By Z. Ziglar
For
many generations before this century the standard procedure for developing
skilled craftsmen was for the father to teach the sons his trade. The
skills necessary for the craft were passed from one generation to
another.
Many
years ago a shoe maker was teaching his nine-year-old son his craft to prepare
him for life. One day while working, an awl fell from the shoe maker’s
table and tragically put out the eye of his nine-year-old son. Without
the medical knowledge and expertise of today, the son ended up losing not only
that eye, but the other one as well.
His
father put him in a special school for the sightless. At that time the
blind were taught to read by using large, carved wooden blocks. They were
clumsy, awkward to handle and required a considerable amount of time to
learn. The shoe maker’s son, however, was not content only to learn to
read himself. He knew there must be an easier, better way. Over the
years, he devised a new reading system for the blind by punching dots into
paper. To accomplish his objective, the shoe maker’s son used the same
awl that had blinded him. His name was Louis Braille.
The
old saying is still true: It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle
what happens to you that counts. I love what President Reagan said about
his first term in office: “Since I came to the White House I got two hearing
aids, a colon operation, skin cancer, a prostate operation and I was
shot.” He paused. “I’ve never felt better in my life.” I believe
you will agree that attitude will propel you farther than bemoaning unfortunate
incidents in your life. Give it a try. Take the advice of Helen
Keller, who said, “If the outlook is not good, try the uplook. It’s
always good.”
No comments:
Post a Comment