Short Stories.

Sometimes all we need is a short story.















The Starfish ~ (Making a Difference)

The Soldier ~ (It's worth it)

The Fisherman ~ (Success)

The Samurai ~ (Self Control)

The Two Wolves ~ (Good & Evil)

The Monks ~ (Let it Go)

The CEO ~ (Ambition)

The Philosopher ~ (Drive & Desire)

The Owl ~ (Wisdom & Action)

The Alien ~ (Learning)

The Salesman ~ (Advice)

The Eagle ~ (Leadership)

The Parrot ~ (Attention)

The Lesson ~ (Adversity)

The Starfish.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~ Dr. Seuss.

A small girl was walking along the beach upon which thousands of starfish had washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish she would pick one up and throw it back into the ocean. All of the adults on the beach watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said "Why are you doing this? Look ~ There are thousands of starfish. You can't save them all or begin to make a difference.


The little girl was crushed and her eyes began to fill with tears.

But then after a few moments ~ She stooped down and picked up another starfish and gently held it in her hand. Then, with all her might, she hurled it as far as she could into ocean and said to the man.

"Well I made a difference with that one."

Top Down.

" I hate intellectuals. They are from the top down. I am from the bottom up." ~ Frank Lloyd Wright.

It's a funny thing about the old top down concept. The great coach, leader or intellectual we feel has all the answers. The shiny marble we place on top. If he is really good ~ If he does his job well enough ~ There should come a time when we don't need him. If he does really well we should be able to take him away and the structure still stands.

The very best build strong foundations from the bottom up.

The Soldier.

"It's not so much our friends help that helps us, as the confidence of their help." ~ Epicurus.

During the war a soldier watched in horror as his lifelong friend fell under gunfire. All the soldiers had to retreat. The soldier went to ask permission from his lieutenant to go and fetch his friend from the no-mans-land. The lieutenant gave permission, but added: "It is hardly worth it. ~ Your friend is probably dead and you may die too."

This soldier didn't care about the warnings and miraculously he reached his friend, lifted him to his shoulders, and stumbled back.

He was wounded horribly in the process. The lieutenant came over, noticed the friend was dead and said ~ "I'm sorry for your friend."

"But I told you it wasn't worth it. Your friend is dead and now you are also seriously wounded." ~ "I have to disagree with you. ~ It was worth it", the soldier answered. "What do you mean?" the lieutenant replied.

"It was worth it", the soldier repeated again. ~ "When I got to my friend, he was still alive and he said... ~ "I knew you'd never leave me."

Remember.

"Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Best Excuse Ever.

"Genetic predisposition is not destiny." ~ Kranzler.

It's the best excuse human beings ever came up with. I guess the fact that it's often true helps. We use it to explain behavior, illness, addiction, traits, likelihood of success, and even the color of...Whatever. Nature versus Nurture. Genetics. DNA. Heredity and components beyond our control play a large part in determining the appearance, attributes, health and likelihood of whatever in our lives.

Whatever.

Forgive me for oversimplifying a very complex topic. The greatest scientists the world has ever produced can't agree on this one.

Nature versus Nurture. But hey ~ what the heck. I'm gonna give it a shot. It's not my fault. It's the way I am. Simple. It's in my genes.

There are some things we can't control and some we can. But often we fall back on "That's the way I am" or a similar phrase as an excuse to not be something more. Predisposition is not destiny. As human beings we have a lot to say in our choices and our destiny.

Here's a thought ~ Genes have epigenetic markers that serve as a volume control and adjust the intensity of how a gene expresses itself, and over time, the environment, our lifestyle and yes ~ even the decisions we make can alter these markers. Genes determine a lot ~ An awful lot. ~ But Genetic Predisposition Is Not Destiny.

Beginner's Mind.

"In the beginners mind there are many possibilities. In the experts mind there are few." ~ Shunryu Suzuki.

It's a simple concept. But boy is it hard to master. We try to teach, coach, help, support and even counsel and in so doing we believe that... Well ~ We have expectations. Maybe that's part of the problem ~ part of our frustration. People don't do what we recommend and we wonder why - or worse we come up with a conclusion - an answer.

Bruce Lee probably said it best:

"In order to learn we must first empty our own cup". Yet we get frustrated because other people have not emptied their cups to take in the advice or insight we offer ~ But we haven't emptied our own cup.

Wow this stuff is certainly a vicious circle.