The Best Things In Life Are Free

A Short Inspirational Story - The Best Things In Life Are Free

There was a small boy who when walking down the street one day found a bright copper penny. He was so excited that he found money and it didn’t cost him anything. This experience led him to spend the rest of his days walking with his head down, eyes wide open, looking for wealth.

During his lifetime he found 1,296,000,000 pennies, 480 nickels, 1900 dimes, 16.000 quarters, 200 half dollars and thousands of crinkled dollar bills. He accumulated quite a bank account in his lifetime. He prided himself in the fact that he spent his life getting his fortune from nothing.

Yes, the boy now old man, spent his life collecting money for nothing. Except that in his lifetime he missed the breathless beauty of 31,369 sunsets, the colorful splendor of 157 rainbows, the fiery beauty of hundreds of maples nipped by autumn’s frost. He never saw the thousands of white clouds drifting across blue skies, shifting into various wondrous formations. Birds flying, sun shining, and the smiles of a hundreds of thousands people that passed through his life. All of this is not a part of his memory. Nor did this man-boy have any time to build a successful family or circle of true friends. No one cried for him when he passed on, in fact, many were glad to see him leave this world.

Who do you know that is living like this? Head is bent down burdened with the task of achieving wealth. Someone who has never had the time to develop friends, family or true wisdom. Someone who is totally consumed with greed and never understands “the best things in life are free”. People that have spent their whole life searching for those copper pennies above all things.

WE ARE ALL MOTIVATED - EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY.

This is a story of two brothers. One was a drug addict and a drunker who frequently beat up his family. The other one was a very successful businessman who was respected in society and had a wonderful family. Some people wanted to find out why two brothers from the same parents, brought up in the same environment, could be so different. The first one was asked, "How come you do what you do? You are a drug addict, a drunk, and you beat your family. What motivates you?" He said, "My father." They asked, "What about your father?" The reply was, "My father was a drug addict, a drunk and he beat his family. What do you expect me to be? That is what I am." They went to the brother who was doing everything right and asked him the same question. "How come you are doing everything right? What is your source of motivation?" And guess what he said? "My father. When I was a little boy, I used to see my dad drunk and doing all the wrong things. I made up my mind that that is not what I wanted to be."

Both were deriving their strength and motivation from the same source, but one was using it positively and the other negatively.

Negative motivation brings the desire to take the easier way which ends up being the tougher way.

The Easier Way May Actually Be the Tougher Way

A Moral Story....

Once there was a lark singing in the forest. The lark stopped him and asked, "What do you have in the box and where are you going?" The farmer replied that he had worms and that he was going to the market to trade them for some feathers. The lark said, "I have many feathers. I will pluck one and give it to you and that will save me looking for worms." The farmer gave the worms to the lark and the lark plucked a feather and gave it in return. The next day the same thing happened and the day after and on and on until a day came that the lark had no more feathers. Now it couldn't fly and hunt for worms. It started looking ugly and stopped singing and very soon it died.

What is the moral of the story?

The moral is quite clear what the lark thought was an easy way to get food turned out to be the tougher way after all. Isn't the same thing true in our lives?

Many times we look for the easier way, which really ends up being the tougher way.

WHERE DOES IT END?

There is a story about a wealthy farmer who was once offered all the land he could walk on in a day, provided he came back by sundown to the point where he started. To get a new start, early the next morning the farmer started covering ground quickly because he wanted to get as much land as he could. Even though he was tired, he kept going all afternoon because he didn't want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to gain more wealth.

Late in the afternoon he realized the condition he had to fulfill to get the land was to get back to the starting point by sundown. His greed had gotten him far enough. He started his return journey, keeping an eye on how close he was to sundown. The closer it got to sundown, the faster he ran. He was exhausted, out of breath and pushed himself beyond the point of endurance. He collapsed upon reaching the starting point and died. He did make it before sundown. He was buried and all the land he needed was a small plot.

There is a lot of truth in this story and a lesson to be learned. Whether the farmer was wealthy or not, any greedy person would have ended the same way.

BEWARE OF HALF-TRUTHS OR MISREPRESENTATION OF TRUTHS.

A Motivational Short Story.......

There was a sailor who worked on the same boat for three years. One night he got drunk. This was the first time it ever happened. The captain recorded it in the log, "The sailor was drunk tonight." The sailor read it, and he knew this comment would affect his career, so he went to the captain, apologized and asked the captain to add that it only happened once in three years which was the complete truth. The captain refused and said, "What I have written in the log is the truth." The next day it was the sailor's turn to fill in the log. He wrote, "The captain was sober tonight." The captain read the comment and asked the sailor to change or add to it explaining the complete truth because this implied that the captain was drunk every other night. The sailor told the captain that what he had written in the log was the truth.

Both statements were true but they conveyed misleading messages.

LIFE IS A BOOMERANG!!!

Whether it is our thoughts, actions or behavior, sooner or later they return and with great accuracy. Treat people with respect on your way up because you will be meeting them on your way down. The following story is taken from The Best of Bits & Pieces.

Many years ago two boys were working their way through Stanford University. Their funds got desperately low, and the idea came to them to engage Ignacy Paderewski for a piano recital. They would use the funds to help pay their board and tuition.

The great pianist's manager asked for a guarantee of $2,000. The guarantee was a lot of money in those days, but the boys agreed and proceeded to promote the concert. They worked hard, only to find that they had grossed only $1,600. After the concert the two boys told the great artist the bad news. They gave him the entire $1,600, along with a promissory note for $400, explaining that they would earn the amount at the earliest possible moment and send the money to him. It looked like the end of their college careers. "No, boys," replied Paderewski, "that won't do." Then, tearing the note in two, he returned the money to them as well. "Now," he told them, "take out of this $1,600 all of your expenses and keep for each of you 10 percent of the balance for your work. Let me have the rest."

The years rolled by. World War I came and went. Paderewski, now premier of Poland, was striving to feed thousands of starving people in his native land. The only person in the world who could help him was Herbert Hoover, who was in charge of the US Food and Relief Bureau. Hoover responded and soon thousands of tons of food were sent to Poland. After the starving people were fed, Paderewski journeyed to Paris to thank Hoover for the relief sent him. "That's all right, Mr. Paderewski ," was Hoover's reply. "Besides, you don't remember it, but you helped me once when I was a student at college, and I was in trouble." It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

Goodness has a way of coming back; that is the nature of the beast. One doesn't have to do good with a desire to get back. It just happens automatically.

WE SEE THINGS NOT THE WAY THEY ARE BUT THE WAY WE ARE....

There is a legend about a wise man who was sitting outside his village. A traveler came up and asked him, "What kind of people live in this village, because I am looking to move from my present one?" The wise man asked, "What kind of people live where you want to move from?" The man said, "They are mean, cruel, rude." The wise man replied, "The same kind of people live in this village too." After some time another traveler came by and asked the same question and the wise man asked him, "What kind of people live where you want to move from?" And the traveler replied, "The people are very kind, courteous, polite and good." The wise man said, "You will find the same kind of people here too."

What is the moral of the story?

Generally we see the world not the way it is but the way we are. Most of the time, other people's behavior is a reaction to our own.

DIFFERENT THINGS MOTIVATE DIFFERENT PEOPLE...

There was a young boy who used to come for regular 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."

Acres of Diamond!!!

There was a farmer in Africa who was happy and content. He was happy because he was content. He was content because he was happy. One day a wise man came to him and told him about the glory of diamonds and the power that goes along with them. The wise man said, "If you had a diamond the size of your thumb, you could have your own city. If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could probably own your own country." And then he went away. That night the farmer couldn't sleep. He was unhappy and he was discontent. He was unhappy because he was discontent and discontent because he was unhappy. The next morning he made arrangements to sell off his farm, took care of his family and went in search of diamonds. 

He looked all over Africa and couldn't find any. He looked all through Europe and couldn't find any. When he got to Spain, he was emotionally, physically and financially broke. He got so disheartened that he threw himself into the Barcelona River and committed suicide. Back home, the person who had bought his farm was watering the camels at a stream that ran through the farm. Across the stream, the rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made it sparkle like a rainbow. He thought it would look good on the mantle piece. He picked up the stone and put it in the living room. That afternoon the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling. He asked, "Is Hafiz back?" The new owner said, "No, why do you ask?" The wise man said, 

"Because that is a diamond. I recognize one when I see one." The man said, no, that's just a stone I picked up from the stream. Come, I'll show you. There are many more." They went and picked some samples and sent them for analysis. Sure enough, the stones were diamonds. They found that the farm was indeed covered with acres and acres of diamonds.

What is the moral of this story? There are five morals:

1. When our attitude is right, we realize that we are all walking on acres and acres of diamonds. Opportunity is always under our feet. We don't have to go anywhere. All we need to do is recognize it.

2. The grass on the other side always looks greener.

3. While we are dyeing the grass on the other side, there are others who are dyeing the grass on our side. They would be happy to trade places with us.

4. When people don't know how to recognize opportunity, they complain of noise when it knocks.

5. The same opportunity never knocks twice. The next one may be better or worse, but it is never the same one.

EDUCATION DOES NOT MEAN GOOD JUDGEMENT!!!

There is a story about a man who sold hot dogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers . He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hot dogs. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more meat and got himself a bigger and a better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from college, joined his father. Then something strange happened. The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad time." The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, and listened to the radio, he ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day, the father cut down his order for the meat and buns, took down the sign and was no longer enthusiastic. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hot dog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly. The father said to his son, "Son, you were right. We are in the middle of a recession. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

 What is the moral of the story?

1. Many times we confuse intelligence with good judgment.

2. A person may have high intelligence but poor judgment.

3. Choose your advisers carefully and use your judgment.

4. A person can and will be successful with or without formal education if they have the 5 Cs: character,  commitment, conviction, courtesy, courage

5. The tragedy is that there are many walking encyclopedias who are living failures.

A Very Inspiring True Story : She advocated and struggled for their rights till the end of her life.

Helen Keller

It was a cold winter afternoon in 1920. A large number of people were waiting outside an exhibition hall in the city of New York to purchase tickets. Inside the hall, the manager seemed to be highly pleased. A large number of people had arrived, many more than his expectations. A new kind of exhibition was being presented on that day.

The curtain went up. The stage was set up like a reception room in a house. A young man who sat beside a piano rose and bowed ceremoniously. He introduced a majestic middle-aged woman to the audience. It was Anne Sullivan Macy. Anne made a brief speech. Everyone listened attentively to her sweet-sounding words. Later another woman, beautifully dressed and pleasant-looking, walked on to stage. Anne clasped her hand. She just looked at the audience and stood revealed.

Later, that woman – Helen Keller – spoke. She struggled hard to let out each word. The audience too struggled to grasp what she said. Still they, kept their ears strained and sharp. A long applause resounded in the hall when Helen stopped speaking. These two were among the most famous people in America those days. Anne Sullivan was a bold educationist and civil rights spokesperson. Helen Adams Keller was her deaf and blind disciple. Despite being handicapped, she had made a name for herself as a writer, women’s liberation activist and a social worker.

The audience was immensely touched by Helen’s speech. Her words could be summed up this way: “My teacher told you how her one word touched the darkness of my mind and how I woke up to the bliss of life. I was dumb; now I can speak. I am obliged to the hands and hearts of others for this achievement. Through their love I came to see my mind; I could see God, I could find happiness. In fact, we all live for helping others and for being helped. By remaining united we can do a lot of things. Only love can break down the walls that stand between us and our happiness. The greatest commandment is to love one another. I would like to thank God at the top of my voice for all the love, happiness and hope that would be coming to me.”

Why did Helen Keller give such a message? Both Helen and her teacher needed money to live. They got ready for this show in the hope of being paid. The audience had come to get a glance of this ‘living miracle’ much more than hearing a lecture. Most of them were curious as if they were viewing a rare creation. But Helen Keller’s glory lies in the fact that she suffered all such humiliations and fought bravely for the rights of the physically handicapped people. She declared that the physically handicapped people had the right to live like the normal people.

Helen demanded humanitarian consideration and equality for them. Even today, the life of Helen who successfully conquered obstacles in life is indeed a source of inspiration and zeal for millions of people.

The eventful life of Helen Keller has ever been an inspiration for the physically disabled and for those who suffer discrimination of any kind. She advocated and struggled for their rights till the end of her life.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED?

About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The news papers had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there? When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him. The obituary read, "Dynamite King Dies." And also "He was the merchant of death." This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words "merchant of death," he asked himself a question, "Is this how I am going to be remembered?" He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize.

Just as Alfred Nobel got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same.

What is your legacy?

How would you like to be remembered?

Will you be spoken well of?

Will you be remembered with love and respect?

Will you be missed?

The world is a wonderful place. What goes around comes around!

1892, Stanford University

This is a true story that had happened in 1892 at Stanford University.

An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. A friend and he decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.

They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck and the boys began to work to make the concert a success.

The big day arrived. Paderewski performed at Stanford. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque at the soonest possible.

“No,” said Paderewski. “This is not acceptable.” He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys: “Here’s the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left”. The boys were surprised, and thanked him profusely.

It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being.

Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of us only think “If I help them, what would happen to me?” The truly great people think, “If I don’t help them, what will happen to them?” They don’t do it expecting something in return. They do it because they feel it’s the right thing to do.

Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were more than 1.5 million people starving in his country, and no money to feed them. Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.

The head there was a man called Herbert Hoover — who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of foodgrains to feed the starving Polish people.

A calamity was averted. Paderewski was relieved. He decided to go across to meet Hoover and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, “You shouldn’t be thanking me Mr Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college in the US. I was one of them.”

The world is a wonderful place. What goes around comes around!

An Electrical Engineer to Comedian to a Life Saver…

An Electrical Engineer to Comedian to a Life Saver…

Rowan Atkinson (well known as Mr. Bean) once saved a plane-load of passengers during a flight, after the pilot fainted!!!

The Mr. BEAN star was traveling from Mombasa to Nairobi in Kenya with his family on a private plane, when the pilot fell unconscious. At 4,877 meters, the comedian stopped the plane heading towards the ground, despite having no experience of flying an Aeroplane. Rowan’s wife SUNETRA frantically tried to wake the pilot by shaking him and throwing water over him while her husband took charge of the plane. Luckily for the family, the pilot regained consciousness after a few minutes and landed the plane safely!!

An Electrical Engineer to Comedian to a Life Saver…

Albert Einstein charged between $1 and $5 for his autographs!

 Einstein was a scientist celebrity in his time. Whenever someone would ask for his autograph, he would charge them either $1 for a regular autograph or $5 for signing some memorabilia.

However, it was not out of greed. All the proceeds from this, he gave to charity. He also donated his speaker fees for giving speeches. It’s reported that in his time, he would earn almost $1000 per speech.

Mother Teresa - A Great Human Being!!!

“I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God.” — Mother Teresa

Short Biography

Career:

In the early stages of her life, she was fascinated by the stories of missionaries. At the age of 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in Calcutta (Now, Kolkata) in order to start the charity works and spread the message of love in the world. She had renamed her name from Agnes to Teresa after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patroness of the missions. She was appointed as a teacher at St. Mary’s School, Calcutta. Sister Teresa became Mother Teresa on 24th May 1937. She taught from 1931 to 1948.

Call of Duty:

The condition of the poor people outside the convent school where she was teaching were utterly bad. It, indeed, hurt her very deeply. She understood the need of the hour to help the destitute. It was really a call from the God to turn her attention towards the poor from then on. With courage and divinity, she had started an open-air school for the slum dwellers of Calcutta. Though she had not got any funds at the beginning, things were gradually changing positively to help her service by many volunteers. Once financial support were coming in, she had got all the power to serve to the humanity in a better way!

She did not stop with the service of teaching the poor children. She had also taught the adults and gave medical treatments to the ill patients by providing the basic amenities such as hospitals and clinics. She has been better known for starting off “Missionaries of Charity” with her pupils. Shishu Bhavan, establishment of center for AIDS patients and many Homes had also been started for the orphanages. Her service is still being followed in many parts of the world. She is an ideal person to be a good social worker and set as an example to the entire world as the icon of peace and love.

Mother Teresa was one of the greatest human beings of all time! A gift for the poor and destitute. She had received many high profiled awards. Some of them were:

* Padmashree award in 1962

* Nobel Peace Prize in 1979

* Bharat Ratna in 1980

* The Pope John XXIII Peace Prize

* Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth

* Medal of Freedom

Mother Teresa’s original name was Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was the youngest child for her parents, Nicola and Drane. She was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Her “true birthday” was considered to be on 27 August, the day of her baptism. Having lost her father at the age of 8, her mother had taken much care, and developed her to had a good character.

Let’s recall the saga of Blessed Teresa in brief (‘Blessed Teresa’ was a title given by Pope John Paul II during the beatification of Mother Teresa.)

The Tortoise And The Geese - Moral Story

A Tortoise and two Geese shared a pond for many years and became close friends. At last there came a drought and the pond dried up.

One of the Geese said to the other, “We must seek a new home quickly, for we cannot live without water. Let us say farewell to the Tortoise and start at once.”

When the Tortoise heard that they were going, he trembled with fear, and pleaded with them not to desert him.

“Alas,” the Geese replied, “If we stay here, all three of us will die, and we cannot take you with us, for you cannot fly.”

Still the Tortoise begged not to be left behind.

After thinking for a while,.. one of the Geese finally said, “Dear friend, if you promise not to speak a word on the journey, we will take you with us. But know beforehand, that if you open your mouth even to say one single word, you will be in instant danger of losing your life.”

“Have no fear,” replied the Tortoise, “I will be silent until you give me leave to speak again. I would rather never open my mouth again than be left to die alone here in the dried-up pond.”

So the Geese brought a stout stick and asked the Tortoise grasp it firmly by his mouth. Then they took hold of either end and flew off with him. They had gone several miles in safety, when their course lay over a village. As the country people saw this curious sight of a Tortoise being carried by two Geese, they began to laugh and cry out, “Oh, did you ever see such a funny sight in all your life!”

And they laughed loud and long.

The Tortoise grew more and more indignant. At last he could stand the jeering no longer. He opened his mouth to explain the situation but before he could say anything he had fallen to the ground and was dashed to pieces.

Moral: Destiny can’t be changed.

Why Goals are Important? - Must read

On the best sunny day, the most powerful magnifying glass will not light paper if you keep moving the glass. But if you focus and hold it, the paper will light up. That is the power of concentration.

  

A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, "Where does this road take me?" The elderly person asked, "Where do you want to go?" The man replied, "I don't know." The elderly person said, "Then take any road. What difference does it make?"

How true. When we don't know where we are going, any road will take us there.

  

Suppose you have all the football eleven players, enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?

  

Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals?

Positive Thinking !!

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. Wanna 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.

- Author Unknown

A man must constantly exceed his level!

This inspiring story is about Bruce Lee, a legendary martial art master.

“Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a half minutes per mile].

So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.” I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.” He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.”

Bruce Lee
I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run any more,” –and we’re still running-” if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.”

He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles.

Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you say that?”

He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

From The Art of Expressing the Human Body
By Bruce Lee, John Little