Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once
Talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The Winners Were:
First Place:
A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s’ yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, ‘Nothing, I just helped him cry.’
*********************************************
Second Place:
Teacher Debbie Moon’s first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.
A little girl said, ‘I know all about adoption, I was adopted..’
‘What does it mean to be adopted?’
asked another child. ‘It means’, said the girl, ‘that you grew
in your mommy’s heart instead of her tummy!’
*********************************************
Third Place:
On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the firstbase line, I asked one of the boys what the score was ‘We’re behind 14 to nothing,’ he answered with a smile.
‘Really,’ I said. ‘I have to say you don’t look very discouraged.’
‘Discouraged?’, the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face…
‘Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t been up to bat yet.’
*********************************************
Fourth Place:
Whenever I’m disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.
Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he’d set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen..
On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.. ‘Guess what, Mom,’ he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me….’I've been chosen to clap and cheer.’
*********************************************
Fifth Place:
An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years ago:
A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, ‘My, but you’re in such deep thought staring in that window!’
‘I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes, ‘was the boy’s reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, ‘No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.’
As she turned to go, the astonished child caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her ‘Are you God’s wife?’
*********************
It is truly never too late to learn from the young,
the young do not hesitate to see if they will fail and fall, they leap and revel in their accomplishments.
Nothing ventured truly is nothing gained!
~ To your success!
Never a truer statement has been uttered, in life and in business. If you miss any of these key “bones” or components then truly you are doomed to failure. Having a reason or a purpose is key for anything. What is driving you? What do you hope to achieve? What are you willing to do to achieve your goal? My favorite question when speaking to my business partners is… “Why are you doing this? What is your driving force?” You simply have to have a reason, it can’t just be “because.” (This is where the wishbone fits in.) For in the “hard times” when things just aren’t going your way, and this is true in life and business, you have to be able to dust yourself off, and keep on trucking towards your goal. (Hence the backbone) And lastly, have a sense of humor. Have fun with what you are doing, if you don’t find joy in helping others achieve their goals then really this may not be for you. I find joy in all of the things I do, both personally and professionally. I love going to bed at night knowing I have changed someone’s life for the better. And I love a good hearty laugh and smiling till my cheeks hurt. If you are just in for “the money,” then maybe a J.O.B. is the best bet, BUT – if you are in it for to change your life, then boy a grand future is ahead of you! You have two choices: You can simply can make a living or build a fantastic future, and it is totally up to YOU! YOU can do it!
