Stories - Pivotal

“The Power of Perspective” – a true story

It was a cold, February morning and I was running late to catch a flight. My destination was Louisiana where I was giving my largest-ever keynote speech for a dynamic student leadership conference. I was so excited about presenting my signature program, “Passion, Persistence and The Price is Right!” that I decided to take my winning, infamous ‘Price is Right’ prizes along with me to display as humorous props during the program. I always left these prizes at home when flying because I was convinced they would either get damaged or lost during their dark, chilling Delta Airlines journey.

However, this conference audience of 2,500 students was the largest I had ever spoken for, and I wanted those prizes to make a great, entertaining impression. At the airport check-in, I was told my bag was too large for carry-on. So despite the known risk, I checked my prop prize bag knowing there was a slight chance it might be lost or destroyed. Before sending my bag off with untrusting strangers, I prayed and crossed my fingers that I would see my bag once again 1,700 miles away.

When I arrived to baggage claim in Louisiana, I waited for my bag … and waited.

After twenty minutes and only one remaining individual standing next to me in baggage claim, my bag was nowhere to be found. My back started to sweat and I could feel my temper and blood pressure beginning to boil.

“How could they lose my bag?”, I kept asking myself. “There wasn’t even a connection flight!”

As I stormed into the ‘Lost Luggage” office, I stood behind the other individual whose luggage was also lost. She appeared so angry that tears were streaming down her face. In fact, it only took me 10 seconds to realize that indeed she was crying. What I initially thought was her anger was actually sadness.

The airline did acknowledge losing her luggage. However, her luggage wasn’t toiletries, shoes or clothes. Her luggage was her DOG!

I then came to terms with my own situation. It simply could have been much worse. My prizes were replaceable at Walmart. Her dog wasn’t.

Moral of the story – life is all about PERSPECTIVE. Many times in our lives, we experience unfortunate and frustrating circumstances. At times, we convince ourselves that someone is “out to get us” or that no one cares. Sometimes we ask ourselves negative questions like “Why does this have to happen to me?” or “Why didn’t I …?”

Another story about perspective

The Philosophy of My Father – One Does Not Get Lost The Year His Goat Got Lost

But, as you’ve heard me say numerous times before, we attract exactly what we focus on. When we focus on the negative, we will truly find it. When we focus on what can be positive about a situation, well, we will find that too. So what matters most is our perspective dealing with experiences in our life, the paradigm or lens through which we see our life. Frustrating things happen to everyone. Good, amazing things happen to everyone too. As Charles Swindoll states, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.

“Everyone gets knocked down. What’s important is simply getting back up.”
“You can change absolutely anything you want about your life. But you have to change the way you see it first!”

** Oh, and by the way, the airline ended up finding my bag of props within one hour. Unfortunately, they never found her dog.

Visit the author, Kevin Snyder at http://www.facebook.com/l/9ce35yRcjeCinC5MjqfQgtPK9CA; and www.kevincsnyder.com

Stories

The Cookie Thief

There's a nice poem by Valerie Cox circulating on the Internet about a woman who bought some cookies and a book at an airport and sat down to read and nibble while waiting for her plane. She soon noticed a man sitting next to her, who casually took a cookie from the bag.

The Cookie Thief

Although shocked and seething, the woman remained silent as the man, without the slightest sign of shame or gratitude, quietly helped himself, matching her cookie for cookie.

When there was one cookie left, she watched in amazement as he picked it up, smiled at her as if he were being gracious, and broke it in half. He ate one half and gave her the other.

Congratulating herself for maintaining her cool, she said nothing to this rude cookie thief, astonished at the nerve of some people.

Later, when she was settling into her seat on the plane, she rummaged through her purse and discovered the bag of cookies she'd purchased, still unopened.

The moral message is contained in the poem's closing stanza:

"If mine are here," she moaned with despair,
"Then the others were his, and he tried to share."

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Being sure is not the same as being right. Certainty without humility can lead to self-righteousness that distorts our view and understanding of the world and of people.

Humility doesn't require us to be equivocal or doubtful about our deepest convictions. What it asks is that we hold and advocate our beliefs without dismissing the possibility that others may be right instead.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org

Stories

My New Years Resolutions

I want to be happy for no reason this year except that I am here and alive and I claim this moment as my own. It's mine. Its got my name on it!

This year, I want to spend more time in nature, not on the path near my home, with its iPods, and cell phones and incessant chatter, but deep in a forest, where the earth recognizes my step, and the ground kisses my feet as I walk.

This year, I want to say no, more often, and not feel guilty, and say yes, more often, and not feel embarrassed.

I want to take the time to grieve fully this year, for those people that I have lost and mourn those things that I shall never have or be again.

I want to hear the sounds of creation and I can't tell you what those sounds are, because I have never really heard them before. I 've been too busy for that. But their music beckons to me in the stillness when I have finally given up my need to control.

I want to see, really see the sights of the universe and I can't tell you what those sights are, because I have never really seen them before. I've had my eyes closed. But their vision haunts me in my dreams and gently calls forth to me in my waking hours.

I want to take the child in me out to play more this year and step in mud puddles, get my feet wet, eat cotton candy, build a snowman, talk to strangers, kiss furry dogs and chase mangy cats.

This year I want to eat my spaghetti with a fork and forget about the spoon and get my face really dirty.

I want to get to know my teddy bear more this year. After all, he is really the only one who has always been there for me, in my darkest hour, comforting me and whispering sweet messages into my heart, that were more accurate than any psychic ever could be.

I want to see the world with new eyes this year, as if I have never seen it before, like an alien on an unfamiliar planet, and not take anything for granted.

This year, I want to talk less and say more. I want to taste more and eat less.

I want to write more about those things that really matter to me, with passion, the things that I know in my gut, the things that stir up my soul, and not give a damn about keywords or tags or where I rank in Google.

I want to sit with a flower this year and watch it bloom, and know what it feels like to finally surrender to life, to succumb to a purpose bigger than my own.

I want to talk to the moon and bask in the sun and gaze at the stars for hours and hours.

I want to be much more silly this year, and care much less about what people think of me. I have forgotten just how much fun being silly can be.

I want to laugh, harder than I have ever laughed before. And cry less for all of the pain and suffering that I think I can't fix, because I know that I can. Every time that I make the choice to be free, there is less suffering in the world, not a world with less pain, but less pain in the world.

I want to love more this year, not the sappy, greeting card kind of love they sell on Valentine's day cards, but a love that surpasses all distance, time, space and differences.

This year, I want to make friends with those parts of me that I am afraid of and attempt to do those things that still scare me to death. Well, at least some of them.

I want to appreciate more and complain less, accept more and judge less, forgive more and blame less. I want to ultimately do nothing and allow everything.

This year I want to break open the windows of my life and knock down the doors, remove the shackles and stare down the illusion until it sets me free.

So you won't find goals here or projects or timelines or objectives or plans or directions or bucket lists or targets.

You'll only find me.

Veronica Hay
Veronica Hay is the author of In a Dream, You Can Do Anything. An extraordinary collection of writings that will uplift you, motivate you, inspire you, and gently guide you along the inner path of your life.Go to: http://www.insightsandinspirations.com or feel free to email your comments about today's message to: veronicahay@telus.net

Stories

Excuse Me, But Can You Please Push Me Out of My Own Way?

By Denise Allen

The other day, I had the good fortune to connect with a dear friend that I had not spoken with in a while. I always feel so good when I spend time with my friends. I am convinced that our best moments in life are spent in the company of people that we love.

We chatted lightly for a while about many. Before we got off the phone, my friend shared with me some distress she was feeling about an area of her life that just wasn't working out the way she wanted. She felt "absolutely disgusted" with her health. The sound of her voice communicated just how frustrated she had become toward her years-long effort to lose weight. I had been there with her through several failed diet attempts, so I knew first-hand the personal dissatisfaction she felt. One more time her personal effort failed to yield a desirable result. Getting a handle on this area of her life seemed to fall just beyond her grasp. As she relayed her unhappiness, the sense of despair oozed from her voice.

I felt compassion for her. I wished that I could do something to make this challenge go away. What I would not give to be Elizabeth Montgomery from "Bewitched" at that moment?! With a twitch of my nose, I could make any problem go away. (Okay, I'm telling my age...how about Alyssa Milano from "Charmed?")

Anyway, I encouraged her to stay persistent. "Don't give up," I told her. "Your past disappointments are no predictor of your future successes." But, I knew she wanted solutions. Positive words only reminded her that her personal goal had not yet been attained. Eventually, we ended the conversation. I am not sure I said anything that made a difference, but I remained cheerful and upbeat.

Later that night, I thought about my friend. I know that level of exasperation. I have faced recurrent challenges in my own life where no solution seemed forthcoming. Have you felt this kind of disappointment? Have you ever worked at a stubborn problem for so long that a breakthrough seemed highly unlikely? You hoped for a change but nothing you have tried so far has worked and you have become discouraged.

Maybe you are a smoker, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot quit. Sometimes you are better at controlling it, but you are never completely free. Or, perhaps you compulsively overspend, and no matter how you budget your money, you always end the month with little or no savings. From time to time, you manage to have extra cash on hand but, in general, you live paycheck to paycheck.

What persistent challenge have you been facing but been unable to master?

The truth is that we all have an aspect of our lives that we want to change but have been unable to permanently change. When we think about this aspect and our frustrated efforts to improve it, we may question ourselves: "What is wrong with me?" "Why can't I get this right?!" We may even berate ourselves. "You idiot! Why can't you just straighten up and fly right?!" "I do so many other things well. Why does this problem persist?! It just does not make sense!"

Some of my more persistent challenges that I have been unable to permanently eliminate make me feel this way. For example, since high school, I have struggled with being late to events, meetings, etc. And, it really burns me that I cannot seem to drop this habit of lateness. One would think that I would "get over" this bad habit after suffering through some very embarrassing moments caused by my chronic tardiness. Not so.

It does not help that I firmly believe that we create our own experiences. So, now I am doubly disappointed. I am often late. I want to stop being late but I cannot seem to drop this habit and I am the reason that it persists. My Grandma Ellie used to say, "If that don't beat all?!" With my close friends that know my issue with being late, I will often jokingly ask them, "Excuse me, but can you push me out of my own way?"

When I thought about my conversation with my friend, I recalled how "absolutely disgusted" I have felt when I have shown up late to an important event or meeting. But, I am the thinker that thinks the thought that creates the thing, right? So, who was this woman who thought always being late would be fun? What was going on in her head?

And, then it hit me: The life I am experiencing right now was built thought by thought and word by word by the me of yesterday. And, the life I experience tomorrow will be designed by the me of today.

Breathe!

Right now, in the midst of fussing at and beating myself up about always being late, I am designing my tomorrow. Ugh!!! Could someone please push me out of my own way?! For real this time!

The more I thought about my conversation, the more I realized that I had to develop a different attitude toward this woman who could not seem to stop being late. I mean, for crying out loud, she is the General Contractor in charge of my future. If I mistreat her, it will probably impact her design in some way...and probably not a good way. Wow! I have to be pleasant to this person who embarrasses me by routinely showing up late for important events and affairs.

In the end

I concluded that I have to let it go. So, I do not get everywhere on time. Okay. We spend so much time criticizing ourselves for our mistakes. Let it go. Be gentle with yourself. If you were raising a child who was just learning to walk, how effective do you think it would be to berate the child for falling down? It probably would not get you the result you want and you would probably slow the child's progress because of all the criticism.

We work the same way. We do not get better when we berate or heap loads of mean-spirited criticism upon ourselves. Just like the child learning to walk, our progress slows. For some of us, we create such a hypercritical environment that our progress grinds to a complete halt.

You actually move faster and better when you speak loving, kind words to yourself. Be very complimentary to the you of today. Think of the baby learning to walk for the first time. Whenever the baby takes one step, everyone around it praises it for that one step.

Apply the praise each step concept to the you of today. For every victory, give yourself a hi-five. Better yet, indulge in a mini-celebration for it. Then, pat yourself on the back, look in the mirror and say these words: "Good job! You did it!"

If I could change the response that I originally gave my friend when she expressed her deep discontent, I would say, "Be kind to the person you are today; for it is she that speaks the words and thinks the thoughts that build your tomorrow."

Licensed Spiritual Teacher, Writer and Speaker Denise Allen is author/curator of the best-selling book The Money Poems™, an extraordinary set of lyrical instructions that were simply created to put anyone who recites them on a path to financial freedom. Allen writes often about abundance, prosperity and true wealth. Follow Allen's blog (A Poem A Day Brings Money My Way!) at http://themoneypoems.wordpress.com.

Stories

Good luck bad luck – a story

A Story:

There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?"

Then, when the farmer's son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, "Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?"

Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer's son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck?
Who knows?

Stories

What are your priorities?

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.
Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Stories

What are you worth?

[From Positive Thinking]

A well-known speaker started his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. "Who still wants it?" Still, the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still, the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by ...WHO WE ARE.

You are special - don't ever forget it."

Stories

Inspirational story – Don't We all

Thank you to Indian Child for this story

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work.
Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum.
From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't
want to be bothered times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought.
He didn't.
He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.
After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.
He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm.
I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came.
As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.
"Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.
We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.
"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.
Don't we all?
I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or
a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.
You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all.
They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.
Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.

Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."
Don't we all?

Stories

Generosity

Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh.

During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. "I must see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched his feet.

Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully.

The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. "I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin."

"This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."

This story was published at http://www.indianchild.com/inspiring_stories.htm
For more INSPIRING STORIES FROM GANDHIJI'S LIFE

http://bit.ly/duaVsO