Golden Visions and Associates | Coaching for Success
Thought for the Week
Your Success Thought for the Week of April 15, 2009
Better Tomorrow Than Today
Robert Cooper, author of Executive EQ, often tells a story about his grandfather when beginning speeches.  Sit back and enjoy. We'll explore learning afterwards.
 
Offering wisdom during long talks throughout the years, Robert's grandfather had taken great care to assist in Robert's development as a young man.
 
Robert described his grandfather:  "If you could measure intelligence in the quality of intensity in a man's eyes, he surely must have been a genius." 
 
Robert's grandfather, who died when Robert was sixteen, had four major coronaries before he succumbed to the fifth.

After each heart attack, his grandfather would call Robert to his side, burning to share his latest near-death insight. "I've been thinking about what is most important in life, and I've concluded that the most important thing in life is..."
 
Robert revisits this statement with the new insights that follows four times, each time enthralling his listeners to the edge of their seats wanting to share this great man's revisions and insights, many of which were quite humorous.
 
Robert's grandfather's last insight:
 
"Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you."
 
And then the grandfather said:
 
I have asked myself "What if every day I had refused to accept yesterday's definition of my best?  So much would have come back to me...to your father...to you.  But now it won't, because I didn't. It is too late for me." 

But it's not too late for you.
 
As the audience holds it's collective breath at this somber end of Robert's story, he stands tall, glowing with the love for his grandfather and authenticity and integrity that gave him the right to tell such a powerful story. 
                                                              ~ From: The Story Factor by Annette Simmons


I share this story with you for two reasons, the first of which is obvious. 
  • What if you took this wise man's dying insight as something to live by?  What if you asked yourself each day how you can be better today than you were yesterday; how you can give more today than yesterday; be more inspiring, generous, positive or imaginative...or make a difference in one more person's life?  
  • A highly-effective leadership tool to foster influence is 'story.'  As humans we love to be entertained.  A good story, one that grabs us and holds us in place as Robert does with his audience in the above example, opens our minds to listen to and learn more...and opens our hearts to be more willing to listen to what the story teller has to share with us.
Choose for yourself this week.  Will you be a little better each day than yesterday or will you enhance your story-telling prowess?  Either way you will be better one week from today than you are today.
Enjoy your discoveries and have a grand week.
Ann

To see more of my published articles, go to:GV&A, Coaching for Success and then click on Writing and Wisdom across the top.

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Permission is granted to either reproduce copy or distribute "Your Success Thought for the Week" for April 15, 2009 as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached. The author is Ann Golden Egl�, GV&A, Golden Visions & Associates, Coaching for Success, 541.385.8887, PO Box 1696, Bend, Or. 97709. www.GVAsuccess.com