Snippets, Tips and Inspirational Stories

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?" "Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied. ...

Every four years, the world's attention turns to summer Olympic Games. For a few days, men and women from around the globe gather to compete against the best. Watching the summer games nowadays, it's almost difficult to remember that only a few decades ago, track and field experts declared that no runner could break the four-minute-mile barrier. Experts conducted all sorts of profound studies to show it was impossible to beat the four-minute barrier. And for years they were right. Nobody ever ran a mile in less than four minutes. But one day a young man came along who didn't believe the expert's opinions. He didn't dwell on the impossibilities. He began to train, believing he was going to break that record. Sure enough, he went out one day and broke the four minute-mile barrier. He did what the experts said couldn't be done. His name was Roger Bannister, and he made sports history. But the most interesting fact about this story is within ten years of the record,...

Sometimes the simplest of techniques gives a greater result. Most of us struggle to manage time and this tried and tested technique may be of use to you. You can try this today wherever you are and if it does work, pass it on to others. Charles Schwab, when he was president of Bethlehem Steel many years ago, called in Ivy Lee, a consultant, and said to him, ‘Show me a way to get more things done with my time, and I’ll pay you any fee within reason.’ Lee replied, ‘Fine. I’ll give you something in 20 minutes that will step up your output at least 50%.' With that, Lee handed Schwab a blank piece of paper and said, ‘Write down the six most important things you have to do tomorrow and number them in order of importance. Now put the piece of paper in your pocket. First thing tomorrow morning look at item one and start working on it until you finish it; then do item two, and so on; do this until quitting time and don’t be concerned if you have only finished one or two. You’ll be work...

Stan came home from work one evening to find his youngest son, Tim, kicking and screaming in the living room floor. He was to start kindergarten the next day and was protesting that he would not go. Stan’s normal reaction would have been to banish the child to his room and tell him he’d just better make up his mind to go. He had no choice. But tonight, recognizing that this would really not help Tim start kindergarten in the best frame of mind, Stan sat down and thought, “If I were Tim, why would I be excited about going to kindergarten?” He and his wife made a list of all the fun things Tim would do such as finger painting, singing songs, making new friends. Then they put them into action. They all started finger painting on the kitchen table – Stan, his wife Lif and his older son Bob, all having fun. Soon Tim started peeping around the corner. Next he was begging to participate. “Oh, no! You have to go to kindergarten first to learn how to finger paint” said Stan. With all the e...

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up”. “That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-ac...

To be a success, you must find imaginative ways to overcomesome of the obstacles that you will be presented with. A busy Executive was on his way to a meeting and was always rushing from oneplace to another. As he left the office he was approached by a shoeshine manwho said, "Hey, my man, you've got some crummy looking shoes. Why don'tyou let me give you a shine?" The Executive said, "No ....I don't have time" And every block for the next six blocks he was approached about a shoeshine andgave the same answer, "No ... I don't have time for a shoeshine." Well, at the Seventh Block he walked past a shoeshine stand and a boy wascounting : "97, 98, 99, 100." He then said, "My friend, you looklike a busy man so I apologize for the interruption. But today is my birthday and I made myself a promise that I would give a free shine to the onehundredth person who came by my stand and you are that person. Please allow methe opportunity to...