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20 Motivational Stories That Will Change Your

Life, Relationships & Business

C O M P I L E D B Y S E U N A K I N D U R O

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20 Motivational Stories That Will Transform Your Life, Relationships and Business compiled by Seun Akinduro

Hi, my name is Seun Akinduro. I am an author, speaker and internet business consultant.

I am dedicated to improving the quality of lives through insightful teaching of the principles of success.

I am the author of the books- YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE & THE PATH TO GREAT DESTINY.

I have been using some of these stories in my speaking business and now I have compiled them into a book for the blessing of all and sundry.

After reading these stories, I believe your life will indeed be transformed because your thinking about life, relationship and business will be transformed tremendously.

Email me at seunakinduro@gmail.com or Call 2347030101013 now to order my new released book-“Do You Make These Mistakes in Life?”

To a prosperous future,

Seun Akinduro

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Life

#1: The Bamboo Seed

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me... "Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied. "When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said."In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit." He said. "Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle." He said to me, "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on

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you." "Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful." "Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high" "How high should I rise?" I asked. "How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return. "As high as it can?" I questioned "Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can." I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. HE will never give up on you! Stay Blessed.

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#2: Parable of the Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. “There are 5 things you need to know”, he told the pencil, “Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.” “One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.” “Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.” “Three: You will be able to correct any mistake you might make.” “Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.” “And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”

The pencil understand and promise to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart. Now replacing the place of the pencil with you always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you’ll need it to be stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties. Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfil the purpose to which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to be discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

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#3: Problems! Put them down

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, ' How much do you think this glass weighs?' '50gms!’, '100gms!’, '125gms,' the students answered. 'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes? ''Nothing' the students said. 'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked. 'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the students. 'You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?' 'Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student and all the students laughed. 'Very good, but during all this, did the weight of the glass change?' asked the professor. 'No' 'Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?' The students were puzzled. 'What should I do to remedy this?’ asked the professor again. 'Put the glass down!' said one of the students. 'Exactly!' said the professor.' Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem OK. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.'

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'It's important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but even more important to 'put them down' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!'

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#4: Building Your House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the pay check each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, “This is your house… my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it differently. So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realise we have live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it more differently. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, pr erect a wall.

Someone once said, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Your attitude, and the choice you make today, helps build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore build wisely!

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#5: Tourist visiting Rome

A tourist one day decided to visit Rome for a holiday and before the trip, she went to her hairdresser to get a perm. The hairdresser on learning that she chose Rome begun to tell her all the bad things that may happen if she goes to Rome. “Your air ticket will be double booked,” she said and on arrival, “Do not be surprised if your luggage ends up in London instead as all airlines going to Rome provide very bad service.” “Be careful with the taxi driver for he will probably take you for a ride and rip you off,” she continued. She also warned the tourist that there is no guarantee on her hotel reservation and that room will probably be sold to others when she checks in. She then began to talk about how stupid and the time wasted by all the tourists as they waited for the Pope at the square on Sunday to hear him say mass. “All you see is a small figure wearing a white robe. How do you know it is the real Pope?” She asked, “Maybe he is a fake. The tourist went for her holiday and when she came back she visited the hairdresser again to wash her hair and the hairdresser began to ask her about her trip. “Everything happened like you predicted.” said the tourist. “My air ticket was double booked and because economy and business class was completely full, I was upgraded to a 1st class seat.” “My luggage like you said ended up in London and the airline was very embarrassed that this happened so they gave me US$2000 to buy new clothes.” “When I got out of the airport, I took a taxi and the driver drove me all over Rome because he was new and lost his way. When we finally found the hotel, he did not charge me and I saw a lot of Rome for free.”

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“Like you said, I also had a problem with my hotel reservation and the hotel was fully booked and there was only one room left, the Presidential Suite. Guess where I was sleeping during my week in Rome?” “I also made a visit to the square to see the Pope on Sunday. Do you know that the church has a policy where the Pope’s assistant will select three people every Sunday and grant them a personal audience with the Pope? I was so lucky because I was one of the three selected. After the visit, I asked the Pope's assistant why I was selected and you know what he said?” He said, “Out of the so many people, your hair has the worst perm, so I selected you.”

Be ready for discouragement by others especially family, friends, colleague etc especially when the people doing so are not even successful themselves.

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#6: Elephants

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? .............JUST THINK OF IT ONCE.............

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#7: I only have a small frying pan.

Two men went fishing. One man was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn't. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back. The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing this man waste good fish. "Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?" he asked. The inexperienced fisherman replied, "I only have a small frying pan." Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, big dreams, big jobs, and big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small. We laugh at that fisherman who didn't figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan; yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith? Whether it's a problem or a possibility, God will never give you anything bigger than you can handle. That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way.

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#8: Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seems to stop making progress. It seems as if it has gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wing so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be strong as we could have been. We could never fly!

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#9: Mountain Story

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son fell, hurt himself and screamed: “AAAhhhhhhhhh!!!” To his surprise he heard the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: “AAAhhhhhhhhh!!!” Curious, he yelled: “Who are you?” He received the answer: “Who are you?” And he screamed to the mountain: “I admire you!” The voice answers: “I admire you!” Angered at the response, he screamed: “Coward!” He received the answer: “Coward!” He looked to his father and asked what was going on. The father smiled and said: “My son, pay attention.” Again the man screams: “You are a champion!” The voice answered: “You are a champion!” The boy was surprised but did not understand. Then the father explained: “People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE: It gives you back everything you say or do.”

Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it. “Your life is not a coincidence. It’s a reflection of you!”

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Relationships

#10: The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the table cloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the son. “I have had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor”. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since the grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather’s direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only word the couple had for him was sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the table cloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive, their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realise that every day that building blocks are being laid for their children’s future. Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself … and those you love … today, and everyday!

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#11: Unconditional Love

A story is told about a soldier who was coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve a favour to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.” “Sure”, they replied, “we’d love to meet him.””There is something you should know”, the son continued. “He was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son”, said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognised him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love, that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. Say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us.

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#12: Sand and Stone

A story tells that two friends were walking throughthe desert. During some point of the

journey, theyhad an argument, and one friend slapped the otherone in the face. The

one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand: Today my best friend slapped me in the face. They kept on walking, until they found an oasis,

where they decided to take a bath. The one who hadbeen slapped got stuck in the mire

and starteddrowning, but his friend saved him. After herecovered from the near

drowning, he wrote on a stone: Today my best friend saved my life. The friend, who had

slapped and saved his bestfriend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote inthe sand,

and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied: "When someone hurts

us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds offorgiveness can erase it away,

but when someonedoes something good for us, we must engrave it instone where no

wind can ever erase it. Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carveyour blessings in stone.

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#13: Love and Time

Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived; Happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the other feelings, including love. One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So, all the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the paradise island until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?" Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere." Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, please help me." "I can't help you", Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat." Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go with you." Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I just need to be alone for the moment." Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with you." But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't even hear Love calling to him. Love began to cry. Then all of sudden she heard a voice say, "Come Love, I will take you with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went on his way. Love realised how much she owed the elder. Love then found Knowledge and asked, "Who was it that helped me?" "It was Time", Knowledge answered. "But why did Time help me when no one else would?” Love asked.

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Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."

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#14: The Perfect Couple

Once upon a time, a perfect man and a perfect woman met. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect. One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve, this perfect couple was driving their perfect car along a winding road, when they noticed someone at the side of the road in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle. Soon they were driving along delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple; and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of them survived the accident. Question: Who was the survivor? Answer: The perfect woman survived. She's the only one who really existed in the first place. Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man! **** Women stop reading here, that is the end of the joke. **** Men keep scrolling. So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the woman must have been driving. This explains why there was a car accident.

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**** Men Keep scrolling By the way, if you're a woman and you're still reading, this illustrates another point: Women never listen!

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#15: Lunch with God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cupcakes, several cans of root beer and started on his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he saw an elderly woman. She was sitting on a park bench watching the pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed the lady looked hungry so he offered her a cupcake. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him. Her smile was so wonderful that he wanted to see it again, so he offered a root beer as well. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling without saying a word. As it began to grow dark, the boy realized how tired he was and wanted to go home. He got up to leave but before he had gone no more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to the old woman, giving her a big hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy arrived home his Mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked, 'What has made you so happy today?' He replied,’ I had lunch with God.' Before his mother could respond he added, you know what? She's got the most beautiful smile in the whole world!' Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, she returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face. He asked, 'Mother, what has made you so happy today? She replied, 'I ate cupcakes in the park with God.' And before her son could reply, she added, 'You know, he is much younger than I expected.' Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring; all of which have the potential to

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turn life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.... Take no one for granted and embrace all equally with joy!

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#16: Made a difference to that one!!!

A man was walking down the beach at sunset. As he walked along, he saw another man in the distance. He noticed this man kept leaning down, picking up something and throwing it out into the water, again and again. As, he approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach. He was throwing them back into the water, one by one. Puzzled, he approached the man and said, "Good Evening. I was wondering what you are doing." "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it is low tide and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If, I don't throw them back into the ocean, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen." "But, there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possible get to all of them. And, don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?" The man bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and threw it back into the ocean. With a smile he replied, "Made a difference to that one!!!" Just remember, no matter how small the deed it really does makes a difference. Make a difference today. Do something nice for someone else, even if it's just sharing this story book with a friend and letting them know somebody cares about them.

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#17: The 90/10 Secret

The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply this secret. The result: Millions of people are suffering undeserved stress, trials, problems, and heartache. They never seem to be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be constantly happening. Theirs is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships. Worry consumes time, anger breaks friendships, and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest... Friends are lost. Life is a bore and often seems cruel. Does this describe you? If so, do not be discouraged. You can be different! Understand and apply the 90/10 secret. It will change your life! What is this secret? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane may be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%! How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light, but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react! Let's use an example. You're eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the coffee cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticise her for placing the cup to close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.

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After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 (traffic fine) away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs to the building without saying good-bye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started badly. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to going home. When you arrive home you find a small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. A) Did the coffee cause it? B) Did your daughter cause it? C) Did the Policeman cause it? D) Did you cause it? The answer is D. You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say "It's OK honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a clean shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You and your spouse kiss before you both go to work. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on what a good day you are having. Notice the difference. Two different scenarios both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% is determined by your reaction. Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 secret. If someone says something negative about you, do not be sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You do not have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend,

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being fired, getting stressed out, etc. How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound the steering wheel? Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the blue car ruin your drive. Remember the 90-10principle, and do not worry about it! You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep or get irritated? It will work out. Use your "worrying" energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger, etc. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. You now know the 90/10 secret. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results.

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Business

#18: The Cage

There was a young man who went to the forest to catch a bird. After spending few hours hunting finally he caught a beautiful bird and tried to put it inside the cage. The bird was obviously so frightened that she exhausted all her energy trying to be freed from the hands of the hunter but failed. Finally that beautiful bird got inside the small cage. The young man placed the cage inside his very comfortable room. He buys the best bird pellets and sufficient water to make sure that she gets relax and happy inside the cage. After few months, a friend came to visit him and so happened that that fellow is a member of animal protection group. So, when the visitor noticed the bird, immediately he asked the young man to let it free and put it back to the forest where it belongs. At first the young man was so stubborn and did not listen but his friend was so good at convincing him and so just to avoid further arguments, the man decided to free the bird. So he took the cage and opened the door and tried to let the bird go. Surprisingly, the bird did not make any move despite seeing the door open! He started shaking the cage so that the bird will move near the door but nothing happened. It seems that the bird was so relax and comfortable inside that she didn’t like to go out anymore. Finally the man put his hand inside and tried to catch the bird but instead she fought back by pecking on his captor's hand and flew from one corner of the cage to another trying to avoid the hand but did not make any effort to go near the door's cage. At last, the young man said “see, I told you my bird prefers to be inside the cage and not outside where she can explore the mountain, breath fresh air and eat different foods ...She likes to be inside the CAGE! " Just like the bird, many people today are content of making small salary and live a life controlled by others. Employment is blinding many people's eyes to see the real abundance in life and not seeing the opportunity that building their own business could offer them.

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#19: Daddy, how much do you make an hour?

"Daddy, how much do you earn per hour?” asked the child in a timid voice as his father came back home from work. With a harsh tone, the father replied, "Listen son, those are matters that not even your mother knows about. Don't bother me. I am very tired. "But Daddy"," the child insisted", "Please tell me how much you earn per hour." This time the father's reaction was less harsh and said:"US$20 per hour." "Daddy, may I please borrow US$10?" asked the child. The father became angry and spoke to his son, "So that was the reason why you wanted to know how much I earn. Go to sleep and don't bother me, you selfish child." During the night, the father was thinking about the incident and started to feel guilty. Maybe his son needed the money to buy something very important. Then, wanting to put his conscience to rest, he went to his son's room and speaking in a low tone, asked his son, "Are you asleep, son?" "No, Daddy," he responded half asleep. Here's the money that you asked, said the father. “Thank you Daddy”, said the child. At this point, he reached under his pillow and took out some coins. “Now I have enough Daddy. I have US$20. Would you sell me one hour of your time?”

A story to warn many that it is OK to work for others when they are starting out, but do not make it a life time endeavour and they should one day become their own boss.

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#20: The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walk around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the road clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As this farmer picked up his load of vegetable, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learnt what many others never understand.

Lesson: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition.

Rather than complain about the government for the challenges in the country, think of how to provide solution to them. Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.