| Cars and Speeding: Story on Perspective Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often?
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand.
Bob? Bob from Church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow. Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform.
'Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this.
'Hello, Jack.' No smile.
Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids.'
Yeah, I guess.' Bob seemed uncertain.
Good. 'I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once.
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. 'Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?' 'I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct .' Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.
'What'd you clock me at?'
Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?'
'Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65.' The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket. 'Please, Jack, in the car'
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window.
The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?
Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
Thanks.' Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.
Bob returned to his police car without a word.
Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost?
Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke?
Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:
'Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it- a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the
man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again.
A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left.'
'Bob' Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived. Life is precious. Handle with care. This is an important message; please pass it along to your friends. Drive safely and carefully. Remember, cars are not the only things recalled by their maker.  On CBS in December, they broadcasted on TV an hour-long documentary, "In God's Name." Jules and Gedean Nuedet are the producers where they interviewed twelve of the religious leaders since 911 over the last four years. Click on the link IN GOD's NAME to see who they interviewed. The conclusion at the end: "We have far more in common among the world's religions than have in differences." Finally, if you're looking for resources about learning about the building your faith, click Here to be taken to CD of the Month Club -- it's a Lighthouse that I recommend. ____________________ Wise Words Attributed to Mother Teresa of Calcutta People are unreasonable,  illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight;
Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they might be jealous;
Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best that you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway. _______________________ | | Quick Links... Breeding Success Blog | | | | | Visitor  , Good Monday morning, Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. "Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful! God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose your heart.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well share God's recipe. You can actually make up for lost time IF you have a roadmap for the future. How? An example shows you how at MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME. To move yourself from regret about lost time, it's important to gain the lessons that life has offered you, enjoy the present moment to its fullest, and make goals and plans for the future which will motivate you to focus on future success, not present stressors. 
By the way, I've added audio to my website, which you can hear by going to
www.breedingtrust.com/home.htm or www.breedingtrust.com/products.htm | | Be Brave! One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up. Remember the five simple rules to be happy: Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
Live simply and appreciate what you have.
Give more of yourself
Expect Ingratitude | | A friend of mine in India sent this prayer: St. Theresa's Prayer:
May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite Possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you Have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are unique and special.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us. | | | Accepting Constructive Criticism It is my personal belief that accepting criticism is one of the single most important ingredient for success in our business and private lives. If we refuse to accept it, we may save ourselves some hurt feelings, but we will pay the price in bad decisions and mistakes that could have been easily avoided or corrected. By accepting criticism objectively and with as little personal involvement as possible, we prevent a clouded judgment, a string of bad decisions, and lots and lots of unnecessary stress. But just accepting it is not enough. Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.
- Winston Churchill Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.
- Frank A. Clark
| | | Bit of Humor This one is priceless... Wrong email address! A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address! A Minneapolis couple decided to go to west to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email. Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston , a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack.
The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read: To: My Loving Wife Subject: I've Arrived Date: October 16, 2007 I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones.
I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.
Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here! Make it a good day! Charlie Charles A. Breeding, President
Performance Improvement Institute
340 Lake Point Lane, Belews Creek, NC USA 27009
+01 (336) 643-1115 | | Save 25% on "Making Time" E-Book | | | I've developed a new Time Mgt. home-study course that you can read HERE. You can save 25% on "Making Time: Managing Priorities & Achieving More" by taking advantage of this offer. Effective Feb. 28th, the price goes to $60 but you can receive it for $45 --- or get the first module for $10 by acting today. Go here to see the three offers. Offer Expires: March 28th, 2008 | | |
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