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Never give up on yourself or your dreams... (print) (more
stories)
Feel a little down or stuck...this will surely help
inspire you to keep on going.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and
did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was
"sub-normal," and one of his teachers described him as
"mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish
dreams." He was expelled from school and was refused
admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. He did
eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little
math.
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently
defeated in every election for public office until he
became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote,
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never
-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give
in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never,
Never, Never, Never give up.''
As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and
returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a
businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too
impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned
to politics and was defeated in his first try for the
legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be
nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be
commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the
senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for
the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the
senatorial election of 1858. He later became the 16th
President of the United States of America.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he
lacked imagination and had no good ideas." He went
bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In
fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of
Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract
riffraff.
Henry Ford could not read nor write, failed and went broke
five times in business before he succeeded.
As an inventor, Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful
attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter
asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison
replied, "I didn't fail a thousand times. The light bulb
was an invention with 1,000 steps." Thomas Edison's
teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He
was fired from his first two jobs for being
"non-productive."
R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York
City caught on.
Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate
studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his life. And this,
to the sister of one of his friends, for 400 francs
(approximately $50).. This didn't stop him from completing
over 800 paintings.
F. W. Woolworth was not allowed to wait on customers when
he worked in a dry goods store because, his boss said, "he
didn't have enough sense."
When Bell telephone was struggling to get started, its
owners offered all their rights to Western Union for
$100,000. The offer was disdainfully rejected with the
pronouncement, "What use could this company make of an
electrical toy." And how many people have a telephone
today?
Sigmund Freud was booed from the podium when he first
presented his ideas to the scientific community of Europe.
He returned to his office and kept on writing.
Rocket scientist Robert Goddard found his ideas bitterly
rejected by his scientific peers on the grounds that
rocket propulsion would not work in the rarefied
atmosphere of outer space.
An expert said of Vince Lombardi: "He possesses minimal
football knowledge and lacks motivation." Lombardi would
later write, "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's
whether you get back up."
After Carl Lewis won the gold medal for the long jump in
the 1996 Olympic games, he was asked to what he attributed
his longevity, having competed for almost 20 years. He
said, "Remembering that you have both wins and losses
along the way. I don't take either one too seriously."
Babe Ruth is famous for his past home run record, but for
decades he also held the record for strikeouts. He hit 714
home runs and struck out 1,330 times in his career (about
which he said, "Every strike out brings me closer to the
next home run.").
Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 his first time at bat with the
Milwaukee Braves.
Stan Smith was rejected as a ball boy for a Davis Cup
tennis match because he was "too awkward and clumsy." He
went on to clumsily win Wimbledon and the US Open...and
eight Davis Cups.
Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson
accounted for 11 of the 19 Super Bowl victories from 1974
to 1993. They also share the distinction of having the
worst records of first-season head coaches in NFL history
- they didn't win a single game.
Johnny Unitas's first pass in the NFL was intercepted and
returned for a touchdown. Joe Montana's first pass was
also intercepted. And while we're on quarterbacks, during
his first season Troy Aikman threw twice as many
interceptions (18) as touchdowns (9) . . . oh, and he
didn't win a single game. You think there's a lesson here?
Charles Schultz had every cartoon he submitted rejected by
his high school yearbook staff. Oh, and Walt Disney
wouldn't hire him.
After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the
testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, "Can't act.
Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." He kept
that memo over the fire place in his Beverly Hills home.
Astaire once observed that "when you're experimenting, you
have to try so many things before you choose what you
want, that you may go days getting nothing but
exhaustion." And here is the reward for perseverance: "The
higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right
at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to
be your style."
After his first audition, Sidney Poitier was told by the
casting director, "Why don't you stop wasting people's
time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?" It
was at that moment, recalls Poitier, that he decided to
devote his life to acting.
When Lucille Ball began studying to be actress in 1927,
she was told by the head instructor of the John Murray
Anderson Drama School, "Try any other profession."
The first time Jerry Seinfeld walked on-stage at a comedy
club as a professional comic, he looked out at the
audience, froze, and forgot the English language. He
stumbled through "a minute-and a half" of material and was
jeered offstage. He returned the following night and
closed his set to wild applause.
After Harrison Ford's first performance as a hotel bellhop
in the film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, the studio
vice-president called him in to his office. "Sit down
kid," the studio head said, "I want to tell you a story.
The first time Tony Curtis was ever in a movie he
delivered a bag of groceries. We took one look at him and
knew he was a movie star." Ford replied, "I thought you
were spossed to think that he was a grocery delivery boy."
The vice president dismissed Ford with "You ain't got it
kid , you ain't got it ... now get out of here."
Woody Allen: "I don't want to achieve immortality through
my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. Eighty
percent of success is showing up."
Michael Caine's headmaster told him, "You will be a
laborer all your life.
Charlie Chaplin was initially rejected by Hollywood studio
chiefs because his pantomime was considered "nonsense."
Decca Records turned down a recording contract with The
Beatles with the evaluation, "We don't like their sound.
Groups of guitars are on their way out." After Decca
rejected the Beatles, Columbia records followed suit.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired
Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You
ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin'
a truck."
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred
playing his own compositions instead of improving his
technique. His teacher called him "hopeless as a
composer." And, of course, you know that he wrote five of
his greatest symphonies while completely deaf.
Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college. He was described as
both "unable and unwilling to learn." No doubt a slow
developer.
Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, was encouraged
to find work as a servant by her family.
Emily Dickinson had only seven poems published in her
lifetime.
18 publishers turned down Richard Bach's story about a
"soaring eagle." Macmillan finally published Jonathan
Livingston Seagull in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than
7 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Jack London received six hundred rejection slips before he
sold his first story.
21 publishers rejected Richard Hooker's humorous war
novel, M*A*S*H. He had worked on it for seven years.
27 publishers rejected Dr. Seuss's first book, "To Think
That I Saw It on Mulberry Street."
Deposit in your bank account
(print) (more
stories)
by Brian Zahn
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is
fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed
and shaved
perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved
to a nursing home
today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making
the move
necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the
lobby of the nursing home,
he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a
visual
description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets
that had been
hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the
enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented
with a new puppy. Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room;
just wait." That doesn't have anything to do with it," he
replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of
time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how
the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind.
I already decided to love it "It's a decision I make
every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend
the day in bed
recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body
that no longer
work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that
do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus
on the new day
and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this
time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what
you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of
happiness in the bank
account of memories! . Thank you for your part in filling
my Memory bank. I
am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be
happy:
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Free your heart from hatred.
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Free your mind from worries.
-
Live simply.
-
Give more.
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Expect less.
Guardian Angel
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stories)
by Brian Zahn
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid
from my class was walking home from school. His name was
Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I
thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his
books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite
a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my
friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders
and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward
him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his
arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His
glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass
about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this
terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him.
So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking
for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed
him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. " They
really should get lives. " He looked at me and said, "Hey
thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of
those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick
up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned
out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen
him before. He said he had gone to private school before
now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid
before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of
his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he
wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said
yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know
Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the
same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge
stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you
are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile
of books everyday! " He just laughed and handed me half
the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors, we began to think about college.
Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I
knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would
never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was
going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the
time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for
graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up
there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked
great. He was one of those guys that really found himself
during high school. He filled out and actually looked good
in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls
loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of
those days. I could see that he was nervous about his
speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big
guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those
looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. " Thanks," he
said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began
"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make
it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers,
your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...I
am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone
is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you
a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the
story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill
himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned
out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and
was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave
me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend
saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go
through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us
all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad
looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not
until that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one
small gesture you can change a person's life. For better
or for worse. "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet
when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.
Trouble Tree
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stories)
by Brian Zahn
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and
after he had just
finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made
him lose an hour of
work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton
truck refused to
start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On
arriving, he invited me
in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door,
he paused briefly
at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with
both hands.
When opening the door he underwent an amazing
transformation. His tanned
face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small
children and gave
his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and
my curiosity got
the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do
earlier.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't
help having
troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those
troubles don't belong
in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang
them up on the
tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care
of them. Then in
the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," ! he
smiled," when I
come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't
nearly as many as I
remember hanging up the night before."
The One You Feed
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stories)
by Brian Zahn
There's a story about an old Cherokee who one evening told
his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, My son, the battle is between two wolves inside
us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false
pride, superiority and
ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility,
kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked
his
grandfather
Which wolf wins? The old man simply replied, The one you
feed.
5
Very Important Lessons
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stories)
by Brian Zahn
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady
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, a 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman
was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to
endure a lashing rainstorm. 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 taxi cab. 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 anice cream sundae?" he asked."Fifty cents,"
replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is 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 & 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.
Marbles
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Author Unknown
I was at the corner grocery
store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy,
delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily
apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid
for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh
green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new
potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing
the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and
the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them
peas. They sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?" asked Mr. Miller.
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it" said Miller.
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue
and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this
at home?" the store owner asked.
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and
next trip this way let me look at that red marble" . Mr.
Miller told the boy.
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to
help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys
like him in our community, all three are in very poor
circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for
peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back
With their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he
doesn't like Red after all and he sends them home with a
bag of produce for a green Marble or an orange one, when
they come on their next trip to the Store."
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this
man. A short Time later I moved to Colorado, but I never
forgot the story of this man, The boys, and their
bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous
one. Just Recently I had occasion to visit some old
friends in that Idaho Community and while I was there
learned that Mr. Miller had died. They Were having his
visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to
Go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the
mortuary we fell Into line to meet the relatives of the
deceased and to offer whatever Words of comfort we could
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an
army uniform And the other two wore nice haircuts, dark
suits and white shirts...all Very professional looking.
They approached Mrs. Miller, standing Composed and smiling
by her husband's casket. Each of the young men Hugged her,
kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved
on To the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one,
each young man Stopped briefly and placed his own warm
hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the
mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was
and reminded her of the story from those many years ago
and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for
marbles. With her eyes glistening, She took my hand and
led me to the casket.
"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told
you about. They just told me how they appreciated the
things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not
change his mind about color or Size....they came to pay
their debt."
"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this
world," she Confided, "but right now, Jim would consider
himself the richest man in Idaho "
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of
her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three
exquisitely shined red marbles. The Moral : We will not be
remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.
Author unknown.
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