THE ROAD TO GREATNESS
The day had arrived. This is the day that Kevin Hart must make a decision.
At 19, Kevin Hart was an upcoming salesman at a shoe store in Philadelphia. Just a year ago, he had finished high school but could not further his education because he failed his SAT. It was disappointing. For a while, he didn't know what to do. He felt hopeless.
And then he got a job to be a salesman. It was the happiest day of his life. To make it better, he discovered that the job came with a bonus after a certain number of sales. Kevin realized that he enjoyed talking to customers and convincing them to buy a shoe. Nearly every customer loved Kevin. He was witty, fast-talking and friendly. Very soon, everyone at work noticed him, even his bosses. In less than a year, he was promoted to "Floor General", which was a strange promotion for a guy who didn't even have a degree at 18. As Kevin could see, this was the most beautiful job anyone could get. He was happy. He was making some money. He could see a future for him at this store. He knew that with time he would get more promotions. This was his life.
And then something happened that upset his life.
His colleague, Alice, noticed his streak for making people laugh. She said he was so funny. She recommended that Kevin visit a comedy house to try his hand at comedy. After some dragging, he agreed and visited Laff House. From the very first night, Kevin began to shine. He made everyone laugh. They enjoyed him. After some weeks, he participated in a comedy competition that gave him $75. It was unbelievable. The Laff House manager invited Kevin to join him on other shows in other towns, but Kevin could not due to his work at the store. The Laff House manager will invite him two times again, but Kevin would give the same complaint. One day, the manager told him he had another show in another city; this was a bigger competition that comes only once in a while, and if he missed it, he might never get the chance.
This was the crossroad. This was the point where Kevin Hart had to make a choice. Comedy had no immediate promise. He may never even be paid, and at its peak, he could probably just get a few dollars, but he would be happy. On the other hand, his current job was paying him well. He loved his colleagues and customers, and his dream of being a permanent worker with Nike was the only opportunity he had ever seen. What should he choose? What should he spend the rest of his life doing? What should he pursue? Will he choose the predictable, safe route or will he choose the uncertain route? Nearly everyone in his life told him to continue with his job at the shoe store.
So, what did Kevin choose? He chose comedy. He chose to go on the road less travelled. He chose to go on the path with the least immediate reward. And most importantly, he chose the path that would make him happy! That day, Kevin Hart resigned from his job and began pursuing comedy. The first three years were hard. The hardest years of his life. But he survived. Today, he is a legend in the comedy space.
Someday each of us will arrive at this crossroads. We will have to choose what we want to do with our lives. My prayer for you is that when that day comes, you will have the courage to choose the road that will make your life purposeful, different and impactful.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
The day had arrived. This is the day that Kevin Hart must make a decision.
At 19, Kevin Hart was an upcoming salesman at a shoe store in Philadelphia. Just a year ago, he had finished high school but could not further his education because he failed his SAT. It was disappointing. For a while, he didn't know what to do. He felt hopeless.
And then he got a job to be a salesman. It was the happiest day of his life. To make it better, he discovered that the job came with a bonus after a certain number of sales. Kevin realized that he enjoyed talking to customers and convincing them to buy a shoe. Nearly every customer loved Kevin. He was witty, fast-talking and friendly. Very soon, everyone at work noticed him, even his bosses. In less than a year, he was promoted to "Floor General", which was a strange promotion for a guy who didn't even have a degree at 18. As Kevin could see, this was the most beautiful job anyone could get. He was happy. He was making some money. He could see a future for him at this store. He knew that with time he would get more promotions. This was his life.
And then something happened that upset his life.
His colleague, Alice, noticed his streak for making people laugh. She said he was so funny. She recommended that Kevin visit a comedy house to try his hand at comedy. After some dragging, he agreed and visited Laff House. From the very first night, Kevin began to shine. He made everyone laugh. They enjoyed him. After some weeks, he participated in a comedy competition that gave him $75. It was unbelievable. The Laff House manager invited Kevin to join him on other shows in other towns, but Kevin could not due to his work at the store. The Laff House manager will invite him two times again, but Kevin would give the same complaint. One day, the manager told him he had another show in another city; this was a bigger competition that comes only once in a while, and if he missed it, he might never get the chance.
This was the crossroad. This was the point where Kevin Hart had to make a choice. Comedy had no immediate promise. He may never even be paid, and at its peak, he could probably just get a few dollars, but he would be happy. On the other hand, his current job was paying him well. He loved his colleagues and customers, and his dream of being a permanent worker with Nike was the only opportunity he had ever seen. What should he choose? What should he spend the rest of his life doing? What should he pursue? Will he choose the predictable, safe route or will he choose the uncertain route? Nearly everyone in his life told him to continue with his job at the shoe store.
So, what did Kevin choose? He chose comedy. He chose to go on the road less travelled. He chose to go on the path with the least immediate reward. And most importantly, he chose the path that would make him happy! That day, Kevin Hart resigned from his job and began pursuing comedy. The first three years were hard. The hardest years of his life. But he survived. Today, he is a legend in the comedy space.
Someday each of us will arrive at this crossroads. We will have to choose what we want to do with our lives. My prayer for you is that when that day comes, you will have the courage to choose the road that will make your life purposeful, different and impactful.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
A young couple moved into a new house. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing outside.
"That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better soap powder. Her husband looked on, remaining silent.
Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments.
A month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, "Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"
The husband replied, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life… What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.
So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.
"Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are."
"That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better soap powder. Her husband looked on, remaining silent.
Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments.
A month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, "Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"
The husband replied, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life… What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.
So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.
"Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are."
One cold night a billionaire met an old poor man outside. He asked him, "don't you feel cold being outside, and not wearing any coat?" The old man replied, "l don't have it but I got used to that." The billionaire replied, "Wait for me. I will enter my house now and bring you one. ' The poor man got so happy and said he will wait for him.The billionaire entered his house and got busy there and forgot the poor man. In the morning he remembered that poor old man and he went out to search for him but he found him dead because of cold, but he left a NOTE, "When I didn't have any warm clothes, I had the power to fight the cold because I was used to that. But when you promised me to help me, I got attached to your promise and that took my power of resisting.
MORAL: Don't promise anything if you can't keep your promise. It might not mean anything to you, But it could mean everything to someone else.
MORAL: Don't promise anything if you can't keep your promise. It might not mean anything to you, But it could mean everything to someone else.
An Airbus 380 is on its way across the Atlantic. It flies consistently at 800 km/h at 30,000 feet, when suddenly a Eurofighter with a Tempo Mach 2 appears.
The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: "Airbus, boring flight isn’t it? Now have a look here!"
He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, and then swoops down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks: "Well, how was that?"
The Airbus pilot answers: "Very impressive, but watch this!"
The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly straight, at the same speed. After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radios, "Well, how was that?
Confused, the jet pilot asks, "What did you do?"
The AirBus pilot laughs and says: "I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the washroom, then got a cup of coffee and a chocolate fudge pastry."
The moral of the story is: When you’re young, speed and adrenaline seems to be great. But as you get older and wiser, you learn that comfort and peace are more important.
This is called S.O.S.: Slower, Older and Smarter.
Dedicated to all my senior friends ~ it’s time to slow down and enjoy the rest of the trip. 🤗❤
The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: "Airbus, boring flight isn’t it? Now have a look here!"
He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, and then swoops down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks: "Well, how was that?"
The Airbus pilot answers: "Very impressive, but watch this!"
The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly straight, at the same speed. After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radios, "Well, how was that?
Confused, the jet pilot asks, "What did you do?"
The AirBus pilot laughs and says: "I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the washroom, then got a cup of coffee and a chocolate fudge pastry."
The moral of the story is: When you’re young, speed and adrenaline seems to be great. But as you get older and wiser, you learn that comfort and peace are more important.
This is called S.O.S.: Slower, Older and Smarter.
Dedicated to all my senior friends ~ it’s time to slow down and enjoy the rest of the trip. 🤗❤
Never stay in a place where no one see your value.
A father said to his daughter “You have graduated with honors, here is a car I bought many years ago.
It is a bit older now but before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.
The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because they said it looks pretty worn out.”
The father said, now “Take it to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said,”The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.”
The father asked his daughter to go to a car club now and show them the car. The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father,” Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it because it’s a Holden Torana and it's an iconic car and sought by many collectors”
Now the father said this to his daughter, “The right place values you the right way,” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value.
A father said to his daughter “You have graduated with honors, here is a car I bought many years ago.
It is a bit older now but before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.
The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because they said it looks pretty worn out.”
The father said, now “Take it to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said,”The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.”
The father asked his daughter to go to a car club now and show them the car. The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father,” Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it because it’s a Holden Torana and it's an iconic car and sought by many collectors”
Now the father said this to his daughter, “The right place values you the right way,” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value.
Past is experience, present is experiment, future is expectation. Use your experience in your experiments in order to achieve your expectations.
"The Butterfly Story”
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.
Despite the kind heart of the man, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. To prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.
Moral of the story:
Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others."
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.
Despite the kind heart of the man, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. To prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.
Moral of the story:
Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others."
Sharpen your axe👇
Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.
The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.
“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
Reflection:
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.
Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay “sharp”? There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read etc.
We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.
Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.
The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.
“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
Reflection:
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.
Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay “sharp”? There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read etc.
We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.
"A Lady asked an old street vendor: "How much do you sell your eggs for?" The old man replied "0.50¢ an egg, madam.” The Lady responde, “I'll take 6 eggs for $2.00 or I'm leaving.” The old salesman replied, “Buy them at the price you want, Madam. This is a good start for me because I haven't sold a single egg today and I need this to live.”
She bought her eggs at a bargain price and left with the feeling that she had won. She got into her fancy car and went to a fancy restaurant with her friend. She and her friend ordered what they wanted. They ate a little and left a lot of what they had asked for. So they paid the bill, which was $150. The ladies gave $200 and told the fancy restaurant owner to keep the change as a tip.
This story might seem quite normal to the owner of the fancy restaurant, but very unfair to the egg seller. The question it raises is;
Why do we always need to show that we have power when we buy from the needy?
And why are we generous to those who don't even need our generosity?
We once read somewhere that a father used to buy goods from poor people at a high price, even though he didn't need the things. Sometimes he paid more for them. His children were amazed. One day they asked him "why are you doing this dad?" The father replied: "It's charity wrapped in dignity.”
I know that most of you will not share this message, but if you are one of the people who have taken the time to read this far...
Then this message of attempted "humanisation" will have gone one step further in the right direction."
She bought her eggs at a bargain price and left with the feeling that she had won. She got into her fancy car and went to a fancy restaurant with her friend. She and her friend ordered what they wanted. They ate a little and left a lot of what they had asked for. So they paid the bill, which was $150. The ladies gave $200 and told the fancy restaurant owner to keep the change as a tip.
This story might seem quite normal to the owner of the fancy restaurant, but very unfair to the egg seller. The question it raises is;
Why do we always need to show that we have power when we buy from the needy?
And why are we generous to those who don't even need our generosity?
We once read somewhere that a father used to buy goods from poor people at a high price, even though he didn't need the things. Sometimes he paid more for them. His children were amazed. One day they asked him "why are you doing this dad?" The father replied: "It's charity wrapped in dignity.”
I know that most of you will not share this message, but if you are one of the people who have taken the time to read this far...
Then this message of attempted "humanisation" will have gone one step further in the right direction."
One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours, while the farmer tried to find something to do to get him out.
Finally, the farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; that it really wasn't worth pulling the donkey out of the well..
He invited all his neighbors to come help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to throw dirt into the well.
The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly loud. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quieted down after a few shovelfuls of dirt.
The farmer finally looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw... with each shovelful of dirt, the donkey was doing something incredible: It was shaking off the dirt and stepping on top of the dirt.
Very soon everyone saw surprised how the donkey reached the mouth of the well, went over the edge and trotted out...
Life is going to throw dirt at you, all kinds of dirt... the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems is a step up. We can get out of the deepest holes if we don't give up...
Use the land they throw you to get ahead!!!
Remember the 5 rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hate.
2. Free your Mind of distractions.
3. Simplify your life.
4. Give more and expect less.
5. Love more and... shake the dirt, because in this life you have to be a solution, not the problem!
Finally, the farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; that it really wasn't worth pulling the donkey out of the well..
He invited all his neighbors to come help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to throw dirt into the well.
The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly loud. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quieted down after a few shovelfuls of dirt.
The farmer finally looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw... with each shovelful of dirt, the donkey was doing something incredible: It was shaking off the dirt and stepping on top of the dirt.
Very soon everyone saw surprised how the donkey reached the mouth of the well, went over the edge and trotted out...
Life is going to throw dirt at you, all kinds of dirt... the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems is a step up. We can get out of the deepest holes if we don't give up...
Use the land they throw you to get ahead!!!
Remember the 5 rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hate.
2. Free your Mind of distractions.
3. Simplify your life.
4. Give more and expect less.
5. Love more and... shake the dirt, because in this life you have to be a solution, not the problem!
Banduan yang kita lihat tepenjara di tirai besi itu, bahkan mungkin lebih bebas jiwa-nya berbanding kita yang di luar ini..
Kerana berapa ramai manusia yang..
Terlihat sepertinya bebas di luar, namun merana “terpenjara” dengan dunia.
Harta, pujian, wanita, perhatian, cinta berlebihan kepada diri sendiri..
Inilah yang selama ini mungkin, memerangkap kita untuk menikmati cinta yang sempurna.
Kerana berapa ramai manusia yang..
Terlihat sepertinya bebas di luar, namun merana “terpenjara” dengan dunia.
Harta, pujian, wanita, perhatian, cinta berlebihan kepada diri sendiri..
Inilah yang selama ini mungkin, memerangkap kita untuk menikmati cinta yang sempurna.