Month: April 2012

Glenn Cunningham

Nothing could stop this man after suffering severe burns on his legs at the age of eight, Glenn Cunningham was given up by doctors who believed he would be a hopeless cripple destined to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. " He will never be able to walk again," they said, "No chance."

The doctors examined his legs, but they had no way of looking into Glenn's heart. He didn't listen to the doctors and set out to walk again. Lying in bed, his skinny, red legs covered with scar tissue, Glenn vowed," Next week, I'm going to get out of bed. I'm going to walk." And he did just that.

His mother tells of how she used to push back the curtain and look out the windows to watch Glenn reach up and take hold of an old plow in the yard. With a hand on each handle, he began to make his gnarled and twisted legs function. And with every step of pain, he came closer to walking. Soon he began to trot; before long he was running. When he started to run, he became even more determined.

"I always believed that I could walk, and I did. now I'm going to run faster than anybody has ever run." And did he ever.

He became a great miler who, in 1934, set the world's record of 4'06". He was honored as the outstanding athlete of the century at Madison Square Garden.

California Gold Rush Story

There's a California gold rush story that tells of two brothers who sold all they had and went prospecting for gold. They discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked a claim, and proceeded to get down to the serious business of getting the gold ore of the mine.

All went well at first, but then a strange thing happened. The vein of gold disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there. The brothers continued to pick away, but without success. Finally, they gave up in disgust.

They sold their equipment and claim rights for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Now the man who bought the claim hired an engineer to examine the rock strata of the mine. The engineer advised him to continue digging in the same spot where the former owners had left off. And three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold.

A little more persistence and the two brothers would have been millionaires themselves. There is gold in you, too. Do you need to dig three feet farther?

California Gold Rush Story

There's a California gold rush story that tells of two brothers who sold all they had and went prospecting for gold. They discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked a claim, and proceeded to get down to the serious business of getting the gold ore of the mine.

All went well at first, but then a strange thing happened. The vein of gold disappeared! They had come to the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no longer there. The brothers continued to pick away, but without success. Finally, they gave up in disgust.

They sold their equipment and claim rights for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Now the man who bought the claim hired an engineer to examine the rock strata of the mine. The engineer advised him to continue digging in the same spot where the former owners had left off. And three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold.

A little more persistence and the two brothers would have been millionaires themselves. There is gold in you, too. Do you need to dig three feet farther?

Take Control Of My Life

How to take control of my life? Perhaps a parable will help you see my point.

High on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful city of Venice, Italy, there lived an old man who was a genius. Legend had it he could answer any question anyone might ask of him. Two of the local boys figured they could fool the old man, so they caught a small bird and headed for his residence.

One of the boys held the little bird in his hands and asked the old man if the bird was dead or alive. Without hesitation the old man said, " Son, if I say to you that the bird is alive, you will close your hands and crush him to death. If I say the bird is dead, you will open your hands and he will fly away. You see, son, in your hands you hold the power of life and death."

In your hands you hold the seeds of failure or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable but they must be used – and for the right things – to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining.

Take Control Of My Life

How to take control of my life? Perhaps a parable will help you see my point.

High on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful city of Venice, Italy, there lived an old man who was a genius. Legend had it he could answer any question anyone might ask of him. Two of the local boys figured they could fool the old man, so they caught a small bird and headed for his residence.

One of the boys held the little bird in his hands and asked the old man if the bird was dead or alive. Without hesitation the old man said, " Son, if I say to you that the bird is alive, you will close your hands and crush him to death. If I say the bird is dead, you will open your hands and he will fly away. You see, son, in your hands you hold the power of life and death."

In your hands you hold the seeds of failure or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable but they must be used – and for the right things – to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining.