These are extracts from "You Can Win" Quiet useful for our daily lives
EGO (THE "I Know It All" ATTITUDE)
To an egocentric person, the world begins, ends and revolves around him. An
egotist can be funny by default. A boss asked one of his employees how
badly he wanted a raise. The employee said, "Real badly. I have been
praying to God for one." The boss replied, "You are not going to get it
because you went over my head." An egotist talks and looks down on others.
BLAME GAME
People who don't accept responsibility shift the blame to their parents,
teachers, genes, God, fate, luck or the stars. Johnny said, "Mama, Jimmy
broke the window." Mama asked, "How did he do it?" Johnny replied, "I threw
a stone at him and he ducked." People who use their privileges without
accepting responsibility usually end up losing them. Responsibility
involves thoughtful action.
A POUND OF BUTTER
There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the
baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he
found that he was not. This
angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if
he was using any measure. The farmer replied, amour Honor, I am primitive.
I don't have a proper
measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh
the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started
buying butter from me, I
have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker
brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in
butter. If anyone is to be
blamed, it is the baker." What is the moral of the story? We get back in
life what we give to others.
INTEGRITY
Three executives were fighting over who would pay the bill for lunch. One
said, "I will pay, I can get a tax deduction." The other said, "Let me have
it, I will get reimbursement from my company." The third said, "Let me pay,
because I am filing for bankruptcy next week."
PRACTICE HUMILITY
Many years ago, a rider came across some soldiers who were trying to move a
heavy log without success. The corporal was standing by as the men
struggled. The rider asked the corporal why he wasn't helping. The corporal
replied, "I am the corporal; i give orders." The rider dismounted, went up
and stood by the soldiers and as they were lifting the log, he helped them.
With his help, the log got moved. The rider quietly mounted his horse and
went to the corporal and said, "The next time your men need help, send for
the Commander-in-Chief." After he left, the corporal and his men found out
that the rider was George Washington.
EMPATHY
A boy went to the pet store to buy a puppy. Four of them were sitting
together, priced at $50 each. Then there was one sitting alone in a corner.
The boy asked if that was from
the same litter, if it was for sale, and why it was sitting alone. The
store owner replied that it was from the same litter, it was a deformed
one, and not for sale. The boy asked what the deformity was. The store
owner replied that the puppy was born without a hip socket and had a leg
missing. The boy asked, "What will you do with this one?" The reply was it
would be put to sleep. The boy asked if he could play with that puppy. The
store owner said, "Sure." The boy picked the puppy up and the puppy licked
him on the ear. Instantly the boy decided that was the puppy he wanted to
buy. The store owner said "That is not for sale!" The boy insisted. The
store owner agreed. The boy pulled out $2 from his pocket and ran to get
$48 from his mother. As he reached the door the store owner shouted after
him, "I don't understand why you would pay full money for this one when you
could buy a good one for the same price." The boy didn't say a word. He
just lifted his left trouser leg and he was wearing a brace. The pet store
owner said, "I understand. Go ahead, take this one." This is empathy.
BALANCE
In 1923, eight of the wealthiest people in the world met. Their combined
wealth, it is estimated, exceeded the wealth of the government of the
United States at that time.
These men certainly knew how to make a living and accumulate wealth. But
let's examine what happened to them 25 years later.
1. President of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, lived on
borrowed capital for five years before he died bankrupt.
2. President of the largest gas company, Howard Hubson, went insane.
3. One of the greatest commodity traders, Arthur Cutton, died insolvent.
4. President of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, was sent to jail.
5. A member of the President's Cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from jail to go home and die in peace.
6. The greatest "bear" on Wall Street, Jessie Livermore, committed suicide.
7. President of the world's greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, committed suicide.
8. President of the Bank of International Settlement, Leon Fraser, committed suicide.
What they forgot was how to make a life! It is stories like this that give the readers the false impression that money is the root of all evil. That is not true.
Money provides food for the hungry, medicine for the sick, clothes for the needy.
Money is only a medium of exchange.
We need two kinds of education. One that teaches us how to make a living and one that teaches us how to live. There are people who are so engrossed in their professional life that they neglect their family, health and social responsibilities. If asked why they do this they would reply that they were doing it for their family.
Our kids are sleeping when we leave home. They are sleeping when we come home.
Twenty years later, we turn back, and they are all gone. We have no family left. That is sad.
MEANINGLESS GOALS
A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to
come around. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and
trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think
your dog is ever going to catch a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not
what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught
one." Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless
goals.
IT IS THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
There was a man taking a morning walk at or the beach. He saw that along
with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded,
they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The
tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps,
picked one and threw it into the
water. He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person
who couldn't understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and
asked, "What are you doing?
There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What
difference does it make?" This man did not reply, took two more steps,
picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a
difference to this one."
What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If
everyone made a small difference, we'd end up with a big difference,
wouldn't we?
