Man who didn't give up !

Welcome to 121^st Monday Musings !

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This is a story of ‘Super Star’.

During birth, a wrong gynecological procedure caused him to have one sided paralysis.

At school, his middle class being and his facial paralysis became a think for others to make fun off. He joined body-building because he wanted to frighten those who bullied him.

Slowly he started thinking of a career in movies.

Around 1974, he had a pregnant wife, a dog that he loved a lot, a lot of bills to pay and no success in his movie career.

What he still had was a belief in his dream that he will make it big.

Soon a time came when he went broke. He was heavily under debt.  Restless, anxious, stressed and still loaded with hope that he will make it big.

Things got so bad that he had sold his wife’s jewelry and ended homeless.  Yes, he slept at the New York bus station for 3 days.

Unable to pay rent or afford food. His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any stranger. He didn’t have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying.

Two weeks later, on TV he watched a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner.

That match was like a flash of divine inspiration…

For the next 20 hours he sat and wrote the script of what today is a cult movie, (Movie name to be revealed later, to maintain curiosity) ¹

In the words of his own, "After nearly 1500 rejections", he got a production house to offer $125,000 for the script.

Despite the poverty, pains, pregnant wife and lost dog. His dream was to STAR in the movie as the MAIN LEAD.

In an era when heroes were common man and spoke fluently, a body builder with a facial paralysis that made him stammer while speaking. The studio Bluntly rejected his offer, and said They wanted a REAL STAR.

They said he "Looked funny and talked funny".

He left with his script with another failure.

After few weeks later, the studio offered him $250,000 for the script. He refused.   They even offered $350,000. He still refused. They wanted his movie. But NOT him. He said NO. He had to be IN THAT MOVIE.

At that time everyone was pushing him to accept. It would be MAD not to do so.. He was making a fortune.

He still refused.

Someone in the studio really loved his script, and as fortune favors the brave. They finally accepted to $35,000 for the script and him as the lead star.

The rest as they say is history!

The movie was made for $1 million and went to make around $200 million. The movie won Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious Oscar Awards.

He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The Movie was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!

Our hero was a "bankable" hero for the next 20yrs, till the late 90's… with his movies having made billions of dollars.

And do You know the first thing he bought with the $35,000?

THE DOG HE SOLD. Yes,  LOVED HIS DOG SO MUCH that he stood at the liquor store for 3 days waiting for the man he sold his dog to.

And on the 3rd day, he saw the man coming with the dog.  He explained why he sold the dog and begged for the dog back.

The man refused. He offered him $100. The man refused. He offered him $500. And the guy refused. Yes, he refused even $1000. And,

Believe it or Not, He had to pay $15,000 for the same, same dog he sold at $25 only! And he finally got his dog back!

And now it’s time to reveal the our star, He is none other than “Sylvester Stallone”

¹The First movie he wrote and acted was Rocky !

Moral of the story :

And in the words of rocky balboa –

Life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by, just because you are a NOBODY. People will want your products but NOT YOU. It’s a tough world. If you aint already famous, or rich or "connected",You will find it rough.

Doors will be shut on You. People will steal your glory and crash your hopes. You will push and push. And yet NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. And then your hopes will be crashed. You will be broke. Damn broke. You will do odd jobs for survival. You will be unable to feed yourself. And Yes, you may end up sleeping in the streets. It happens. Yes, it does.

BUT NEVER LET THEM CRUSH THAT DREAM. Whatever happens to You, Keep Dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes, Keep Dreaming. Even when they turn you away, Keep Dreaming. Even when they shut you down, Keep Dreaming.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF EXCEPT YOURSELF! People will judge You by HOW you look. And by WHAT You have.

But please, Fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!":- Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Go get it.

No matter how hard is it to achieve your dream,  go for it, Never Give Up.

Make it a great Week !

Shailesh

Meaningless Goal !

Welcome to 120^th Monday Musings !

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A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around.

As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it.

One day a neighbor asked the farmer “Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?”

The farmer replied, “That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one.”

Moral of the story :

Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals, and In the pursuit of meaningless goal, people loose their vision.

A person having no vision is worse than a blind.

A blind person asked Swami Vivekanand :

"Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?"

He replied:  "Yes, losing your vision!"

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. "~ Tom Landry

The first thing you need to ask with yourself is :-

Remember :

Make it a great Week !

Shailesh

A True Friend !

Welcome to 119^th Monday Musings !

Yesterday was Friendship day so I chose to share this story.

A true friend is a special gift from God and indeed a rare gem.

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The soldier's heart was filled with horror soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle.

Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "no man's land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

"You can go," said the lieutenant, "but i don't think it's worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may lose your own life too."

The lieutenant's advice didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway.

Luckily, he managed to reach his friend, Placed him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company's trench.

As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.

"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are Terribly wounded."

"It was worth it, though, sir," said the soldier.

"What do you mean; worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead."

"Yes, Sir" the private answered.

"But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him saying his last words, "Joe..., I knew you'd come.”

Moral of the story :

Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing or not, really depends on how you look at it. Take up all your courage and do something your heart tells you to do so that you may not regret not doing it later in your life.

May each and every one of you be blessed with the company of TRUE FRIENDS. A true friend is one who walks in, when the rest of the world walks out.

The moral of the story is that “you should stretch your boundaries and try new things rather than listening to the limitations that others have put on themselves”.

When you find a true friends treasure them. Treasure them they are very hard to find !

Make it a great Week! & have a happy friendship week

Shailesh

The Eagle’s Egg !

Welcome to 118^th Monday Musings !

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This is a story about an eagle's egg and an American Indian who found it.

The story tells the plight of an American Indian who finds an eagle's egg on the ground, outside its nest.

The Indian searches for but cannot find the nest. Eagles traditionally nest high up in trees, so with the very best of intentions, the Indian puts the egg into the nest of a prairie chicken.

The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking it was a prairie chicken.

The eagle did what the prairie chickens did.

It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled. It never flew more than a few feet because that is what the prairie chickens did.

One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically in the open sky.

He asked the prairie chickens: "What is that beautiful bird?"

The chickens replied, "That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him because you are just a prairie chicken."

So the eagle never gave it a second thought, believing that to be the truth.

He lived the life of and died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage because of his lack of vision.

What a waste!

He was born to win, but was conditioned to lose.

Moral of the story :

The same thing happens in peoples life.

If you want to soar like an eagle, you have to learn the ways of an eagle

"Most people go to their graves, with music still in them." We don’t achieve excellence because of our own lack of vision.

The moral of the story is that “you should stretch your boundaries and try new things rather than listening to the limitations that others have put on themselves”.

Make it a great Week !

Shailesh

Learning to live without recognition !

Welcome to 116^th Monday Musings:

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There was a farmer who had a horse and a goat.

One day, the horse became ill and farmer called the veterinarian, who said: - “Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days. I’ll come back on the 3rd day and if he’s not better, we’re going to have to put him down.”

Nearby, the goat listened closely to their conversation. The next day, they gave him the medicine and left.

The goat approached the horse and said: - Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they’re going to put you to sleep!

On the second day

They gave him the medicine and left. The goat came back and said: - Come on buddy, get up or else you’re going to die! Come on, I’ll help you get up.

Let’s go! One, two, three"

On the third day

They came to give him the medicine and the vet said:- Unfortunately, we’re going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise, the virus might spread and infect the other horses.

After they left, the goat approached the horse and said: - Listen pal, it’s now or never! Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up!

That’s it, slowly! Great! Come on, one, two, three" Good, good. Now faster, come on"" Fantastic! Run, run more! Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you’re a champion!!!

All of a sudden, the owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting :- It’s a miracle! My horse is cured.

We must have a grand party………………………………………….. Let’s cook the goat!!!!

Not a happy ending L like other Monday musings ……..phew , never mind it’s just a story !

Moral of the story :

This might happen in life in general or work place because there are times when nobody actually knows who actually deserves the merit of success

But you shouldn't be discouraged because you are living a skill “Learning to live without recognition is a skill!!!” and you should master this skill because…..

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger

Abraham Lincoln once Said “Don’t  worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition”

If ever you feel that you are not recognized or not considered proficient , and from your inner heart  you know you are right then remember:

Amateurs built the Ark [which saved all the species] and professionals built the Titanic [all died tragically]

Make it a great Week !

Shailesh

The Result of Initiative !

Welcome to 115^th Monday Musings:

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Once upon a time there were three brothers who left the farm to work in the city.

They were all hired by the same company at the same pay.

Three years later,

·         Jim was being paid $500 a month,

·         Frank was receiving $1,000,

·         but George was now making $1,500.

Their father decided to visit the employer to find the reason for different salary .

Employer listened to the confused father and said, "I will let the boys explain for themselves."

Jim was summoned to the supervisor's office and was told,  "Jim, I understand the Far East Importers has just brought in a large transport plane loaded with Japanese import goods. Will you please go over to the airport and get a cargo inventory?"

Three minutes later, Jim returned to the office. "The cargo was one thousand bolts of Japanese silk," Jim reported. "I got the information over the telephone from a member of the crew."

When Jim left, Frank, the $1,000 a month brother, was called. "Frank," said the supervisor, "I wish you'd go out to the airport and get an inventory of the cargo plane which was just brought in by Far East Importers."

An hour later, Frank was back in the office with a list showing that the plane carried 1,000 bolts of Japanese silk, 500 transistor radios, and 1,000 hand painted bamboo trays.

Then George, the $1,500 a month brother, was given identical instructions.

Working hours were over when he finally returned.

"The transport plane carried one thousand bolts of Japanese silk," he began. "It was on sale at sixty dollars a bolt, so I took a two-day option on the whole lot. I have wired a designer in New York offering the silk at seventy-five dollars a bolt. I expect to have the order tomorrow. I also found five hundred transistor radios, which I sold over the telephone at a profit of $2.30 each.

There were a thousand bamboo trays, but they were of poor quality, so I didn't try to do anything with them."

When George left the office, the employer smiled. "You probably noticed," he said, "that Jim doesn't do what he's told, Frank does only what he'd told, but George does without being told."

Moral of the story :

Success comes from the initiatives !

You must identify who you are Jim , Frank or George, once you identify yourself then you can work towards self–improvement, and start taking initiatives. I have met many Jim who kept on spending their energy proving that they are George rather putting energy to improve themselves.

Success comes from taking the initiative and following up....persisting  eloquently expressing depth of your passion, What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum towards success in your life.

Make it a great Week !

Shailesh

Look at the Other Side !

Welcome to 114^th Monday Musings:

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A Father was reading a magazine and his little daughter every now and then distracted him.

To keep her busy, he tore one page on which was printed the map of the world.

He tore it into pieces and asked her to go to her room and put them together to make the map again.

He was sure she would take the whole day to get it done.

But the little one came back within minutes with perfect map...

When he asked how she could do it so quickly,

she said, "Oh... Dad, there is a man’s face on the other side of the paper... I made the face perfect to get the map right." she ran outside to play leaving the father surprised.

Moral of the story :

There is always the other side to whatever you experience in this world.

This story indirectly teaches a lesson. That is, “whenever we come across a challenge or a puzzling situation, look at the other side... You will be surprised to see an easy way to tackle the problem.”

Problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them, we must look if there is any other side of it !

Make it a great Week !

Shailesh