A Motivational Story About Dedication At the advice of his respected mentor, a young student of philosophy retreated to his room and decided to spend the rest of his life reading and studying. He was determined to find the answers to the most important questions in life. Every night, his mentor would visit him … Read more
A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop. The surgeon was there, waiting for the service manager to come and take a look at his bike. The mechanic shouted across the garage, “Hey, Doc, can I ask you a question?” … Read more
A rich king is looking for a man to marry his daughter. He sets a challenge – each man who wants to qualify, must wear the royal metal armor and climb 500 stairs to the top of the mountain where the king’s castle is located. Many men from around the world come to take on … Read more
Here is a short wish and toast about decision making: The Latin root of the word “decide” means “to kill or to cut” (similar to “homicide”, “suicide”, “genocide”.) So when we decide to do something new, without killing something old, we don’t make a decision at all. We make an addition. And making additions is a … Read more
Here is a story about respect and the value of leadership… One day a man goes to a pet shop to buy a parrot. The assistant takes the man to the parrot section and asks the man to choose one. The man asks, ”How much is the yellow one?” The assistant says, ”$2000.” The man … Read more
Four young men sit by the bedside of their dying father. The old man, with his last breath, tells them there is a huge treasure buried in the family fields. The sons crowd around him crying, “where, where?”. But its too late. The day after the funeral and for many days to come, the young … Read more
A contractor that I hired to to do some repair work had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw broke down, and now his old pick-up truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in total silence. On … Read more
Here is a time management story about airplane tickets. Consider for a moment the price of an airplane ticket. Each airplane has a limited amount of space. And the goal of the airline is to fill the airplane as much as possible. When an airplane leaves the gate with empty seats, the price of those … Read more
A young Salesperson had lost an important sale. He was very upset. When speaking about this with his Sales Manager, the young sales person shrugged. “I guess,” he said “it just proves that you can lead a horse to the water, but you can not make him drink.” “Son,” said the Sales Manager, “let me … Read more
You often hear people say that “money is the source of all evil”. The famous minister Russell Cornwell, author of Acres of Diamonds, said: “Money printed your Bible, money builds your churches, money sends your missionaries, and money pays your preachers, and you would not have many of them, either, if you did not pay … Read more
Here is a great quote from Michael Landon, which can be used to raise a toast to someone who is starting something new, or when someone is contemplating about making a life decision, be it in education, work, business or love. Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are … Read more
There is a story about three bricklayers. Each bricklayer was asked, “What are you doing?” The first replied, “Laying brick.” The second answered, “Making $9.30 an hour.” And the third said, “Me? Why, I’m building the worlds greatest cathedral.” We become what we think about and having a bigger perspective on our work makes us … Read more
Here is a quote toast can be used to wish for passion in learning, or meaning in work, or finding a personal life purpose. It can also be used as a compliment to a person who has a fulfilling career or business. Or, as a New Years toast to wish everyone a purposeful and meaningful … Read more
An old African proverb said… “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go with a group.” There are times when we can get things done quickly by ourselves. However, more frequently we need to work with each other to accomplish bigger goals. Here is a toast to all … Read more
Benjamin Franklin used to say… “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I’ll spend the first four sharpening my axe.” Franklin’s words remind me of you. For as long as I’ve known you, you have always sharpened yourself before executing any task. And your efforts show. You are a dedicated student of life. … Read more
A preacher was driving down a country road when he came upon a beautiful farm. It looked like a beautiful painting. It did not look like a new farm, but the house and buildings were well constructed and in perfect paint. A garden around the house was filled with beautiful flowers. A fine row of … Read more
I do not wish you health or wealth, but luck. People who were on the Titanic were healthy and wealthy, but only a few were lucky.
You know that in physics – getting an object at rest to begin moving requires far more energy than it does to keep it moving. Think of a rocket for a second. 90 percent of the power is used in the first several moments, to get the rocket into the air. The other 10 percent … Read more
Four-time Super Bowl winner Chuck Noll said, “Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else.” Of course this is true in all aspects of life, not just in sports. You need to fill many roles in life, – a son or a daughter, a … Read more
There is a story of a prisoner in a Russian labor camp whose job it was to turn a heavy wheel attached to a wall. For twenty-five years the prisoner worked at his backbreaking labor. He assumed that this wheel must be attached to a mill on the other side of the wall; perhaps he … Read more