We all have hobbies. Even great and successful men too. One of such people is Dr. Robert Schuller. Dr. Schuller’s hobbies include raising koi fish.
Asked why some fish grow big while others stay small, he replied: “If a koi fish lives in a small tank, it will never grow longer than two or three inches. In a larger pond, they can grow up to ten inches long. In ponds the size of mine, they’ll get to be eighteen inches long, but if they live in a huge lake where they can swim and stretch, they can grow up to three feet long. The size of the pond determines the size of the fish. In the same vein, little ideas in little-thinking minds produce little achievements. But little ideas incorporated into a big-thinking mind produces great achievements”.
Donald Trump reminded us that “As long as you’ll be going to think anyway, think big.” Since thinking is a prominent part of life, it might not be wrong to learn how to think. Ernest Holmes agrees when he observed: “To learn how to think is to learn how to live.” Our subconscious mind is always at work, so it is best we nurture it and give it the necessary and positive information required. “Nurture your mind with great thoughts,” remarked Benjamin Disraeli, “for you will never go any higher than you think.”
Thinking is something no one can do for you. It is a free gift by the Creator, which is available to all mankind. So, make it a point of duty to filter words, images and pictures that go into your mind. They have the ability of producing negative or positive results. It’s never too late to make a new start. More than hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The newspaper had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock.
“Am I here or there?” When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people said about him.
The obituary read, “Dynamite King Dies.” And also “He was the merchant of death.” This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words “merchant of death,” he asked himself a question: “Is this how I am going to be remembered?” From that day on, he started working towards peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize.
The only perfect human being is the person who can walk on water. It goes to show that as human beings, we are bound to make mistakes. But some don’t learn from their mistake. Some think it’s too late to make corrections. But come to think of it, is it ever late to start all over again?
Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967 and so he retired from the railroad broke and alone at 65 years! He got his first Social Security cheque for $105, and he got mad. But instead of blaming society or just writing congress a nasty note, he started asking himself, “What could I do that would be valuable for other people? His first answer was, well, I have this chicken recipe everyone seems to love! He went and started knocking on doors, telling each restaurant owner his story: “I’ve got great chicken recipe, and I think if you use it, it will increase your sales. And I’ll like to get a percentage of that increase.” Well, many people laughed. They said, “Look, old man, get out of here. What are you wearing that stupid white suit for?” Instead of feeling bad about the last restaurant that had rejected his idea, he immediately started focusing on how to tell his story more effectively and get better results from the next restaurant.
He spent two years driving across America in his old, beat-up car, sleeping in the back seat in his rumpled white suit because he couldn’t afford a motel room, getting up each day eager to share his idea with someone new. Often, the only food he had was a quick bite of the sample he was preparing for prospective buyers.
All in all, Colonel Sanders was rejected 1, 001 times before he heard his first yes. Few years later, at the age of seventy-five, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-licking $15 million! Today, there are thousands of Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises in hundreds of countries all over the world.
Beloved, that you are alive means you still have the opportunity to make corrections in any aspect of your life. Be bold enough to take responsibility.
You will succeed!