A 'Yes' Face

A 'Yes' Face

by Charles Swindoll

During Thomas Jefferson's presidency he and a group of travelers were crossing a river that had overflowed its banks. Each man crossed on horseback fighting for his life. A lone traveler watched the group traverse the treacherous river and then asked President Jefferson to take him across. The president agreed without hesitation, the man climbed on, and the two made it safely to the other side of the river where somebody asked him: "Why did you select the President to ask this favor?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the President of the United States who had carried him safely across. "All I know," he said, "is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No' and on some of them was the answer 'Yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."

"The most significant decision I make each day is my choice of an attitude. When my attitudes are right there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme and no challenge too great." - Charles Swindoll

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"A Full Jar"

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and to drive home a point, he used an illustration those students will never forget.

As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.”

Following that, he pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He took out about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

Then he said, “Really?”

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.
Subsequently, he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”
By this time the class was on to him.

“Probably not.” One of them answered.

“Good.” He replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand into the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” The class shouted.

Once again he said, “Good.”

He grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.
Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is no matter how full your schedule is; you can always fit more things in it if you try hard enough.”

“No, that’s not the point.” The speaker replied.
“The illustration teaches us that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the big rocks in your life? Time with your loved ones? Faith, education or your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these Big Rocks in first or you’ll never get them in at all.

Hence when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question, “What are the big rocks in my life?”

Then, put those in your jar first.

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A Small Story With Powerful Lesson

Read this small story; Hope that makes a BIG change in YOU

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The Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students “How much do you think this glass weighs?”

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’50gms!’….. ’100gms!’ …..’125 gms’ …the students answered.

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“I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is:

What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”…. .
‘Nothing’ …..the students said.

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‘Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
‘Your arm would begin to ache’ said one of the student

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“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!”
….. Ventured another student & all the students laughed
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“Very good.
But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” Asked the professor.
‘No’…. Was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?”
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The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?” asked professor again.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students
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“Exactly!” said the professor.
Life’s problems are something like this.
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Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK.
Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache.
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Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.
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It’s important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to ‘PUT THEM DOWN’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep…

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That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh &strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!

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Moral

So, when you start your day today, Remember friend to ‘PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY 

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