I have a large collection of thousands of articles I have collected in the past 40 or 50 years or so. I would like to share some of my favorites with you …
The Smoker’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, hear my plea, and grant my lungs serenity.
Give me strength to kick the smoking that’s been causing all my choking.
Let my breath be fresh and clean without a trace of nicotine.
Guide me by your holy means past all those cigarette machines.
I ask your help and it’s no wonder ‘cause, if I don’t quit, I’m six feet under.
~ Author Unknown
That’s ‘Not My Job!’
This is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Author Unknown
This reminds me of the opposite: Leanne, who has helped me for over 20 years in my office and at seminars. I always say: “Leanne gets the job done!”
A Mexican Fish Story
An American businessman stood at the pier of a coastal Mexican village where a fisherman had just docked. Inside the small boat were several yellow fin-tunas. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality and size of his fish and asked how long it had taken to catch them. “Only a little while”, the fisherman said.
The American asked why he had not stayed out longer and caught more fish. The Mexican replied that he had enough to meet his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked: “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, Senor.”
The American scoffed. “I am a Harvard business graduate 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 City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But Senor, how long will all this take?” “Fifteen to twenty years.” “But what then Senor?” The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions, Senor? Then what?” “Then you would retire. You would move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife and stroll to the village in the evenings – where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”
Author Unknown
A Round Tuit
For years you have been saying: “I’ll do that (stop smoking, lose weight, spend more time with my children, give more attention to my spouse, take up that hobby, etc.) when I get a “round tuit”. The first step is to get yourself some type of round disk. Print or write on it “A Round Tuit”. You now have a hard to come by round tuit. Guard it with your life as they are scarce. At last, you can now get all those past things done. Good-bye procrastination, no more excuse!
What is a customer?
A customer is the most important person in any business. A customer is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. A customer is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. A customer does us a favor when he comes in.
A customer is an essential part of our business – not an outsider. A customer is not just money in the cash register. He is a human being with feelings and deserves to be treated with respect. A customer is a person who comes to us with his needs and his wants. It is our job to fill them.
A customer deserves the most courteous attention we can give him. He is the lifeblood of this and every business. He pays your salary. Without him, we would have to close our doors.
A Smart Chimpanzee named Moe
Moe watched a man get out of his car and pull on a ski mask and gloves before heading into a neighbour’s yard. He got suspicious. By the time the police arrived, the robber was gone. For the benefit of the police, Moe pointed in the direction the thief had headed. The cops got their man and Moe became a hero in West Covina, California.
Too old to do something?
Physician and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer was still performing operations in his African hospital at 89.
Bob Hope was entertaining troops in Kuwait at 88.
At 101 ½ George Jedenoff was back skiing in Utah
At 95, cyclo driver Pham Quang Giang in Vietnam was still peddling people around town in his bicycle rickshaw, 8 am to 6 pm.