Stories have always been a cherished and effective way for humans to communicate ideas and lessons.
Early man used stories to pass on life lessons to younger generations so they would know how to avoid danger and find resources.
Much of what we know about the past is due to the fact that it was passed down through the centuries in the form of stories.
Stories have a way of igniting the imagination and sparking one’s curiosity. This is precisely why we humans are so enthralled with Netflix and social media.
We love hearing stories.
I still recall the scary stories that my father would tell me on our family camping trips. He would tell spooky/cheesy stories while we over-roasted marshmallows around our campfire.
There is something about a great story that speaks to us in a very innate and primal way. It’s almost as though we are preprogrammed to enjoy listening to stories.
Motivational stories are perhaps the most enjoyable and uplifting stories that one can tell. There is something about the underdog story that speaks to the heart in all of us.
This is likely because we have all been underdogs at some point in our lives.
We have all faced and overcome challenges in our lives and we find inspiration in stories of others overcoming their own challenges.
In this article I will share 17 motivational stories from people who have overcome overwhelming odds, conquered their fears, and changed the world with their ideas.
I hope you enjoy!
Table of Contents
1. Kentucky Fried Chicken
This is a story about an elderly man who was living in the state of Kentucky in the 1940’s. He was retired and barely getting by on his meager $99 Social Security Checks.
One day, at the ripe old age of 65, he decided that he needed to make something happen. He wasn’t satisfied with his current living situation.
He was sitting on a chicken recipe that his friends and family loved—and he wanted to bring his chicken recipe to the rest of the country.
He started out by driving from state to state selling his recipe out of his car. He would stop at every restaurant that he could to try and sell them his tasty chicken recipe.
Unfortunately, no one was interested. He even offered to give them his recipe for free if they would agree to share in the profits. Now, who wouldn’t agree to that!
Even with his generous terms—no one seemed to be interested in this man’s cherished chicken recipe. In fact, he was rejected 1,009 times.
Most people in this situation would have thrown in the towel after rejection number 20, but not him. He persisted despite the overwhelming rejection he faced on a daily basis.
And lucky for him, his persistence eventually paid off. He finally got his first client after his 1,010th sales pitch.
So, who was this outrageously determined chicken recipe entrepreneur? Well, you probably guessed it. It was none other than the Colonel himself, Colonel Hartland Sanders.
Now, if that name isn’t ringing any bells, Colonel Hartland Sanders went on to create Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is now one of the largest restaurant franchises in the world.
Moral of the Story
Now, the moral of the story is of course about the power of persistence. Colonel Sanders story is shows us that success often comes from relentless perseverance.
It comes from knocking on door after door until we get the inevitable “Yes”. Success requires us to push past rejections and disappointments so that we can find the people who are looking for the solution that we offer.
Not only did Colonel Sanders start his chicken recipe endeavor when he was 65, but he drove around the country selling his chicken recipe out of his car.
On top of that, he was rejected over 1,000 times! Now, if that isn’t a perfect illustration of the power of perseverance, I don’t know what is.
“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.” – Colonel Sanders
2. Three Feet from Striking It Rich
This is a story that was often told by the grand daddy of personal development, Napoleon Hill. I first came across this story while reading Hill’s global bestselling book, Think and Grow Rich, and it has stuck with me ever since.
The story is about a man who was bitten by the gold-rush bug back in the days when digging for gold was a tempting way to strike it rich.
Mr. Darby staked his claim and set up shop in Colorado. He immediately got to work, digging for gold day in and day out.
Mr. Darby actually had some early success, but it was short lived. He had discovered a promising vein ore, but it unfortunately disappeared and so did his hopes of becoming rich.
He dug desperately trying to find another vein of ore but continued to come up empty handed. After an exhaustive search, Mr. Darby decided to through in the towel.
He decided to give up on his dreams of becoming a gold-rush millionaire.
He sold off all of his equipment to a “junk man” for a few hundred dollars and headed back home. The junk man then decided to have a mining engineer look at the mine and assess what went wrong.
After analyzing the mine the engineer concluded that Mr. Darby failed because he didn’t understand fault lines and thus didn’t know where to look.
He estimated that the lost vein of gold could be found just three feet from where Mr. Darby stopped digging.
To the junk man’s amazement, the engineer was right, he discovered the lost vein of gold and became a millionaire!
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is to never give up on your dreams. All success in life depends on perseverance. Nothing comes easy and only the people who are willing to push through struggles and adversity are the ones who ultimately succeed.
You never know when success will come, but you know for certainty that it won’t come if you give up.
Remember, whenever you feel like giving up and throwing in the towel—you could be just three feet away from success.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison
3. Elephant on a Rope
This story is about a man that was walking by an elephant park and noticed something peculiar about the elephants.
He noticed that these huge elephants weren’t restrained by chains or cages but by a measly little rope tied to a stake in the ground.
He knew that these massive creatures could break free with hardly any effort at all, so why didn’t they? Confused by what he saw he decided to approach one of the elephant trainers and inquired about the rope.
He found the closet trainer and asked, “Why do these elephants just stand there and make no attempt to escape?”
The trainer replied:
“when they are very young and much smaller, we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”
Even though the elephants could easily rip out the stake simply lifting their foot—they think it’s impossible, so they don’t even try.
Can you think of an area in your life where this principal applies?
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is to never give up, ever. Even if you experience failure—keep trying. Imagine if the elephants never stopped trying.
They would have broken free a long time ago.
Instead, they are controlled by their limiting beliefs surrounding the rope. When they were young, they failed every time they tried to free themselves, so they eventually adopted the belief that it was impossible.
The reason this story is so powerful is because it’s so frustrating. Why don’t the elephants just try one more time?
Well, the same could be said about us. Often times we give up too soon. We give in to the false belief that what we want is impossible to achieve.
Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. Never stop trying. Even if you fail, try again. Sooner or later you will succeed, but only if you keep trying.
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
4. Frogs in a Pit
This story is about a group of frogs that were traveling through a forest when suddenly two of the fell into a deep pit.
The two frogs cried for help and when the other frogs came to see what had happened—they determined that the pit was too deep, and the two frogs couldn’t be helped.
The two frogs knew that if they wanted to escape it was going to be up to them. They started jumping and crawling their way up the side of the pit.
The sides of the pit were steep, and the frogs were struggling to make it out. The other frogs didn’t think it would be possible and told them to just give up.
Eventually, one of the frogs gave up and fell to his death. The other frog, however, wasn’t ready to give up and kept going.
The other frogs continued to encourage the remaining frog to give up and fall. Despite the discouragement from the group of frogs, the remaining frog persevered and eventually made his way out of the pit.
Once he made it out of the pit, the group of frogs asked him, “Did you not hear us?”
Then the frog explained that he was deaf, and he thought they were encouraging him to keep going.
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is—don’t listen to the naysayers. Naysayers are people who will discourage your from trying to achieve something.
Whether it’s starting a business, running a marathon, or traveling around the world, if your goal is ambitious then you will probably encounter some naysayers, or as the kids like to say—”haters”.
People who try to discourage you from going after a dream or goal are most likely doing so because they feel insecure.
Your ambition makes them feel inadequate. They may also care deeply for you and just don’t want to see you get hurt. Either way, don’t listen to them.
Be like the deaf frog and pretend like your naysayers are actually supporting you. Don’t let others deter you from going after something that you want.
You are the only one who knows what you are capable of and no one should be able to discourage you from going after your dream.
“Naysayers have little power over us unless we give it to them.” – Arianna Huffington
5. The Boulder and the Gold
This story is about a king that wanted to conduct an experiment on his subjects. One day he had a large boulder placed in the middle of a busy road.
He then hid and watched to see if anyone would try and move the rock. At first, people simply walked around the rock and didn’t bother to try and move it.
Some wealthy merchants walked up to the boulder and commented on how the king was neglecting the roads and he should have the rock moved.
It appeared to the king that none of his subjects could be bothered to move the boulder. Suddenly, a peasant walked up to the rock. His arms were full of food that he was taking home for his family.
Instead of walking around the rock like everyone else, the peasant put down the food and attempted to move the rock from the middle of the road.
The rock was very heavy so it took him a while, but eventually the peasant was able to move the boulder so people could pass by freely.
As the peasant was about to pick up his food, he noticed something in road where the boulder had been, it was a bag.
The peasant picked up the bag, reached inside, and pulled out a handful of gold coins. Inside the bag there was also a letter from the king saying that the bag of gold was a reward for whoever moved the boulder.
Because the peasant had taken the time to move the giant boulder from the middle of the road, which was disrupting the townsfolk, he was rewarded for his efforts.
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is to do what others aren’t willing to do. In this story, there were several people who complained about the boulder, but no one was willing to put in the time and effort to move it.
They would simply walk around the boulder knowing that it would continue to inconvenience other travelers.
When the peasant came across the boulder, he could have easily made the excuse that his hands were full of food and he needed to get home to feed his family.
Fortunately, the peasant had good character and knew that if he could move the boulder—he should. He was willing to do what others weren’t and he was handsomely rewarded for it.
This story outlines one of the most important keys to success, always be willing to do what others aren’t. This is a proven strategy to success and is practiced by the most successful people on earth.
“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I will do what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice
6. Thinking Out of the Box
This story takes place in a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter. He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that he would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.
Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.
The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black.
The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.
Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.
While he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag. He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.
The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:
1. Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.
2. Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.
3. Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.
She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark, “OH, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white and clear her father’s debt.
Story written by: Larry Stevens
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is that any problem can be overcome when we utilize creative thinking. In this story, the business owner’s daughter was forced to quickly think outside of the box so she wouldn’t have to marry the old loan shark.
If it wasn’t for her ingenious solution, she would have most likely been forced to marry the loan shark in order to clear her father’s debts.
When we utilize “out of the box” thinking, we are often able to create unique solutions to difficult problems.
Never let yourself be overcome by a problem. When faced with a difficult problem, try coming up with at least ten potential solutions.
This will help to exercise your creative thinking muscle and will force you to think outside of the box. The more you practice this technique—the better you’ll get at creative thinking.
7. The Importance of Struggle
This story is about a man who one day while walking came across a butterfly cocoon. He stopped to admire the cocoon and soon he could tell the butterfly inside was trying to hatch.
The man waiting for hours as the butterfly struggled to emerge from its cocoon. Suddenly, the butterfly stopped moving and it appeared to be stuck.
The man felt bad for the butterfly and decided to help. He got a pair of scissors and began to cut the butterfly free it’s cocoon.
After he was done cutting, the butterfly easily emerged from the cocoon and fell to the ground. The butterfly was swollen and its weren’t fully developed.
The man didn’t think much of it and waited patiently for the butterfly to flap its wings and fly away. Unfortunately, it never happened.
The butterfly wasn’t able to fly because it hadn’t fully developed before emerging from its cocoon. The man didn’t understand that butterfly’s need to fight and struggle their own way out of their cocoons.
Nature designed them this way. When the struggle and squeeze their way out of their cocoons, it forces fluid from their body into their wings which prepares them to fly. Its all part of the process.
Despite the man’s good intentions, the butterfly was now unable to fly and would live the rest of its life confined to the ground.
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is that the struggles that we face in life—aren’t always bad. In fact, struggles and challenges can make us stronger and more resilient.
They can also help to shape our character and resolve. Every time we are able to face a challenge and overcome it, we shape our self-image and strengthen our self-esteem.
Without struggles, we wouldn’t evolve and grow as human beings. We need struggles to keep us vigilant and strong.
If life were easy it would be stale and boring. That’s why it’s important to always be seeking out new challenges.
Never rely on others to fix your problems. Face them head on and never give up. You will eventually overcome them and when you do—you will emerge a greater version of yourself.
8. The Weight of the World
This story is about a psychology professor. One day he walked around his classroom holding a glass of water with his arm stretch out.
He asked his students, “How heavy is this glass of water?”
The student began shouting out answers. “4 ounces!”, “8 ounces!”, “No, one pound!”. The professor then relied, “The absolute weight of this glass isn’t what matters while I’m holding it. Rather, it’s the amount of time that I hold onto it that makes an impact.”
He went on to explain that if he had held the glass for only two minutes—the glass of water wouldn’t feel very heavy.
However, if he were to hold the glass for an hour, it would likely become too heavy to hold. And if he were to hold it for an entire day or week, his muscles would likely cramp, and he would be writhing in pain.
This would, of course, leave him feeling miserable and completely consumed by the constant pain. The weight of the glass in all of these cases remains the same.
But the longer the professor holds on the glass of water—the heavier it becomes.
The professor continued by saying, ““This glass of water represents the worries and stresses that you carry around with you every day. If you think about them for a few minutes and then put them aside, it’s not a heavy burden to bear. If you think about them a little longer, you will start to feel the impacts of the stress. If you carry your worries with you all day, you will become incapacitated, prohibiting you from doing anything else until you let them go.”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is about learning to let go of worries and stressors that are burdensome. This is especially true for things that are outside of our control.
It’s ok to be worried or stressed from time to time, that is just part of being alive. However, it’s not ok to be chronically worried or stressed.
Chronic worry and stress can have detrimental effects to our physical and mental health. If you are carrying around excess stress and worry, you need to learn to let it go.
Start by giving yourself a break for one day. Tell yourself that you’re going to let go of your worries and stress for just one day and if you find that you miss your worries and problems, well, you know where to find them.
After a while you will get better at letting go of your stress and worries and you will notice how better you feel once you let them go.
9. Thomas Edison and The Note
This story is about a young boy that came from humble beginnings that would grow up and one day change the world. This boy was named Thomas Edison.
One day the young Thomas Edison came home and handed a paper to his mother from his school. He told her, “My teacher gave this paper to me and told me to give it only to you.”
His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her son. “Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.”
After years, Edison’s mother died, and he was renowned as one of the greatest inventors of the century. One day he was going through his old family things. Suddenly, he noticed a folded paper in the corner of a drawer. He took it and opened it up.
On the paper was written: “Your son is addled (unable to think clearly; mentally confused). We won’t let him come to school anymore.”
Thomas Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is to never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Did Thomas Edison have a learning disorder? Maybe.
But obviously it didn’t hinder him from becoming one of the most brilliant and well-known inventors of all time.
Imagine if Thomas Edison had read that note. If he had, it’s unlikely that he would have gone on to invent the light bulb, the telegraph, the phonograph, and the telephone.
He most likely would have been devastated by the note and taken his teachers words as truth. Fortunately, Thomas Edison’s mother knew that her son would go on to do great things and told Edison what he needed to hear instead.
This goes to show that the only limits you face are the ones that you place on yourself. Never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. Go out and chase your dreams!
10. The Emperor and The Beggar
This story takes place in the dusty streets of one of Indian’s largest cities. One day, a beggar sat on the street procuring alms and rice from passersby.
In a given day, he would usually get enough rice for a small meal, and enough money to buy the firewood he needed to cook the rice.
At night, he slept under the moon and stars with only a few rags to keep him warm. He lived a tough existence, but he had grown accustom to it over the years.
One day, the beggar overheard that the emperor was coming to his town for a rare visit. Overcome with excitement, the beggar thought to himself, “I am sure the generous emperor will see the state I am in and grant a generous gift. The richest of all men will bestow some sympathy and relief on me in a manner that would undoubtedly surpass the paltry giving’s of the regular citizens.”
The beggar wanted to be seen by the emperor so he made plans to seat himself along the route that the Emperor would be traveling.
The night before the beggar went out on the street and set up his things. He was ready for the Emperor. The next day around noon, the royal caravan approached.
The beggar didn’t expect any great gifts from the Emperor, only a small gift and maybe some recognition.
So, the beggar was shocked when the cavalcade came to a stop right beside him with the great Emperor in sight.
The Emperor emerged from his caravan and exclaimed, “There he is! Just the man I was hoping to see today.”
The Emperor walked up to the beggar, reached out to shake his hand and said, “Tell me, kind sir, might you have a little gift of rice for me?”
The beggar was shocked to say the least. The Emperor motioned to his bowl of rice and asked again, “Can you spare some grains of rice?”
Still in a state of shock, the beggar began to slowly push five grains of his rice into the hands of the Emperor. Here he was, a poor peasant with nothing to his name and the wealthiest man in the land wanted the only food that he had.
The Emperor, with a big smile, thanked the beggar and went on his way. Confused and disappointed, the beggar watched the Emperor’s caravan disappear into the horizon.
Later that night, the beggar was cleaning the rice the little rice that he had left for that night’s dinner. Suddenly, he noticed a shiny object in his rice bowl.
He picked the shiny object out of his bowl and held it to the light, it was a gold nugget!
The beggar couldn’t believe his eyes. This gold nugget could buy him months off the streets. He quickly began to sift through the rest of his rice.
One… two… three… four more pieces!
As he stared in utter amazement at his rice bowl, it suddenly dawned on him, there were a total of five gold nuggets in his bowl.
One gold nugget for each grain of rice that he had given to the Emperor.
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is about the importance of giving and having faith. I’m sure you’ve heard “The more you give, the more you receive.”
Well, in my experience, this absolutely true.
Sometimes it can be difficult to give, especially if we are in need of help ourselves. However, when we give from our hearth—we often receive more than we need in return.
This philosophy is as old as time, and there is a reason why it has been passed down through the ages, it works.
Helping others is often the best way to help ourselves. So next time you find yourself feeling desperate and anxious, find someone to help.
Offer your assistance for free. I bet something good will come your way as a result. Give it a try!
“The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.” — Lao Tzu
11. The Blind Girl (short but sweet)
This story is a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”
The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying:
“Just take care of my eyes dear.”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is to show gratitude to those who love you for who you are and not for your looks, success, or possessions.
Those things are ephemeral and will fade with time. And once they do, who do you think will be left standing by your side?
In this story, the blind girl left her boyfriend once she discovered that he was blind. This is a shame for several reasons, not just because she was once blind herself.
The sad truth is that she will likely struggle to find someone who loves her as much as her blind boyfriend.
And if she does, she will most likely leave them once she discovers something about them that she doesn’t find appealing.
Don’t be like the blind girl in this story. Show gratitude and appreciation for the people in your life who love you for all of your quirks and charms and will be with you through thick and thin.
“Let people be who they are, and learn how to love them for who they are.” – Lenny Kravitz
12. Puppies for Sales
This is a story about a shop owner and a very precocious little boy. One day the shop owner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies For Sale.”
Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.
The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”
The shop owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.
One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”
The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.
The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.”
The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”
The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”
The store owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”
To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”
Story by Dan Clerk
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is about the importance of placing importance on a person’s character and not on their looks or physical abilities.
The shop owner automatically assumed that the young boy wouldn’t want the limping puppy because it wouldn’t be able to run and play like the other puppies. Thus, making him less valuable in the eyes of the shop owner.
However, the puppy’s physical handicap has no bearing on whether the puppy would make a great pet. By all standards, the puppy would be just as loving and affectionate as the other puppies, if not more.
Everything that makes someone special is on the inside. I’m sure you’ve heard that saying hundreds of times but it’s true. Beauty, muscles, great hair, these are ephemeral.
They will all fade with time and until we discover the secret to reverse aging, this is an unavoidable fact.
Make sure you surround yourself with people who have a lot going for them on the inside. If they are a good person with a generous heart, they will likely be that way the rest of their life and you will always be in good company.
13. Potatoes, Eggs and Coffee Beans
“Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the boiled eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. ‘Daughter, what do you see?’
‘Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,’ she hastily replied.
‘Look closer,’ he said, ‘and touch the potatoes.’ She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
‘Father, what does this mean?’ she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
‘Which are you,’ he asked his daughter. ‘When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?’
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is that we have the power to choose how we frame the events that happen in our lives.
We all face adversity throughout our lives. This is just part of being alive. However, not all of us react the same way to adversity.
Some people act like the potato. They start off strong and unrelenting until they face adversity and they turn soft and weak.
Furthermore, some people act like the egg when faced with adversity. They start out fragile and become hard and tough when faced with adversity.
Lastly, some people act like the coffee beans when faced with adversity. When the coffee beans were faced with adversity, they adapted and created something new and wonderful.
Strive to be like the coffee. Next time you face adversity, look for a way to turn that adverse event into an opportunity, turn lemons into lemonade or coffee beans into—coffee. Anyways, you get the idea.
“Life is 10% what happens and 90% how we react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll
14. A Pound of Butter
There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right amount, which he wasn’t. Angry about this, he took the farmer to court.
The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure to weight the butter. The farmer replied, “Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper measure, but I do have a scale.”
The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”
The farmer replied;
“Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker.”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is simply—you get what you give. In other words, what you give to others—you will receive back to you.
This proverb has been passed down for thousands of years in numerous cultures and religions. How we treat others is how others will treat us.
If we treat people poorly—then they will respond in kind. It’s a simple and profound equation. However, many people go through life without being consciously aware of this fact. Don’t be one of those people.
This philosophy can also be applied to your career, relationships, learning new skills, fitness, meditation, and much more. In fact, virtually every area of your life can benefit from this philosophy.
So, if you want to achieve something great in your life—you need to ask yourself “Is what I’m giving in direct proportion to what I hope to receive?”
“Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.” Jim Rohn
15. Twenty Dollars
A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. “Who would like this $20 bill?”
Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you – but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air.
“Well,” he replied, “what if I do this?” He dropped it on the
ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?”
Still the hands went into the air.
“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No
matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still
priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by …WHO WE ARE.
You are special – don’t ever forget it.”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is that your value doesn’t come from external things, such as, what you do for a living or what kind of car you drive.
Your value comes from who you are as a person. The people in your life who truly love you, don’t care about your salary or the brands of the clothes that you wear.
They love you for you. This is a comforting but often overlooked fact. Most people tie their value to the things that they own or the success that they’ve achieved.
These things can be great, but they will never increase your value to the people who matter most. So, don’t get caught up in seeking validation or approval in material objects.
Treat people with love, dignity, and respect and they will see you as one of the most valuable people in their life.
16. A Wise Man’s Advice
A wise man once faced a group of people who were complaining about the same issues over and over again.
One day, instead of listening to the complaints, he told them a joke, and everyone cracked up laughing. Then, the man repeated the joke.
A few people smiled. Finally, the man repeated the joke a third time–but no one reacted.
The man smiled and said, “You won’t laugh at the same joke more than once. So, what are you getting from continuing to complain about the same problem?”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is that complaining about the same problem repeatedly is a complete waste of time if you do nothing to fix it.
Like the old man’s joke, when something is said over and over—it loses its novelty. It doesn’t have the same effect as it did the first or second time.
When we complain about a problem or situation but do nothing to fix it, we are simply wasting our time and energy.
That time and energy could be put to much better use, like coming up with a solution. Your time and energy are valuable assets, don’t waste them.
Instead, channel that energy into coming up with solutions that will help to solve your problem. Life is too short to be wasted on complaining.
17. Cleaning Turtles
“Every Sunday morning I take a light jog around a park near my home. There’s a lake located in one corner of the park. Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage sitting beside her.
This past Sunday my curiosity got the best of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her. As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was in fact a small trap. There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly
walking around the base of the trap. She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a spongy brush.
‘Hello,’ I said. ‘I see you here every Sunday morning. If you don’t mind my nosiness, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.’
She smiled. ‘I’m cleaning off their shells,” she replied. “Anything on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim. It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time.’
‘Wow! That’s really nice of you!’ I exclaimed.
She went on: ‘I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own strange way of making a difference.’
‘But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?’ I asked.
‘Yep, sadly, they do,’ she replied.
I scratched my head. ‘Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent? I mean, I think your efforts are kind and all, but there are freshwater turtles living in lakes all around the world. And 99% of these turtles don’t have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, no offense… but how exactly are your localized efforts here truly making a difference?’
The woman giggled aloud. She then looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, ‘Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world.’”
Moral of the Story
The moral of this story is that small actions can have large effects. You don’t have to try and solve all of the world’s problems to make a difference.
You can start with something small, like volunteering at a food bank. Now, this isn’t going to fix the food shortages around the world, but it will be making a big difference in the lives of the people who are able to feed their families because of your work at the food bank.
The old lady by the lake was doing her part in making the world a better place. She was able to do that by cleaning the scum off the turtle’s shells.
This might seem insignificant, but it makes a difference to the turtles and their ecosystem. Find something that you’re passionate about and don’t think about how significant or insignificant it is.
Just do something that makes you feel good and helps make the world just a little bit better.
“If you cannot feed a hundred people, feed one.” Mother Teresa
Final Thoughts
I hope you found these stories to be inspirational; I know I did. It’s amazing how impactful a short story can be and how many lessons can be learned.
If you found these stories to be helpful, please share them with your friends and family. There is at least one story in my list that everyone can relate to.
These stories might give them the perspective and guidance that they need. Also, let me know what story you liked.
Which story spoke to you the most and why?
