SUCCESS

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy
child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

-RALPH WALDO EMERSON-

The Tortoise and the Hare

You think you know the tortise and hare story? read on.

The Tortoise and the Hare

Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.

The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.

He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.

The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.

This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with. But then recently, someone told me a more interesting version of this story. It continues.

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.

This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles. The moral of the story? Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. If you have two people in your organization, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organizational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap. It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.

But the story doesn't end here. The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route.

The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river.

The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race. The moral of the story? First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.

The story still hasn't ended.

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story? It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

There are more lessons to be learnt from this story. Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure.

The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could. In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.

The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

When Roberto Goizueta took over as CEO of Coca-Cola in the 1980s, he was faced with intense competition from Pepsi that was eating into Coke's growth. His executives were Pepsi-focussed and intent on increasing market share 0.1 per cent a time. Goizueta decided to stop competing against Pepsi and instead compete against the situation of 0.1 per cent growth. He asked his executives what was the average fluid intake of an American per day? The answer was 14 ounces. What was Coke's share of that? Two ounces. Goizueta said Coke needed a larger share of that market.

The competition wasn't Pepsi. It was the water, tea, coffee, milk and fruit juices that went into the remaining 12 ounces. The public should reach for a Coke whenever they felt like drinking something.

To this end, Coke put up vending machines at every street corner. Sales took a Quantum jump and Pepsi has never quite caught up since. To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise teaches us many things. Chief among them are that fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady; work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with failure; and finally, compete against the situation-not against a rival.

Journaling: Balm for Our Souls

By: Chong See Ming

Journaling has long been recommended as a beneficial tool in self awareness and understanding. Journaling has been said to nurture one's spirituality and build inroads into our unconscious minds.

Journal advocates say that journaling is the perfect way to take inventory of ourselves and our feelings, resolve conflicts, make decisions and bring clarity to our lives as well as to record our personal spiritual journey.

For me, it's always been a balm for my soul. As I record my thoughts, dreams, desires and feelings, my self-knowledge increases. Call it mental detoxification, mindful spring-cleaning, or any other terms, journaling for me is a form of meditation that de-clutters any mental confusion.Let's explore in detail some of the key advantages of keeping a journal:-

Journaling is an affordable method of self-therapy

A journal doesn't have to be an expensive hard-cover, bounded notebook with a built-in lock. I know some people who use thin school exercise books costing only 80 cents each, but as thoughts flow, the desired effect will still be the same. If you are technology-savvy, an online blog will cost next to nothing. Check out Blogger for free blogging tools. (And read Najah Nasseri's article on Blogging, this issue of ProDigy)

Journaling helps us solve problems

No matter how cliché is seems - the phrase "The answer lies within us" has been historically proven. Through journaling, we can start sifting through the whirlpools of our minds to find answers to issues that bother us.

Journaling helps us to excavate our authentic selves

In the noise of everyday world, we often prevented from listening to our inner voices. We are "polished" by what our family, friends and society demands of us whereby we gradually adopt mannerisms and values that may contradict who we were originally. The danger of losing ourselves this way is we may stop living the life we crave and live our lives for others. John Holt, an American educator described this problem exactly when he wrote in his book, Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story, " ...it is not easy to find out what we like or want, when all our lives, other people work trying not just to make us do what they want, but to make us think that we want to do it."

Journaling helps us listen to ourselves

Writing a journal may re-orientate us on the journey of self-discovery as it is a good way to let our inner voice comes through the hustle and bustle of our surroundings.

Putting our thoughts on paper could also help uncover the hidden mental obstacles which are stunting our growth, and help us become more aware of the negativity in our thoughts and resolve them.

Journaling is a healthy way to release pent-up emotions

In her book, Write Away, A Journal Writing Tool Kit, Eldonna Bouton asks "Think about how often you have been asked how you were and you automatically responded with "Fine." How many times were you really not fine, or worse, but couldn't really say how you were really feeling?"

A blank page is a safe place to dump anger and frustrations without hurting anyone. Releasing our feelings to the page may actually help them subside. We can use the journaling process to help us work through stressful events without the fear of social consequences, especially things that we don't want to discuss with friends or family.

Ultimately, this connection can reduce stress and keeps us healthy.

Journaling is an investment in ourselves

It does not require any skill or talent, just a willingness to write when we feel like it. We benefit from the self-expression and increased awareness of our thoughts and feelings.

In this way, journaling complements our life-long learning process as we document our experiences and learn as much as we can from them.

You might say I've kept a diary before but nothing came out of it. Well, unlike the diary of the past, where you dutifully recorded the events of the day, be clear that this new journal's purpose is to capture emotions and documenting feeling and sentiments. By capturing your thoughts on paper, you open communications links between your subconscious mind and your conscious mind, allowing your subconscious to emerge. And it might just help you solve the mystery of who you really are. Try it.

5 Quick Tips for Journal Keeping
Commitment
Keep your journal with you in your bag or somewhere conspicuous where you will always see it and be reminded. Block 10 minutes or more everyday as writing time.

The right tools
Having the right tools can make the experience more enjoyable. Use your favourite pen and for longevity, write on acid-free, hand-made paper.

Date
Date every entry as far as possible, make a note of the time, place and even weather. You will find these information useful in the future.

Find a support group
Get your close friends to remind you to write in it. Get on to a jounal-writing mailing list - There's plenty on Yahoo Groups.

Be true to yourself
Remember the best journal is one that is entirely YOU - so create your own rules, whatever that strikes your fancy.

What business can learn from soccer

By David Bolchover



When Sir Alex Ferguson leads his soccer team into the FA Cup Final in Cardiff on Saturday, it will mark the end of a challenging season both on and off the pitch for the manager of Manchester United. The tensions between Sir Alex and John Magnier, the Irish racing tycoon and one of the club's big shareholders, have highlighted Sir Alex's biggest challenge. He may be king inside his own little fiefdom - the cosy, artificial world of soccer - but this time round he is not up against young lads whom he can order around as he likes. In his confrontation with Mr Magnier, he is face to face with an experienced player in the tough world of business. In this respect, Sir Alex has stepped into the really big league.





Nevertheless, top soccer managers and players deserve better regard from the outside world than they often receive. Whatever the rights and wrongs of his quarrel with Mr Magnier, Sir Alex has been top of the tree in a hugely competitive and open meritocracy in which success shows and failure is cruelly exposed. If only business were more like the perfect market that is soccer. If only talent, determination and performance meant everything and flattery, nepotism and image counted for nothing.



The experiences of Jason and Darren Ferguson, two of Sir Alex's sons, starkly illustrate the gulf between soccer and business. Jason's career as a soccer agent has undoubtedly been helped by the fact that his father is such a big figure in the industry. The very name of Ferguson carries weight and credibility in British sport - and brings with it good connections. That is business.



Now wind the clock back to the Manchester United career of Darren Ferguson, who left the club just over a decade ago. He was a decent player, but having his father as manager could not disguise the fact that he was not good enough for a team with designs on European domination. He is now playing for Wrexham, a lower division team. That is soccer. A good name and a connection are not enough.



No industry is more meritocratic and yet the consensus seems to be that top soccer players are overpaid. For the best players, though, $140,000 a week is not so ridiculous. First, they provide entertainment for millions. Second, they have an extremely rare talent that is visible and measurable which the market is willing to pay for. In banking and broking , plenty of traders earn vast salaries. Now that is ridiculous. You could train any one of thousands of reasonably bright 18-year-olds with the gift of the gab and a capacity for hard work to do their job. But how many youngsters are potentially as good as Thierry Henry at soccer?



Sir Alex - and for that matter any other great soccer manager - devote their lives to getting the best out of others and are hugely and obviously successful at it. If only business had more managers like these men it would contribute greatly to a country's overall productivity. According to a recent Gallup survey, more than 80 per cent of British workers lack commitment to their jobs and most blame poor management for their low level of motivation.



If you want inspirational leaders, do not look to chief executives. They are mostly just company men who played a canny political game and got a few breaks. Go to the dugout at the top soccer clubs instead. If you want to feel jealous about people who are lucky enough to earn a huge salary, go to Hollywood or Wall Street. Top soccer players do not need the right school, influential fathers, well-connected publicity agents or the luck of being in the right place at the right time. They got their slice of fortune on the day they were born. It is called sublime talent.



The writer, co-author of 'The 90-Minute Manager: Lessons from the Sharp End of Management', is a consultant on management and leadership

The Realities of Good & Bad Luck

There once was very poor man living in a village who had a very fine horse. So fine, in fact, that the lord of the castle wanted to buy it. But the old man always refused. "To me this horse is not merely an animal. He's a friend. How could I sell you my friend?"

One morning he went to the stable and found his horse gone. All the villagers said, "We told you! You should have sold your horse. Now he's been stolen instead. What terrible luck."

"Bad luck or good luck," the old man said. "Who can say?" Everyone laughed at him.

But 15 days later the horse returned, followed by a whole herd of wild horses. He had escaped from the stable, courted a young mare, and returned with the rest of the herd following behind!

"What luck!" the villagers cried. The old man and his son began
training the wild horses. But a week later the man's son broke his leg trying to train one of the horses.

"Bad luck," said his friends. "What are you going to do now without your son to help you? You who are already so poor."

"Bad luck, good luck, who can say?" the old man replied.

A few days later an army belonging to the lord of the land passed through the village and forced all the young men to become soldiers.

All ... except the old man's son, because of his broken leg.

"How lucky you are," the villagers cried. "All our children are gone to war, but you've been able to keep your son. Our sons will probably be killed ..."

The old man replied, "Bad luck, good luck... who can say?"

The future comes to us in bits and pieces. We never know what lies in store for us. But if you always maintain a positive attitude the doors of chance remain open, and you will be a happier person.

Lessons in Life

(Contributor is unknown)

1 - Most Important Lesson

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the
questions, until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman
several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how
would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question
would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor.

"In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant.

They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was
Dorothy.


2 - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.

Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those
conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his
surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached.

It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the
other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my
spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3 - Third Important Lesson -

Always remember those who serve. In the days when an ice cream
sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was
growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied." The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4 - Fourth Important Lesson - The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.

Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon
approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand.

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.


5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are everything.

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

(Contributed by Jida Mohamed)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Two Coins in a Fountain

By Joyce Stark

Even as a kid my cousin Andrea always had big dreams! When we talked about being teachers or secretaries, Andrea talked of being a movie star. When we dreamed of going to the Mediterranean on holiday, Andrea dreamed of the Caribbean! (A long way from Scotland!)

As we grew up, she was not the prettiest of us, yet she had the most boyfriends. She was a little overweight and not that tall. But Andrea sparkled, both physically and mentally, and young men seemed to find that attractive.

Once on a double date, I marveled at her because she never had one moment's self-doubt or of feeling self-conscious. Because of this, she had the ability to say exactly what she was feeling; she made it seem like you were sharing something very personal with her.

It wasn't a surprise when she came in and announced, "Well, I am off to Rome to work as a nanny!" We all knew that Andrea had long ago decided she was in love with Rome and always said that is where she wanted to live.

She openly told us, "I am convinced I will meet this gorgeous Italian prince and we will fall madly in love!"

We laughed at that, but were all sad to see her go. She kind of
spread light around her and it was all much duller when she left.

Andrea arrived in Rome and settled in with the family for whom she was to be the nanny. They gave her a little apartment, and she already spoke Italian having always known she would need to use it!

Andrea took her young charge out a fair bit, to the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, but mostly they went to the Trevi Fountain. "To anyone who has never seen it," she wrote to us, "you think of a little fountain in a square. It is huge, like a giant monument with water; it is breathtaking and beautiful."

She told us that you throw one coin in the fountain to return to Rome, two coins to find true love. "I have spent a fortune. I throw two coins in every time I pass, but it is an investment, I know it will work!" We laughed at that letter; same old Andrea, still the same big dreams!

One beautiful, sunny Roman morning, Andrea took Pierre Luigi out early, and they came to the Trevi Fountain. Andrea could not pass it by without throwing in her two coins, so they went down the steps and she threw in her coins.

She glanced up and two very handsome young men were watching her. The taller of the two asked her, "You weesh to return very much, eef you throw in two coins no?"

Andrea looked at this gorgeous young man, his hair a light gold
brown, but his face somehow very Italian. "One is to return to Rome, two is for love!"

They both smiled and walked over to her, and the one who had spoken introduced himself. Marcello continued to study her smiling as he asked, "So you want to find true love, here on your vacation?"

"I live in Rome. I love Rome and I have always dreamed of falling in love with someone here. I am sure it will happen," she beamed at him. He kept smiling at her and asked where she came from, and the four of them ended up having coffee together in a little café.

Whatever she said at that first meeting, he seemed to be really taken with her and asked if she would go out with him.

Andrea met Marcello the next evening and asked him what he did for a living. It turned out that he played for Roma FC, the football team. Not only did he play for them, he was one of their star players. Andrea's Marcello was a very famous and much admired young man throughout Italy because he played for the national side as well.

When she wrote and told us about him and sent photographs, we agreed with how gorgeous he was. My younger sister Bertha said that she had read about him and that he was usually with some tall, long-legged blonde model or something. It would have made the rest of us wonder what he could see in someone ordinary like us. Andrea never gave that a second thought; she was
already nuts about him and fully expected him to be nuts about her!

The thing was, amazingly, he was nuts about her. She wrote and told us that she saw him nearly every day, she had met his family. Then that he wanted her to give up her work and live with him in his beautiful villa high up in the hills that surround Rome. Finally we flew over to visit her, and lying at the side of his huge swimming pool, surrounded by hills and the distant tops of the buildings of Rome, she beamed at us. I asked her, "So is Marcello the Italian prince you always dreamed of?"

"Oh yes, Joyce, and more, he has asked me to marry him!"

When we met him, it took us all of five minutes to realize he was not just in love with Andrea, but he adored her. He smiled every time his eyes rested on her. "There is no one like her," he told us. "She is so full of effervescence; she is like a bottle of champagne and I could not go back to drinking wine. She drifts off on flights of fancy, and I am running behind trying to find wings to fly with her. I love her very much."

They have been married for fifteen years and have three kids. She has seen a fair bit of the world, like she somehow always knew she would. Mainly though, she lives in her beautiful house with her gorgeous Italian.

I said to her one day about all her dreams coming true and she
laughed. "You have to be determined to achieve your dreams, like throwing two coins in the fountain every time you pass, to make sure they come true!"

Don't judge the book by its cover

One night there was a woman at the airport who had to wait for several hours before catching her next flight. While she waited she bought a book and pack of biscuits to spend the time. She looked for a place to sit and waited. She was deep into her book, when suddenly she realized that there was a young man sitting next to her who was stretching his hand,with no concern
whatsoever, and grabbing the pack of cookies lying between them.

He started to eat them one by one. Not wanting to make a fuss about it she decided to ignore him. The woman, slightly bothered, ate the cookies and watched the clock, while the young and shameless thief of biscuits was also finishing them. The woman started to get really angry at this point and thought "If I wasn't such a good and educated person, I would have given this daring man a black eye by now." Every time she ate a biscuit, he had one too. The dialogue between their eyes continued and when only one biscuit was left, she wondered what was he going to do. Softly and with a nervous smile, the young man grabbed the last biscuit and broke it in two. He offered one half to the woman while he ate the other half. Briskly she took the biscuit and thought, "What an insolent man! How uneducated! He didn't even thank me!".

She had never met anybody so fresh and sighed. Relieved to hear her flight announced. She grabbed her bags and went towards the boarding gate refusing to look back to where that insolent thief was seated. After boarding the plane and nicely seated, she looked for her book which was nearly finished by now. While looking into her bag she was totally surprised to find her pack of biscuits nearly intact. If my biscuits are here, she thought feeling terribly, those others were his and he tried to share them with me.

Too late to apologize to the young man, she realized with pain, that it was her who had been insolent, uneducated and a thief, and not him.

How many times in our lives, had we known with certainty that something happened in a certain way, only to discover later that it wasn't true? How many times has our lack of trust within us made us judge other people unfairly with our conceited ideas, often far away from reality. That is why
we have to think twice before we judge others. Let's always give others the benefit of the doubt before we think badly of them.

Having the guts to plod on despite meeting some people may be wet blankets

(Contributed by Yong Soo Heong)

In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca recording Company. The executives were not impressed. While turning down this group of musicians, one executive said,"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."

The group was called The Beatles.

***********

In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modelling Agency, told modelling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married."

She went on and became Marilyn Monroe.

*************

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired a singer after one performance. He told him, "You ain't goin' nowhere....son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck. "

He went on to become the most popular singer in America named Elvis Presley.

**************

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said,"That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"

****************

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, "I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2000-step process."

*****************

In the 1940s, another young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947 - after seven long years of rejections! He finally got a tiny company in
Rochester, New York, the Haloid company, to purchase the rights to his invention an electrostatic paper-copying process.

Haloid became Xerox Corporation we know today.

*******************

Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralysed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which
doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race. And then another. From then on she won every race she entered.

Eventually this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold medals.

**********************

The moral of the above stories:

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face....

You must do the thing you cannot do.

And remember, the finest steel gets sent through the hottest furnace.

A winner is not one who never fails, but one who NEVER QUITS!

In LIFE, remember that you pass this way only once!

Let's live life to the fullest and give it our extreme best... have a blissful life...

THE PROFESSOR AND THE OARSMAN

(Do you know geography?)

One day, a professor was conducting a study at sea. He went out to sea in a 'sampan' with an oarsman. The oarsman job is to row the 'sampan'. The oarsman was an old and quiet man.

This was fine with the professor as he did not want any disturbance while he did his work.

For many hours, the professor examined water specimens from the sea and wrote down notes in his book. The oarsman looked up to the sky and thought to himself, "Hmm...It looks like it's going to rain".

Finally, when the professor had completed his work, he said, "Okay, let's get back to the shore". Only during the journey back did the professor speak to the oarsman.

"How long have you been rowing boats?" asked the professor.

"Almost all my life", replied the oarsman.

"Your whole life? So you don't know anything else besides rowing boats?" asked the professor.

The oarsman just shook his head from side to side.

"Do you know geography?" asked the professor. The oarsman shook his head quietly.

"In that case, you have lost 25 percent of your life,"said the
professor.

"Do you know biology?" The oarsman shook his head. "You poor soul. You have lost 50 percent of your life. Do you know physics?" Again, the oarsman simply shook his head.

"How pitiful, you have lost 75 percent of your life then, you are so unfortunate; you don't know anything.

You have wasted your whole life just rowing boats," said the professor arrogantly. The oarsman just kept quiet.

A few minutes later, it started to rain. Suddenly a huge wave swept the 'sampan' and overturned it.

The professor and the oarsman were thrown into the sea.

Now, the oarsman asked the professor, "By the way, do you know how to swim?". The professor shook his head.

"In that case, you have lost 100 percent of your life!!," cried the oarsman as he swam to the shore.

THE END

The moral of this story is:
It is no use having a high I.Q. or intelligence, if you do not know the more important things in life.

Someone may seem stupid in something that has nothing to do with his career or life. But he is a master in his line of work.

So, do not look down on others just because they seem ignorant or stupid, because they may in fact be more successful than us.

THE REAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

BY GARY RYAN BLAIR

An increasing worldwide fear is that we will one day face the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons include biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological devices, and range from the silent threat of a poison gas attack to a cataclysmic nuclear explosion.

Those who would launch such attacks know many could die, but their fundamental motive is to strike psychological fear and panic into society. Of course this works with devastating effectiveness.

From a performance standpoint there is a much more pervasive, and perhaps, a much more devastating form of weapons of mass destruction that we should concern ourselves with.

These REAL weapons of mass destruction have killed more dreams, ideas, careers, marriages and lives than any Scud Missile ever could.

These weapons are self-inflicted acts of sabotage that people have chosen to embrace and perpetuate.

These weapons are the silent, slow, gradual killers of performance that have caused millions of people in the past, and which will cause millions of people in the future to go to their graves with their hopes, dreams, and passions still inside them.

The REAL Weapons of Mass Destruction

Excuses
Insecurity
Self-Pity
Anger
Lack of Integrity
Inconsistency
Apathy
Lying
Sarcasms
Ambiguity
Procrastination
Self-Doubt
Uncertainty
Laziness
Fear
Worry
Timidity
Ingratitude

Much like an addiction to chocolate, the continuation of these bad habits is like having an addiction to weapons of mass destruction.

For those who think self-discipline and the enforcement of accountability is hard. I suggest you brace yourself for massive regret in 30 years!

I propose a far different view on the weapons of mass destruction. A far more positive, self- imposed form of psychological warfare called weapons of mass production.

These weapons are possessed by all high achievers and are designed to help you construct the winning attitude required to remain competitive amidst the current storm of opportunity and chaos.

The REAL Weapons of Mass Production

Focus
Ambition
Courage
Accountability
Consistency
Gratitude
Boldness
Decisiveness
Commitment
Responsibility
Confidence
Initiative
Discipline
Follow through
Character
Love
Enthusiasm
Integrity

These weapons of mass production are available for anyone who consciously and willfully chooses them. These weapons will produce hard, tangible, massive results and will have far more to do with your success than any factor in your life.

Success is a case study in savvy self-management -- a life filled with cutting-edge ideas, rigorous accountability, and relentless attention to detail. A successful life is a model from which every person can learn.

Be unreasonable and adopt these weapons of mass production.

Massive success requires being both insanely passionate about living up to your absolute best and to a certain extent obsessive about how you do that.

Everything Counts

What You Are Is As Important As What You Do

By Patricia Fripp

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City. My friend and proud father Bobby Lewis was taking his two little boys to play miniature golf. He walked up to the fellow at the ticket counter and said, "How much is it to get in?"

The young man replied, "$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six. We let them in free if they are six or younger. How old are they?"

Bobby replied, "The lawyer's three and the doctor is seven, so I guess I owe you $6.00."

The man at the ticket counter said, "Hey, Mister, did you just win the lottery or something? You could have saved yourself three bucks. You could have told me that the older one was six; I wouldn't have known the difference." Bobby replied, "Yes, that may be true, but the kids would have known the difference."

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." In challenging times when ethics are more important than ever before, make sure you set a good example for everyone you work and live with.