CAPPUCCINO & SUCCESS 101 short motivational stories to beat the blues and

“Turn You On Positively!”

By Richard Quek

Email: quek@capcess.com Web site: http://www.capcess.com

PREFACE

What has Cappuccino got to do with Success? Cappuccino & Success is a simple book with 101 short motivational stories for everyone. I chose the name “Cappuccino & Success” because I am like one of those millions of people around the world who enjoy a cup of cappuccino. Cappuccino lovers will not let a day pass by without having a cup of that delicious concoction. So just like being “addicted” to cappuccino, in order to have success we have to be “addicted” to success and desire it everyday of our life. As we go through our everyday life we meet with all kinds of obstacles and challenges that may cause our spirit to be low and get us discouraged. We need to recharge ourselves everyday of our life so that we can begin to move forward again. Each story is like a cup of cappuccino to inspire, motivate, and rekindle our spirit and mind towards the goals and dreams that are before us. After all they are our birth right because we are born into great wealth and abundance. The 101 short stories are a compilation of real life and fictional stories to illustrate the success principles of life. Most motivational books teach the actual success principles and probably illustrated with numerous short stories. This book is different as it is based on 101 short stories that are simple to understand. At the end of each story I provide a brief explanation of the success principles involved. However, it is not my intention to be exhaustive and elaborate on the principles as the stories clearly convey the basic principles involved. It is my opinion that both children and adults will love to read these stories which will help them to understand and remember both the stories and the principles behind it. This book will be useful for everyone, from professionals to bedtime stories for children. With all the negative influences and environment around in the world today, it would be important to teach our children good principles, values, beliefs, morals and character. It is my wish that this book will help to inspire you and rekindle your spirit through some of the stories contained herewith. Success is a progressive realization of a worthwhile ideal. Success is a journey and not a destination and I wish you an enjoyable journey and meaning in your life.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action. Orison Swett Marden What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talents will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talents. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Calvin Coolidge Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness. Zig Ziglar Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Napoleon Hill

RISKS

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair.

To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change,

grow, love, or live. Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves, they have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

Life is a series of seasons. No seasons will last forever and when one season ends it is time to change and move on to the next season with faith and expectation.

Dedication

To my lovely wife, Nancy, and my three extra-ordinary children, Daniel, Nicholas, and Hannah, for their unceasing

patience, love and support.

To God, in whom I am deeply loved, greatly blessed, and highly favored.

Cappuccino stories 1. The Secret of Success 2. He Played His Best 3. How To Boil A Bullfrog 4. Search No More 5. Dream of Flight 6. Who Pushed Me? 7. See Your Reaching 8. Catching Monkeys 9. Finger Lickin’ Good 10. The Man Who Willed Himself to Die 11. The General and The Boy 12. The Dreamer 13. The Crippled Friend 14. Breaking The Barriers 15. My Dog Can Walk On Water 16. Genius Kids 17. The Smart Driver 18. The Smuggler 19. Never, Never, Never Give Up! 20. The Old Kettle 21. The Iron Horse 22. No Free Lunch 23. The Fastest Woman On Earth 24. The Three Visitors 25. The Trap 26. Two Horse Power 27. An Idea Will Sell 28. The Junk Dealer 29. Twenty Years Later 30. The Goose And The Golden Egg 31. Overnight Packages 32. The Magician 33. Twenty Years Commitment 34. From Darkness To Light 35. Can I Join In To Play? 36. This Is Faith 37. The Shoe Salesman

38. You Are A Businessman 39. Whose Time Is Right 40. Laughter Is The Best Medicine 41. Sharpen Your Axe 42. The Steel King 43. The 2:30 To Las Vegas 44. He Burned His Boats 45. Two Patients At The Hospital 46. The Eagle And The Oyster 47. The Balloon Salesman 48. Let’s Play Golf At Night 49. Walking On A 12” Plank 50. Don’t Let Anybody Steal Your Dream 51. I Will Wait 52. Experiment On Dog 53. Freedom to Choose 54. There Is A Price To Pay 55. I Am Innocent 56. What Is An Elephant? 57. He Is Too Big To Miss 58. This Is Hilarious 59. Give And It Shall Be Given Unto You 60. I Can Never Do It 61. A Burning Obsession 62. Sentence My Parents 63. You Have The Potential 64. Accomplishment Vs Activity 65. Weekend Golfer 66. I Am Not Just A Pretty Face 67. A Place With No Worries 68. The Noisy Kids 69. The Future Does Not Equal The Past 70. Expect A Recession 71. He Faced Them All 72. I Am Preparing It For You 73. Three Months Of Schooling 74. Who Wants $1,000,000? 75. He Discovered The Western World 76. Future Generations 77. You Are An Eagle

78. Your Mind Can Be Cheated 79. The Frog That Succeeded 80. Overcoming Obstacles 81. Feeding Each Other 82. A Habit Can Kill 83. The Boy Who Lied Once Too Many Times 84. There Is Something Better 85. Hope Is A Duty 86. The Thief Who Stole From Himself 87. The Basketball Enthusiast 88. Have You Invested Your Talents 89. Make Your Wishes 90. One Of These Days 91. Flying Like An Eagle 92. Nothing To Lose 93. The Birthday Present 94. Do Not Worry 95. I Like Drinking 96. I Give Them Hope 97. Fear Of Change 98. The Mouse Catcher 99. Everything Happens For The Good 100. The Pearl 101. Your Destiny Is In Your Own Hand

1. THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

There was once a boy who wanted to seek the secret of success. One day he approached a wise man living up in the mountain. When he found the wise man at the hut, he asked, “Wise man, can you tell me the secret to becoming successful in life?” The wise man was silent for a while. After a moment of silence, the wise man led the young lad to a nearby river. They kept walking into the river until the boy’s head was fully submerged in the water. The boy struggled to keep his head above the water. To his astonishment, the wise man did not help him. Instead, the wise man held the boy’s head in the water. After a few minutes the wise man pulled the boy out of the water and they proceeded to walk back to the hut. At the hut the wise man asked the young boy what he desired most when his head was submerged in water. To this the young boy quickly responded, “Of course, I wanted to breathe, you old fool!” To which the wise man replied, “Son, if you desire success as much as you wanted to breathe, then you would have found the true secret of success.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Success is a matter of choice. If we have enough strong reasons, there is nothing that we cannot do. Once we have the reasons to do something, we will surely find the ways to do it. A mere wish would not make things

happen. It is a burning desire, turned into an obsession that will generate the energy to bring you to achieve any goal that you may desire.

2. HE PLAYED HIS BEST This is the story of Robby. He was a young boy who lived with his elderly mother. His mother wanted him to learn how to play the piano because she longed to hear her son play for her. She sent her son to a piano teacher who took Robby in under her guidance. However, there was one small problem because Robby was not musically inclined and therefore was very slow in learning. The teacher did not have much faith in the boy because of his weakness. The mother was very enthusiastic and every week she would send Robby to the teacher. One day Robby stopped attending the piano lessons. The teacher thought that he had given up and in fact she was quite pleased since she did not give much hope to Robby. Not long after, the piano teacher was given the task to organize a piano concert in town. She sent out circulars to invite the students and public to attend the event. Suddenly, she received a call from Robby who offered to take part in the concert. The teacher told Robby that he was not good enough and that he was no longer a student since he had stopped coming for lessons. Robby begged her to give him a chance and promised that he would not let her down. Finally, she gave in and she put him to play last, hoping that he will change his mind at the last minute. When the big day came, the hall was packed and the children gave their best performance. Finally, it was Robby’s turn to play and as his name was announced, he walked in. He was not in proper attire and his hair was not properly groomed. The teacher was really nervous since Robby’s performance could spoil the whole evening’s brilliant performance. As Robby started playing the crowd became silent and was amazed at the skill of this little boy. In fact, he gave the best performance of the evening. At the end of his presentation the crowd and the piano teacher gave him a standing ovation. The crowd asked Robby how he managed to play so brilliantly. With a microphone in front of him, he said, “I was not able to attend the weekly piano lessons as there was no one to send me because my mother was sick with cancer. She just passed away this morning and I wanted her to

hear me play. You see, this is the first time she is able to hear me play because when she was alive she was deaf and now I know she is listening to me. I have to play my best for her!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES This is indeed a touching story of love and excellence. When you have a passion and a reason to do something, you will surely excel. You may not be talented or gifted but if you have a strong enough reason to do something, you will be able to tap into your inner God given potential.

3. HOW TO BOIL A BULLFROG?

Years ago some scientists did a simple experiment on a bullfrog. They threw a bullfrog into a container of boiling water, and the bullfrog instantly popped out of the boiling water. Next they put the bullfrog into a container of cold water. The bullfrog liked it and stayed in the container. The scientists then turned on the heat at the bottom of the container. As the water got warmer, the bullfrog relaxed and took a nap. The bullfrog was so comfortable that it stayed in the container and was “cooked”.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Most of us are in the “comfort zone”. We have a house to go home to, a nice bed to sleep on, food in the fridge, a group of friends to mingle with, along with some basic necessities of life. We have worked hard to get to where we are now. So why should we change this? The truth is most of us are like the bullfrog, because we feel warm and comfortable, we refuse to get out of our comfort zone, and prefer to stay where we are. In life we are either creating or disintegrating. There is no such thing as “staying where we are”, because there is always movement. So if we are not moving ahead in life, we must by nature, be moving in the opposite direction.

4. SEARCH NO MORE Ali Hafed was a farmer from Africa, who was happy and contented. One day a priest came to visit him and told him about the glory of diamonds and the power that goes along with having them. The priest said, “If you have a diamond the size of your thumb, you could have your own city. If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could own the whole country.” After the priest left, the farmer could not sleep that night. He became unhappy and discontented with what he had, and the whole night he thought to himself how rich and powerful he would become if he could possess some diamonds. The next morning, he sold off his farm, left his family with his neighbor, and set off to search for diamonds. He traveled all over Africa, but could not find any. He looked all over Europe and couldn’t find any. Finally, he became emotionally, physically and financially broke and decided to take his own life by throwing himself into the river. Back home, the person who had bought his farm was watering the camels at a stream that ran through the farm. He suddenly saw a curious flash of light from the white sands of the shallow stream. Reaching into the water, he pulled out a rough stone that sparkled like the colors of the rainbow. Finding the stone interesting, he took it back to his house and placed it as a decoration piece in his living room. One day the priest came to visit, and saw the sparkling stone. He exclaimed, “Here is a diamond! Is Hafed back?”

The man replied, “No, no, Hafed has not returned, and that is not a diamond. It is only a stone I found right here in the garden.” When the priest heard this, he declared, “I know a diamond when I see one.” Together they rushed out to the garden stream and began searching. To their amazement, there came up other more beautiful and valuable stones than the first. Thus, was discovered the largest diamond mine in the world. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The above story, Acres of Diamonds was lectured by Russell H. Conwell more than 6,000 times during his lifetime. With the funds from the above lectures he founded Temple University. We are forever looking for opportunities elsewhere rather than within us. “Acres of Diamonds” taught us that the riches and opportunities that we are searching are within us. As the saying goes, “the grass on the other side always appears to be greener.” Diamonds in its rough form do not look like diamonds. The raw diamonds need to be skillfully worked on and polished before they are of value. Likewise most of us are like the raw diamonds, and need to be worked on and polished before we realize our full potential.

5. DREAM OF FLIGHT In the late 1800s, a well-known bishop was travelling the United States, speaking to religious and academic leaders. At one of his stops, he was invited to have dinner with some prominent leaders. During the dinner he was asked, “What do you think the future holds for us?” After a moment’s pause, he replied, “The future is bleak, and in my opinion, we have discovered all there is to discover, created all there is to create, and invented all there is to invent.” One of the leaders commented, “I think someday, man shall learn to fly like the birds.” To this, the bishop replied, “You are mad, flight is only reserved for the angels.” With that statement he stormed out of the room. The good news was that the bishop’s last name was Wright! Years later, his two sons Orville and Wilbur, made the dream of flying real on the windswept salt marshes of Kitty Hawk.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We live in a world full of riches. We have to be open to the idea of change. What is needed to tap into the vast potential of this world are new and better “ideas”. Never under rate yourself and others. Others will ridicule and laugh at your ideas but you will have the last laugh at the end.

6. WHO PUSHED ME?

There was a wealthy man who wanted to choose a husband for his only daughter. One day he invited the eligible young men from the whole town. During the occasion, when everyone was present he made an announcement, “Today, I am going to choose a husband for my daughter. Anyone who can swim across this pool can have my daughter’s hand in marriage and inherit half of my wealth. The only challenge is that the pool is full of alligators.” With that announcement everyone present was silent. Suddenly, there was a loud splash, and in a matter of seconds a young man swam across the pool to the other side. Everybody cheered at the heroic feat of the young man. The wealthy man walked towards the young man and congratulated him. The young man said, “Sir, I am not interested in marrying your daughter. What I want to know is the name of the person who pushed me into the pool?” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES There are various types of motivation, and the one that is related to the above story is “fear” motivation. Sometimes, to bring out the best in us or in others, we have to use fear motivation. We have potentials within us but we

need to stir it up with motivation and inspiration. However, fear motivation will only work in the short term, because people will get accustomed to it in the long run.

7. SEE YOUR REACHING The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it. On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold. She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water. After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land. She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit. She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land. She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men’s record by two hours. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead. Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up! See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.

8. CATCHING MONKEYS

The way to catch a monkey is to use a box with a small opening at the top- big enough for the monkey to slide its hand inside. Inside the box are nuts to lure the monkeys. The monkey will grab the nuts with its hand and forms a fist. When the monkey tries to get its hand out, the opening will be too small for the fist to come out. The monkey has a choice to either let go of the nuts in order to escape or to hang on to the nuts and get captured. It is sad that the monkey will hold on to the nuts and risks being caught. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The monkey was caught because of its greed. Most of us behave like the monkey. We hold on to old things and ideas that can no longer help us to succeed. We fear the uncertainties the future may bring and so we refuse to change. We are comfortable with where we are and what we have, so we prefer to remain there. To move forward in life we have to let go of the past and move ahead in faith. We may even have to break traditions. Let the dead bury the dead, just press on!

9. FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD He was 65 years old when he received his first social security check of $99. He was broke, and owned a small house and a beat up car. He made a decision that he has got to change. The only idea he had was a chicken recipe, which his friends liked. With that idea in mind, he took massive action. He left his home in Kentucky and traveled to many states in the US to sell his idea. He told the restaurant owners that he had a chicken recipe that people liked and he was giving it to them for free. What he wanted in return was for the restaurant owners to pay him a small percentage on the pieces of chicken sold. He got rejections after rejections, but did not give up. In fact, he got over 1000 rejections. He got 1009 no’s before he got his first yes. With that one success Colonel Harland Sanders changed the eating habits of the whole world with Kentucky Fried Chicken. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Age is no barrier to success, and so is capital. What is needed is an idea put into action, followed with proper planning and persistency. How many of us will keep knocking on doors when we have received 1000 rejections? I presume not many! This is why there are not many successes like Colonel Sanders.

10. THE MAN WHO WILLED HIMSELF TO DIE

There was a man who worked for the railroad. One day as he went into the freezer compartment to do his routine work, the door accidentally closed and he found himself trapped in the compartment. He shouted for help but no one heard him since it was past midnight. He tried to break down the door but he could not. As he lay in the freezer compartment, he began to feel colder, and colder. Then he began to feel weaker, and weaker, and he wrote on the wall of the compartment, “I am feeling colder, and colder; and I am getting weaker, and weaker. I am dying, and this may be my last words”. In

the morning when the other workers opened up the compartment they found him dead. The sad twist to the above story is that the freezing apparatus in the compartment had broken down a few days earlier. The poor worker did not know about the damaged freezing apparatus and in his mind the freezing apparatus was working perfectly. He felt cold, got weaker and literally willed himself to die. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Our sub-conscious mind can be cheated. The sub-conscious mind can only accept and act on information passed to it by the conscious mind. It has no capacity to reject or decline any instructions or information passed to it by the conscious mind. In the case of the poor worker, he consciously thought that he was getting colder, weaker and dying and the sub-conscious mind accepted the above instructions and affected his physical body. That was how he willed himself to die.

11. THE GENERAL AND THE BOY

Once, there was a General who wanted to cross a river. He was unsure of the depth of the river, and whether his horse could make it across the river. He looked around for help and saw a little boy nearby. He asked the boy for advice. The boy looked at the size of the General’s horse and paused for a moment. He then confidently told the General that it is safe for the General and his horse to cross the river. The General proceeded to cross the river on his horse. As he approached the middle of the river, he suddenly realized

that the river was, in fact, very deep, and he almost drowned. After he recovered from his shock he shouted at the boy and threatened to punish him. The boy was stunned and innocently replied, “But General, I see my ducks crossing the river everyday without any problem, and my ducks have shorter legs than your horse”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES If you need advice, get it from people who know what they are talking about. Napoleon Hill says that, “opinion is the cheapest commodity on earth”. Make sure you review for yourself the opinion of others before you act on them.

12. THE DREAMER Joseph was a dreamer, and he had the gift to interpret dreams. He was his father’s favorite and had a good life until one day, out of jealousy, his eleven brothers sold him as a slave to the Egyptians. He was sold to an Egyptian Captain of the Guards. Because of Joseph, the master was blessed and was very prosperous. He found favor and was promoted to take charge of the family and business affairs of the master. This did not last long as one day he was falsely accused of seducing the master’s wife, and was thrown into prison. In prison, he again found favor and the Warden put him in charge of all the prisoners’ welfare. In the meantime, the Pharaoh’s cupbearer was also thrown into prison. During the term of his imprisonment, Joseph helped him to interpret his bizarre dream. Later, the cupbearer was released from prison and made a promise to Joseph that he would speak to Pharaoh about Joseph’s innocence. Years went by and the cupbearer forgot about his promise to Joseph. One day, Pharaoh had a strange dream and none of his advisers could interpret the dream. The cupbearer suddenly remembered about Joseph and mentioned to Pharaoh that Joseph may be able to help interpret the dream. Pharaoh summoned Joseph to come before him, and Joseph was able to interpret the dream. Joseph found favor with the Pharaoh and was appointed as the Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Joseph followed his destiny, and although he met with many challenges, he forgave his brothers and those who ill-treated him. Eventually, he won and became the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. It is important for us to practice forgiveness, and look at the positive side of things. Remember that every adversity carries with it the seeds of a greater benefit.

13. THE CRIPPLED FRIEND There was a loving couple who had only one son. They loved the son with all their hearts. However, one day the son had to depart from them as he was recruited by the army and was sent on a mission. The son never returned and was confirmed dead although his body was never found. The old couple refused to accept the fact that their son was dead. They kept their hopes alive and years went by. One day, they received the good news that their son was alive and would be returning home. Soon they received a phone call from their son informing them that he was recovering in a hospital. The couple was excited and requested the son to return home as soon as possible. He told his parents that when he was in the hospital he met a friend who had encouraged him and given him hope. He wanted to bring the friend to meet his parents. Initially, his parents were very enthusiastic about the idea. Then he told them that his friend was not normal like others, in fact his friend was crippled as a result of stepping on a mine field. The friend lost one leg and one arm. After hearing about the fate of his friend, his parents no longer showed any interest in his crippled friend, and insisted on the son coming home alone. He continued to insist on bringing his friend but the parents kept on ignoring the issue. Finally, he consented to his parents’ request. Days passed by, but the son did not return home. Eventually they received the tragic news that their son had died. He took his own life by committing suicide. The couple went for the son’s funeral which was organized by the army. When they approached the

coffin, they saw their son’s body laying there. On closer examination they were speechless because they realized that their son had only one hand and one arm. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The “crippled friend” turned out to be the old couple’s own son. He took his own life after realizing that his parents were expecting him to be physically whole as before. It is really sad because the parents did not understand him. In fact this is the difference between “hearing” and “listening”. The parents were only hearing him talk but they were not listening to him. You hear with your ear, but you listen with your heart. To listen you have to concentrate and not take any “mental trips”.

14. BREAKING THE BARRIERS

This is the story of the four-minute mile. For thousand of years, people held the belief that it was impossible for a human being to run the mile in less than four minutes. In ancient Egypt it was said that they released lions to chase after slaves in order to break the four-minute mile. These attempts too proved to be futile. The best time ever recorded was 4:06, and there was no way the barrier would be broken. Scientists, doctors and experts declared that there was no way, a man could run a mile under four minutes. They said that if any person should try, “His heart will jump right out of his body”. This negative belief continued until a man by the name of Roger Bannister

decided not to believe in the experts, and others. Roger Bannister believed in himself. He went through a systematic training program and in 1954 he ran the mile in less than four minutes. Thus the barrier was finally broken, and within one year later, 37 other runners also broke it. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Roger Bannister, chose not to believe in others, but to believe in himself. He had to change his own belief about the possibility of the four-minute mile. He got into shape physically and mentally. He actually visualized himself breaking the four-minute barrier, since no one had ever done it before. The greatest aspect of his breakthrough was what it did for others. If Roger Bannister can do it, so can we!

15. MY DOG CAN WALK ON WATER

There was a hunter who came into the possession of a special bird dog. The dog was the only one of its kind, because it can walk on water. One day he invited a friend to go hunting with him so that he could show off his prized possession. After some time, they shot a few ducks, which fell into the river. The man ordered his dog to run and fetch the birds. The dog ran on water to fetch the birds. The man was expecting a compliment about the amazing dog, but did not receive it. Being curious, he asked his friend if the friend

had noticed anything unusual about the dog. The friend replied, “Yes, I did see something unusual about your dog. Your dog can’t swim!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES More than 90% of the people that we face everyday are negative. They choose to look at the hole in the middle rather than the doughnut. Do not expect compliments or encouragement from them. These are the people who cannot pull you out of your present situation. They can only push you down. So be aware of them, spend less time with them, and do not let them steal your dreams away from you.

16. GENIUS KIDS

There was an experiment carried out many years ago on two teachers. The first teacher was given a class of students, and was told that these were “genius” kids, - “These students are very intelligent. However, they will try to fool you. They will be lazy and not finish their homework, and they will ask for less work. Don’t listen to them for they are capable of completing their work. What you need to give them is patience, love and understanding.” The second teacher was given a class of “average” students, “They are not too bright, nor too stupid. They have average I.Q and ability and we expect only average result”. As expected the “genius” students did better than the average students. At the end of the year, the “genius” students were one full year ahead of the average students. The amazing thing was that both classes of students were all average students, and there were no “genius” students. The only difference was how the teachers saw the students. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The way we see a person is the way we treat the person and the way we treat them is the way they will become. This will influence their self-image. This is why it is important to treat people with respect and care, and give them a

lot of encouragement so that, they will become better individuals. Always see the good in everybody. What we give, we will eventually receive!

17. THE SMART DRIVER

There was once a very famous motivational speaker. He had a driver who followed him to all his speaking engagements. The driver saw and heard the motivational speaker spoke so often that he knew word for word what the motivational speaker was going to say. He became an expert too. The driver told the motivational speaker that he could speak just as well. One day when the motivational speaker was not feeling well, the driver asked for a chance to speak in his place. The motivational speaker agreed and the driver went on stage confidently and gave the best motivational speech of his life. The motivational speaker was shocked because the driver spoke and moved exactly like him. The driver got a standing ovation from the big audience at the end of his speech. After the speech, it was question time. One of the audiences asked a very difficult question. The driver knew that there was no way he could answer the question. He paused for a moment and confidently told the audience that the question was too easy for him so he will ask his driver (the motivational speaker) to answer it instead. SUCCESS PRINCIPLE It is easy to be successful if you find a successful person as a mentor to follow. To be successful you have to be a good “copycat” and follow what successful people do. Let them be your role model. Follow what they do, what they believe in, how they move, how they talk, and what they think about most of the time. If they succeed in what they do, you can also have the same degree of success if you role model them. Successful people have developed a pattern of excellence.

18. THE SMUGGLER There was a man who crossed the Canadian border on his motorcycle. He carried two saddlebags strapped across his seat. The border guard checked his saddlebags and found nothing but rocks. A few days later he again crossed the border, again with two saddlebags containing rocks. This ritual kept on going on a regular basis until the border guards became suspicious. Each time he tried to cross the border, the guards will check him thoroughly but found nothing of value except for the rocks. Finally, the guards asked him, “We know you are smuggling something across the border but every time we check your saddlebags, there’s nothing in them but rocks. Please tell us what you are up to and we promise not to turn you in.” The man replied, “It’s quite simple, I am smuggling in stolen motorcycles.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The man may be a criminal but his idea was indeed a creative one. We tend to look at things from the obvious perspective, like the two bags of rocks, and yet miss out on the actual picture of the stolen motorcycles. The guards were so focused on the two bags that they forgot about the motorcycles. Once in a while we need to take a break and step back to see where we are progressing. We may be going in the wrong direction and it will be possible to change before it is too late.

19. NEVER…NEVER…NEVER…GIVE UP!

One day Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England was invited to address the graduating class at Oxford University. Sir Winston Churchill was seated at the head table, dressed in his formal wear – top hat, cane and cigar. When he was introduced to speak, he walked to the podium. Grabbing the lectern in both hands, he paused for a moment and looked at the audience. He continued looking at the crowd for about 30 seconds and then said, “Never, never, never give up!” Then another long paused, and with

even greater emphasis, he repeated, “Never, never, never give up!” He stared at the audience for a few more seconds and sat down. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES This is undoubtedly the shortest major address in history. It is also one of the most meaningful. If we only appreciate the fact that a lot of people could have succeeded in their endeavors should they just hang on to it for a little while longer! Develop the habit of persistency.

20. THE OLD KETTLE

About a hundred years ago, an old country doctor drove to town, hitched his horse, and slipped into a drug store, and began talking to the young drug clerk. The old doctor was trying to sell something to the young man. After a while the old doctor went out to his buggy and brought back a large old- fashioned kettle and a big wooden paddle (used for stirring the contents of the kettle), and showed it to the clerk. The clerk inspected the kettle, reached into his pocket and took out five hundred dollars, his entire savings, and gave it to the doctor. The doctor handed over a small slip of paper, on which was written a secret formula. The words on the piece of paper were worth a great fortune, which neither the doctor nor the young man knew then. The old doctor was glad to sell the kettle and its contents for five hundred dollars, and the young clerk was taking a big chance by staking his entire

life’s savings on an old kettle and a mere scrap of paper. What the clerk really purchased was an idea! The rest is history because the clerk’s name was Asa Candler, and the old kettle and the small scrap of paper led to the introduction of Coca-Cola to the world. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Great successes involve having an idea and taking a big amount of risk. Asa Chandler parted with his entire life’s saving of five hundred dollars for an old kettle with a secret formula written on a small scrap of paper. If he had not taken the risk we would not hear of Coca-Cola today. But because of the great risk he took, he was richly rewarded and the whole world is able to enjoy a drink of Coke!

21. THE IRON HORSE

An old couple made their way down the mountain to witness the “iron horse”. As they approached the railway station their hearts began to pound faster and faster since this was the first time they were going to witness a train – the iron horse. Both of them were amazed at the size of the iron horse. They looked at each other and “Ma” asked “Pa”, “What do you think?” “Pa” said, “It will never get moving”. Just then the whistle blew and the train started moving slowly and then gathering speed. After a while the

train began to gain more speed and disappeared around the sharp corner. “Ma” asked “Pa” again, “What do you think?” “Pa” was still recovering from his shock, and he replied, “I don’t think that it will ever stop”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Momentum is one of the ingredients for success. Success is a matter of starting to take action and maintaining the momentum. Just like a kid learning to ride a bicycle. As long as the bicycle is moving the kid will not fall off the bicycle. The moment he stops cycling, the kid will fall off the bicycle. When you set your goal, never lose momentum by being distracted or discouraged by others or circumstances.

22. NO FREE LUNCH Once upon a time there was a king who wanted to compile the “wisdom of ages”. He commissioned his wise men together and asked them to carry out the urgent task immediately, and condensed it into a book. The wise men began their research and after one year they returned with a thick book on the “wisdom of ages”. The king was pleased, but requested them to condensed it further. The wise men later came back with one chapter, and yet the king insisted that it was too long. Finally, they condensed it into a sentence. When the king read it he was very pleased and said, “This is truly the wisdom of ages.” The sentence simply said, “There are no free lunch” – and there “aren’t”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES How true it is, “there is no free lunch”. If you want success then you will need to invest your time, effort, money, etc. to get it. If you want good employees you will have to pay them more, so that they will stay with you. There is always a price to pay for everything! As the saying goes, “if you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys”. The Law of Compensation states that, “You will receive according to the effort you put in!”

23. THE FASTEST WOMAN ON EARTH Wilma Rudolph was born into poverty in the state of Tennessee. When she was four years old she had double pneumonia with scarlet fever, which left her paralyzed with polio. She had to wear braces and the doctor said that she would not be able to walk normally again. Her mother encouraged her and said that she could do anything she wanted if she only believed. Wilma said, “I want to be the fastest woman on this earth.” At the age of nine, against the advice of the doctors, she removed the braces and took her first step. At the age of thirteen, she took part in her first race and came way, way last. She entered various other races and came way, way last until one day, she came in first. At the age of fifteen she went to Tennessee State University where she met a coach. She told him that she wanted to become the fastest woman on the track, on this earth. The coach replied, “With your spirit nobody can stop you.” In the 1960 Olympics Wilma Rudolph, the paralytic girl, became the fastest woman on this earth by winning three gold medals - in the 100 meter race, 200 meter race, and 400 meter relay. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Who would have believed that a paralytic girl could have won three gold medals in the Olympics? Wilma Rudolph did not see herself, as a cripple, but she saw herself as a winner. She took control of her destiny and went after her dream with a vengeance. Along the way she had to overcome challenges and discouragements but it was worthwhile when she collected her three gold medals. If a crippled person like Wilma can make it big, what more can we do with a perfect physical body.

24. THE THREE VISITORS

A woman came home and saw three old men sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them but invited them to enter her house to have something to eat. They asked, “Is the man of the house, home?” She said, “No, he is out!” “Then we cannot come in,” they replied. When her husband returned, she told him what had happened, and he told her to invite them in. When she invited them, they replied, “We cannot go into the house together.” One of the old man explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said, pointing to one of his friends, and pointing to the other one, “He is Success.” “I am Love.” “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.” The couple had a discussion. The husband wanted to invite Wealth, in order to fill their home with wealth. The wife on the other hand wanted to invite Success. Their daughter heard the commotion, and came to join the discussion. She said that it would be better to invite Love so that their home will be filled with love. Finally the couple agreed to follow the daughter’s advice. The wife went out to invite Love as their guest. Love started walking into the house. The other two men also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, “I invited Love. Why are you two coming in?” The old men replied together, “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever

he goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Wealth and success will be meaningless without love. We need love in our life if we want to live with joy. Wealth and success without love within our family and loved ones will be of little value. What is the use of having wealth and success when there is no one to share it with, especially with our spouse and children.

25. THE TRAP There was a village that was attacked by wild boars. Everyday the wild boars would enter the village to rampage the whole village of their food. The villagers tried various means to fight and chase away the wild boars, but without much success. One day a wise man approached the village headman to offer his advice. He told the villagers that they will have to follow all his advice and directions. Out of desperation, the villagers agreed. The wise man told the villagers to gather all the food from every household and put it in the middle of a big empty field. They followed his advice, and immediately they saw hundreds of wild boars approaching the vicinity where the food was placed. The wild boars were apprehensive initially, but after a while they went for the food. Once the wild boars had a taste of the food they came back for the free food everyday. And everyday the villagers would put more food in the field and the wild boars would come to have their free meals. After a while, the wise man asked the villagers to erect four poles at the four-corners of the field. The wild boars were too busy having their food that they did not take notice of what was happening. After a few weeks, the wild boars developed the habit of having free food. The wise man then asked the villagers to put fencing around the field, with a large gate through which the wild boars can enter to have their food. Finally once the fencing and the gate were completed the villagers closed the gate and all the wild boars were trapped inside the field. The wild boars were finally defeated!

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Habits are easily developed but difficult to get rid of. The wild boars were trapped because out of their greed, they developed the habit of having free food, and without having to work for their food. They became so comfortable, that they did not realize they were being trapped. Most of us are like the wild boars because we become too comfortable with our jobs and businesses that we do not realize we are in one way or another being “trapped”. We seek security rather than freedom!

26. TWO HORSE POWER

There was once an old Indian who was poverty stricken. But one day, he strike it big when oil was discovered on his land. He became wealthy overnight and decided to reward himself by buying a Cadillac touring car. In those days, the Cadillac touring cars had two spare tires on the back. The old Indian wanted to be different and so he placed four spare tires at the back of his car. He bought himself a beautiful suit and hat. Everyday, with a cigar in his mouth he would drive into the hot, dusty, little Oklahoma cowboy town nearby. He wanted to show off his new car. He waved and spoke to everyone that he passed by, on the right and on the left. He sometimes turned all the way around to speak to the folks. The strange thing is that he never ran into anybody or over anybody. He never did hit anybody or anything. Guess why? Directly in front of that big beautiful car, there were two horses – pulling it!

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES There was nothing wrong with the car, but the old Indian never learned how to start the car engine. Inside the car were a hundred horses, but the old Indian was only using two horses on the outside. Most of us make the same mistake of looking outside of us when we already have within us the necessary power to move us forward. Scientists said that we only use about 10% to 15 % of our full potential. Therefore, it is up to us to tap into our own potential and awaken the sleeping giant within us.

27. AN IDEA WILL SELL There was a gathering of ladies in town. Everyone was well dressed for the occasion. There was a lady who wore a fanciful hat that everyone in the room admired. This exceptional lady, in fact, made her own hat. When the other ladies in the room found out about her talent they approached her and asked her to make them a hat. A lady in the room happened to have some ribbons and laces, so she handed them over to her to make a fanciful hat. She took the ribbons and laces and began to work on it. In a matter of minutes, she created a beautiful hat out of the ribbons and laces. Upon completion, everyone present was amazed. The lady handed the hat to the owner and said, “That will be one hundred dollars.” The crowd were shocked at the price of the hat, and commented, “But you only used ribbons and laces”. She replied, “The ribbon and the laces cost only two dollars, the rest is the cost of my idea and talent.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Every great success in history began with an idea. The Wright brothers had an idea that one day man will be able to fly. Colonel Sanders had an idea that his chicken recipe will be able to sell and change the eating habits of the entire world. If we want success we have to put our ideas and talents to action. Ideas alone will achieve nothing. It is an idea put into action backed with persistency that will generate success to a large degree.

28. THE JUNK DEALER There was once a junk dealer who made his living by picking up things other people had thrown away. He lived in a run down house on his own. Everyday he would go out early in the morning and return late at night. He had no relations or friends, as he was a loner. One day he fell sick and never recovered. He passed away and since he had no close relatives, the police entered his house to investigate. They found the whole house littered with old furnishings and assorted items from his past. However, to their surprise, the police discovered more than $100,000 in old bills packed in small boxes throughout the house. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The question is why would a man with $100,000 cash in his possession lived like a beggar, and chose to keep his money stashed-away in old boxes, which were not properly kept in a safe place? He probably feared that he would lose his money someday and therefore lived like a pauper. The truth of the matter is that money is only an idea manifested on paper with ink on it. It is only useful and of value when it is being used. Money is not meant to be hoarded, but rather to be used, enjoyed and circulated. Money is neutral, and it is neither good nor bad. Whether it is good or bad depends on how it is earned and used.

29. TWENTY YEARS LATER In 1953 Yale University did a research on its graduating seniors. The graduates interviewed were asked if they had a clear, specific set of goals written down with a plan for achieving those goals. Only 3 percent had their goals written down. Twenty years later, in 1973, these surviving graduates were tracked down and interviewed again. It was discovered that the 3 percent with specific written down goals were worth more financially as compared to the 97 percent put together. They were also more successful in other areas of their lives.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The above story clearly demonstrates the importance of having specific written down goals. The goals must be specific in terms of what you desire, the precise date you desire to achieve it, and what you are willing to give in return for the goals. It must be written down and read every single day. If you write down something that you may not believe at the moment but if you read it long enough, you will start to believe and act upon it.

30. THE GOOSE AND THE GOLDEN EGG

This fable is about the story of a poor farmer who one day discovered in the nest of his favorite goose a glittering golden egg. At first he thought that it was some kind of trick. He threw it away! But on second thought, he took it in and appraised it. The egg was pure gold! The farmer can’t believe his good fortune, and the following day he saw yet another golden egg. Day after day he found golden eggs laid by the goose. As a result he became wealthy. But with his increasing wealth he became greedy and impatient. He wanted to have all the golden eggs immediately, and so he decided to kill the goose and get all the eggs at once. To his disappointment, when he opened up the goose, he found it empty. There were no golden eggs – and now there was no way to get any more. The farmer had destroyed the goose that produced the golden eggs.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The above story is about greed and not taking care of the goose. The goose represents the assets and the production capabilities we have. The golden eggs are the benefits, results and productions that we generate from using the assets and production capabilities. We must maintain a balance between reaping the benefits, results and productions, and taking care of the assets and the production capabilities. As an example if we do not take care of our car (assets), it will break down on us faster, and we lose the use (benefits) of it. We can have the use of the car but we also need to take care of it with regular maintenance, and proper servicing.

31. OVERNIGHT PACKAGES Fred Smith attended Yale University business school. He wrote a project paper on overnight packages deliveries, and was given a C minus for it. The professors commented that nobody would want to send overnight packages when they have the service of the US Mail. This result did not deter Fred Smith and he later put all his money into his idea and started Federal Express. On the first day of operation Federal Express intended to deliver 167 packages. However, they only delivered seven. Five of the packages were to themselves and only two were to outsiders. Did Fred Smith quit? We know the answer because Federal Express is now a billion dollars corporation. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES There is no failure to Fred Smith. Because when he took action on his decision, he only considered the results as outcome. On the first day of operation when Federal Express delivered only two packages to outsiders, he said that he succeeded in learning how to send two packages. Now he had to learn how to send more packages. This is an empowering principle - if we want to succeed in a bigger way we have to look at the positive side of everything, and take massive and consistent action.

32. THE MAGICIAN

Houdini was the greatest magician during his time. He was also a fantastic locksmith, and boasted that he could escape from any jail cell in the world in less than one hour. A small town in the British Isles built a new jail and issued Houdini the challenge. Houdini loved challenges and there was a prize money offered, so he accepted the challenge. When the big day arrived, there was a large crowd present and the media was also there to cover the special event. Houdini confidently walked into the cell, and the door was closed. He immediately took off his coat and went to work. Hidden in his belt was a flexible, yet tough and durable ten-inch piece of steel, which he used to work on the lock. At the end of 30 minutes, his confidence disappeared. At the end of an hour, he was soaked in perspiration. After two hours, Houdini literally collapsed against the door – which opened! The door had never been locked, except in Houdini’s own mind. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The door had never been locked except in Houdini’s own mind, which meant that the door was as firmly locked as if a thousand locksmiths had put their best locks on it. Houdini could have unlocked any physical locks, but not the lock that was in his own mind. Just like Houdini, our locks are in our own mind and prevent us from getting out of our “jail”. Most of us are in a “mental prison” and in order to break out, we need to realize and admit it, and just give it a little push.

33. TWENTY YEARS COMMITMENT

Oliver Napoleon Hill was born to a poor family in 1883. He fought his way out of his backwoods Virginia town with a burning desire to be successful. He was always searching for ways to improve himself and was involved in numerous ventures, including managing a coal-mine, practicing law, and becoming a business journalist. His big break came when he had the opportunity of meeting Andrew Carnegie, the “Steel King”. Andrew Carnegie asked Napoleon Hill if he would take up the challenge of devoting 20 years of his life in order to prepare a formula of success for helping others to become successful. Andrew Carnegie would provide him with letters of reference to meet hundreds of successful people in the likes of Woodrow Wilson, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, to name a few. Napoleon Hill made his decision to take up the challenge in less than 60 seconds. Later he came to know that Andrew Carnegie had given him 60 seconds to make up his mind, failing which he would have lost his chance of undertaking the important assignment. After 20 years of dedicated research in 1937 he came out with his best seller, “Think And Grow Rich”, which has helped countless of people around the world to achieve success. One of his famous saying was, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Successful people make up their mind fast, but are slow at changing their mind once they make their decision. On the other hand those who are not too successful tend to be slow at making up their mind and quick to change after the decision is made. In actual fact most people do not make their own decisions at all, because their decisions are made for them or influenced by others. It is also true that whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. The key word here is “believe”.

34. FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT She was born normal on 27th June 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. When she was 19 months old she had a severe fever and illness which left her blind and deaf. As a result she could not speak. Over the next five years she was a problem child, always in uncontrollable rage and violence. When she was seven years old her parents sought help for the young girl. Help came in the form of Annie Mansfield Sullivan. With love, patience, and understanding given by Annie, the little girl gradually awaken her intellectual faculty and was “born again”. The stubborn, headstrong, self-willed, and almost unmanageable child became patient, gentle and obedient. She developed an eagerness to learn. At 16 years old she could speak well enough to enter college, and she later graduated from Radcliffe College. After her graduation Helen Keller dedicated her life to bringing messages of hope and courage to the handicapped people everywhere. Helen Keller’s books were translated into more than 50 languages. She lectured in over 25 countries and raised millions of dollars for the benefit of the blind. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The success of Helen Keller is the story of Annie Sullivan. She was the one who believed in the hidden potential of Helen Keller. With love, patience, understanding and encouragement Annie Sullivan managed to help Helen Keller awaken the sleeping giant within her. A successful person is a person who is willing to give of himself for the betterment of another human being. Practice giving! Helen Keller on the other hand had to overcome challenges to be a blessing to others.

35. CAN I JOIN IN TO PLAY? A father came home from work one evening to find his youngest son, kicking and screaming on the living room floor. The boy did not want to go to kindergarten tomorrow, and was protesting furiously. The father sat down and thought, “If I am a boy, why would I be excited about going to

kindergarten?” The parents then made a list of all the fun things the son would love to do such as finger-painting, singing, and making new friends. They then took action. That evening the whole family started finger-painting on the kitchen table without the young boy. Everybody was having fun. Soon the boy was peeping around the corner. Next he was begging to join in the fun. The parents said, “Oh, no! You have to go to kindergarten first to learn how to finger-paint.” The parents began to explain to him all the fun that he would have in kindergarten. Early the next morning, when the father went downstairs, he found the son, sound asleep on the living room chair. “What are you doing here?” the father asked. To which the son replied, “I am waiting to go to kindergarten. I don’t want to be late.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Force always negates. You cannot force anyone to do things according to what you wish. In order to get someone to do something, you have to make him want to do it on his own accord. Ask yourself, “How can I get this person to do it?” Remember to arouse in the other person an eager want.

36. THIS IS FAITH

There was a tightrope walker, who was so good that he could walk between two twenty stories building on a tight rope with a balancing pole. Thousands of people would watch him perform his breathtaking feat. After he walked across the building he would have his assistant sit on his shoulder and he

would proceed to walk across the building. Everybody was amazed and gave him a thunderous applause. He asked them whether they believed that he could do it again. The crowd said, “Yes, we believe that you can!” After a while he asked the crowd again, “Now, who wants to volunteer to get on my shoulder?” With that the crowd became silent. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES There is a difference between Believe and Faith. We can believe what we see. In the above story, the crowd believed in the tightrope walker because they saw him perform the feat. But when he asked them “Who wants to get on my shoulder?” everyone was silent. You see, the crowd had Belief but they did not have Faith. This story clearly illustrates the difference between belief and having faith.

37. THE SHOE SALESMAN

There was a successful company that manufactured and sold shoes. One day the management had a meeting to consider opening their market in Africa. They sent one of their top salesmen to Africa to make a study of the market potential there. Upon arriving in Africa he noticed that most of the Africans were bare-footed. He faxed home the message, “Bad news, nobody wears shoes here!” And he followed up with the report that there is no market for shoes in Africa. The management considered it wise to have a second opinion, and decided to send another salesman to Africa to assess the market there. Upon arrival in Africa, the second salesman was so excited that he quickly faxed a message back, “Good news, nobody wears shoes here!” He hurried home and reported to the management, “Gentlemen, we are going to be “rich”, there is a big market in Africa, and what we need to do is to educate them on the benefits and importance of wearing shoes.”

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Life is how we perceive of it. There is a positive side and a negative side to everything and every circumstance. You can either look at a cup as “half full” or “half empty”. You can look at the hole of the doughnut or the doughnut itself. The choice is yours and yours alone. But remember that the choices you make will determine your success or failure.

38. YOU ARE A BUSINESSMAN

A businessman dropped a dollar into a cup of a man selling pencils, and rushed off to catch the train. Suddenly, he stepped back off the train and walked back to the beggar to take a few pencils. “I hope you don’t mind,” he told the beggar. After all he said, “You are a businessman just like me. You have something to sell and it is fairly priced.” He then caught the next train. A few months later at a social function, a smartly dressed gentleman, approached the businessman and introduced himself. “You probably don’t remember me, but I will never forget you. You are the man who gave me back my self-respect. I was a “beggar” selling pencils until you came along and told me I was a businessman.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We have potential within us. It is just that we need a little encouragement from others to take that bold move. The greatest thing we can do for a person is not to share our wealth with them, but to help them discover their own wealth within them. As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. But teach him to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.”

39. WHOSE TIME IS RIGHT?

There was a man who works as a foreman at a factory. Every morning on his way to work, he would pass a particular shop selling watches. He will stop in front of the shop and adjust the time on his wrist watch, and will then proceed to work. He will do this everyday. The watch shop owner became very curious and one day stopped the man and asked him what he was doing. The man said that he was the foreman of the factory and everyday it was his duty to ring the bell to sound the alarm at 5.00pm to indicate that it was time to stop work for the day. He wanted to be accurate with the time and therefore everyday he would look at the big clock in the shop to adjust the time on his wrist watch. The shop owner started laughing! He said, “Everyday at 5.00pm when the factory bell sounds the alarm, I would quickly adjust the time on my clock”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES It is important for us to realize that to be successful we have to follow and copycat the right leaders. We should role model leaders with good characters, values and beliefs, otherwise we may find that we may reach the “top of our ladder”, but only to realize that we are on “top of the wrong ladder”.

40. LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE Norman Cousins is a man who laughed his way from sickness to complete health. He had a terminal illness which the doctors gave him a one-in-five-hundred chance of making a full recovery. Norman Cousins refused to accept the doctors opinion and decides to take matters into his own hand. Laughter was one tool Cousins used in a conscious effort to mobilize his will to live and to succeed. He spend most of his time immersed in films, television programs, and books that made him laugh. He eventually recovered completely and wrote a book entitled, “Anatomy of an Illness”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The above story illustrates the importance of laughter, smiling, having fun and focusing on the positive side of things and circumstances. Our physiology can have a big impact on our physical and mental well being and also our emotion. Movement creates our emotion or state of mind. If we approach our work with fun, then we are not only going to enjoy it but we are surely going to be more successful. We are also going to make more friends and keep our body and mind healthy!

41. SHARPEN YOUR AXE Allan, a woodcutter, was employed in a timber company for ten years, yet he never got a raise. The company later hired Richard to do the same job. However, Richard got a raise within the first twelve months. Allan was disappointed and decided to approach the management of the company. He was told that his production had never increased over the last ten years. On the other hand Richard had cut more trees in the period of one year. The company however promised to give Allan a raise if his production goes up. He went back to work and tried harder but unfortunately his result did not improve. One day he happened to meet Richard and decided to get Richard’s advice. Richard told Allan that after he cut down a tree, he would take a short break to sharpen his axe. Allan suddenly realized that he was too busy cutting down trees that he failed to take a break to sharpen his axe.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES It is important to take a break from the pressure of work to go on a holiday once in a while. Have a break to take care of your physical body and your precious mind. Spend some time on self-development to improve yourself and to renew your mind. There are plenty of seminars, books, tapes and materials in the market. Make it a habit to search for good books to read, and associate with people who are successful and with the same wave length and you will surely see success.

42. THE STEEL KING Andrew Carnegie was a poor Scottish immigrant boy, barely educated, who started out as a messenger for a telegraph company. Despite his humble beginnings he rose to become, by the time he was 35 years old, one of the world’s empire builders, creating America’s steel industry and amassing a great fortune. At one time he had 43 millionaires working for him. Andrew Carnegie believed it was a rich man’s duty to give away his money and not die rich. After he retired from steel making, he gave away about $350 million- over $2 billion in today’s terms, during the remaining years of his life. Among his many gifts to the United States were a concert hall in New York City, a technical school in Pittsburgh, hundreds of public libraries as well as foundations to promote education and research. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES A humble beginning is not a barrier to becoming successful. With his poor background Andrew Carnegie became one of the richest man during his time, and he was responsible for Napoleon Hill’s work on personal achievement, “Think and Grow Rich”. He was responsible for creating 43 millionaires during his lifetime and was a “giving person”. The more you give, the more you are going to receive, and that is how it is going to be according to universal law. Learn to be a “giver” and you will have abundance and joy in your life.

43. THE 2:30 TO LAS VEGAS

Jim Smith was from New York. He wanted to travel to Las Vegas, and so he bought a ticket and went to the airport. Having some time to spare, he walked over to some scales, stepped on them, inserted a coin and out came his weight: “Your name is Jim Smith, you weigh 200 pounds and you are about to catch the 2:30 flight to Las Vegas.” He was surprised because the information was correct. He thought that someone was playing a trick on him. Again he stepped on the scales, inserted another coin and again he received a note saying, “Your name is still Jim Smith, you still weigh 200 pounds and you are still going to catch the 2:30 to Las Vegas.” Now, he got very suspicious and this time he decided to “fool” whoever is responsible for the trick. He went into the men’s room and changed clothes. He even took the time to put on a little disguise. Once again he stepped on the scales, inserted a coin and out came another note: “Your name is still Jim Smith, you still weigh 200 pounds – but you just missed the 2:30 flight to Las Vegas.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Most of us have dreams and set our goals with excitement. We begin to take some action towards attaining them. However, somewhere along the way due to obstacles, and exhaustion we begin to lose focus and eventually forget about it. When we finally realized what had happened, it may be too late to start over again. To have great successes, always stay focus and never give up!

44. HE BURNED HIS BOATS

A long time ago there was a great General who was faced with a situation which made it necessary for him to make a drastic decision to insure his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his army on shore to face a powerful enemy, whose men outnumbered his. He loaded his soldiers into boats, and sailed to face the enemies on shore. When they reached the shore, he ordered them to unload the soldiers and cargoes. He then ordered for all the ships and boats to be burned. Addressing his men before the battle, he said, “You see the ships and boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now, have no choice – either we win, or we perish.” They WON! SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Just like the General, we have to burn all our bridges if we want to achieve success. There can be no room for retreat and we must have an attitude of, “Whatever it takes”, taking into consideration that we can have anything we desire provided we do not violate Universal Laws and the rights of our fellow human beings. Do not dwell on the past. Move forward with confidence and we will surely see success, unexpected in common hours.

45. TWO PATIENTS AT THE HOSPITAL There were two patients in a small hospital room. They were Tom and Bob. The room has only one window, and it happened that Tom’s bed was by the window. Everyday, Tom would relate to Bob about the beauty of the outside world he saw through the window. He told Bob about the trees with green leafs, the flowers blooming, the weather, the children playing outside, and cars passing by. This kept Bob entertained since he was unable to see it for himself. However, as time went by, Bob became envious of Tom. He thought to himself, how nice it would be if he could see everything for himself. One night, Tom was very sick, and he asked Bob to call for help. Bob could have shouted for assistance, but he did not do so. He secretly wished that Tom would die, so that he could occupy the bed by the window. Tom did die, and Bob was moved to the bed beside the window. Bob was excited now that he had the opportunity to see the outside world with his own eyes. However, to his utter shock, the only view he got was a brick wall. He realized that he had lost a true friend in Tom, but it was too late now! SUCCESS PRINCIPLES In life there are people who care and love us. Our parents, wives, children, friends and others do care about us. In most cases we tend to take things for granted until we suddenly realize that they are no longer with us. Take care of them and treat them with respect and you will have all the joy in the world.

46. THE EAGLE AND THE OYSTER Once there were two eggs discussing what they wanted to be when they hatched. The first egg said, “I want to be an oyster when I hatch. An oyster just lay in the water and never has to make any decisions. The currents of the ocean move it about, so it doesn’t have to plan. The ocean water passing by brings its food. Whatever the ocean provides is what the oyster receives, no more, no less.” The first egg continued, “That’s the life for me. It may be

limited, but there are no decisions and no responsibilities. There is a secured existence controlled only by the ocean.” The second egg said, “That’s not the life for me. I wish to be an eagle. An eagle is free to go where it wants and to do as it pleases. Of course it is responsible for hunting its own food and making survival decisions, but it is also free to fly as high as the mountains.” The second egg continued, “The eagle is in control, instead of being controlled by others. I want no limits placed on me, nor do I want to be a slave of the ocean. Consequently, I am willing to expend the effort required to live the life of an eagle.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The eagle is a symbol of strength, speed, height, and freedom. It is able to soar to great heights and have a beautiful view of the world. However, the eagle has to pay the price for what benefits it has, by having to work, risk and fight for its survival. For freedom and success there is always a price to pay. Of course to play it save we can choose to take the course of action of the oyster to be in our comfort zone and achieve nothing.

47. THE BALLOON SALESMAN

Once there was a balloon salesman who was selling balloons at a playground. When business was slow, he would release a few balloons. As they floated up into the air, a new crowd of people would gather and his business would pick up again. He alternated the colors of the balloons, first releasing a white one, then a blue one, and later a green one. After a while a little boy who was watching what was happening, tugged on his coat sleeve, and asked the balloon salesman, “Sir, if you released a black colored balloon, would it go up?” The balloon salesman looked at the little boy and said, “Son, it’s what’s inside those balloons that make them go up.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Our success in life is not determined by who we are, how highly educated we are, how much money we have, and who we know. Success is not determined by external factors, but by what’s inside of us. We have tremendous potential within us. Most of the time we cannot change the outside world and circumstances, but we can change ourselves so that we can affect the outside world to change accordingly.

48. LET’S PLAY GOLF AT NIGHT Ben Hogan was one of the greatest golfers of all time. One day he was approached by a blind man, who praised him for his great skill of golf! Ben Hogan asked the blind man what he could do for him. The blind man said that it was his life long dream to play a round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. He added that he also wanted to have a bet with Ben. Ben was of course hesitant about the bet since there was no way that the blind man was going to beat him. He did not want to win money from a blind man. But the blind man kept on insisting, and eventually Ben agreed to the bet. Ben looked at the blind man and asked, “What time shall we play today?” To which the blind man replied, “I will meet you at this golf course at 9.00 pm tonight!” By the way during those days there was no “night golfing”.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES To win or succeed we must have a plan or strategy, and position ourselves to our advantage. Do not dwell on our weaknesses but rather focus and build on our strength. All of us have been endowed with the seed of greatness, and we are capable of achieving great things with our present abilities. Do not under estimate yourself.

49. WALKING ON A 12” PLANK

There were two friends who were discussing on a bet. John challenged Larry to walk on a 12” plank, that was 20 feet long. Initially, John placed the plank on the floor and put a $10 note on the other side of the plank and challenged Larry to walk across it. It was, of course, not a problem for Larry as he could see himself walking easily across the plank. Now John said, “Let’s put the same plank between two fifteen story buildings, and I will place a $1,000 note on the other end of the plank. I will put a small stone on the $1,000 note to prevent the strong wind from blowing it away. So if you succeed the $1,000 is yours to keep, but if you decide not to go through with the bet you will have to pay me $100.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Who do you think won the bet? I think we both know the answer. Larry will never sacrifice his life for the $1000. Although it was the same piece of

plank 12” in width and 20 feet long, a new element was introduced to the situation. It was the element of “fear”, and Larry now “sees” himself falling from the plank. There can only be one thought in your mind at any one time. It is either “faith” or “fear”. To be successful you must focus on faith and eliminate fear at all times.

50. DON’T LET ANYBODY STEAL YOUR DREAM Dexter Yager turned down a scholarship to Yale University because he wanted to start his own free enterprise business. He started with a jug of Kool-Aid business and moved on to selling cars. He was involved in a few other ventures but without much success. Dexter and his wife, Birdie were later introduced to a network marketing business in November 1965. With sheer determination and commitment they built one of the most successful and largest network in the world. Today, they have achieved the highest possible level in their network marketing business and have helped thousands of people become successful. They have indeed achieved their dreams of financial independence, and helping people around the world to have a taste of freedom. Dexter’s favorite saying is, “Don’t let anybody steal your dream.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Dexter has the leadership qualities to be successful. We may face challenges, but if we know where we are going, and proceed towards the direction of our dream, we will surely see success. People can take away what you have; your money, your properties, your job, and you can still start all over again. But if you let others take away your dream, you have lost!

51. I WILL WAIT

A big flood hit a village. Everyone was evacuated and fled for safety, except for one man who said, “God will save me. I have faith.” As the water level rose, a jeep came to rescue him but he refused help and said, “God will save me. I have faith.” As the water level rose further, he went up to the second story, and a boat came to help him. Again he refused to go saying, “God will save me. I have faith.” The water kept rising and finally he climbed to the roof. A helicopter came to rescue him, but he said, “God will save me. I have faith.” Finally he drowned. When he came face to face with his Maker he angrily commented, “I have complete faith in you. Why did you ignore my prayers and let me drown?” The Lord replied, “Who do you think sent the jeep, the boat, and the helicopter?” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We must be accountable for what we do and not blame others for our shortcoming. We have to take the necessary action to help ourselves, rather than waiting, wishing and wondering what is happening in life. Nobody will help you unless you first decide to help yourself.

52. EXPERIMENT ON A DOG Ivan Pavlov, was a Russian Scientist who did research on conditioned-response experiments! In one of his experiments he rang a bell as he offered food to a dog. The dog will salivate and start eating the food. He will continue this similar exercise over a period of time in order to link the ringing of the bell to the dog’s sensation. After sometime he will no longer offer the food to the dog, but the mere ringing of the bell will cause the dog to salivate. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Anytime we are in an intense emotional state, it may be empowering or disempowering, anything unique that occurs simultaneously and consistently will become neurologically linked. Therefore, in the future, whenever that unique thing or event happens again, the same emotional state will be experienced. Understanding this will help us to better manage our own emotional state.

53. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE Viktor Frankl was a world-renowned Austrian psychiatrist who wrote a remarkable book, “Man’s search for Meaning”. He was captured by the Nazi and spent three horrifying years in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau. He described, in vivid details, the trauma, degradation, tortures, and suffering, he endured during his years of capture. He had to walk through snow, and mud, with no socks, and frostbitten toes sticking through the holes of his shoes. He described how the Nazi tortured him, bashed his head with their rifle butts, and how it felt to witness friends and relatives stuffed into gas chambers or buried alive. At the end of each day, he and his fellow prisoners would be fed with a cup of diluted soup, with a single pea at the bottom of the cup – as their daily ration. He related of how he had to sleep in his own excrement. According to Viktor Frankl, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human

freedom – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The one thing that we have control of is our choice of how we react to circumstances. Nobody can make us angry, or cause us to feel bad. We have to choose it ourselves. So the next time when you are confronted with these circumstances, pause for a moment and realize that you have a choice on how to react to it. It is not what happens to us, that determines our successes or failures, but rather how we react to what happens to us.

54. THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY Gary Player was one of the top professional golfers in the world. One day a young golfer approached him and told Gary Player, that he admired Gary’s skill as a golfer. The young man said, “I wish I could play like you, and I would give anything to be as good as you”. Gary smiled and said, “Young man, I don’t think you would make your wish if you knew how I got to where I am today. You would have to be at the driving range at 6.00 a.m. seven days a week. Hit 1,000 golf balls until your hand hurts and starts bleeding, then take a break to the clubhouse to clean and bandage your wounds. After that you would have to go back to the driving range to hit another 1,000 golf balls. That is what you need to do everyday to be what I am today. You only wish to be like me if it was easy!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” There is a price for success and the only person who knows about all the sacrifices and hurts, is the person who achieves it. We tend to admire people who are successful and wish we could be like them. We never appreciate the challenges and obstacles that they went through to achieve the success. If we desire success

in our life we must be willing to face any challenges and obstacles that may cross our path.

55. I AM INNOCENT ‘Two Gun’ Crowley was a notorious gunman and killer who didn’t smoke or drink. On 7th May 1931, one hundred and fifty policemen and detectives laid siege on him. When he was captured, the Police Commissioner declared that Crowley was one of the most dangerous criminals ever encountered in the history of New York. He will kill “at the drop of a feather”, exclaimed the Commissioner. But how did Crowley see himself? Police found a note written by him saying, “Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one - one that would do nobody any harm”. A short time before this he just shot a policeman in cold blood. Crowley was sentenced to the electric chair. Before his death, did he say, “This is what I get for killing people?” No, he said, “This is what I get for defending myself.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES No one likes to be criticized or condemned. Most people will not admit that they are wrong. Even a notorious killer like ‘Two Gun’ Crowley will not blame himself. If we want to build a good and healthy relationship with people, never criticize, condemn or complain of them. Try to understand them and see things from their point of view.

56. WHAT IS AN ELEPHANT?

There were three blind men who came across an elephant. The first one felt the leg of the elephant and said, “An elephant is like a tree trunk.” The second blind man felt the ear of the elephant and said, “No, no, the elephant is like a big fan.” The third blind man touched the trunk of the elephant and said, “Both of you are wrong! An elephant is in fact like a big snake!" SUCCESS PRINCIPLES All the three blind men were correct in their explanation of the elephant. They explained according to what information they had. In life we may interpret situations differently from others. Just because we see things differently does not mean that others are wrong. We see things according to our beliefs, values, and references, which we pick up along the way in our journey through life.

57. HE IS TOO BIG TO MISS

This is the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was a giant who was bullying and challenging the people in the village to send a champion to fight him. One day David, a 17 years old shepherd boy came to visit his brothers and asked, “Why don’t you all stand up and fight the giant?” The brothers were fearful and they replied, “Can’t you see the size of the giant? He is too big to hit.” David, however, had a different perspective of the situation, and said, “I don’t think he is too big to hit. To me he is too big to miss.” David took the challenge to face Goliath, and with his faith he killed the giant with a sling-shot. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Success is a matter of attitude. It is how we see challenges and obstacles. To a negative and fearful person there is nothing much that can be done to solve a problem. To a positive and a person of faith there is always a way to solve a problem, or to manage it. It is how we perceive the situation.

58. THIS IS HILARIOUS A man takes the day off and decides to go out golfing. He is on the second hole when he notices a frog sitting next to the green. He thinks nothing of it and is about to swing when he hears, “Ribbit 9 Iron”. The man looks around

and doesn’t see anyone. Again he hears, “Ribbit 9 Iron”. He looks at the frog and decides to prove the frog wrong, puts the club away, and grabs a 9 iron. Boom! He hits it 10 inches from the cup. He is shocked. He says to the frog, “Wow, that’s amazing,” you must be a lucky frog! The frog replies, “Ribbit Lucky Frog”. The man decides to take the frog with him to the next hole. “What do you think, frog?” the man asks. “Ribbit 3 wood”. The guy takes out the 3 wood and Boom! Hole in one. The man is befuddled and doesn’t know what to say. By the end of the day, the man played the best game of golf in his life. Then he asks the frog, “OK, where to next?” The frog replies, “Ribbit Las Vegas”. They go to Las Vegas and the guy says, “OK frog, now what?” The frog says, “Ribbit Roulette”. Upon approaching the roullette table, the man asks, “What do you think I should bet?” The frog replies, “Ribbit $3,000, Black 6”. Now this is a million-to-one shot to win, but after the golf game the man figures to give it a try. Boom! The man won! The man takes his winnings and buys the best room in the hotel. He sits the frog down and says, “Frog, I don’t know how to repay you. You’ve won me all this money and I am forever grateful.” The frog replies, “Ribbit kiss me”. He figures, why not, after all what the frog did for him, he deserves it. With a kiss, the frog turns into a gorgeous 15-year-old girl. “And that, your Honor, is how the girl ended up in my room.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The man is a good example of a person suffering from “excusities”. The story may be in the form of a joke, but it reflects how most of us react when confronted with challenges. We give all sorts of excuses, instead of being accountable for our decisions and actions.

59. GIVE AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU

Anthony Robbins told of a touching story of “giving” when he was a kid. When he was a kid his parents worked extremely hard to take care of the family. Unfortunately they were financially tight. One Thanksgiving, when they had no money to buy food, something miraculous happened. Someone arrived at the front door with a box full of canned goods and a turkey. The

man, who delivered it, said that is from someone who knew they would not ask for anything and he loved them and wanted them to have a great Thanksgiving. Anthony never forgot that day. So every Thanksgiving, he will go out and buy about a week's worth of food and deliver it to a family in need. He would deliver the food as a worker or delivery boy, never as the person actually providing the gift. He always leave a note that says, “This is from someone who cares about you and hopes someday you will take good care of yourself so that you’ll go out and return the favor for someone else in need.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES I think that you will agree with me that the world will be a better place to live in if we love each other and help those who are less fortunate to have a better life. When we do something out of our heart, we feel much happier and we in turn make others happy. We reap what we sow. Make sure that when you give, it is out of sincerity and no one knows about it. If you announce it to the world, you have already received your just reward and there is nothing more to it. Make sure that when you give from your right hand, your left hand does not know about it.

60. I CAN NEVER DO IT

How does the circus trainer train elephants? When the elephant was small they would tie it with a small rope about five feet long and attached the other end to a small stake, fixed to the ground. The elephant would try to move but is unable to do so because it is still small and does not have the strength. It will keep on trying and trying but at some stage it will no longer try. Years later, when the elephant is fully-grown it will not try to escape because it thinks that it’s useless to try. He has failed many times before. You see, the elephant has the strength to move big logs and with just one slight movement it could free itself, yet it has been conditioned not to try. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The elephant has been conditioned not to try anymore. It sees failure as a result of past experience. The future is not equal to the past. You may have failed many times before, but today is a new day and everything is possible if you just have the courage to try once more. Learn from the past and move into the future with confidence. The past is gone and you have already paid for the consequences. You do not have to pay for it again. Set new plans and eliminate fear from your thoughts and just move on!

61. A BURNING OBSESSION Edwin C. Barnes’s desire was to become a business associate of the inventor, Thomas A. Edison. When Edwin C. Barnes climbed down from the train in East Orange, New Jersey, he may have resembled a tramp, but his thoughts were those of a king! He made his way to Thomas Edison’s office and told Mr. Edison about his desire. Edison was impressed with the young man’s enthusiasm and offered him to help out with his operations. In Edwin’s mind he was always a business associate of Thomas Edison. Five years passed before he got his big break. Mr. Edison had just invented a new office device, known as the Edison Dictating Machine. The salesmen were not enthusiastic about the machine and thought that it would not be easy to sell. Barnes saw the opportunity, and agreed to take up the challenge to distribute the machine. Barnes was so successful that Edison gave him a contract to distribute and market it all over the nation. Out of this business

association, Barnes made himself wealthy, and finally achieved his life long obsession, of becoming a business associate of Thomas Edison. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Edwin C. Barnes had a definite major purpose in life, which became his burning obsession. To him, it is a matter of life and death. There is no possibility of retreat. Barnes’s said, “I came here to go into business with Edison, and I’ll accomplish this end if it takes the remainder of my life.” If we desire to achieve our goals and dreams we too, need to have a definite major purpose, take the necessary action, and backed with an attitude of persistency.

62. SENTENCE MY PARENTS A man was caught for robbery and was brought to face charges in court. When sentencing him the judge asked if he had anything to say. The man replied, “Yes, your honor. Please also sentence my parents to jail.” The judge was curious and asked him to explain. He said, “When I was a little boy, I stole a pencil from school. My parents knew about it, but never said a word. Then I stole a pen. Again they ignored it. I continued to steal more things from school and from the neighborhood until it became a habit. They knew about it yet they never confronted me. If anyone belongs in jail with me, they do.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We have a responsibility to teach and guide our children and give them love. It is important to spend time with our children to teach them good moral and trustworthy character. When they are young it is easy to correct them, but when they are of age it may be too late to put them on the right track. The truth is, the way the children act and behave is a reflection of the parents, because the parents are the closest role model for their children. Generally good parents with good character and values will have good children.

63. YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL

Harry was having a good time at the pub. After having enough to drink he decided to take a short-cut home. He had to walk through a cemetery. It was a dark night and he fell into a big hole, which the grave digger had dug for the next day’s funeral. Harry tried to climb out of the hole but it was too deep and he was not able to get out. He started shouting for help, but there was nobody nearby to hear him. Since he was very tired he decided to sleep at one corner of the hole. A few hours passed by, and Joe was also taking a short-cut home after a few drinks at the local pub. As Joe was walking in the dark he also fell into the same hole. Joe was afraid of the dark and tried desperately to climb out of the hole. He was not able to get out of the hole and started to shout for help. The commotion woke Harry up, and Harry spoke in a slow deep voice, “Hey, my friend, you are not going to get out of here tonight”. In an instant Joe was out of the hole and ran home like he had just seen a ghost. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Joe indeed thought that he heard a ghost speaking to him, and at that instant, he jumped out of the hole. We all have deep reservoir of potential locked down within us. It is a matter of realizing and utilising it for our benefit. Rather than waiting for it to awaken during a crisis, we have a choice to use it anytime we desire, like NOW!

64. ACCOMPLISHMENT VS ACTIVITY There was an experiment conducted on the Processionary Caterpillars. These caterpillars would blindly follow the one in front of them. The caterpillars were carefully arranged in a circle around the rim of a flowerpot, so that the lead caterpillar came into contact with the last one, thus making a complete circle. Some pine needles, the food of the processionary caterpillars were placed in the middle of the flowerpot. The caterpillars went round and round the circular flowerpot. The caterpillar went round and round for seven days and seven nights, and finally dropped dead of starvation and exhaustion, ironically, with abundance of food within reach. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Like the processionary caterpillars most of us are going round and round like a merry-go-round, with no concrete results, although there are abundance of opportunities everywhere. We confuse activity with accomplishment just like the caterpillars. We may be busy doing many things but without fruitful results because we are more of “wandering generalities” as compared to being a “meaningful specific”. We must have specific goals and objectives to be categorized as a “meaningful specific”.

65. WEEKEND GOLFER Major Nesmeth was a weekend golfer who usually scores in the nineties. He quit playing for seven years because he was confined to a small cage, about four-and-one-half feet tall and just over five feet long. In fact, he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. For seven long years he played 18 holes of perfect golf, everyday. Not once did he missed a shot, and he never three putted. In fact his game was perfect every single day. This was because he played golf in his mind. After his release he entered some golf tournaments, and did exceptionally well. Since most people had not seen him played before, they asked him where he had played golf. Major Nesmeth replied, “I played golf in Vietnam.”

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES If you want to reach your goal it is necessary for you to “see” the reaching in your own mind before you will ever achieve it. This is the power of visualisation. You need to impress upon your mind what you want, and eliminate from your mind what you do not want.

66. I AM NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE

He was a man who does not let circumstance dictate him. He was the master of his circumstances. W Mitchell was physically normal until that fateful day when he was involved with a motorcycle accident. Three-quarters of his body was covered by third degree burns. All that had been spared was his scalp, which had been covered by his motorcycle helmet, and most of his tosro and arms which had been protected by his leather jacket. He was even in a coma and had only a 50 percent chance of making it alive. Still he refused to give up, and struggled back to life and resumed a successful business career. Years later he met with another misfortune: an airplane crash that left him paralyzed, from the waist down for life. Despite that, he became a wealthy businessman, and an inspiration to millions of people around the world. He even ran for Congress, and had a slogan which reads, “Send me to Congress, and I won’t be just another pretty face.” He even married a woman of his dream. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Most of us are blessed with perfect physical body, and yet we are not as happy, and successful as W Mitchell. We may be physically perfect but the problem is that we are “mentally handicapped”. It is not what happens to us that determine our success and happiness, but rather how we respond to those events or circumstances. W. Mitchell, chose to look at his circumstances as something of the past, and decided to move on and enjoy every moment that he had.

67. A PLACE WITH NO WORRIES

One day a young man went to see a wise man about his life. As he sat down with the wise man, he started pouring out all his problems and challenges in life. He said that he was indeed unfortunate and asked the wise man for advice. The wise man smiled. He then handed to the young man a small slip of paper with an address written on it. The wise man said, “When you find this place, where all the residents there have no problems, challenges and worries, you can ask them for their advice.” The young man was excited and started looking for the place. After a long search, he found the place. It was a cemetery! SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The only people who do not have problems are those who are buried six feet under the ground. For those of us who are still living, challenges and problems are a part of life, and it makes us stronger. The moment we tackle the problem, does it mean that there will be no further problems? Problems and challenges will keep on appearing and we better get use to living with them if we want to live a fulfilling life.

68. THE NOISY KIDS There was a man who entered a subway train together with his five children. The scene before this was one of calmness and peace. Everyone was sitting quietly - either reading their newspapers, or just relaxing. The moment the family entered the train, the scene changed. The children were making a lot of noise and running everywhere, and instantly the whole climate in the train became chaotic. The man sat down and closed his eyes, apparently not conscious of the situation. The children were shouting loudly and throwing things. They were even grabbing people’s papers. It was really disturbing and yet the father did nothing. Suddenly a man, who obviously couldn’t stand the commotion anymore stood up and said to the father, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you could ask them to behave themselves.” The man looked up and apologized, “Oh, you are right, I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We make judgment on people and circumstances depending on the limited information we have at the moment, and how we perceive it. In some cases we may be wrong, just like in the above story. We need to look at things from every angle if we are to make good judgment. It has been said that we should first seek to understand people before we have them to understand us. Understanding others will help us not to prejudge them and may even create synergy.

69. THE FUTURE DOES NOT EQUAL THE PAST Sometime ago, scientists carried out a simple experiment on a barracuda. They put the barracuda into a big glass aquarium. They began to feed the barracuda with small fishes. The barracuda would swim towards the small fishes and in one gulp would swallow the fishes. They continued putting the small fishes into the glass container as food for the barracuda. Then one day

the scientists put a glass partition at the centre of the glass aquarium. They put the small fishes into the opposite side of the glass aquarium. As the barracuda approached to have it’s food, it would hit against the glass partition. It was puzzled in the beginning, but it kept on trying. And it kept on failing and hitting against the glass partition until one day, it stopped trying. The scientists then removed the glass partition, and the small fishes were released to swim all over the glass aquarium. The amazing discovery was that the barracuda did not try to go for the fishes. It has been conditioned to think that it will only hit against the glass partition. The sad thing was that, eventually, the barracuda died surrounded with abundance of food. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Just like the barracuda most of us will stop ouselves from trying just because we experienced failures in the past. We think that since we failed before, why should we try again since we will probably get the same result. We prefer to die rather than try, just like the barracuda. We have been conditioned not to try anymore because of the fear of failure. To be successful we have to get rid of this limiting belief, and accept a new and empowering belief, “the future does not equal the past”.

70. EXPECT A RECESSION This is a story about a man who sold hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate and he never read or listened to the news media. He was ignorant of what was happening in the economic scene. However, he was very successful in his hot dog business. One day, his son who had just graduated from college came home to join him. The son was knowledgeable and started to tell the father of the financial crisis that was going on. After the conversation with his son, he started to cut down on his orders and decided to reduce his business. He was no longer enthusiastic and very soon his business declined. He told his son, “Son you were right. We are in the middle of a recession and I am glad you warned me about it.”

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Sometimes it is better to be ignorant. At least it does not pollute our mind with negative news and events. The old man did not know about what was happening in the world and he was happy and successful, but the moment he started getting information about the real world he was filled with fear. He began to have negative expectations. His son may be an educated person with a lot of knowledge but he may not necessary be a man of wisdom.

71. HE FACED THEM ALL Can you guess who this great man was? Failed in business at age 31. Was defeated in a legislative race at age 32. Failed again in business at age 34. Overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 35. Had a nervous breakdown at age 36. Lost an election at age 38. Lost a congressional race at age 43. Lost a congressional race at age 46. Lost a congressional race at age 48. Lost a senatorial race at age 55. Failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 56. Lost a senatorial race at age 58. Was elected President of the United States at age 60. The man’s name was Abraham Lincoln. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Abraham Lincoln became one of the most admired and respected Presidents of the United States. He was a man of vision, a man of principle and integrity, a man of justice, but most of all a man who does not look at failure as permanent. He kept on persisting until he achieved his objective to be the President of the United States. He had a definite purpose, he took action, he

added persistency to it, and finally he overcame defeat to become the leader of a nation.

72. I AM PREPARING IT FOR YOU

There was a man who had to take care of his elderly father. The father stayed with him in his house together with his wife and son. Everyday the old man would stay at home and helped with the household chores. He would eat together with the family on the family dining table. This was the only honor he got from his son. However, the father always ended up dirtying the whole table, and breaking the plates since he did not have much control of his hand movements. This angered the daughter-in-law, and she kept on complaining to her husband about the old man. One day he asked the father to eat on a separate table. He gave the father a coconut shell to use as a bowl. From that day onwards the father ate his meals separately on a small table with the “coconut shell” bowl. One day the man saw his own son making some “coconut shell” bowls. Out of curiosity, he asked his son why he was making the bowls. The son innocently replied, “I am making it for you and mum when you are old like grandpa”.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The Natural Law of “sowing and reaping” states that, you will receive what you give out. If you give out love and care, you will also receive love and care. However, if you give out hatred, jealousy, envy, unforgiveness, and negative thoughts, you will also receive them back. Give love and care and you will have a happy and fulfilling life.

73. THREE MONTHS OF SCHOOLING Thomas A. Edison had only three months of schooling. He was considered by his teacher, “too stupid to learn”, and was sent home. He was encouraged

by his mother to be self-educated and he spent most of his time in the library reading books, especially scientific books. When he was ten years old he set up his own chemical laboratory in the basement of his house. When he was twelve, he took up a job as a newspaper boy. He sold newspapers, candy, books, fruits, and other snacks to passengers of trains. At fifteen, he purchased a small printing press located at the train station. His turning point came when he rescued the son of the railway station master. To show his appreciation to Edison, he taught Edison the art of telegraphy. When he was seventeen, he became one of the most expert telegraph operator. Edison continued to spend time and money on self-improvement, and as a result he gained the equivalent of many college degrees, although he had only three months of formal education. Edison realized his weakness and used the brains of others. He had a pool of 61 talented people, consisting of chemist, engineers, model makers, scientists, mathematicians and skilled mechanics. During his lifetime, he patented more than 1,100 inventions. One of his inventions was the electric light bulb. He succeeded only after failing more than 10,000 times. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Education alone will not make you successful, although it does help. Edison was successful because he was creative and had a strong willingness to learn new things. He had a master-mind alliance with a group of experts, to bridge his weakness. He was also persistent in whatever he does. When he failed 10,000 times to perfect the electric light bulb, he did not treat it as 10,000 failures. To Edison, he found 10,000 ways that does not work!

74. WHO WANTS $1,000,000?

There was a wealthy man who wanted to give away $1,000,000 to a stranger who was willing to receive it. He asked his assistant to carry a brief case containing $1,000,000 cash and to go out one night to knock at doors to offer the money to anyone who was willing to open their door and listen to him. The assistant did exactly as his employer instructed. But to his surprise he received almost the same respond from all the people whose doors he knocked. All of them turn him away without giving him a chance to explain about his mission. Some of them said, “Sorry, I am not interested in anything that you are offering.” While others said, “I am not interested in buying what you are selling.” Some said, “The owner is not home”. Whatever their reasons they all missed out on the opportunity to have the $1 million. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Most of us miss our big break or opportunity because we have a “closed mind” and do not give ourselves a chance to have a closer look at what is being presented to us. If it does not look good, and it does not fit with our present belief, we never give it another look. We turn it down and say, “This will never work, or this is not for me”. Most of us miss out on opportunities because opportunities are “dressed in overalls and looks like work”.

75. HE DISCOVERED THE NEW WORLD Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa. He became a sailor at the age of fifteen. Once he was ship wrecked, but he managed to get to land by the help of a floating plank. During his time everyone believed that the earth was flat. Columbus, however, believed that the earth was round. He argued that the sun and the moon was also round, so why not the earth? The people asked him to justify that if the earth is a globe, then what holds it up? Columbus pointed out that by sailing west from Portugal, he could reach Asia. This was his quest, and along the way he had to starve, lose his wife, have friends called him crazy and forsake him. He finally got the blessings from the Queen of Spain to go on his quest. All the sailors on his ship were not interested to follow him, and had to be forced to sail with him. After five days on their journey, the vessel they were sailing on, scarcely larger than a fishing schooner floated a distress signal for a broken rudder. Later, their compass failed to function. Despite all these challenges, Christopher Columbus did not give up. After 2,300 miles from home, on 12th October 1842, Christopher Columbus reached his destination. He failed to reach Asia, but he discovered something better, the New World – America. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES When you have a dream and begin to set your goals, you will meet with lots of objections and ridicule. Not everyone will support your quest, but at the end of the day you are the only person who will make a difference. Along the way there may be obstacles, and some sacrifices may have to be made. We may not reach our goal, like Christopher Columbus, but if we keep on going we may achieve something much better.

76. FUTURE GENERATIONS There was a man who had to walk pass a hill everyday on his way to work. Everyday on his way to work he would pick a few pebbles and carry it with him to the other side of the hill, where he would throw it on the ground. He would carry out this ritual everyday without fail. The people passing by were

curious and one day they asked him what he was doing. He said that everyday he would take a few pebbles from the hill on his way to work and throw it on the other side so that one day the hill would be leveled. They laughed at him and said that it would not be possible for him to level the hill during his lifetime. He replied, “I know that I would not be able to level the hill during my life time, but if some of you see my purpose and also do what I am doing, one day the hill would indeed be leveled. It may not be in our lifetime but it would surely be leveled for our children and future generations to come. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The decisions and actions that we take today may not materialize tomorrow or even during our lifetime, but it will ultimately have an impact on our future generations. It is essential for us to consider important issues like taking care of our environment, the forest, the ozone layer, and other elements that may have an effect on our surroundings. We may not live to see the problems if these issues are not taken care of, however our future generations would suffer the consequences. Show love, concern and responsibility for them and make a difference to the world.

YOU ARE AN EAGLE

One day a farmer found an eagle’s egg and brought it home. He placed the eagle’s egg together with some chicken eggs to be hatched. The little eagle was hatched together with the other chicks. He began his life like the other chicks and the mother hen. He followed the ways of the chicken. He ate,

walked, crowed and moved like all the other chickens. One day an eagle flying nearby saw the little eagle mingling together with the other chickens. He flew down to talk to the young eagle. All the chickens ran away because they were terrified of the eagle. The young eagle also tried to run but was stopped by the adult eagle. The adult eagle asked, “What are you doing here with the chickens? You are an eagle just like me. You can fly like me and your home is high up among the cliffs”. The young eagle was confused and could not accept the fact that he was an eagle. The young eagle said, “I am a chicken and this is where I belong, together with the other chickens. See, I cannot fly!” The adult eagle then grabbed the young eagle in its claws, and with a mighty swish of it’s wings, proceeded to fly to a nearby cliff. The adult eagle said, “I am going to teach you how to fly”. The flying lesson began and to his bewilderment, the young eagle discovered that he could indeed fly. Of course, he fell many times before succeeding. He discovered his true self with the help of the adult eagle, and never again went back to the chickens. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We are all born “eagles” and are able to soar high into the heavens. We are not “chickens” that stays on the ground looking for food, just for the day. We have a higher potential within us and we should realize it. In fact we should be successful like the adult eagle, so that we can in turn teach other young eagles, who think they are chickens to “fly”. Someone once said, “The only way to help the poor is not to be poor yourselves”.

78. YOUR MIND CAN BE CHEATED Many years ago, an extraordinary event took place in Europe. Scientists were given permission to carry out an experiment on a criminal who had been sentenced to death. The criminal was tied up, blindfolded, and placed on a table. A small incision was made on his arm, but not deep enough to bleed. The criminal was told that he was to bleed to death, and thus a small stream of warm running water was made to trickle down his arm into a basin, which he felt and heard. The scientists began to talk to each other

about the progress of the bleeding and that he was growing weaker and weaker. They commented that he was now nearing death. With all these negative inputs into his mind, the criminal actually died. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Our precious mind is so powerful that it can give you anything that you desire. Our mind feeds upon the things that we focus on. As a man thinketh in his heart, so he becomes. Your mind can however, be cheated as in the above story. The criminal was made to believe that he was dying, and his mind picked it up and answered the request…he died! Make sure that you guard the fertile ground of your mind from wrong thinking. Focus only on what you really want even if you cannot see it at the moment.

79. THE FROG THAT SUCCEEDED One day there were a group of frogs that fell into a deep sink hole. They tried to jump out of the hole but could not do so because the hole was too deep. There were other frogs at the top witnessing what was happening. These other frogs were discussing with each other about the outcome of the poor frogs trapped in the hole. The frogs at the top started to shake their heads to indicate that there was no way for those down the hole to escape. They commented and shouted to the poor frogs caught in the hole, “There is no way to get out of the hole. You all should just relax and wait for your turn to die.” All the frogs in the hole stopped jumping and trying, except for one little frog that kept on jumping and trying. True enough all the frogs that stopped trying died, but the little frog that kept on trying managed to jump out of the hole, and saved himself. In fact, the little frog did not stop trying because he was deaf, and he actually thought that those frogs at the top were encouraging him to keep on trying.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES To be successful we have to move on towards our dreams and goal. There may be a lot of people who will discourage, ridicule and laugh at us along the way. People are forever willing to provide you with their opinions. Sometimes, discouragement comes from people close to us, with good intentions. To be successful we have to be “deaf” to what these negative people are saying and move on towards what we are doing and where we are heading.

80. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES I would like to dedicate this story to my good friend and mentor, Edward A. Theseira. Eddy, as he is known, was born into an underpriviledged family. His father died when he was only three years old. His mother had to work to earn money to support the family, and Eddy was sent to stay with his grand aunt since then. He recalled how he had to walk to his school for more than a mile everyday. When he was older, he had to cycle about 6 miles to attend high school everyday. After he completed his formal education, he enrolled into the army. The army taught him discipline and when he left the army he went to work as a salesman. Later, he became the Manager and subsequently, the General Manager of a Multinational company. He had always dreamt of having his own business and later left his comfortable job to start his own business. Although things have not been rosy for Eddy, but with dedication, discipline and a never give up attitude, he now owns and manages a group of successful companies. He is married to a lovely wife and together they have three children and three grandchildren. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Regardless of your background, you have the choice to decide your own future. Most people blame their poor upbringing, lack of education, environment, and circumstances for their lack of success. Eddy did not let all these determine his future and he made a choice to move ahead in life. Because of that he is a happy man who gives all the praises to God for his blessings.

81. FEED EACH OTHER

Upon his death a man was given a tour of both heaven and hell, so he could select his final destination. First he was taken to hell. He saw a lot of people sitting at a long banquet table loaded with all kinds of delicious food. However, he noticed that all of the people seated were unhappy, and looked frustrated. They each had a fork strapped to the left arm and a knife strapped to the right arm. Each had a four-foot handle which made it impossible for them to eat. With all kinds of food in front of them they were not able to taste any of it. After this scene in hell he was taken on a tour of heaven. He noticed that the people in heaven were also seated at a long banquet table loaded with all kinds of delicious food. There was a difference here because he noticed that the people here were cheerful and enjoying themselves. They also had forks and knives with a four-foot handle. They were busy eating because they were feeding each other. Each person in heaven was feeding the one across the table from him and was being fed in return. The people in hell were unable to eat because they were trying to feed only themselves. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES In order to succeed in a big way we need help from others. The only way to get help from others is to give help to others. You can get everything you want in life if you will help enough other people get what they want. Think about “giving” to people and you will be rewarded many folds. The win-win mentality will provide us with a better alternative to deal with others.

82. A HABIT CAN KILL YOU

There was a scorpion who wanted to cross a river. He saw a frog by the side of the river. He asked the frog to help him cross the river. The frog refused and said, “I am not willing to sacrifice my life to bring you across the river because I know that you are poisonous and will sting me when you have the chance”. The scorpion pleaded with the frog and convinced the frog that he would not sting the frog if the frog agrees to help him. Moreover, if he stings the frog, he would also perish in the river. The frog finally agreed to help. The frog swam across the river with the scorpion on his back. When they reached the middle of the river, to his surprise, the scorpion gave him a fatal sting. With his last breath he asked the scorpion, “But, you promised not to sting me. Now both of us will perish- why?” To which the scorpion replied, “I just can’t help it, it is my habit”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Habits are easy to adopt but it will take time and commitment to change it. Bad habits however, are easy to pick up. To be successful, it is a matter of slowly getting rid of bad habits and replacing them with good success habits. It takes conscious effort, and a realization of the pain involved in not changing the bad habits. Habits can be changed and according to Dr. Maxwell Maltz, it takes about 21 days to change a habit.

83. THE BOY WHO LIED ONCE TOO MANY TIMES There was once a shepherd boy who liked to make up stories and lied to entertain himself. One day when he was in the field, he decided to trick the villagers. He shouted, “Help! help! help!, the wolves are attacking my sheep”. When the villagers heard the shout for help they ran to his rescue, only to see the boy laughing at them. “Oh! It’s only a false alarm”, said the boy. The next day the boy again shouted for help, and once again the concerned villagers ran to his rescue. Again he laughed at them, and they went home quietly. On the third day, the boy’s luck ran out because some

wolves actually came to attack his sheep. He shouted for help at the top of his voice, but this time no one came to his rescue. He lost all his sheep! SUCCESS PRINCIPLES This simple story points out that it does not pay to lie and to be dishonest. You may lie to some people some of the time, but you cannot lie to most people all the time. When we make a habit of not telling the truth, we will lose our credibility, and people will no longer trust us. If you lose your money, you lose nothing; if you lose your friend, you lose something; but if you lose your good name, then you lose everything!

84. THERE IS SOMETHING BETTER In 1938, while still in school , Soichiro Honda took everything he owned and invested it in a little workshop where he started to develop his idea of a piston ring. He wanted to sell his idea to Toyota Corporation, but was turned down by Toyota. He had to go back to school for two years as a result of his failure. With sheer persistence, after the two years Toyota gave him the contract. As the Japanese government was preparing for war, he was not given the concrete needed to build his factory. Because of this he created his own form of concrete and managed to construct his factory. Unfortunately, his factory was burned down twice and major portions of it was destroyed. Then, a major earthquake destroyed his factory and he finally decided to sell off his piston ring factory to Toyota. After this, he tried a few other business ventures but did not have any success. In 1947, after the war, there was a gasoline shortage in Japan. He could not use his car, so he thought of an idea to attach a small motor to his bicycle. His neighbours were impressed with his motorized bicycle, and asked him to make one for them. He finally ran out of motors, and decided to start a factory to build his own motors. In order to raise funds for his factory, he wrote to 18,000 bicycle owners and received 5,000 replies to provide him with the necessary capital. When the motorized bicycles were manufactured, the sales were not as expected because the motorized bicycles were too big

and bulky. Later, he came up with the idea to improve the motorized bicycle, and finally introduced to the world the “Honda Cub”. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We can see from Mr. Honda’s story that he was a man who had a burning desire to succeed. He took action and hang on to his purpose although he met with many obstacles. His main goal of becoming successful in the piston ring business was not fully realized since he had to sell it to Toyota. But after the setback and challenges, he stumbled upon something better – the motorized bicycle. This story teaches us two things: Firstly, it is indeed true that everything happens in our life for a good purpose. Secondly, every great achievement began with an IDEA !

85. HOPE IS A DUTY Dr. Henry Viscardi was born without legs, and spent his first seven years as a charity patient in a hospital. He struggled to survive as a severely crippled child and as a young man, horribly deformed. The world was unkind and ignorant of the challenges facing him, in a body 3 feet 8 inches tall. Only at the age of 27, did he get his first artificial legs. Suddenly a whole new world was opened to him, and it transformed his life. He began helping armless and legless veterans at Walter Reed Hospital during the World War II. He found the woman of his dream and together they had four daughters. Dr. Viscardi founded the Long Island Human Resources Center for Disabled Children and Adults. He turned his adversity into an opportunity to teach thousands of physically challenged people to have faith and believe in themselves and their potential. In one of his renowned speeches he quoted, “ Hope is a duty, not a luxury. To hope is not to dream…but to turn dreams into reality. Blessed are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make them come true. As for me I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon if I can. I seek opportunity, not security. I want to take the calculated risk, to dream and to build, to fall and to succeed. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid to think and act for myself. I have a wish for you. It is the same wish I have for disabled people. I suppose the conventional thing for me to do would be to wish you

and them success and happiness for the rest of your lives. But success and happiness as the world measures it is too easy. I would wish you meaning for all the remaining years of your life.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES How are we, compared to Dr. Henry Viscardi? Most of us are gifted with good health and a perfect physical body, and yet we are nowhere compared to the courage, persistency, contributions, and positive mental attitude of this physically deformed man. Most of us are not handicapped physically, but it is a shame that we are mentally crippled. It is this “mental suicide” that keeps most of us from moving forward confidently to achieve whatever we truly desire.

86. THE THIEF WHO STOLE FROM HIMSELF Emmanual Ninger was his name and he was a good artist. He used to buy his provisions from a particular store where the owner knew him well. One day he handed a $20 bill to the owner of the store to pay for his provisions. The owner of the store accepted the money and put it in the cash drawer. However, he noticed that there was ink on his fingers, and he became suspicious and reported it to the police. The police obtained a warrant to search Mr. Ninger’s home, and in the attic they found facilities for reproducing $20 bills. They also found three portraits, which were painted by Mr. Ninger. In fact, he was such a good artist that he hand painted the $20 bills. He was so good that he fooled everyone until that fateful day when the owner of the store noticed the ink on his wet fingers. After his arrest, his three portraits were sold at a public auction for over $5000 each. The sad thing about the story is that it took Emmanual Ninger almost the same length of time to paint the $20 bill as it took to paint a $5000 portrait. SUCCESS PRINCIPLE Dishonesty does not pay and it will eventually catch up with us. Mr. Ninger had a low self-image of himself. Most people do not fully realize and use

their talents for the betterment of themselves and others. Instead, they short-change their talents for dishonest and short-term gains. Honesty is always the best policy, even though it may take a longer time to accomplish your goal.

87. THE BASKETBALL ENTHUSIAST

There was a man who loved to play basketball. It was his life’s passion. One day he was visited by an angel. Since he loved basketball so much, he took the opportunity to ask a question that had been on his mind for a long time. He asked the angel, “Can you tell me if there are basketball games in Heaven?” The angel smiled at him and said, “In fact, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is ‘yes’, there are basketball matches in Heaven, and the bad news is, you have been selected for tonight’s big game!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The above story may be in the form of a joke but it has deeper meanings. According the Natural Laws of Opposites or Polarity, there are two sides to everything. There is “good” and “bad”. There is “hot” and “cold”, and there is “positive” and “negative”. Likewise, success is a packaged deal. You cannot have success on its own. Successes come with Challenges and Obstacles. You have to have both at the same time. There is no way to separate it and only have the good part. The deal is you have to take both!

88. HAVE YOU INVESTED YOUR TALENTS?

The master wanted to go away for a long time to a far country. He had three servants. He gave five talents to the first servant, two talents to the second servant, and finally one talent to the third servant. When the master returned, he asked the first servant what he had done with his talents. The servant said that he had taken the five talents and put it to work and now he had ten talents. The master was delighted and promised to give the first servant more talents. The second servant who got two talents also took the talents and put them to work and multiplied them. The master was also pleased and promised to give the second servant more talents. Then the master went to the one who had one talent, and asked how he had done. The third servant replied, “Master, you only gave me one talent, while you gave the others many talents. Besides, I know that you reaped where you had not sown, and so I took the one talent and buried it.” The master was angry with the third servant, and took the one talent and gave it to the first servant who had ten talents. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The third servant did not want to take the necessary risk to invest his talent. Whatever talents we have, we have to make full use of it. To him who has, more shall be given! Take what you have and use it and your talents will be multiplied which brings more rewards. The saddest thing is not the waste of our physical resources, but the waste of our human resources!

89. MAKE YOUR WISH

There were three good friends who were shipwrecked. They were washed ashore on to a deserted island. There was nothing on the island except for some trees, which provided them with shelter and food. One day they found an old bottle floating by the shore. They picked up the bottle and opened it. To their amazement a “genie” appeared out of the bottle. They were terrified at first, but the “genie” assured them that no harm would befall them. The “genie” was grateful to them for freeing him from the bottle, and promised to grant them one wish each. After some careful thought, the first person wished to go back home to his family and own a successful chain of restaurants. In the twinkle of an eye, he got his wish. The second person wished to go back home to his family and own a successful chain of shopping malls. Again he got his wish. Now the third person was the only one left on the island, and he felt lonely since his two friends were no longer with him. The “genie” requested him to make his wish. He thought for a moment and wished, “I am so lonely here, I wish for my two friends to come back to join me here!” In an instant his two friends were back on the island with him. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Environment is very important. It can either push you down and let you remain in mediocrity, or it can pull you up to new heights. You do not have to remain where you are because you can make a conscious decision to choose your environment. Be in the company of successful people and those who are positive minded if you wish to climb the ladder of success. It has

been said that your degree of success can be determined by the ten persons you spend the most time with.

90. ONE OF THESE DAYS There was a young boy who wanted to do many things. When he was small, he said, “One of these days, I am going to do this and that, and then I will be happy.” But he did nothing. Later, the boy said, “Wait until I finish my studies, I am going to do this and that, and then I will be happy.” But when he finished college he said, “Wait until I get my first job, I will do this and that, and then I will be happy.” But when he started work he said, “Wait until I get married and then I’ll do this and that, and then I will be happy.” But when he got married he said, “Wait until the kids get out of school, I will do this and that, and then I will be happy.” But when the kids got out of school, he said, “Wait until I retire and I’ll do this and that, and then I will be happy.” But when he retired, he said that it is too late to do anything now! SUCCESS PRINCIPLES How does he see himself now? He sees himself as an old man and life has gone by in front of his eyes. Procrastination is a disease, and it can be a deadly habit. We have to realize that the only time that we have is “NOW”. Make use of today as if there is no tomorrow and you will have more time to do things tomorrow when it arrives. To be successful and to avoid procrastination, it is crucial to have good time management.

91. FLYING LIKE AN EAGLE A female eagle selects a mate, and begins to build her nest. She starts with strong, thick sticks and mud. Then she weaves the nest with lighter and softer materials, until she ends up with a comfortable warm environment for her eggs. She lays the eggs, and when it hatches she begins feeding her chicks. Then the mother eagle starts to take out all the soft materials from

the nest. She actually picks out the leaves and feathers and throws them over the side. The nest becomes less and less comfortable. When it is time for the baby eagles to fly, she starts pushing them out of the nest. She gently nudges them at first. Then the gentle nudges turn into solid shoves. If the baby eagles do not move, the mother picks it up and throws it out of the nest. The baby eagle falls towards the ground, and by instinct begins to spread it’s wings. If by chance that doesn’t happen, the mother eagle will fly down to grab the chick before it hits the ground, flies it back up to the nest, and after a reasonable time for rest and recovery, throws the baby back out again. She will keep on doing this until the baby flies out of the nest on its own. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Just like the way of the mother eagle we have to train our children and subordinates in the same manner. We have to teach them how to “fly” so that they are able to go out to the world to survive. It is a tough world out there and they have to be well equipped to face it. Rather than leaving large fortunes to our children, it would be wiser to give them good education, wisdom, understanding, love and care. As the saying goes, “It is better to teach a person how to fish rather than to give him a fish for the day.”

92. NOTHING TO LOSE Once there was a soldier who had a terminal illness. He knew that his time was limited and so he volunteered himself to go to battle. He was hoping to die valiantly while fighting. He would fight vigilantly and was always at the front line exposing himself to the enemies. Finally when the battle was won, he was still alive. The General was impressed with his bravery and decided to promote and honor him with medals of bravery. The General later discovered that the brave soldier had a deadly disease and decided to save him by hiring the best physicians in the country to treat him. He was ultimately cured. But from that day onwards the soldier was no longer at the front line. He would avoid danger and was no longer willing to take risks.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The soldier had nothing to lose when he thought that he was going to die from his illness. As a result he had no fear. However, the moment he was cured, he treasured and valued his life and did not want to lose it. Therefore he was not willing to take further risk to move forward. We should realize that if we want to move ahead in life we should treat today as the “last day of our life.” This will inspire us to take “risks” and complete what we need to do. We will stop procrastinating and spend the remaining precious time with our loved ones. There will be a great sense of “urgency”.

93. THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT

A man has two sons who were twins. The two boys were similar in many ways except for their attitude. The older boy was always looking at the negative side of things, whereas the younger boy was always positive. For their next birthday the father promised to buy birthday presents for both of them. When the day arrived, the elder boy got a brand new bicycle for his birthday. He, however, was not pleased and said, “It is such a beautiful and expensive bicycle, and I would have to take good care of it, since it may be stolen from me. It is such a heavy responsibility.” The younger boy was given his present wrapped in a box. When he opened the box he was excited when he saw horse dung in it. He started searching all over the house. The father was surprised at the son’s reaction and asked what was he looking

for? The younger son replied, “Dad, I know there must be a horse that you are hiding from me. That is my birthday present, right!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES We can decide to look at the negative side of things and keep on complaining and be unhappy like the elder son, or we can choose be like the younger son who looks at the positive side of an unpleasant situation with gratitude. The choice is ours to make and it will determine whether we will be happy or miserable.

94. DO NOT WORRY

There was a man who was unable to sleep, because he was deep in thoughts and was worried about tomorrow’s events. The wife sensing his worry asked him the reason why he was worried and was unable to sleep. He said, “Tomorrow our house payment is due and we have insufficient funds in our bank account. I am worried what the Bank Manager will do. Will he recall our loan or will he resort to legal action? Maybe he may allow us to delay our payment?” The wife thought for a while and said, “Isn’t the Bank Manager the one staying on the opposite side of our house?” “Yes”, the husband replied. The wife took the telephone and immediately called the Bank Manager saying, “We are your bank customer and we have a housing loan with you. Our monthly payment is due tomorrow, but we don’t have sufficient fund to cover it. Good Night!” She put down the phone and said to the husband, “I have told the bank manager that we are not able to make the house payment tomorrow. Let him do the worrying. Now you can go to sleep!” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES In most cases we tend to major on minors. We tend to worry unnecessarily and do our own predictions of the outcome of situations we may be facing. Remain cool and face the problems when it arise, but do not ignore it totally because it may grow and eventually catch up with you. Do not sweat the

small stuff, because they are merely small stuff, which can be solved or managed.

95. I LIKE DRINKING

There was a medical doctor who was invited to speak to a group of alcoholics. He wanted to make a demonstration that would convey his message that drinking was harmful and injurious to health. He filled one container with pure distilled water and another with pure alcohol. He put an earthworm into the container containing distilled water and the earth worm swam beautifully and came up to the top. He then put another earthworm into the container of pure alcohol, and it disintegrated right in front of the crowd. Everyone present was amazed. He then asked them what they thought was the message from the demonstration. One of them replied, “If you drink alcohol you won’t have worms in your stomach.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES When we believe in something, be it good or bad, we tend to see things from that point of view. We hear and interpret according to what we want to hear, and not what was being said. It becomes our habit. It is important to see thing from all angles in order to make a wise decision.

96. I GIVE THEM HOPE There was a cosmetic company that had been very successful. Many people asked the President of the company for the secret of his success, but were never successful in getting his reply. One day during his seventieth birthday he was again asked about the secret of his success, and this time he was ready to give them his secret. He said, “Many other cosmetic companies promised the ladies that they will look young and beautiful after using their products. As for me, I do not promise them anything. What I give them is

hope! Hope that using our products may help them to achieve what they want.” SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Hope is the fuel that keeps us going ahead when things get rough. Where there is no hope the people will perish. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl pointed out that during his days in the Nazi’s concentration camp, those Prisoners of War who did not have any hope for anything would soon die. On the other hand those who have hope, maybe to see their loved ones, or to seek revenge, do survive and live on until the day of their freedom.

97. FEAR OF CHANGE There was a native tribe in South America who had been dying prematurely from a strange sickness for many generations. Scientists were sent in to find out the cause of the strange malady. It was finally discovered that the disease was caused by the bite of an insect, which lives in the walls of their homes. The natives had several options: (a) They can destroy the insects with insecticides, (b) They can destroy and rebuild their homes, (c) They can move to another location where there are no such insects, or (d) They can continue to live at the same place and die early, as they had

been doing for generations. The saddest thing is that they chose to remain as they were and died early. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES In this global economy we have to keep up with the changes if we desire to remain competitive. It is sad that most people have fear and do not like changes. They are comfortable with what they are, where they are, and they would rather die than change. The comfort zone is a dangerous place to be in, and you may not even realize that you are in it.

98. THE MOUSE CATCHER

There was a little Negro boy who felt that he was unworthy, because he was born blind. In school he would keep to himself since he had a poor self- image of himself. One day there was a mouse on the loose in the classroom. The teacher and his classmates tried to find and catch the mouse, but without much success. Then the teacher remembered that the blind boy would have the ability to track down the mouse since he would have a good sense of hearing. The teacher turned to the boy and told him that although he could not see but he was blessed with a good hearing. The boy was able to help them catch the mouse and was appreciated by the teacher and his classmates. Because of that one incident of praise and appreciation, the boy, Stevie Wonder became a superstar and a legend. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES Stevie’s self-image was changed after the mouse catching incident. Most of us have hidden talents within us. It is a matter of recognizing it and taking action to nurture it. The sparks of appreciation, recognition and praise from others are the very fuels that can raise us from mediocrity to angel-ship. We can tear a person down through criticism and ridicule, but we can also lift a person up to realize his full potential through appreciation, recognition and sincere praise.

99. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR THE GOOD

There was once a King who had a wise adviser. The advisor followed the King everywhere, and his favorite advice was, “Everything happens for the good”. One day the King went hunting and had a little accident. He shot an arrow at his own foot and was injured. He asked the advisor what he thought about the accident, to which the advisor replied, “Everything happens for the good”. This time the King was really upset and ordered for his advisor to be put in prison. The King asked his advisor, “Now, what do you think?” The advisor again replied, “Everything happens for the good”. So the advisor remained in prison. The King later went on a hunting trip, this time without the advisor. The King was then captured by some cannibals. He was taken to the cannibal’s camp where he was to be the evening meal for the cannibals. Before putting him into the cooking pot he was thoroughly inspected. The cannibals saw the wound on the King’s foot and decided to throw him back into the jungle. According to the cannibal’s tradition, they would not eat anything that was imperfect. As a result the King was spared. The King suddenly realized what his advisor said was true. The advisor also escaped death because had he not been in prison, he would have followed the King on the hunting trip, and would have ended up in the cooking pot. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES It is true that everything in life happens for a purpose, and always for our own good. If you think about it, all our past experiences actually happened to bring us to where we are today and it is always for the good. All the past

experiences make us a better person. So, whatever challenges that we may face today, consider it happening to bring us to the next level.

100. THE PEARL

Jenny is a five year old girl. One day she went out shopping with her mother and as she was waiting for her mother she saw a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. She immediately begged, “Oh, please mommy, can I have them? Can I have them?” The mother checked the price tag and told Jenny that the pearls are not genuine and it cost almost two dollars. The mother said, “If you really want them, you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday is only a week away and you might get some money from Grandma.” As soon as Jenny got home she checked the amount of money she has in her kitty and it was not sufficient. After dinner she went out to the neighbors to do some odd jobs to earn some money for the pearl necklace. On her birthday Grandma gave her a dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. She loved the necklace and would put it on everyday, wherever she goes. Jenny’s father liked to tell bedtime stories to her and one night after he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?” “Oh, yes Daddy, you know I love you.” “Then give me your pearls.” “Oh, Daddy, not my pearls, but you can have Princess, the white horse, from my collection. The one with the pink tail, remember daddy? The one you gave me. She is my favorite.” “It’s okay, honey”, said the father. About a week later after reading Jenny some bedtime stories the daddy again asked for her pearl necklace. Jenny again replied, “Oh, daddy, not my pearls, but you can have my baby doll and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.” The daddy replied, “It’s okay, sleep well.” A few nights later when Daddy came in, Jenny was sitting in her room, with her chin trembling and one silent tear ran down her cheek. She didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy, and when she opened it, there was her pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she said, “Here, Daddy, it’s for you.” With tears in his eyes the daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace and with the other hand, he reached into his

pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time and he was just waiting for her to give up the dime store stuff so he could give her a genuine treasure. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES It is indeed a touching story of love and sacrifice. In order to get better things in life we have to let go of what we treasure at the moment. We need to give up and sacrifice certain things that we value, such as time, money, and leisure. There is a Natural Law called the “Vacuum Law of Prosperity”, which states that nature abhors a vacuum. In order to have something better, we have to create a space for it!

101. YOUR DESTINY IS IN YOUR OWN HAND

There once was a wise man that was known throughout the land for his wisdom. One day a young boy wanted to test him to prove that the wise man was a fake. He thought to himself, “I will bring one live bird to test the old man. I will hold the bird behind my back, and I will ask him whether the bird in my hand is dead or alive. If he says that it is alive, I will squeeze hard to kill the bird to prove that he is wrong. On the other hand if he says that it is dead, I will let the bird fly off, proving that he is wrong. Either way the wise man will be wrong.” With that idea in mind, he approached the wise man and asked, “Oh wise man, I have a bird in my hand. Can you tell me if the bird is dead or alive?” The wise man paused for a moment and replied,

“Young man, you indeed has a lot to learn. That which you hold in your hand, it is what you make of it. The life of the bird is in your hand. If you wish it to be dead, then it will die. On the other hand if you desire it to live, it will surely live”. The young boy finally realized that the answer given was indeed that of a man of wisdom. SUCCESS PRINCIPLES The above story can be related to all of us. Our dreams are very fragile, just like the little bird. It is our own decision, if we decide to kill it, or allow others to steal it away from us. However, it is also our own choice to nurture it and let it grow to fruition. Success comes to those who allow their dreams to fly high, just like the little bird, which will soar into the sky if the young boy released it from his grasp.

Thank You

Thank you for investing your money and time in this ebook. I sincerely hope that the stories and success principles highlighted in this book will assist you in one way or another. I also hope that it will inspire and provide you with a wake up call, in order to help you realize that you can have more out of life. May I take this opportunity to wish you happiness, health and wealth everyday of your life. Have fun and I will see you at the pinnacle of success. God Bless. Richard Quek Website: http://www.capcess.com Email: quek@capcess.com