Mel Feller Lists his Most Inspirational Anecdotes by Mel Feller Mel Feller, as a business and executive coach loves history. He firmly believes that we all must learn and know history or we as a people are doomed to repeat if we do not know or understand our history. This also goes for business and individuals as well. In addition, history abounds with tales of experts who were convinced that the ideas, plans, and projects of others would never be achieved. However, accomplishment came to those who said, "I can make it happen."

1. Mel FellerListshis Most Inspirational Anecdotesby Mel Feller
Mel Feller,asabusinessandexecutive coachloveshistory. He firmlybelievesthatwe all mustlearnand
knowhistoryor we as a people are doomedtorepeatif we donot know or understandourhistory. This
alsogoesfor businessandindividualsaswell. Inaddition,historyaboundswithtalesof expertswho
were convincedthatthe ideas,plans,andprojectsof otherswouldneverbe achieved.However,
accomplishmentcame tothose whosaid,"Ican make it happen."
The ItaliansculptorAgostinod'Antonioworkeddiligentlyonalarge piece of marble.Unable toproduce
hisdesiredmasterpiece,he lamented,"Icando nothingwithit."Othersculptorsalsoworkedthis
difficultpiece of marble,buttonoavail.Michelangelodiscoveredthe stone andvisualizedthe
possibilitiesinit.His"I-can-make-it-happen"attitude resultedinone of the world'smasterpieces -
David.
The expertsof SpainconcludedthatColumbus'splanstodiscover anew andshorterroute to the West
Indieswasvirtuallyimpossible.QueenIsabellaandKingFerdinandignoredthe reportof the experts."I
can make it happen,"Columbuspersisted.Moreover,he did.Everyoneknew the worldwasflat,butnot
Columbus.The Nina,the Pinta,the SantaMaria,along withColumbusandhissmall bandof followers,
sailedto"impossible"newlandsandthrivingresources.
Eventhe great ThomasAlvaEdisondiscouragedhisfriend,HenryFord,frompursuinghisfledglingidea
of a motorcar.Convincedof the worthlessnessof the idea,EdisoninvitedFordtocome and workfor
him.Fordremainedcommittedandtirelesslypursuedhisdream.Althoughhisfirstattemptresultedina
vehicle withoutreversegear,HenryFordknew he couldmake ithappen.Moreover,of course,he did.
"Forgetit,"the expertsadvisedMadame Curie.Theyagreedradiumwasascientificallyimpossible idea.
However,Marie Curie insisted,"Icanmake it happen."
Let usnot forgetour friendsOrville andWilburWright.Journalists,friends,armedforcesspecialists,and
eventheirfatherlaughedatthe ideaof an airplane."Whata sillyandinsane waytospendmoney.Leave
flyingtothe birds,"theyjeered."Sorry,"the Wrightbrothersresponded."We have adream, and we can
make it happen."Asa result,aplace calledKittyHawk,NorthCarolina,became the settingforthe
launchingof their"ridiculous"idea.
Finally,asyoureadthese accountsunderthe magnificentlightingof yourenvironment,considerthe
plightof BenjaminFranklin.He wasadmonishedtostopthe foolishexperimentingwithlighting.What

2. an absurdityandwaste of time!Why,nothingcouldoutdothe fabulousoil lamp.Thankgoodness,
Franklinknewhe couldmake ithappen.Youtoocan make ithappen!
It Couldn'tBe Done
Somebodysaidthatitcouldnot be done,buthe witha chuckle repliedthatmaybe itcouldnot,buthe
wouldbe one whowouldnotsay so "till he tried."Therefore,he buckledrightinwiththe trace of a grin
on hisface.If he worried,he hidit.He startedto singas he tackledthe thingthatcouldnot be done,and
he didit. Somebodyscoffed:"Oh,you'll neverdothat;At leastnoone everhas done it."However,he
tookoff his coat andtook off hishat and the firstthinghe knew he had begunit.Withthe liftof hischin
and a bitof a grin,withoutanydoubtingorquiddity,He startedtosingas he tackledthe thingthatcould
not be done,andhe didit.There are thousandstotell youitcannot be done,there are thousandsto
prophesyfailure;there are thousandstopointoutto you,one by one,The dangersthatwait to assail
you.Nevertheless,justbucklerightinwithabit of a grin,thentake off yourcoat andgo to it; Juststart
into singas you tackle the thingThat cannot be done,andyou'll doit.
Edgar A. Guest
Keeperofthe Spring
The late PeterMarshall was an eloquentspeakerandforseveral yearsservedasthe chaplainof the US
Senate.He usedto love totell the storyof the "Keeperof the Spring,"aquietforestdwellerwholived
highabove an Austrianvillagealongthe easternslopeof the Alps.
The old manhad beenhiredmanyyearsearlierbya youngtowncouncil membertoclearawaythe
debrisfromthe poolsof waterup inthe mountaincrevicesthatfedthe lovelyspringflowingthrough
theirtown.Withfaithful,silentregularity,he patrolledthe hills,removedthe leavesandbranches,and
wipedawaythe siltthatwouldotherwise have chokedandcontaminatedthe freshflow of water.The
village soonbecame apopularattractionforvacationers.Graceful swansfloatedalongthe clearspring,
the mill wheelsof variousbusinesseslocatednearthe waterturneddayandnight,farmlandswere
naturallyirrigated,andthe viewfromrestaurantswaspicturesque beyonddescription.
Years passed.One eveningthe towncouncil metforitssemiannualmeeting.Astheyreviewedthe
budget,one man'seye caughtthe salaryfigure beingpaid the obscure keeperof the spring.Saidthe
keeperof the purse,"Whoisthe old man?Why do we keephimonyearafteryear? Noone eversees
him.For all we know,the strange rangerof the hillsisdoingusno good.He isn'tnecessaryanylonger."
By a unanimousvote,theydispensedwiththe oldman'sservices.

3. For several weeks,nothingchanged.
By earlyautumn,the treesbegantoshedtheirleaves.Small branchessnappedof andfell intothe pools,
hinderingthe rushingflowof sparklingwater.One afternoonsomeonenoticedaslightyellowish-brown
tintin the spring.A fewdayslater,the waterwas much darker.Withinanotherweek,aslimyfilm
coveredsectionsof the wateralongthe banks,anda foul odorwassoon detected.The mill wheels
movedmore slowly,some finallyslowlystopped.Swansleft,asdidthe tourists.Clammyfingersof
disease andsicknessreacheddeeplyintothe village.
Quickly,the embarrassedcouncil calledaspecial meeting.Realizingtheirgrosserrorinjudgment,they
rehiredthe oldkeeperof the spring,andwithinafew weeks,the veritable riverof life begantoclearup.
The wheelsstartedtoturn,and newlife returnedtothe hamletinthe Alps.
Neverbecome discouragedwiththe seemingsmallnessof yourtask,job,orlife.Clingfasttothe words
of EdwardEverettHale:"I am onlyone,butstill Iam one.I cannotdo everything,butstill Icando
something;andbecause Icannotdo everything,Iwill notrefuse todosomethingIcando. “The keyto
accomplishmentisbelievingthatwhatyoucan do will make adifference.
A Lesson from a Mad Hatter
One of the firststepstoaccomplishinggreatthingsinyourlife istocease dwellingonthe negative
thingsinyour past.Carefullyassessyourpresentstrengths,successes,andachievements.Dwell on
those positive eventsinyourlife,andquitlimitingyourpotential byconstantlythinkingaboutwhatyou
have done poorly.Alice andthe Mad Hatterin Wonderlandhada conversationthatillustratesthis
concept:
Alice:Where I come from,people studywhattheyare notgood at inorder to be able to dowhat they
are goodat.
Mad Hatter:We onlygo aroundincirclesinWonderland,butwe alwaysendupwhere we started.
Wouldyoumindexplainingyourself?
Alice:Well,grown-upstellustofindoutwhat we didwrong,and neverdoitagain

4. Mad Hatter:That is odd!It seemstome that in orderto findoutabout something,youhave tostudyit.
In addition,whenyoustudyit,youshouldbecomebetteratit.Whyshouldyouwantto become better
at somethingandthenneverdoitagain?However,please continue.
Alice:Nobodyevertellsustostudythe rightthingswe do. We are onlysupposedtolearnfromthe
wrongthings.However,we are permittedtostudythe rightthingsotherpeopledo.Inaddition,
sometimeswe are eventoldtocopythem.
Mad Hatter:That is cheating!
Alice:Youare quite right,Mr. Hatter.I do live ina topsy-turvyworld.Itseemslike Ihave todo
somethingwrongfirst,inordertolearnfromwhat notto do. Then,bynot doingwhatI am not
supposedtodo,perhapsI will be right.However,Iwouldratherbe rightthe firsttime,wouldn'tyou?
A Tragedy or a Blessing?
Years ago inScotland,the Clarkfamilyhada dream.Clarkand hiswife workedandsaved, makingplans
for theirnine childrenandthemselvestotravel tothe UnitedStates.It hadtakenyears,but theyhad
finallysavedenoughmoneyandhadgottenpassportsandreservationsforthe whole familyona new
linertothe UnitedStates.
The entire familywasfilledwithanticipationandexcitementabouttheirnew life.However,sevendays
before theirdeparture,adogbitthe youngestson.The doctor sewedupthe boybuthung a yellow
sheetonthe Clarks' frontdoor.Because of the possibilityof rabies,theywere beingquarantinedfor
fourteendays.
The family'sdreamswere dashed.Theywouldnotbe able tomake the trip to Americaas theyhad
planned.The father,filledwithdisappointmentandanger,stompedtothe dockto watch the shipleave
- withoutthe Clarkfamily.The fathershedtearsof disappointmentandcursedbothhissonand God for
theirmisfortune.
Five dayslater,the tragic newsspreadthroughoutScotland - the mightyTitanichadsunk.The
unsinkable shiphadsunk,takinghundreds of liveswithit.The Clarkfamilywastohave beenonthat
ship,butbecause a doghad bittenthe son,theywere leftbehindinScotland.

5. WhenMr. Clarkheardthe news,he huggedhissonandthankedhimforsavingthe family.He thanked
God for savingtheirlivesandturningwhathe hadfeltwasa tragedyintoa blessing.
To Build a Bridge
The BrooklynBridge thatspans the rivertyingManhattanIslandto Brooklynistrulya miracle bridge.In
1863, a creative engineernamedJohnRoeblingwasinspired byanideafor thisspectacularbridge.
However,bridge-buildingexpertsthroughoutthe worldtoldhimtoforgetit;it couldnotbe done.
Roeblingconvincedhisson,Washington,whowasa youngupand comingengineer,thatthe bridge
couldbe built.The twoof themdevelopedthe conceptsof how itcouldbe accomplishedandhowthe
obstaclescouldbe overcome.Withunharnessedexcitementandinspiration,theyhiredtheircrew and
beganto buildtheirdreambridge.
The projectwas onlya fewmonthsunderconstructionwhenatragicaccidenton the site tookthe life of
JohnRoeblingandseverelyinjuredhisson,Washington.Washingtonwasleftwithpermanentbrain
damage and wasunable totalk or walk.Everyone feltthatthe projectwouldhave tobe scrapped since
the Roebling’swere the onlyoneswhoknew how the bridge couldbe built.
EventhoughWashingtonwasunable tomove or talk,hismindwasas sharp as ever,andhe still hada
burningdesire tocomplete the bridge.Anideahithimashe lay inhishospital bed,andhe developeda
code for communication.All he couldmove wasone finger,sohe touchedthe armof hiswife withthat
finger,tappingoutthe code to communicate toherwhat totell the engineerswhowere buildingthe
bridge.Forthirteenyears,Washingtontappedouthisinstructionswithhisfingeruntil the spectacular
BrooklynBridge wasfinallycompleted.
Grindor Shine
Adversityisthe grindstoneof life.Intendedtopolishyouup,adversityalsohasthe abilitytogrindyou
down.The impactand ultimate resultdependonwhatyoudowiththe difficultiesthatcome yourway.
Considerthe phenomenal achievementsof people experiencingadversity.
Beethovencomposedhisgreatestworksafterbecomingdeaf.SirWalterRaleighwrote the Historyof
the World duringa thirteen-yearimprisonment.If Columbushadturnedback,noone couldhave

6. blamedhim,consideringthe constantadversityhe endured.Of course,noone wouldhave remembered
himeither.AbrahamLincolnachievedgreatnessbyhisdisplayof wisdomandcharacterduringthe
devastationof the Civil War.Luthertranslatedthe Bible whileenduringconfinementinthe Castle of
Wartburg. Undera sentence of deathandduringtwentyyearsinexile,Dante wrote the Divine Comedy.
JohnBunyan wrote Pilgrim'sProgressinaBedfordjail.
Finally,consideramore recentexample.MaryGroda-Lewisenduredsixteenyearsof illiteracybecause
of unrecognizeddyslexia,wascommittedtoa reformatoryontwodifferentoccasions,andalmostdied
of a stroke while bearingachild.Committedtogoingtocollege,she workedata varietyof oddjobsto
save money,graduatedwithherhighschool equivalencyateighteen,wasnamedOregon'soutstanding
Upward Boundstudent,andfinallyenteredcollege.Determinedtobecome adoctor,she facedfifteen
medical school rejectionsuntilAlbanyMedical College finallyacceptedher.In1984, Dr. Mary Groda-
Lewis,atthirty-five,graduatedwithhonorstofulfillherdream.
Adversity - the grindstone of life.Willit grindyoudownor polishyouup?
Whois Counting?
Napoleonwasinvolvedinconversationwithacolonel of aHungarianbattalionwhohad beentaken
prisonerinItaly.The colonel mentionedhe hadfoughtinthe army of Maria Theresa."You musthave a
fewyearsunderyourbelt!"exclaimedNapoleon."I'msure I've livedsixtyorseventyyears,"repliedthe
colonel."Youmeantosay," Napoleon,continued,"youhave notkepttrackof the yearsyouhave lived?"
The colonel promptlyreplied,"Sir,Ialwayscount mymoney,myshirts,andmy horses - butas for my
years,I knownobodywhowantsto steal them, andI shall surelyneverlose them."
"IfI Had My Life to Live Over"
If I hadmy life tolive over,Iwoulddare tomake more mistakesnexttime.Iwouldrelax,Iwouldlimber
up.I wouldbe sillierthanIhave beenthistrip.Iwouldtake fewerthingsseriously,take more chances,
and take more trips.I wouldclimbmore mountains,andswimmore rivers.Iwouldeatmore ice cream
and lessbeans.Iwouldperhapshave more actual troubles,butIwouldhave fewerimaginaryones.You
see,Iam one of those people wholivedseriously,sanely,hourafterhour,dayafterday.Oh,I have had
my moments,andif Ihad, itto do overagain,I wouldhave more of them.I have beenone of those
personswhonevergoesanywhere withoutathermometer,ahot-waterbottle,araincoat,anda
parachute.If I had to do itagain,I wouldtravel lighterthanthistrip.If I had mylife tolive over,Iwould

7. start goingbarefootearlierinthe spring,andstaythat waylaterin the fall.Iwouldgoto more dances,I
wouldride more merry-go-rounds.Iwouldpickmore daisies.
The Lion and The cougar
A pointedfable istoldaboutayounglionanda cougar.Both thirsty,the animalsarrivedattheirusual
waterhole at the same time.Theyimmediatelybegantoargue aboutwhoshouldsatisfytheirthirst
first.The argumentbecame heated,andeachdecidedhe wouldratherdie thangive upthe privilege of
beingfirsttoquenchhisthirst.As theystubbornlyconfrontedeachother,theiremotionsturnedtorage.
Theircruel attacks on eachotherwere suddenlyinterrupted.Theybothlookedup.Circlingoverhead
was a flockof vultureswaitingforthe losertofall.Quietly,the twobeaststurned andwalkedaway.The
thoughtof beingdevouredwasall theyneededtoendtheirquarrel.
Complain!Complain!Complain!
It takesa disciplinedspirittoendure the monasteryonMountSurat inSpain.One of the fundamental
requirementsof thisreligiousorderisthatthe youngmenmustmaintainsilence.Opportunitiestospeak
are scheduledonce everytwoyears,atwhichtime theyare allowedtospeakonlytwowords.
One younginitiate inthisreligiousorder,whohadcompletedhisfirsttwoyearsof training,wasinvited
by hissuperiortomake hisfirsttwo-wordpresentation."Foodterrible,"he said.Twoyearslaterthe
invitationwasonce againextended.The youngmanusedthisforumtoexclaim, "Bedlumpy."Arrivingat
hissuperior'soffice twoyearslaterhe proclaimed,"Iquit."The superiorlookedatthisyoungmonkand
said,"You know,itdoesn'tsurprise me abit.All youhave done since youarrivediscomplain,complain,
and complain.
Exaggerated?Maybe.Whatif you were askedtoshare two words that describe yourLife?Wouldyour
focusbe the lumps,bumps,andunfairness,orare you committedtodwell onthose thingsthatare
good,right,and lovely?
The Whole WorldCame Together
The young motherwasreadyfor a fewminutesof relaxationafter alonganddemandingday.However,
heryoungdaughterhad otherplansfor hermother'stime.

8. "Readme a story,Mom," the little girl requested."GiveMommyafew minutestorelax andunwind.
ThenI'll be happyto readyoua story,"pleadedthe mother.
The little girl wasinsistentthatMommyreadto hernow.With a stroke of genius,the mothertore off
the back page of the magazine she wasreading.Itcontainedafull-page picture of the world.Asshe tore
it intoseveral pieces,Momaskedherdaughter toput the picture togetherandthenshe wouldreadher
a story. Surely,thiswouldbuyherconsiderablerelaxingmoments.
A shorttime later,the little girl announcedthe completionof herpuzzle project.Toherastonishment,
she foundthe worldpicture completelyassembled.Whenshe asked,herdaughterhow she managedto
do itso quickly,the little girl explainedthatonthe reverse side of the page wasthe picture of a little girl.
"You see,Mommy,whenIgot the little girl together,the whole world came together."
Each of us has the responsibilitytoputourworldtogether.Itstarts bygettingourselvesputtogether.
We can become betterparents,friends,spouses,employees,andemployers.The firststepischanging
our attitude.
The Whole WorldStinks
Wise menand philosophersthroughoutthe ageshave disagreedonmanythings,butmanyare in
unanimousagreementonone point:"We become whatwe thinkabout."RalphWaldoEmersonsaid,"A
man iswhat he thinksaboutall day long."The Romanemperor Marcus Aureliusputitthisway:"A man's
life iswhathisthoughtsmake of it."In the Bible,we find"Asaman thinksinhisheart,so ishe."
One Sundayafternoon,acranky grandfatherwasvisitinghisfamily.Ashe laydowntotake a nap, his
grandsondecidedtohave a little funbyputtingLimburgercheeseonGrandfather'smustache.Soon,
grandpa awoke withasnort and chargedoutof the bedroomsaying,"Thisroomstinks."Throughthe
house he went,findingeveryroomsmellingthe same.Desperatelyhe made hiswayoutside onlytofind
that "the whole worldstinks!"
Therefore,itiswhenwe fill ourmindswithnegativism.Everythingwe experience andeverybodywe
encounterwill carrythe scentwe holdinour mind.
Hang In There

9. NicoloPaganini wasawell-knownandgiftednineteenthcenturyviolinist.He wasalsowell knownasa
great showmanwithaquicksense of humor.Hismost memorable concertwasinItalywitha full
orchestra.He wasperformingbefore apackedhouse andhistechnique wasincredible,histone was
fantastic,andhisaudience dearlylovedhim.Towardthe endof hisconcert,Paganini wasastoundinghis
audience withanunbelievablecompositionwhensuddenlyone stringonhisviolinsnappedandhung
limplyfromhisinstrument.Paganinifrownedbriefly,shookhishead,andcontinuedtoplay,improvising
beautifully.
Thento everyone'ssurprise,asecondstringbroke.Inaddition,shortlythereafter,athird.Almostlike a
slapstickcomedy,Paganinistoodthere withthree stringsdanglingfromhisStradivarius.Insteadof
leavingthe stage,Paganini stoodhisgroundandcalmlycompletedthe difficultnumberonthe one
remainingstring.
Post-itNotes
The 3M Companyencouragescreativityfromitsemployees.The companyallowsitsresearchersto
spend15 percentof theirtime onany projectthatintereststhem.Thisattitude hasbroughtfantastic
benefitsnotonlytothe employeesbutalsotothe 3M Companyitself Manytimes,asparkof an idea
turnedintoa successful producthasboosted 3M's profitstremendously.
Some yearsago, a scientistin3M's commercial office tookadvantage of this15 percentcreative time.
Thisscientist,ArtFry,came up withan ideaforone of 3M's best-sellingproducts.ItseemsthatArtFry
dealtwitha small irritationeverySundayashe sang inthe church choir.Aftermarkinghispagesinthe
hymnal withsmall bitsof paper,the small pieceswouldinvariablyfall outall overthe floor.
Suddenly,anideastruckFry.He rememberedanadhesivedevelopedbya colleague thateveryone
thoughtwasa failure because itdidnotstickverywell."Icoatedthe adhesiveona papersample,"Fry
recalls,"andI foundthatit wasnot onlya good bookmark,butitwas greatfor writingnotes.Itwill stay
inplace as longas youwantit to, andthenyou can remove itwithoutdamage."
Yes,Art Fry hitthe jackpot.The resultingproductwascalledPost-it!Inaddition,hasbecome one of 3M's
mostsuccessful office products.
From Candlesto Soap

10. In 1879, Procter and Gamble'sbestsellerwascandles.However,the companywasintrouble.Thomas
Edisonhad inventedthe lightbulb,anditlookedasif candleswouldbecomeobsolete.Theirfears
became realitywhenthe marketforcandlesplummetedsince theywerenow soldonlyfor-special
occasions.
The outlookappearedtobe bleakforProcter andGamble.However,atthistime,itseemedthatdestiny
playedadramatic part inpullingthe strugglingcompanyfromthe clutchesof bankruptcy.A forgetful
employeeata small factoryinCincinnati forgottoturn off hismachine whenhe wenttolunch.The
result?A frothingmassof latherfilledwithairbubbles.He almostthrew the stuff awaybutinstead
decidedtomake itintosoap. The soap floated.Thus,Ivorysoapwasbornand became the mainstayof
the Procter andGamble Company.
Why wassoap that floatssucha hot itemat that time?InCincinnati,duringthatperiod,some people
bathedinthe OhioRiver.Floatingsoapwouldneversinkandconsequentlynevergotlost.So,Ivorysoap
became a bestsellerinOhioandeventuallyacrossthe countryalso.
Like Procterand Gamble,nevergive upwhenthingsgowrongorwhenseeminglyunsurmountable
problemsarise.Creativityputtoworkcan change a problemandturn it intoa goldmine.
A Ten-CentIdea
WhenyoungF. W. Woolworthwasa store clerk,he triedto convince hisbosstohave a ten-centsale to
reduce inventory.The bossagreed,andthe ideawasa resoundingsuccess.ThisinspiredWoolworthto
openhis ownstore and price itemsat a nickel anda dime.He neededcapital forsucha venture,sohe
askedhisbossto supplythe capital forpart interestinthe store.Hisbossturnedhimdownflat."The
ideaistoo risky,"he toldWoolworth."There are notenoughitemstosell forfive andtencents."
Woolworthwentaheadwithouthisboss'sbacking,andhe notonlywassuccessful inhisfirststore,but
eventuallyhe ownedachainof F. W. Woolworthstoresacrossthe nation.Later,hisformerbosswas
heardto remark,"As faras I can figure out,everywordIusedto turn Woolworthdowncostme abouta
milliondollars."
Time To Think
HenryFord hiredanefficiencyexperttogo throughhisplant.He said,"Findthe nonproductivepeople.
Tell me whotheyare,and I will fire them!"

11. The expertmade the roundswithhisclipboardinhandand finallyreturnedtoHenryFord'soffice with
hisreport."I've founda problemwithone of youradministrators,"he said."Everytime Iwalkedby,he
was sittingwithhisfeet proppeduponthe desk.The man neverdoesathing.I definitelythinkyou
shouldconsidergettingridof him!"WhenHenryFordlearnedthe name of the manthe expertwas
referringto,Fordshookhisheadand said,"I can't fire him.Ipay that man to do nothingbutthink - and
that's whathe's doing."
Criticism
If an impulse comestosay
Some un-thoughtfulwordtoday
That may drive a friendaway,
Do not sayit!
If you've hearda wordof blame
Cast uponyour neighbor'sname
That may injure hisfairfame,
Do not tell it!
If maliciousgossip'stongue
Some vile slandermayhave flung
On the headof oldor young,
Do not repeatit!
Thoughtful,kind,helpful speech,
'Tis a giftpromisedtoeach--
Thisthe lessonwe wouldteach:
Do not abuse it!
Anonymous
A Quiet Scolding

12. The late John Wanamakerwasthe kingof retail.One daywhile walkingthroughhisstore inPhiladelphia,
he noticeda customerwaitingforassistance.Noone waspayingthe leastbitof attentiontoher.
Lookingaround,he saw hissalespeoplehuddledtogetherlaughingandtalkingamongthemselves.
Withouta word,he quietlyslippedbehindthe counterandwaitedonthe customerhimself.Thenhe
quietlyhandedthe purchase tothe salespeople tobe wrappedashe wentonhisway. Later,
Wanamakerwas quotedassaying,"Ilearnedthirtyyearsagothat it isfoolishtoscold.Ihave enough
trouble overcomingmyownlimitationswithoutfrettingoverthe factthat God has notseenfitto
distribute evenlythe giftof intelligence."
Blurred Vision
A businesspersonwashighlycritical of hiscompetitors'storefrontwindows."Why,theyare the dirtiest
windowsintown,"he claimed.Fellowbusinesspeople grew tiredof the man'scontinual criticismand
nitpickingcommentsaboutthe windows.One dayovercoffee,the
Businesspersoncarriedthe subjectjusttoofar.Before leaving,afellow storeownersuggestedthe man
gethis ownwindowswashed.He followedthe advice,andthe nextdayat coffee,he exclaimed,"Ican't
believeit.AssoonasI washedmywindows,mycompetitormusthave cleanedhistoo.Youshouldsee
themshine."
Confuciusonce declared,"Don'tcomplainaboutthe snow onyourneighbor'sroof whenyourown
doorstepisunclean."
Quick Decisions
A game wardennoticedhowa particularfellow namedSamconsistentlycaughtmore fishthananyone
else did,whereasthe otherpeople wouldonlycatchthree orfoura day.Sam wouldcome inoff the lake
witha boat full.Stringerafterstringerwasalwayspackedwithfreshlycaughttrout.The warden,
curious,askedSamhissecret.The successful anglerinvitedthe game wardentoaccompanyhimand
observe.Therefore,the nextmorningthe twometatthe dockand tookoff in Sam's boat.Whenthey
got to the middle of the lake,Samstoppedthe boat,andthe wardensat back to see how itwas done.
Sam's approachwas simple.He tookouta stick of dynamite,litit,andthrew itinthe air.The explosion
rockedthe lake withsucha force that deadfishimmediatelybegantosurface.Samtookout a netand
startedscoopingthemup.

13. Well youcan imagine the reactionof the game warden.Whenhe recoveredfromthe shockof itall,he
beganyellingatSam."You can't do this!I will putyouinjail,buddy!Youwill be payingeveryfine there
isin the book!"Sam,meanwhile,sethisnetdownandtookout anotherstickof dynamite.He lititand
tosseditinthe lapof the game wardenwiththese words,"Are yougoingtositthere all day
complaining,orare yougoingto fish?"
The poor wardenwasleftwitha fast decisiontomake.He was yanked,inone second,fromanobserver
to a participant.A dynamite of a choice hadto be made and be made quickly!Life islike that.Few days
go by withoutourcomingface to face withan uninvited,unanticipated,yetunavoidable decision.Like a
crashingsnowbank,these decisionstumble uponuswithoutwarning.Quick.Immediate.Sudden.No
council,nostudy,no advice.POW!
A Short Course in Human Relations
The six most importantwords:Iadmitthat I was wrong.
The five mostimportantwords:Youdid a great job.
The four mostimportantwords:What do youthink?
The three most importantwords:Couldyouplease...
The two mostimportantwords:Thank you.
The most importantword:We.
The leastimportantword:I.
Anonymous
You are Wonderful
The followingtrue storycapturedourheart.It happenedseveral yearsagointhe Parisoperahouse.A
famoussingerhadbeencontractedtosing,and ticketsaleswere booming.Infact,the nightof the
concert foundthe house packedand everyticketsold.The feelingof anticipationandexcitementwasin
the air as the house managertookthe stage and said,"Ladiesandgentlemen,thankyouforyour
enthusiasticsupport.Iamafraidthat due to illness,the manwhomyouhave all come to hearwill notbe
performingtonight.However,we have foundasuitable substitutewe hope will provide youwith
comparable entertainment."The crowdgroanedindisappointmentandfailedtohearthe announcer
mentionthe stand-in'sname.The environmentturnedfromexcitementtofrustration.

14. The stand-inperformergave the performance everythinghe had.Whenhe hadfinished,therewas
nothingbutan uncomfortable silence.Noone applauded.Suddenly,fromthe balcony,alittle boystood
up and shouted,"Daddy,Ithinkyouare wonderful!"The crowdbroke intothunderousapplause.
We all needpeople inourLiveswhoare willingtostandupoccasionallyandsay,"I thinkyouare
wonderful.”
Two Kinds of People
There are onlytwokindsof people onearthtoday
Two kindsof people,nomore Isay.
Notthe richand the poor, forto knowa man'swealth
You mustfirstknowthe state of hisconscience andhealth,
Notthe happyand sad,for inlife'spassingyears,
Each has hislaughterandeach has histears.
No,the two kindsof people onearthI mean
Are the people wholiftandthe people wholearn?
In whichclassare you?Are you liftingthe load?
Of some overtaxedlifterwho'sgoingdownthe road

15. Or are youa leanerwholetsothersshare
Your portionof toil,labor,andcare?
EllaWheelerWikcox
Wranglersand Stranglers
Years ago,there was a groupof brilliantyoungmenatthe Universityof Wisconsin,whoseemedtohave
amazingcreative literarytalent.Theywere would-be poets,novelists,andessayists.Theywere
extraordinaryintheirabilitytoputthe Englishlanguage toitsbestuse.These promisingyoungmenmet
regularlytoreadand analyze eachother'swork.In addition,analyzeittheydid!
These menwere mercilesswithone another.Theydissectedthe minutestliteraryexpressionintoa
hundredpieces.Theywere heartless,tough,andevenmeanintheircriticism.The sessionsbecamesuch
arenasof literarycriticismthatthe membersof thisexclusiveclubcalledthemselvesthe "Stranglers."
Notto be outdone,the womenof literarytalentinthe universityweredeterminedtostarta clubof
theirown,one comparable tothe Stranglers.Theycalledthemselvesthe "Wranglers."They,too,read
theirworksto one another.However,there wasone greatdifference.The criticismwasmuchsofter,
more positive,more encouraging.Sometimes,there wasalmostnocriticismatall.Everyeffort,eventhe
feeblestone,wasencouraged.
Twentyyearslateran alumnusof the universitywasdoinganexhaustivestudyof hisclassmates'careers
whenhe noticedavast differenceinthe literaryaccomplishmentsof the Stranglersasopposedtothe
Wranglers.Of all the brightyoungmenin the Stranglers,notone hadmade a significantliterary
accomplishmentof anykind.Fromthe Wranglershadcome six or more successful writers,some of
national renownsuchasMarjorie KinnanRawlings,whowrote The Yearling.
Talentbetweenthe two?Probablythe same.Level of education?Notmuchdifference.However,the
Stranglersstrangled,while the Wranglerswere determinedtogive eachothera lift.The Stranglers
promotedanatmosphere of contentionandself-doubt.The Wranglershighlightedthe best,notthe
worst.

16. NeverMind!
SometimeswhennothinggoesjustrightAndworryreignssupreme,Whenheartache fillsthe eyeswith
mistAndall thingsuselessseem,There'sjustone thingcandrive awayThe tearsthat scald andblind --
Someone toslipastrong arm 'round Andwhisper,"Nevermind."Noone hasevertoldjustwhyThose
wordssuch comfortbring;Nor whythat whispermakesourcaresDeparton hurriedwing.Yettroubles
say a quick"Good-day,"We leave themfarbehindWhensomeone slipsanarm around,Andwhispers,
"Nevermind."Butlove mustpromptthatsoftcaress- That love must,aye,be true Or at that tender,
clingingtouchNoheartease come to you,But if the arm be movedbylove,Sweetcomfortyouwill find
Whensomeone slipsanarmaround,Andwhispers,"Nevermind!"
Murphy'sLaws
Everyone hasheardof Murphy's firstlaw:"If anythingcango wrong,invariablyitwill."However,hardly
anybodyhasevena foggyideaof whoMurphy was.
The search for Murphy'snotebooksledtoa garage in Toledo,Ohio;aninventor'sjunkloftinAliquippa,
Pennsylvania;andthe home of a retiredfemaleblackmailerinSarasota,Florida.Itwaslearnedthat
Murphy had nofirstname,that he nevercouldholda job,andthat the postoffice forinsufficient
postage returnedhiswritings.
It seemseverythingMurphywrote abouthadsome explanationforwhythingsgowrong.Considerafew
more Murphy classics:
Nothingiseverassimple asit firstseems.
Everythingyoudecide todocostsmore thanfirstestimated.
Everyactivitytakesmore time thanyouhave.
It iseasiertomake a commitmentorto getinvolvedinsomethingthantoget outof it.
Whateveryousetout to do,somethingelse mustbe done first.
If you improve ortinkerwithsomethinglongenough,eventuallyitwillbreak.
By makingsomethingclear,somebodywill be confused.
You can fool some of the people all of the time andall of the people some of the time,andthatis
sufficient.

17. Believe the Impossible
Everygreat achievementwasonce impossibleuntil someonesetagoal to make it a reality.
LewisCarroll'sfamousmasterpiece Throughthe LookingGlasscontainsastorythat exemplifiesthe need
to dreamthe impossibledream.There isaconversationbetweenAlice andthe queen,whichgoeslike
this:
"I can't believe that!"saidAlice.
"Can't you?"the queensaidina pityingtone."Tryagain,draw a longbreath,and shutyoureyes."
Alice laughed."There'snouse trying,"she said."One can'tbelieveimpossible things."
"I dare say you haven'thadmuch practice,"saidthe queen."WhenIwasyour age,I alwaysdiditfor half
an hour a day.Why, sometimesI've believedasmanyassix impossiblethingsbefore breakfast."
Whenyoudare to dream,manymarvelscan be accomplished.The trouble is,mostpeopleneverstart
dreamingtheirimpossible dream.
How High Can YouJump?
Fleatrainershave observedapredictableandstrange habitof fleaswhiletrainingthem.Fleasare
trainedbyputtingthemina cardboard box witha top on it.The fleaswill jumpupandhitthe topof the
cardboard box overand repeatedly.Asyouwatchthemjumpandhit the lid,somethingveryinteresting
becomesobvious.The fleascontinuetojump,buttheyare no longerjumpinghighenoughtohitthe
top.Apparently,Excedrinheadache 1738 forcesthemto limitthe heightof theirjump.
Whenyoutake off the lid,the fleascontinue tojump,buttheywill notjumpoutof the box.Theywill
not jumpoutbecause theycannotjumpout. Why?The reasonissimple.Theyhave conditioned
themselvestojumpjustsohigh.Once theyhave conditionedthemselvestojumpjustsohigh,that'sall
theycan do!

18. Many times,people dothe same thing.Theyrestrictthemselvesandneverreachtheirpotential.Just
like the fleas,theyfail tojumphigher,thinkingtheyare doingall theycando.
If You Think
If you thinkyouare beaten,youare.If youthinkyou dare not,you do not!If youwantto win,but think
youcannot, itis almosta cinchyou will not.If youthinkyouwill lose,youare lost;forout inthe world
we findSuccessbeginswithafellow'swill;itisall inthe state of the mind.Life'sbattlesdonotalwaysgo
To the strongerand fasterman,But sooneror laterthe man whowinsIs the man whothinkshe can.
WalterD. Wintle