First Time Flying - I believe I Can Fly

Once on the west coast of Ireland there lived a seagull bird whose name was Seamus.

Seamus was a healthy, handsome, and intelligent seagull bird, but he was not able to fly.

When he was just a wee seagull bird, Seamus’s parents and siblings had been lost in a severe storm and he had no one to teach him.

He grew older and decided to try to learn by himself. He watched other seagull birds and, imitated them.

He ran along the ground and flapped his wings and hopped up and down, trying to get into the air, but nothing would happen, and the young seagull birds laughed at him because Seamus looked so funny.

Some of the older seagulls tried to teach him, but each one told Seamus a different way of learning to fly, and Seamus tried to think of all the ways each of the seagulls had told him:

“Flap your wings more, get your feet back, head straight,” and all the other instructions.

He was thinking so hard about what everyone had told him that he wasn’t able to get off the ground. He began to believe something was wrong with him, that he would never fly.

He tried going to the top of a cliff and jumping off, but he simply fell to the bottom. He went to higher cliff, over the sea, closed his eyes, and jumped.

Again, he fell.

Other seagulls took pity on Seamus and tried to take care of him.

But this made him feel more discouraged than ever . . .

One day, a very old and wise seagull flew in to the western coast where Seamus lived. He listened to Seamus’s problem and told him to climb to the top of a special cliff, the highest and steepest one. On the top of this cliff he would find a large boulder, and on this boulder was written a secret message. This was the message Seamus needed in order to fly, the wise bird told him.

No seagull had ever climbed such a steep cliff before. Seamus had to tie starfish to his feet to help him with the suction. He climbed slowly, painfully, and finally reached the top. He saw the large boulder.

On it was written:

What you believe — you can do! 

Seamus looked down from the dizzying cliff and was terrified, but he closed his eyes and jumped. He started to drop, and as he did, he remembered to say to himself, “I believe I can fly, I believe I can fly.” He was so busy saying it that he forgot to doubt himself.

Instead of paying attention to all the different things he’d been told to do, he just did it. And he found himself flying — flying like any other seagull birds, with wings outstretched, gliding on the winds. It was his first time flying! It was the most wonderful moment of his life. He flew and
dipped and never once wondered if he was doing it right. Far below on the sand, the other seagulls, who were watching him, heard him sing out, “I can fly! I believe!” 

Freedom To Choose: A Demolition Crew Story

One day as I was walking around my home town, I saw a group of men tearing a building down.
With a “heave” and a “ho” and a mighty yell, they swung a huge steel ball and a tall building
fell.

And I asked the foreman, “Are your men skilled? Are they the ones you’d hire if you were going
to build?”

“Oh no,” he laughed, “Oh no, indeed!

Just unskilled labourers are all I need.”

“These men can easily wreck in a day or two,

What it takes skilled builders many years to do.”

And I asked myself as I walked away,

“Which one of these roles do I want to play?”

Do I want to be known as one who constantly tears down,

As I waste my time spreading negativity around.

Or do I want to be known as one who skilfully builds with care,

In hope that my team will always be glad that I’m there?

Carefully using a positive plan

And putting it into practice the very best that I can.

Or am I a wrecker who roams the town

With the intent of just tearing down.

How To Do Things: Moving The Big Rock Story

One spring day, a small boy tried to move a big rock in his backyard so he could start his garden.
He tried, and tried, and tried, but the he couldn’t budge the rock even a little bit.

His father watched from the porch, and finally he asked his son whether he was using all of his
strength.

The boy said, “Yes, I am.”

“No, you’re not,” said the father. “You haven’t asked me to help you!”

T = Together
E = Everyone
A = Achieves
M = More”

The Art Of Asking: A Golf Instructor Story

A few years ago, a struggling golf pro was hired for one week to go to the Middle East to instruct a rich Arab sheikh how to play the game of golf.

The golf instructor was promised a large sum of money and offered an even larger bonus if the sheikh could break 100 by the end of their week of lessons.

As soon as the golf instructor arrived at the sheikh’s private airport, he was treated like royalty. Anything he wanted was immediately given to him free of charge.

At the first session, the golf instructor and the sheikh became friends almost instantly.

They met for three hours every morning and three hours every afternoon.

By the end of the week, the sheikh, who had never played golf before, broke 100.

The golf instructor would get his huge bonus!

When the golf instructor was getting ready to leave, the sheikh gave him his check for the week of lessons and the huge bonus.

And then the sheikh said to the instructor, “I must also give you a present for your kindness and help. What would you like?”

The golf instructor said, “This is the most money I’ve ever made — you don’t owe me
anything.”

The sheikh said, “No, I must get you a present.”

The instructor said “OK —just buy me a golf club.”

The sheikh said, “Consider it done.”

After a few months had passed, the golf instructor received a registered letter in the mail. It was from a South Carolina law firm. The instructor opened the formal-looking letter. Inside was a legal document making him the owner of a golf club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 

Penguins Can Fly: A Knowing Vs Doing Story

Once upon a time, there was a penguin who was surfing the internet.

He came across the website of a motivational speaker who specialised in teaching pigs how to
fly with his seminar titled Pigs Can Fly!

The penguin was amazed and thought, “If this person can teach pigs to fly,
maybe he can perform a miracle and also teach penguins to fly.”

The penguin emailed the motivational speaker and asked him if he had a seminar
titled “Penguins Can Fly.”

“Of course. No problem,” The speaker responded.

The penguin then asked him if he would be interested in coming to the South Pole.

The speaker said it would be very expensive.

The money was raised.

The travel arrangements were made.

Everything was all set.

On the big day, 100 excited penguins showed up at a hotel for the
“Penguins Can Fly” seminar.

The motivational speaker began the ’’Penguins Can Fly” seminar by telling
the penguins that there were only two things they had to do to fly:

1. Flap your wings harder.

2. Believe in yourself.

He started teaching them how to flap really, really, really hard.

The penguins learned how to flap harder, but not one of the penguins left the ground.

Then the motivational speaker had ladders set up all around the room.

He explained that he wanted the penguins to start on the first rung, jump off and flap really hard.

They started on the first rung. They jumped off and flapped.

And then they all fell flat on their beaks.

Next, then they progressed to the second rung.

They jumped off, flapped really hard, but no success.

When they got to the third rung, all of a sudden some one of the penguins yelled out,

“Look at Ralph! Look at Ralph!”

Ralph was up and flying for about 10 seconds.

That did it!

As soon as the penguins saw that it was possible, they started to believe!

One after another, they started flying. They were up in the air for five seconds . . .

10 seconds ... 30 seconds...

By the end of the day, every single one of the penguins was flying for as long as they wanted!
The “Penguins Can Fly” seminar was a resounding success.

When it ended, the speaker didn’t just get a standing ovation - he received a flying one, too!

After it was all over, the most amazing thing happened.

When all the penguins left the hotel, each and every one of them walked. 

The Pearly Gates Of Heaven: Saint Peter’s Shoe Salesman Story

One day an old man who, was an expert in the world of art, died and went to heaven
where he was met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

The old man asked Saint Peter to introduce him to other people who were interested in art.

Saint Peter, standing at the pearly gates of heaven said, “See that man with the beard?

He was the greatest artist who ever lived. Want to meet him?”

The old man said, “Saint Peter, I know that man and I know art. That man worked in his father’s
shoe store and he sold me all my shoes for years. And he’s not an artist!”

Saint Peter still standing at the pearly gates of heaven replied,

“Oh, he could have been the greatest artist who ever lived,
but he thought he was a shoe salesman.” 

Smart Monkey: An Animal Experiment FAIL Story

A team of research scientists had selected four groups of monkeys for a pharmaceutical
experiment.

The animals in the first group were to receive a high dose of the drug being studied.

Those in the second group were to get a moderate dose.

The monkeys in the third group were scheduled to receive a low dose of the drug.

And those in the fourth group were to be injected with a placebo.

The day before the experiment was to begin, the monkeys in the high-dose group were
deprived of food while those in the other three groups were fed as usual.

On the morning of the experiment, tests revealed unexpected nutrients in the blood of the fasting
monkeys. The researchers were surprised. They decided to repeat the previous day’s procedure,
but this time they were going to observe the behaviour of the monkeys at night when the lights
were off.

The researchers made a touching discovery.

The monkeys who were being fed were passing their food to their hungry friends who were
being deprived of food.