Story #1: Shark Bait

During a research experiment a marine biologist placed a shark into a large holding tank
and then released several small bait fish into the tank.
As you would expect, the shark quickly swam around the tank, attacked and ate the
smaller fish.
The marine biologist then inserted a strong piece of clear fiberglass into the tank,
creating two separate partitions. She then put the shark on one side of the fiberglass
and a new set of bait fish on the other.
Again, the shark quickly attacked. This time, however, the shark slammed into the
fiberglass divider and bounced off. Undeterred, the shark kept repeating this behavior
every few minutes to no avail. Meanwhile, the bait fish swam around unharmed in the
second partition. Eventually, about an hour into the experiment, the shark gave up.
This experiment was repeated several dozen times over the next few weeks. Each
time, the shark got less aggressive and made fewer attempts to attack the bait fish, until
eventually the shark got tired of hitting the fiberglass divider and simply stopped
attacking altogether.
The marine biologist then removed the fiberglass divider, but the shark didnt attack.
The shark was trained to believe a barrier existed between it and the bait fish, so the
bait fish swam wherever they wished, free from harm.
The moral: Many of us, after experiencing setbacks and failures, emotionally give up
and stop trying. Like the shark in the story, we believe that because we were
unsuccessful in the past, we will always be unsuccessful. In other words, we continue to
see a barrier in our heads, even when no real barrier exists between where we are and
where we want to go

Story #2: The Weight of the Glass

Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching
stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a
glass of water, everyone expected theyd be asked the typical glass half empty or glass
half full question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, How heavy is
this glass of water Im holding?
Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.
She replied, From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesnt matter. It
all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, its fairly light. If I hold it

for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day
straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing
me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesnt change,
but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.
As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, Your stresses and worries
in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing
happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about
them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed incapable of doing
anything else until you drop them.
The moral: Its important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries. No
matter what happens during the day, as early in the evening as you can, put all your
burdens down. Dont carry them through the night and into the next day with you. If
you still feel the weight of yesterdays stress, its a strong sign that its time to put the
glass down.

Story #3: The Mule stepping out of the Fountain

This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmers
well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but
decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he
called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help
haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued
shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that
every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE WOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND
STEP UP!

This he did, blow after blow. Shake it off and step up shake it off and step up shake
it off and step up! He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows,
or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on
SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

It wasnt long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly
over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him
all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THATS LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to
give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.

To Build a Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge that spans the river tying Manhattan Island to
Brooklyn is truly a miracle bridge. In 1863, a creative engineer
named John Roebling was inspired by an idea for this spectacular
bridge. However, bridge-building experts throughout the world told
him to forget it; it could not be done.
Roebling convinced his son, Washington, who was a young upand
coming engineer, that the bridge could be built. The two of them
developed the concepts of how it could be accomplished and how
the obstacles could be overcome. With un harnessed excitement
and inspiration, they hired their crew and began to build their
dream bridge.
The project was only a few months under construction when a tragic
accident on the site took the life of John Roebling and severely
injured his son, Washington. Washington was left with permanent
brain damage and was unable to talk or walk. Everyone felt that the
project would have to be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only
ones who knew how the bridge could be built.

Even though Washington was unable to move or talk, his mind was
as sharp as ever, and he still had a burning desire to complete the
bridge. An idea hit him as he lay in his hospital bed, and he
developed a code for communication. All he could move was one
finger, so he touched the arm of his wife with that finger, tapping
out the code to communicate to her what to tell the engineers who
were building the bridge. For thirteen years, Washington tapped out
his instructions with his finger until the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge
was finally completed.

You are Wonderful

The following true story captured our heart. It happened several

years ago in the Paris opera house. A famous singer had been
contracted to sing, and ticket sales were booming. In fact, the night
of the concert found the house packed and every ticket sold. The
feeling of anticipation and excitement was in the air as the house
manager took the stage and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you
for your enthusiastic support. I am afraid that due to illness, the
man whom you've all come to hear will not be performing tonight.
However, we have found a suitable substitute we hope will provide
you with comparable entertainment." The crowd groaned in
disappointment and failed to hear the announcer mention the standin's name. The environment turned from excitement to frustration.
The stand-in performer gave the performance everything he had.
When he had finished, there was nothing but an uncomfortable
silence. No one applauded. Suddenly, from the balcony, a little boy
stood up and shouted, "Daddy, I think you are wonderful!" The
crowd broke into thunderous applause.
We all need people in our Lives who are willing to stand up once in a
while and say, "I think you are wonderful. "