Steve Goodier Inspirations

[Rhonda]

THE SEVEN STEPS TO STAGNATION

You may recall that for centuries people believed Aristotle was right
when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to
earth. The philosopher was regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of
all time, and so it follows that he MUST be right!

But nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death someone actually tested
the theory. In 1589 Galileo Galilei summoned learned professors to the
base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He pushed two weights from the top
of the tower -- one light and one heavy. They landed at the same
instant. But the power of belief was so strong that the professors
denied their eyesight! They continued to teach that Aristotle was
correct.

Galileo and others also tried to convince the educators of his day
that the earth revolves around the sun. But they would not believe
anything so radical and eventually forced him to recant his support of
the Copernican theory. He lived the last years of his life under house
arrest.

Erwin M. Soukup compiled a list he calls "The Seven Steps to
Stagnation." You have no doubt heard these statements before. Most of
us have said them! They are:

1. We've never done it that way before.
2. We're not ready for that.
3. We are doing all right without trying that.
4. We tried it once before.
5. We don't have money for that.
6. That's not our job.
7. Something like that can't work.

There is tremendous power in belief. Our beliefs shape our future;
what we believe to be true quite literally becomes true for us!

And there is a bold and exciting tomorrow awaiting anyone with the
courage to believe something new CAN HAPPEN -- things CAN BE
DIFFERENT! Your life -- your organization -- can be stagnant or things
can change. Tomorrow can look very different than today for those who
believe.

Will you stagnate or will you believe in tomorrow?

-- Steve Goodier
__________



P.S. AIN'T IT SO
I went to see Pavarotti once and I'll tell you this much, he doesn't
like it when you join in. -- Unknown music lover

[aka]

Thanks, I found your posts interesting. They help to illustrate the need for lateral thinking.

[Rhonda]

Glad you found them interesting---I need perspective many times... you know sometimes you are just too close to see another way...

[aka]

You are oh so right there Rhonda, it can be very hard at times, to step back and turn on the lateral thoughts, that can be so important.

This is one way, in which support sites like this really help.
Reading the comments of others, can trigger the mind, and set it to exploring other avenues.

Hope you had/have a nice day.

[Rhonda]

CARL'S GARDEN

The original teller of the story about Carl's garden has been
forgotten, but I will retell it as best I can. It is longer than my
usual fare, but I hope you enjoy it.

Carl was 86 years old. His church announced that the garden behind the
pastor's house needed someone to care for it. So Carl volunteered to
be the keeper of the garden. And just about every day he was back
there, watering or weeding or tilling that little garden.
This was not the kind of neighborhood one might choose to live in
today - it had changed over the years. It was a rough, inner-city
neighborhood, dominated by gangs and violence. Yet it was where Carl
lived.

One day Carl was working in the garden, when a gang of three young men
spotted him, taunted him, ridiculed him, and pushed him around. But
Carl never said anything, he simply smiled. As it was a hot afternoon,
he gently asked if they would like a drink from his garden hose.

They laughed at him and pushed him down into the mud. Then they
relieved him of his retirement watch and his wallet, leaving him on
the ground and laughing as they continued down the street. The pastor
saw the incident and rushed over to help Carl up. The old man picked
up his hose, still gushing water, and continued his work.

"What are you doing?" asked the pastor.

Carl answered, "Aw, they're just punks. Maybe they'll wise up some
day. I'm not going to let them keep me from the garden." A
compassionate and gentle man, Carl was not prone to violence.

Something similar happened another time. Carl was again watering the
garden when the young men spotted him. They insulted and derided him.
He never answered back; never responded with anger. He just quietly
continued his work. And, once again, he mentioned it was a hot
afternoon and offered them a cold drink. They thought it was funny.
They took the hose and this time doused Carl. They hosed him from
head to foot. Then they left, still laughing. Dripping wet, the old
man continued to water his garden.

Some weeks later, when Carl was again working in the garden, he heard
a voice behind him. It startled him. As he turned around, he lost his
footing and he fell back into a small evergreen shrub. Though unhurt,
he had a bad leg and struggled to get up. Carl recognized the leader
of the gang that abused him and prepared for the worst.

But this time the man said, "I'm not here to hurt you, old man. Here,
let me help you up," and he extended his hand. "I've got something for
you." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled paper bag.
Carl reached in and found his retirement watch and his wallet. The
young man continued, "It's all there, even the money."

Carl looked through the wallet until he found the picture of his wife,
now dead now for several years. She was much younger, then. He asked,
"Why are you doing this?"

The young man said, "I haven't been able to sleep very well, lately.
I've been thinking about you, all these times we've come over here,
and the things that we've said to you, and you never said anything
back to us. The way we've treated you . and you never treated us
badly. I guess I feel bad about that, and watching you, I know I can
do better, and I think I will do better." He continued, "I guess this
is just my way of saying I'm sorry."

Carl never saw that young man again. He passed away that year about a
week after Christmas. The pastor said something at the funeral about
doing the best you can with your life. Make your garden as beautiful
as you can, he said. Of course, he was talking about our lives, not
actual gardens. But a young man who sat in the back of the church by
himself heard those words.

When spring arrived, the pastor put an announcement on the bulletin
board asking for a volunteer to take care of what was now called
Carl's garden. In a few days, the young man from the funeral stopped
by. The pastor recognized the gang leader, who said, "I believe
that's
my job, if you'll have me. I looked up to Carl. I respected him. I
think, because of him, I'm becoming a different person. I'd like to
take over that garden."

So he got the job of caring for Carl's garden. He worked on making
some of those changes in his life, too. He went back to school. He
graduated and eventually got married. He landed a job with real
responsibility. And still every Summer he cared for the garden. He
watered it, weeded it, tilled it.

After a few years, that church changed pastors. One day the young man
came into the new pastor's office and announced, "I'm going to have to
give up my job of caring for Carl's garden. You see, we've just had a
new baby boy, and I want to spend a lot of time with him this summer."

The pastor smiled and said, "Oh, that's wonderful. That's marvelous!
Congratulations. What are you going to name him?"

The man said, "Carl. I think we'll call him Carl."

Mahatma Gandhi put it well: "Be the change you want to see in the
world." It always begins with one person.

-- Steve Goodier

__________

[Rhonda]

HANG ON TO EACH OTHER

Too often we feel alone. But there is always someone ready to take our
hand. There is a beautiful story of an overworked nurse who escorted a
tired, young man to her patient's bedside. Leaning over and speaking
loudly to the elderly patient, she said, "Your son is here."

With great effort, his unfocussed eyes opened, then flickered shut
again. The young man squeezed the aged hand in his and sat beside the
bed. Throughout the night he sat there, holding the old man's hand and
whispering words of comfort.

By morning's light, the patient had died. In moments, hospital staff
swarmed into the room to turn off machines and remove needles. The
nurse stepped over to the young man's side and began to offer
sympathy, but he interrupted her. "Who was that man?" he asked.

The startled nurse replied, "I thought he was your father!"

"No, he was not my father," he answered. "I never saw him before in my
life."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"

"I realized he needed his son and his son wasn't here," the man
explained. "And since he was too sick to recognize that I was not his
son, I knew he needed me."

Mother Teresa used to remind us that nobody should have to die alone.
Likewise, nobody should have to grieve alone or cry alone either. Or
laugh alone or celebrate alone.

We are made to travel life's journey hand in hand. There is someone
ready to grasp your hand today. And someone hoping you will take
theirs.

-- Steve Goodier

I am opposed to millionaires... But it would be dangerous to offer me
the position. -- Mark Twain



It's kind of fun to do the impossible. -- Walt Disney

[Rhonda]

WORRY - THE REAL ENEMY

What does it mean to worry? The Latin concept of worry describes a
turbulent force within a person. Worry is a heart and mind in turmoil.

The ancient Greeks thought of worry as something that tears a person
in two and drags that person in opposite directions. It is like
opposing forces in deadly conflict within the very being of the
individual.

The word "worry" itself comes from an old Anglo-Saxon term meaning to
choke, or strangle, and that is exactly what it does - it chokes the
joy of living wage right out of its victim. And it chokes off the
energy to improve one's condition.

There is a place for healthy concern, but too often our concern turns
into fearful worry. And worry, more than the problem, becomes our real
enemy.

Some people have worried for so long that they have become good at it.
Just as we can become good at any attitude or behavior if we practice
it enough, we can also become good at worrying. Worry is habit - a
habitual response to life's problems.

I rather like the attitude of the late United Methodist Bishop Welch.
When he reached the age of 101, he was asked if he didn't think a lot
about dying. With a twinkle in his eye, he replied, "Not at all! When
was the last time you heard of a Methodist bishop dying at 101?" Maybe
one reason for his longevity is that he never developed the habit of
worry.

Next time you feel yourself worrying, be like the frogs - they eat
what bugs them. Decide to no longer practice needless worry and
instead practice peace. Replace your habit of fearful worry with the
habit of courageous action. As Harvey Mackey has said, "Good habits
are as addictive as bad habits and a lot more rewarding." Practice
joy. Practice faith. And practice courage. Soon your life will be too
rich and full for worry.

-- Steve Goodier
__________

P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
Most of the time I don't have much fun. The rest of the time I don't
have any fun at all. -- Woody Allen

[Rhonda]

GET SOME ALTITUDE

I heard of a tornado that once ripped through the central part of
Oklahoma. Guy, a church pastor, and his wife, Vickie, lived directly
in the path of the on-coming storm. They took refuge in a closet in
the parsonage.

Guy belongs to a denomination (United Methodist), which is known for
moving its pastors frequently, and he was scheduled for a move to a
new parish in June. Furthermore, as a church leader, he no doubt
encountered any number of storms and conflicts among church members.
But a tornado was something else entirely, and hiding in the closet
seemed the best course of action for the
couple.

After the tornado passed, they emerged from their hiding place and
were astonished to discover that their closet was the only part of the
house left standing! Though they lost everything, they had come
through unscathed. As the couple stood in the middle of the debris
that used to be their home, Vickie's first comment was: "Wow, Guy!
This is wonderful! This will be the easiest move we've ever made!"

Here is a person who knows something about handling difficulties.
Sometimes we have to look beyond a problem before we can move forward.

If you have ever flown in a jet on a foggy or cloudy day, you probably
know something about looking beyond problems. All seems dark and
dreary on the ground. Yet every day is a sunny day if we can only get
enough altitude.

Thomas Carlyle put it like this: "What you can see, yet cannot see
over, is as good as infinite." Get some altitude and you will be able
to see beyond the problem!

-- Steve Goodier
__________


P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so. --
Robert Orben

[Rhonda]

A GAME ANYONE CAN PLAY

The most miserable people live in their own little worlds of
isolation. They do little for others and rarely have much fun.

I heard of one older gentleman who was considered by the townspeople
to be both rich and thrifty. His austerity earned him the reputation
of a miser. When he died, everyone expected the authorities to find
money stashed everywhere in his home. All they found were a few gallon
cans filled with coins.

It came out that he had used most of his money to help put needy young
students through college. And the coins filled his pockets as he
walked down the streets of the business districts looking for cars
whose parking meters had expired. When he found one, he would drop in
a coin. One of his neighbors commented, "That explains why he looked
so happy and contented!"

Of course! People who go out of their way to help others will always
be happy.

I once tried the same thing with parking meters. I decided that,
whenever possible, I would look for expired meters and drop in a coin.
It became a game to see how many I could find just around my own car.

Then I learned something disturbing. I discovered it was illegal to do
that in the city where I lived. When I learned that I was breaking the
law, I quit looking for meters to feed. And I lost an extra bit of joy
I found in anonymously helping out a stranger.

I believe that now it's time to change the rules of the game. It can
be about doing something kind for somebody else - anything! - and not
getting caught. Anonymous notes or cards ... flowers on a desk ...
raking leaves in secret ... you get the idea. The trick is to remain
anonymous. Plan in secret, act in secret, and most of all, have fun.

It's a game that is guaranteed to make you smile. And best of all,
everyone is allowed to play.

-- Steve Goodier
__________



There is a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore
like an idiot. -- Steven Wright

[Rhonda]

THE POWER TO REALLY LIVE
Steve Goodier

I had just graduated from college and was about to move away to attend
graduate school. An older friend said something to me I thought was
odd at the time. She cautioned, "Don't ever lose your enthusiasm." I
was not particularly aware that I had much enthusiasm, nor was I sure
how to keep from losing it.

But since that time, I have come to realize what she meant. Over the
years, I have been assailed by discouragement and difficulties. At
times I have felt totally without energy and even disenchanted with
life around me.

I like what Mark Twain said about enthusiasm. When asked the reason
for his success, he replied, "I was born excited." I think I now know
why my friend said, "Never lose your enthusiasm." For even if one is
born excited, enthusiasm can be lost along the way. And too many of us
never find it again.

However, the happiest, most fulfilled and most successful people have
discovered the necessity of an enthusiastic approach to living. Thomas
Edison was such a person. He was known for his energy and verve. He
eventually acquired 1,093 patents for his inventions, including the
electric light bulb, phonograph and motion picture camera. He was
known to work tirelessly and joyfully. He seemed to love what he did
and pursued it with passion.

Edison eventually established Menlo Park, the first factory ever
dedicated to making nothing but inventions. It was a forerunner of the
private research laboratories now owned by many large corporations.
Edison promised that Menlo Park would turn out a minor invention every
ten days and something big every six months or so. At one point, he
was working on 47 new projects at once! Others have made more money
than Thomas Edison, but none have been more enthusiastic or
productive.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful
engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with your might. Put
your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be
active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will
accomplish your object." Enthusiasm is an engine fueled by a love for
what we do. It will power us anywhere we want to go and take us places
we would never reach without it!

--
P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
Everything you see I owe to spaghetti. -- Sophia Loren,