The King’s Picture Of Peace: A Story About Calming The Heart

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of 
peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really
liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains
were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture
thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky
from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a
foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind
the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her
nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest in perfect
peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Do you know
why?

‘Because’ explained the King, ‘peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise,
trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your
heart. That is the real meaning of peace.’ 

Punching The Balloon Clown: A Story About Bouncing Back

A father took his young son into a toy shop to give him a chance to look at some special gifts he
would like to receive from Santa Claus. The father told the boy to have a wander around on his
own for a few minutes to see what he would like. At the back of the shop, his young son found a
statue of a clown made out of lot of colourful balloons.

He looked at the balloon clown for a minute, and then he drew back his fist and hit him just as
hard as he could. The balloon clown fell back and hit the floor, then rocked backwards and
forwards and after a few seconds he stood upright again.

The confused boy backed off and looked at the balloon clown and then hit him again, as hard as
he could. The balloon clown fell back once more and hit the floor, but was soon standing upright
again.

The father saw his young son hit that balloon clown and asked, ‘Why do you think he comes
bouncing back up when you hit him and knock him down?’

The boy thought for a minute and said, ‘I don’t know Dad, I guess it’s because he’s standing up
on the inside.’ 

Merlin The Magician: The Magic Of Believing Story

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.

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.” 

Zen Martial Arts Academy Training Story

A young boy travelled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist.

When he arrived at the dojo, he was given an audience with the sensei.

“What do you wish from me?” the master of the zen martial arts academy asked.

“I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy said.

“How long must I train?”

“Ten years at least,” the master replied.

“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other
students?”

“Twenty years,” replied the master.

“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all of my effort?”

“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.

“How is it that every time I tell you I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” said
the boy.

“The answer is clear. When you have one eye fixed upon your destination,
there is only one eye left with which to find the way.” 

How To Overcome: The Classic Carrot, Egg, and Bean Coffee Story

You may never look at a cup of coffee the same way again!

A young woman told her mother how difficult things were for her.

She did not know how she was going to make it and felt like giving up.

Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. Soon the water started
boiling. In the first pot, she placed carrots. In the second, she put eggs. And in the third, she
placed coffee beans. She let them sit and boil.

In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them
on a plate. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and
placed it in a mug.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “What do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” her daughter replied.

Her mother handed her some carrots. They were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed that the egg was now hard boiled.

Then the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich
aroma.

Then the daughter asked, “What does all this mean?”

Her mother said that each of these had faced the same adversity—boiling water. But each reacted
differently.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you
respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose
my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with an open heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit,
but after a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened
and stiff?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water — the very circumstance
that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like
the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another
level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Donkey In The Well: A Classic Short Motivational Story

Once upon a time, there was a little donkey that lived on a ranch. The little donkey spent all of
his time in a pen with his grandfather. One day, the little donkey said, “Grandpa, I want to grow
up to be big and strong like you.

What do I have to do?”

Grandpa said, “All you have to do is learn how to shake it off and step up.”

That confused the little donkey so he asked his grandfather what that meant.

Grandpa said, “Let me tell you a classic short motivational story! One day, when I was just about
your age, I was right here in this pen when someone left the gate open by mistake. Well, I
escaped and started walking out on the prairie. I was admiring the big mountains and the huge
sky.

Then, all of a sudden, when I wasn’t looking at where I was going, I fell into an old, abandoned
well. I was trapped at the bottom of the well, scared to death, thinking I was going to die. I was
the donkey in the well. Then, within a few minutes, I heard a truck and looked up and saw an old
farmer. I thought he would surely save me. But he just looked down at me, shook his head, got
back into his truck, and left.

“A few hours later, I heard what sounded like four or five trucks. I looked up and saw the farmer
and several of his friends. The old farmer said, ‘Boys, the well’s abandoned and that little
donkey ain’t worth anything, so let’s get to work.’

“They got their pick axes and shovels and started burying me alive. Now I knew I was going to
die! The dirt started burying my hooves and then it started covering my lower legs and then I
suddenly realised something — every time a shovel-full of dirt landed on my back, I could shake
it off and step up on it. So I shook it off and stepped up, and shook it off and stepped up, and I
continued shaking and stepping, and shaking and stepping, until I eventually shook off enough
and stepped up enough that I was able to step out of the well and save my life!”

Then the grandfather looked right at the little donkey and said,

“Remember, if you want to grow up to be big and strong, you have to learn how to shake it off
and step up.” 

Nails In The Fence: A Story About Anger

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.

His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper,
he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned
to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He
discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and
the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his
temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

He said, ‘You’ve done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m
sorry, the wound is still there and a verbal wound is just as bad as a physical one.