How To Climb A Mountain…171Please respect copyright.PENANAcShVsr4Oaa
Once upon a time there was a world-class climber who gave classes and lessons to a small number of students. For several weeks, they studied the technical and safety aspects of the sport and conducted several climbs. As the class came to an end, the instructor informed his students that there were more advanced classes, but that to get into the class they would have to do one last climb in which their performance would be evaluated. On the day set for the climb, the students arrived at the appointed place. They were met by people who said the instructor was delayed and that they should begin the climb without him. The route was a long and difficult one, and required all the skills they had learned during the class. After several hours of exhausting climbing, each student reached what appeared from below to be the last face at the end of the climb. As each one pulled himself up over the top of this face, they saw that the mountain continued to rise up before them. The instructor, who was hidden from the students, watched the face of each student carefully as they realized that the climb was not over. Many of them sighed with disappointment that they had yet more to do. However, a few looked up with eagerness and anticipation that there were new heights to reach, and these were the ones the instructor accepted into the advanced class. He wanted to climb with people who were attracted to higher and higher peaks in the world – and in themselves.171Please respect copyright.PENANARw3xqL2ta5
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Merlin The Magician:171Please respect copyright.PENANA2jVMUXWKuv
Once upon a time, there was a young man who dreamed of becoming a knight for King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. Before he could become a knight, he had to pass one last test – he had to slay a dragon. The young man was scared to death. He asked one of the knights what he should do about his tremendous fear. This knight advised him to see Merlin the Magician because Merlin had a magic sword. When the young man told Merlin about his problem, Merlin went to his back room and brought out a beautiful, gilded sword. Merlin then instructed him, “This sword is magic and the day that you go out to slay your dragon, come see me and I will give you this magic sword. But make sure that your scabbard is empty. And remember that this sword only works its magic if you are in danger.” One week later, the would-be knight returned. He was dressed for battle and, as Merlin instructed, his scabbard was empty. As Merlin went to the back room again, he told the young man to close his eyes. Then Merlin returned and put the sword into his scabbard. As the young man left, Merlin reminded him, “This sword will only work its magic if you are in danger.” The young man, now more confident, rode his horse out onto the plains where he confronted his dragon. It was a fierce battle. The dragon was breathing fire. The dragon’s tail knocked the young man off his trusty steed. The young man was on the ground and the dragon came in for the kill. 15 Just at that moment, the young man remembered about the magic sword. He took the sword out of his scabbard and started slashing the dragon’s legs. The dragon was hurt and fell down. The young man jumped onto the dragon and put the sword into the dragon’s heart and killed the dragon. The young man returned home victorious. The first person he went to see was Merlin. He told Merlin about how the magic sword saved his life. As he took it out of his scabbard to return it, he looked at it in amazement. “Merlin this isn’t the same sword you showed me last week. This isn’t the beautiful, gilded magic sword. It’s just an ordinary sword!” Merlin nodded and said, “There is no magic sword. The magic is believing.”171Please respect copyright.PENANAhd35SBixT2
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The Drowning Man:171Please respect copyright.PENANAKlB2NYDtIl
A flood was threatening a small town and everyone was leaving for safety except one man who said, “God will save me. I have faith.” As the water level rose a jeep came to rescue him, the man refused saying, “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, belying, “God will save me. I have faith.” The water kept rising and the man climbed on to the roof. A helicopter came to rescue him, but he said, “God will save me. I have faith.” Well, finally he drowned. When he reached his Maker he angrily questioned, “I had complete faith in you. Why did you ignore my prayers and let me drown?” The Lord replied, “Who do you think sent you the jeep, the boat, and the helicopter?”171Please respect copyright.PENANAHhjzlAw3EA
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How Can I Change The World?171Please respect copyright.PENANAcIxs8vIvnJ
If you’re reading this story – you want to do something BIG! You want to leave your mark. You want your life to stand for something. You want to change the world. Here’s some advice written by an unknown monk in 1100 A.D.:171Please respect copyright.PENANAg4h2roXL6l
“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. 171Please respect copyright.PENANAlyEOA5XrTd
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. 171Please respect copyright.PENANArnjnNHzyuf
Now, as an old man, I realize that the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. 171Please respect copyright.PENANASVBPL4wFPE
My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world!”171Please respect copyright.PENANAhExyatjkiU
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Dust If You Must:171Please respect copyright.PENANAt5t115UWtx
A house becomes a home when you can write ‘I love you’ on the furniture. I can’t tell you how many countless hours that I have spent cleaning. I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect – ‘in case someone came over.’ Then I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun! Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the condition of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I’ve been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven’t quite figured this out as yet, please heed this advice. Life is short, so enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, or even ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there’s not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the worlds out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again. Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it’s not kind. And when you go – and go you must, you, yourself will make more dust! It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived … and remember, a layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.171Please respect copyright.PENANA0tVZfutBr6
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The Little Boy And The Puppy:171Please respect copyright.PENANAZR3Te32trA
A boy went to the pet store to buy a puppy. Four of them were sitting together, priced at $50 each. Then there was one sitting alone in a corner. The boy asked if that was from the same litter, if it was for sale, and why it was sitting alone. The store owner replied that it was from the same litter, it was a deformed one, and not for sale. The boy asked what the deformity was. The store owner replied that the puppy was born without a hip socket and had a leg missing. 171Please respect copyright.PENANAFSuHUwXL2K
The boy asked, “What will you do with this one?” The reply was it would be put to sleep. The boy asked if he could play with that puppy. The store owner said, “Sure.” The boy picked the puppy up and the puppy licked him on the ear. Instantly it was love at first sight and the boy decided that was the puppy he wanted to buy. The store owner said “That puppy is not for sale!” However, the boy insisted and the store owner finally agreed. Excitedly the boy pulled out $20 from his pocket and then ran to get another $30 from his mother. 171Please respect copyright.PENANAHHvcXpFA0k
She obliged and it was a done deal. The puppy now belonged to the boy. As he reached the door with his new best friend the store owner shouted after him, “I don’t understand why you would pay full money for this one when you could buy a good one for the same price.” The boy didn’t say a word. He just lifted his left pant leg to expose a large clunky brace. The pet store owner was speechless. The boy finally spoke saying, “I want this puppy and only this puppy at full price; because I know how he feels.”171Please respect copyright.PENANA9vZF3mzTB2
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Don’t Judge Yet Ye Be Judged:171Please respect copyright.PENANAPIFuTtR8jp
A 24 year old boy seeing out from the train’s window shouted… 171Please respect copyright.PENANAuw0m4dEuOI
“Dad, look the trees are going behind!” 171Please respect copyright.PENANAI7p45oss2v
Dad smiled as a young couple sitting nearby looked at the 24 year old’s childish behavior with pity as he suddenly again exclaimed… 171Please respect copyright.PENANALDlLmMzpYh
“Dad, look the clouds are running with us!” 171Please respect copyright.PENANAksDVGTo4Hg
The couple couldn’t resist and said to the old man… 171Please respect copyright.PENANA8h4dVEXkF5
“Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?” 171Please respect copyright.PENANAQZ2y8wrGeS
The old man smiled and said… 171Please respect copyright.PENANA9YdiyS8cAw
“I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today.171Please respect copyright.PENANAJi9ftef006
Every single person on the planet has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you.171Please respect copyright.PENANAMMgHmT5SmO
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A Dish Of Ice Cream:171Please respect copyright.PENANAzhreRwThs4
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” “50 cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “35 cents,” she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.171Please respect copyright.PENANAq2zbHNbZzi
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The Monkey Trap Story:171Please respect copyright.PENANAqu5Tw3SB6v
Monkey-hunters use a box with an opening at the top, big enough for the monkey to slide its hand in. Inside the box are nuts. The monkey grabs the nuts and now its hand becomes a fist. The monkey tries to get its hand out but the opening is only big enough for the hand to slide in, it’s not large enough for a fist to come back out. Now the monkey has a choice, either to let go off the nuts and be free forever or hang on to the nuts and get caught. Guess what it picks every time? You guessed it. He hangs on to the nuts and gets caught. … Are we humans any different in this regard? We all hang on to some nuts that keep us from moving forward in life. We keep rationalizing it by saying, “I cannot do this because . . .” and whatever comes after “because” are just the nuts that we are hanging on to which hold us back171Please respect copyright.PENANAsxrgWSZb8s
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Socrates’ Ultimate Secret to Success Story!171Please respect copyright.PENANAtvOUTV70ds
A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and dunked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when you were there?” The boy replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it.” There is no other secret. A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment.171Please respect copyright.PENANAYq19kXNoxq