? A fluid spirit. But after a death, a breakup, a divorce, 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 not get its peak flavor and robust until it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better. When things are there worst, you get better. When people talk the most, your praises increase. When the hour is the darkest, trials are their greatest, your worship elevates to another level.
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Act like Farmer's Donkey
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.
With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, 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 trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, And by never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!
Grumble Town
There was once a place called Grumble Town where everybody grumbled, grumbled, grumbled. In summer, the people grumbled that it was too hot. In winter, the people grumbled that it was too cold. When it rained, the Children whimpered because they 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 whined that someone should come do something about it.
One day a peddler trudged into town, carrying a big basket on his back. When he heard all the fussing and sighing and moaning, he put his basket down and cried: "O citizens of this town! Your fields are ripe with grain, your orchards heavy with fruit. Your mountains are covered by good, thick forests, and your valleys watered by deep, wide rivers. Never have 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 to contentment."
Now this peddler's shirt was tattered and torn. His pants showed patches, his shoes had holes. The people laughed to think that someone like him could show them how to be content. But while they snickered, he pulled a long rope from his basket and strung it between two poles in the town square. Then, holding his basket before him, he cried: "People of Grumble Town! Whoever is dissatisfied, write your trouble on a piece of paper, and bring it and put it in this basket. I will exchange your problem for happiness!"
The crowd swarmed around him. No one hesitated at the chance to get rid of his trouble. Every man, woman and child in the village scribbled a grumble on a scrap of paper and dropped it into the basket.
They watched as the peddler took each trouble and hung it on the line. By the time he was through, troubles fluttered on each inch of the rope, from end to end. Then he said: "Now each one of you shall take from this magic lines the smallest trouble you can find."
They rushed forward to examine all of the troubles. They hunted and fingered and pondered, each trying to pick the smallest trouble. After a while the magic line was empty.
And behold! Each held in his hand the very same trouble he had put into the basket. Each had chosen his own trouble, thinking it was the smallest of all on the line.
From that day, the people of Grumble Town stopped grumbling all the time. And whenever anyone had the urge to whimper or whine, he thought of the peddler and his magic line.
How dare you lecture me!
It isn’t no disgrace for a man to fall, but to lie there and grunt is. Once upon a time Nasrudin and his master went hunting in the forest. The master cut his thumb while shooting his bow and arrow because he held it incorrectly. Nasrudin stopped the bleeding and bandaged the deep wound as his master moaned in pain. In an attempt to console his master, Nasrudin said. "Sir, there are no mistakes, only lessons, and we can learn from them if we're willing."
The master became enraged. "How dare you lecture me!" he barked. And with that he threw Nasrudin into a deserted well and continued on without his devoted servant.
A little further on, a group of forest people captured the master and took him to their chief for human sacrifice. The fire was roasting hot, and the master was about to be thrown into it when the chief noticed his bandaged thumb and set him free. It was a rule that all sacrificial victims had to be perfect specimens. Realizing how right Nasrudin had been, the master rushed back to the well to rescue his faithful servant. Acknowledging his unjust actions, the master pulled Nasrudin out and asked him to forgive him for the terrible mistake.
Nasrudin assured him that he had not made a mistake at all. On the contrary, he insisted that there was another lesson concealed here. Nasrudin told his master that he had done Nasrudin a great service by throwing him into the well. He thanked his master for saving his life explaining that if he had continued with him into the forest, the forest
people would have taken him for sacrifice and surely he would had died.
"You see," Nasrudin ventured, "there are no mistakes, only lessons to learn. What we call our mistakes can be blessings in disguise, if we're willing to learn from them." This time the master smiled and nodded in agreement.
Innovation & Team work wins the race
A hare and a tortoise live in Ahmedabad. They are good friends and like all good friends , sometimes have a dig at each other. One day , in a light mood the hare ridiculed the tortoise for his slow pace. The tortoise reacted by challenging the hare for a race between Paldi to Navarangpura. On the appointed day and time the two assemble at the starting line and start the race. The hare dashes off the start line like a flash. After crossing the midway mark , 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 and reaches the destination. The hare wakes from the slumber, oblivious of the time, and dashes off towards the finish. To his dismay he finds the tortoise having a nap at the finish line.
The moral of the story is "Slow and steady wins the race."
The story does not end here.....
The hare goes home and soon understands that complacency and overconfidence were the reasons of his defeat. He vows not to repeat the mistake again. He then invites the tortoise for another race. The tortoise agrees to his friend’s request. They meet at the appointed day and time at the starting point. The race starts. This time the hare dashes off to the finishing line without taking a break and wins the race comfortably.
The moral of the story is "Fast and steady wins the race".
The story does not end here.....
The tortoise goes home and thinks hard. He was aware that the hare cannot be defeated in speed. He then ponders over his core competence. At last he finds a solution and invites the hare to another race. This time the course is changed. It is from Paldi to Airport. The hare agrees. At the appointed day and time the two meet at the start line and the race begins. The hare dashes off like a flash. Soon he arrives at the banks of river Sabarmati and is overwhelmed by a sense of dejection as he did not know how to swim. The tortoise comes to the bank , looks at the hare with sympathy and coolly gets into the water. He swims to the other side goes to the airport and comes back.
The moral of the story is "Core competence wins the race."
But the story does not end here.....
Both the friends decide it was enough of racing against each other. Why not think hard and find a way by which they together could travel from Paldi to airport at the minimum possible time. At the end of a brain storming session they come out with a solution and decide to try out the next morning. At the appointed time they meet at the starting line. The tortoise sits on the back of the hare. The hare dashes 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 of the hare. The hare runs as fast as he can to the airport. Thus they both reach airport in the fastest possible time.
The moral of the story is "Innovation and team work wins the race"
Is Your Hut on Fire?
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened—everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. “God, how could you do this to me?” He cried.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” Asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it:
Disadvantage can become your advantage-A lesson in Creativity
Joke
A man enters a pet shop and sees three monkeys priced $500, $1500 and $5000 each. The man puzzled and asked the owner. “Why the price varies? Why it just $500 for that first one?”. The shopkeeper replies,” He knows nothing. That’s why its just $500.”
“And why is that cost $1500? What he knows?” Ask the man. “Actually, he knows little about computer networking.” Replied the shopkeeper. Surprised the man and asked,” And what that expensive one does?”
“Actually, I have seen him doing nothing. But, he himself says he is the consultant.” The shopkeeper gives the explanation.
Learning from every one
It is almost 250 years old story. There was a Saint Ramdev. During his life time he had traveled almost all the world. He had lot of pupil (disciple) also. When he was about to leave this world, all of his disciple came to near him. One of his disciple namely Hari Ram asked him – “Gurudev, we have learned a lot of things from you, but we are not aware who was your Guru.” Gurudev smiled and said – “I had lot of gurus. I have learned from almost every one to whom I met”. His all the pupils were stunned – ‘how it is possible’. They surprisingly asked to Gurudev – “But Gurudev tell us from whom you have learned most?”
Gurudev replied that he had learned most from a Dog and from a Thief. Again, pupils were surprised how one can learn from a Dog and from a Thief. But they didn’t said any thing except that “Gurudev, please tell us how you have learned from them”. The Guru told them –
“Once, on a very hot day’s noon he was going through from a village namely Narsingh Pur. For rest, he sat down under a tree on the bank of a river. At about 2.30 pm, he has observed that a dog came to river to drink water. But what happened that dog seen his shadow in the water and barked on it and found that shadow has also barked on him. And the dog came back with out drinking water because of an unknown fear. The dog did this exercise at least for six times and every time he returned without drinking water. But 7th time, that dog gone there, again barked on his shadow and his shadow again barked on him but this time he drunken the water. In fact he was so thirsty that all the fears have gone away. So what I have learned from him that if your thirst is too much (unbearable) then no fear can stop you in achieving desired 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 and how one can learn any thing from him. The Gurudev said that – once he was going through from jungles of Ranikhet and found a good beautiful place. There was also hut where a Thief was residing. He thought & decided that he will be staying here for few days. So he stayed with thief. During the first night the thief went out for theft but came back without any success. The same story happened for six nights. Every night the thief went out and returned back with out success, then the saint asked him that you have been going every night but returning back without any success. Are you not losing your hope?. The Thief said that every time I am trying different method, no matter that I have not been successful but very soon I will be successful.
So I have learned from the thief the “PERSUATION”. You should never lose your hope, always try different methods and continue doing your job differently. Later or sooner, you will be successful.
Learning Points
Once upon a time, I had an interesting meeting with an Architect who had an established relationship with Sheik Mohammed from Dubai. After a number of building projects had been completed the Sheik asked the Architect to build a hospital for him. The Sheik was a man of few words and the Architect had a short Q&A session to get some basic information. Based on this, the Architect had a vision in his mind of what the hospital would look like. A few days later the Architect had drafted out a concept and presented it to the Sheik and stated “This is a basic layout but I’m not sure how many beds you think you would need”. The Sheik looked at him long and hard and replied “What do you mean - beds! This is a hospital for my camels!!!”
I am sure there are many learning points in this - aside from making assumptions and asking the right questions. Any other learning points, do you think???
Make a Difference!
There was a young boy taking a morning walk at the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The boy took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly.
Right behind him there was an older man who couldn’t understand what the boy was doing. He caught up with him and asked, “What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish you can’t possibly help all of them. What difference can it make?”
The boy did not reply, took two more steps, picked up 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 in leadership sessions. I buy little starfish from the craft 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” on the paper. (Creating the cards is a great family activity. My kids love to help Daddy make his training stuff. I also tell them the story all over again when they help.) If you can’t find the starfish a simple drawing is sufficient.
At the last break I place one of the cards at each participant area. If possible, I try to strategically place them in an area that is not obvious. After the last segment of the session and after any summary or debrief I tell the story. I also have a huge starfish that I pull out of a bag and as I tell the story I use the larger starfish to make the story more visual by picking it up and pretending to throw it. I play the part of the boy who is listening to the wisdom of the older man.
The boy’s face considers the older man’s philosophy but he remains determined and focused on the task of saving starfish. As I recite the boys last words, “It makes a difference to this one” I pick up one of the cards on the table and hold it up and say, “What are we doing here? There are so many coworkers with so many difficult situations we can’t possibly help all of them. What difference can it make?” [Silence]
I stare at the card for a while and then close with, “Let’s go make a difference!”
Make others happy
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement n the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things, he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm. Amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band -he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.
Epilogue: there is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
Even though you feel there's none to share your sorrow that's ok god is there to look after you, but if you feel you have none to share the happiness then the happiness is of no use. In this world all are behind happiness, but when they get it & turn around they see only themselves there none behind them to share.
What's the use of such happiness?????????????????
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
"today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."
Story 1: Fly
We all must have seen a fly trapped in a room ! If it reaches a glass window it continues to flutter at the glass, trying to escape. It does not think there can be other openings in the room to escape !
Story 2 : Salesman
Once there was a sales man whose sales ranged between 80% to 95% of his budget. Disheartened with the results, he took an appointment with a marketing consultant, to know where he was wrong. He reached the consultant’s office at the appointed time. After entering the office he saw two doors, instead of a receptionist. One door was marked “SALES LESS THAN 100%” and the other door was marked “SALES MORE THAN 100%”. Since his average sale was less than 100%, he entered to the Ist door. After entering the room he found two more doors – one was marked “EARN INCENTIVES” and the other door was marked “NOT EARN INCENTIVES”. Since he did not earn incentive on regular basis, he entered the iind door. He again found two doors, one was marked “HAPPY WITH YOUR SELF” and the other was marked “NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR SELF”. Since he was not an achiever, he was not happy and so entered the iind door. And surprisingly on entering it he found himself on the same street where he had entered.
Morale of these two stories
If we continue to work with same attitude and with same approach, if our style of functioning remains the same, if we take same steps then we will meet the same fate. Similar actions again and again will lead to similar results, again and again. To get different or desired results : we have to bring about a change in our attitude, in our approach towards our customer, bring about a change in our style of functioning, thus we must open different doors.
There is a different story attached to first story. It says :
If you put an equal number of bees and flies in a glass bottle and keep the bottle horizontally with the open end away from the light, the bees will not be able to get out of the bottle while the flies will. The reason being, bees are quite smart and know that opening must be the place from which light is visible. They do not understand the glass and hence keep banging against it. However, the flies are quite ignorant of all this intellectual reasoning and therefore fly hither and thither and discover the opening quite by chance and fly off to freedom.
The bees' own intelligence is its' undoing.
Are there too many bees doing Strategy formulation in Companies and not enough flies?
"In times of transitions, the question itself is the answer"
Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams
A well - known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $ 20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "who would like this $ 20 bill?" Hands started 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 then asked. "who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well, he replied. 'What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still 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 the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special Don't ever forget it!
"Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams"
NOW or NEVER
It’s a great image booster!
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day and every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during 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 this you 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. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!
The clock is running. Make the most of today.
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade. To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed a plane.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident. To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a medal in the Olympics.
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone and something special, special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why it’s called
Part of the Ocean
The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand time. He’s enjoying the wind and fresh air - until he notices the other waves in front of him crashing against the shore.
“My God this is terrible,” the wave says “Look what’s going to happen to me!”
Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, “Why do you look so sad?”
The first wave says, “You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?”
The second wave says, “No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.”
Coaching Questions:
Have you ever faced the inevitable reality of the shore?
What was the first wave’s initial response to change?
What negative things can come out of watching the other waves crash in front?
What positive things can come out of watching the other waves crash in front?
How different will the first wave be AFTER crashing on the shore?
Who is this second wave guy? Why is he important?
What does it mean to be part of the ocean?
Smoking and Praying at the same time
This reminds me of the two priests who got into an argument about smoking and praying at the same time. They couldn’t resolve it, so they decided to each write the Pope and have him decide it.
When both had received their answers, they got together. “What did His Holiness tell you?” Asked the 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. He said that prayer is always appropriate. What did you ask him?”
“I asked him if it was all right to smoke while praying. He said that smoking would defame the sacred act, so it is forbidden.”
Often, it’s all in how you ask the question!
Struggle
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten 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 scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he 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 the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and 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 the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
And we could never fly...
Try with running engine
A mechanic was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car when he spotted the famous heart surgeon in his shop, who was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his car.
The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hello Doctor! Please come on over here for a minute." The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic.
The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a 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 is doing basically the same work?"
The doctor leaned over and whispered to the mechanic "Try doing it with the running engine."
Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.
Three Managers
Some years ago, three managers at a Boston-area high tech company came up with an idea for a new product that they thought the company’s customers would really love. They developed a plan for the product and presented it to company management. The response from the company’s management was: “It’s an interesting idea, but we’re taking the company in a different direction, so we’re not going to make this product.”
The three managers really believed in what they had created. They wrote a business plan, got some venture 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 several hundred employees. A few years later, they went public and the three managers became multi-millionaires.
But recently, things weren’t going so well. A competitor was going to beat them to market with the newest innovations. Customers were starting to complain about their lack of progress. There was even a rumor that a few of their key employees were thinking of leaving to start their own company—just what they needed—another competitor!
The three managers had tried everything they could think of to turn the situation around. They read every new business book, every issue of the Harvard Business Review, and they tried every new idea, 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 get out of here for a while. Far away from the company, from our customers, from our problems. Do something totally unrelated to the business. Clear our heads. Then maybe one of us will come up with an idea to turn this place around.”
“That’s a great idea,” said one of his buddies. “You know, we haven’t taken our annual deer hunting trip up to the Maine woods this year. How about we go deer hunting for a week?”
The others agreed. The next Friday morning, they arrived at work early, spent a couple of hour clearing their desks, and then stashed all of their equipment in one of the managers’ suvs. They drove up to Portland, Maine, where they chartered a sea-plane to take them to their favorite lake in Maine’s northern wilderness.
As the pilot approached the lake, he turned to his passengers. “Look, guys. Before you start hunting, you need to decide which ONE of you is going to bring back a deer, because this plane will only carry you, your equipment, and ONE deer on the way back.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said one of the managers. “We understand.”
The pilot dropped them off at the shore. A week later, the pilot returned. He taxied over to the shore to find the three managers waiting with THREE deer. He got out of the plane, and got angry with the three managers: “Look, I told you when I dropped you off. This plane will only carry you, your equipment and ONE deer.”
“No, you look,” argued one of the managers. “Last year, we were in the same situation. We chartered the same model of plane that you’re flying. The pilot 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 the three deer into every available inch of space on that plane. The pilot taxied way down the end of the lake to get as long a runway as possible. The plane struggled and struggled to get off the water, and finally it was airborne. But the load was too much. They couldn’t 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 the wreckage, holding his head. “Where are we?” He asked. One of his friends, who had gotten out a minute earlier, looked around. “I’d say we’re about 100 yards... From where we ended up last year.”
The Truth
(A lesson in Communication)
There was a security guard who continued to be deployed for 3 years in the same establishment.. One night he got drunk. This was the first time it ever happened.. The duty manager recorded it in the log book,;’ The security guard was drunk tonight’. The guard read it and he knew this comment would affect his career., so he went to the duty manager ,apologized and asked the manager to add that it only happened once in 3 years which was the complete truth. The manager refused and said,: what I have written here is the truth.
The next day it was the guards turn to fill in the log. He wrote, ‘The duty manager was sober tonight”. The manager read the entry and asked the guard to change or add to it explaining the complete truth because this implied that the manager was drunk every other night. The guard told the manager that what he had written in the log was the truth.
Both statements were true but they conveyed misleading messages
"The Rose"
Who needs to grow up anyway?
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at 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 course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" 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 may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at 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 building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends.
Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always 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 wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped all of her 3 x 5 note cards.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let 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; we grow 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 walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.
Have no regrets. The elderly rarely have regrets for the things we did, but rather for things we did not do.
The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
These words have been passed along in loving memory of Rose. REMEMBER, "The Rose"
Who needs to grow up anyway?
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at 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 course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.
"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" 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 may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at 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 building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends.
Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always 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 wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped all of her 3 x 5 note cards.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let 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; we grow 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 walking around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.
Have no regrets. The elderly rarely have regrets for the things we did, but rather for things we did not do.
The only people who fear death are those with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
These words have been passed along in loving memory of Rose.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL..............
The Mountain
A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams:
“aaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:
“aaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Curious, he yells: “Who are you?”
He receives the answer: “Who are you?”
And then he screams to the mountain: “I admire you!”
The voice answers: “I admire you!”
Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward!”
He receives the answer: “Coward!”
He looks to his father and asks: “What’s going on?”
The father smiles and says: “My son, pay attention.”
Again the man screams: “You are a champion!”
The voice answers: “You are a champion!”
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: “People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it.”
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT’S A REFLECTION OF YOU!”
The most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or touched, they can only be felt with the heart.
THE MAN WHO SOLD HOT DOGS
During the 1930s there was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio. He had trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers. But he sold good hot dogs. He stood at the side of the road and cried: "Buy a hot dog, mister?” And people bought. He increased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. Business was so good he brought his son home from college early to help him out. And his son said: "Father, haven't you been listening to the radio? Haven't you been reading the newspapers? The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse."
The father thought to himself, "Well, my son's been to college, he reads the papers and he listens to the radio -- so he ought to know. So the father cut down his meat and bun orders, took down his signs, and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his hot dogs. And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight. The father said to the boy, "You're right, son, we certainly are in the middle of a great depression."
Two camels
Two camels (a mother and a baby) were lazing around, when suddenly baby camel said.
Baby: "mother, mother, can I ask you some question?"
Mother: "sure! Why son, is there something bothering you?"
Baby: "why do camel have humps?"
Mother: "well son, we are desert animals, we need the humps to store water and we are known to survive without water."
Baby: "okay, then why are our legs long and our feet rounded."
Mother: "son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert. You know, with these legs I can move around the desert better than anyone" said the mother proudly.
Baby: "okay, said baby camel. "than why are our eye lashes long? Sometimes it is bothering my sight." said baby camel.
Mother: "my son, those long thick eye lashes are your protective cover. They help to protect your eyes from the desert sand and wind." said mother camel with eyes brimming with pride.
Baby: "I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eye lashes protect my eyes from the desert. Then what the hell are we doing here in a zoo???
THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS, SOMETIMES SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE ARE ONLY USEFUL IF THE ENVIRONMENT OR SITUATION REQUIRES THEM!
Build wisely
"An carpenter was ready to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.
When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "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 all so 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 we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back. "Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, go into building the "house" you live in tomorrow."
