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Articles from Steve Goodier | Selfgrowth.com
- Imagination Power - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2013 from Steve GoodierOne of your greatest powers is ... your imagination. Let me explain. William James was a philosopher and one of the leading thinkers a century ago. He said this about the power of the mind: “Anything you may hold firmly in your imagination can be yours.” He believed there was tremendous power ...
Views: 1795(1 vote) - Destined or Determined? - by Submitted on Aug 13, 2013 from Steve GoodierA sky-diving instructor was asked, “How many successful jumps must a student make before he or she can become certified?” He answered, “All of them!” Sky diving, however, is the exception. Is your life built on a series of successes? Do you usually attempt something new and immediately ...
Views: 1018 - A Better Prayer - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2013 from Steve GoodierOne man, too inebriated to drive, was walking home along railroad tracks when his foot suddenly became stuck. He pulled and tugged, but could not free it from the tracks. Then he heard a noise and turned around to see an oncoming train. In a panic, he prayed. "Dear God, please get my foot out ...
Views: 1032(1 vote) - Ten Leadership Blunders - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2013 from Steve GoodierComedian Bill Cosby once said, “I'm not the boss of my house. I don't know how I lost it, I don't know when I lost it, I don't really think I ever had it. But I've seen the boss' job...and I don't want it!" Like it or not, there are times we are in charge. There are times we are all leaders – ...
Views: 1545(3 votes) - Following Your Call - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2013 from Steve GoodierOne man says it really happened. At the conclusion of his medical exam, the doctor asked him if he would please call in the next patient. So, he opened the waiting room door and called, “Mrs. Colchester, please.” Then he left the doctor’s office. He had walked some distance along the street ...
Views: 1076(1 vote) - Nudging Without Nagging - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2008 from Steve GoodierWe've all been there. We want to encourage a child to do her homework, or a spouse to complete his project, or a colleague to complain less and act more. How can we encourage without criticizing, berating or pushing too hard? Here are three techniques that can help you nudge without nagging. * ...
Views: 1296(1 vote) - Back to Basics - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2007 from Steve GoodierOne man said of his marriage, "I very distinctly remember my wedding day. As we unloaded the moving van into our little house, I said, 'Darling, this is your and my little world.'" "And I suppose," wondered his friend, "that you've lived happily ever after?" "We've been fighting for the ...
Views: 1025(1 vote) - Riches of the Heart - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2007 from Steve GoodierA funny story is told about a young woman who confided to her new lover, "My father is gone and my mother is in very poor health. It looks as if she will die soon and I will inherit all her money. We should get married; after all I'm going to be a millionaire!" Two weeks later the man became her ...
Views: 940(1 vote) - Looking for Diamonds - by Submitted on Aug 13, 2007 from Steve GoodierAlbert Einstein said, "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." Once discovered, such opportunities are like valuable diamonds hidden in the sand. Several years ago I spoke at church about how we are surrounded by "diamonds," if we could only recognize them. A man stopped by to ...
Views: 1542(1 vote) - Hang On to Each Other - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2007 from Steve GoodierToo 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 ...
Views: 924(1 vote) - Worry - the Real Enemy - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2007 from Steve GoodierWhat 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 ...
Views: 1231(1 vote) - The Power to Really Live - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2007 from Steve GoodierI 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 ...
Views: 922(1 vote) - A Game Anyone Can Play - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2007 from Steve GoodierThe 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, ...
Views: 1102(1 vote) - Someone to Look After - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2007 from Steve GoodierDuring my second year of college I was scouting around for a place to live, as my roommates had dropped out of school. One Sunday after church the pastor put his arm around me and said, "I understand you need a room. Our daughter is in New Zealand this year as a foreign exchange student. If ...
Views: 917(1 vote) - Can You Pass the Triple Filter Test? - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2007 from Steve GoodierWhen should you pass news on and when should you keep it to yourself? A scholar in ancient Baghdad was said to be unusually wise. One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?" "Wait," the scholar replied. "Before you continue, let me ...
Views: 1088(1 vote) - Encouragement Works - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2007 from Steve GoodierAt one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?" The little boy nodded yes. "Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?" The little boy nodded yes. "So," the coach continued, "when a ...
Views: 1388(1 vote) - Choosing Confidence - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2007 from Steve GoodierCarefully examining a display in the drugstore, a man asked the pharmacist, "Do you really guarantee this hair-restorer?" The pharmacist responded, "Better than that, sir. We give a comb with every bottle." Wouldn't you love to have that kind of confidence? One man quipped, "When it comes to ...
Views: 1334(1 vote) - Alive and Present - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2007 from Steve GoodierArchitect Frank Lloyd Wright once told of a childhood incident that may have seemed insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his life. It happened when he was nine years old. It was winter. Young Frank was walking across a snow-covered field with his uncle. As the ...
Views: 1107(1 vote) - Attracting People to You - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2007 from Steve GoodierIn West Virginia folklore there is a story of a country doctor who was called out to a holler late one night to assist a woman about to give birth. By the time the doctor arrived at the farmhouse, things had progressed to a point where the doctor asked the husband to help him by holding a gas ...
Views: 2228(1 vote) - When Are You Too Old? - by Submitted on Jul 03, 2007 from Steve GoodierWhen asked how it was that she has lived so long, one 91-year-old woman replied, "I think God is testing the patience of my relatives." When is "too old"? At what age do we give up? At 100, Grandma Moses was still painting, and Titian painted "Battle of Lepants" when he was 98. At 93, George ...
Views: 1030 - Real Liberation - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2007 from Steve GoodierWe humans experience two kinds of limitations: physical and mental. I had a remarkable conversation with a woman about physical limitations. Nancy was a sufferer of M.S. She could no longer walk and spent her waking hours in a wheelchair. "I'm not 'confined' to a wheelchair," she insisted one ...
Views: 1133 - To Honor Their Souls - by Submitted on Jun 27, 2007 from Steve GoodierPerhaps you have never heard of Katherine Lawes. Katherine was the wife of Lewis Lawes, warden at Sing Sing Prison from 1920-1941. Sing Sing had the reputation of destroying wardens. The average warden's tenure before Lewis Lawes was two years. "The easiest way to get out of Sing Sing," he once ...
Views: 1075 - "Reconciliation" - a Difficult Word - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2007 from Steve GoodierAn office reports that they have an answering machine that instructs callers to leave their name and address, and to spell any difficult words. Early one Monday when the secretary was reviewing the weekend messages, she heard an enthusiastic young woman recite her name and address and then ...
Views: 1494 - Don't Give Up on Trust - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2007 from Steve GoodierOne woman describes herself as "five feet, three inches tall and pleasingly plump." After she had a minor accident, her mother accompanied her to the emergency room. The triage nurse asked for her height and weight, and she blurted out, "Five-foot-eight, 125 pounds." While the nurse pondered ...
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