Tuesday, January 28, 2020

2020-05 - Quest for Gold

Quest for Gold...

The image that is seared into my memory is the face of the Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto, landing a triple somersault twist dismount from the rings, his face scrunched in pain, yet he never moved an inch as he stuck his landing - even though he landed on a broken right knee.

Earlier, Fujimoto had injured his knee during the floor exercise. At the rings, he was hoisted to grab the rings where he performed a near-flawless routine. Then, everyone watching waited for the dismount, which he would have to stick perfectly to secure the gold for Japan.

He twisted and somersaulted through the air and stuck a perfect landing. His face registered the pain tearing through his broken right knee. Cheers erupted - for his heroic performance of courage earned Japan the Olympic gold medal.

Later interviewed about his extraordinary feat, Fujimoto said, "Yes, the pain shot through me like a knife and brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal and the pain is gone."

~ Author Unknown



People do not decide to become extraordinary.
They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.

~ Edmund Hillary

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

2020-04 - Stories…

Once upon a time, there lived a great teacher. Day after day his disciples would sit at the feet of this teacher listening to his instructions. Many people would come to visit and inevitably the teacher would engage them by telling a story.

One day a disciple asked, "Oh Master, why do you engage people by telling them these stories? Why don't you just give them your teaching straight out?"

The teacher answered, "Bring me some water."

Now the disciple knew his teacher to be a very disciplined man who had never asked for water at this time of the day. Nevertheless, he went immediately to fetch it. Taking a clean brass water pot from the kitchen, the disciple went to the well, filled the pot with water and returned. He offered it to his teacher.

"Why have you brought me a pot when I asked only for water?"

~ Author Unknown




Who are we if not the stories we pass down?

~ Carrie Ryan

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

2020-03 - The Little Things...

Should you ever take a New York helicopter cruise and pass over the majestic Statue of Liberty, pay special attention.

Lady Liberty's steel-frame-supported copper body stands 305 feet above sea level. As your helicopter circles closer, look down at the top of Liberty's head and see how every strand of hair has been painstakingly formed in careful and minute detail, just as is every area of the statue's gown and body. That delicate metallic coiffure on the top of her head undoubtedly required many hours of extra weeks at Auguste Bartholdi's shop in Paris, weeks that the great sculptor could have saved, because so far as he knew, no one would ever see the top of Lady Liberty's head!

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 by President Grover Cleveland. There were no airplanes in 1886! The Wright brothers wouldn't fly until seventeen years later. Bartholdi was well aware that only a few brave sea gulls would probably ever look down on the statue from above, and certainly no one would ever know if the strands of hair had not been meticulously shaped and polished. And yet, the master craftsman took no shortcuts. Every strand of hair, every curl, is in place.

~ Author Unknown




In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.

~ Lou Holtz

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

2020-02 - Are You Waiting To Be Called…

A young man once applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. When he arrived, a sign instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were called. The young man filled out his form and sat down with the other applicants. After a few minutes, he stood up, opened the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

A few minutes later, the employer escorted the young man out and said, "Gentlemen, thank you for coming, but the job has just been filled." The other applicants began grumbling. One said, "We never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but for the last several minutes while you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his."

~ Author Unknown




Are you listening, or are you waiting to be called?

~ Howard Thurman