A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5 year old son waiting for him at the door.

“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
“Yeah sure, what is it?”
“Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”
“That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.
“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” pleaded the little boy.
“If you must know, I make R100 an hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I please borrow R50?”

The father was furious … “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work long hard hours every day and don’t have time for such childish behaviour.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions.

How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. May be there was something he really needed to buy with that R50, and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

“Are you asleep, son?” he asked.
“No Daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.
“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on your earlier,” said the man.
“It’s been a long day, and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s that R50 you asked for.”

The little boy sat straight up, smiling, “Oh, thank you Daddy!” he yelled.

Then reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father.

“Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.
“Daddy, I have R100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

Share this story with someone you like – but even better, share R100 worth of time with someone you love. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

Fail to honour people, they fail to honour you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say: “We did this ourselves.” – Lao Tzu

This will make you think. Take this quiz :

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are best in their fields, but the accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz; see how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who helped you on your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier? The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

Golf teaches that we all have handicaps … and that hardly anybody knows what they really are.

Golf teaches that the best courses are the ones that hardly change at all what God put there to begin with.

Golf teaches that although there are a few people who are honest in golf but cheat in life, everybody who cheats in golf cheats in life.

Golf teaches that even though we need strict rules, we also need a leaf rule.

Golf teaches that even people who wear green pants deserve some place where they can go, get a little exercise and not be laughed at.

Golf teaches that even though you probably don’t have a shot at being the best, you do have a good shot at being the best you can be.

Golf teaches that both success and failure are temporary.

Golf teaches that success is a lot more temporary.

Golf teaches that although practice does not always make us perfect, no practice always makes us imperfect.

Golf teaches that no matter how good you are, there is always someone better and that person will usually find you and tell you.

Golf teaches that when you are good you can tell people, but when you are great they will tell you.

Golf teaches that although patience is a virtue, slow play is not.

Golf teaches that even though the best golfers have the most chances to win, the other golfers have the most chances to improve.

Golf teaches that, on some dewy morning or some golden afternoon, with the sun warming the world, we can find ourselves walking through an improvised meadow and realise we are not searching for the little white ball, but for a moment where the world of nature and the world of play are one. And then in the dew and sunshine we can understand that even though we can make a ball perfectly white, only God can make a meadow perfectly green.

By Rabbi Marc Gellman, Ph.D., and Monsignor Tom Hartman

If, when you think of leadership, you see your name and face surrounded by lights and awards, you have misunderstood what leadership is all about.

Leadership is about others.  It is only after you have invested sufficient time and resources in developing and growing others that the plaudits arrive – because their efforts and effectiveness reflect directly on you.

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

Jack Welch

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.

The one thing I learn more and more is that you don’t have to be smart to make money. Now, not to say that life is all about making money. Far from it in fact from my perspective. But, when it comes to making money, there are many interesting observations that have become more evident as I get older, er, wiser, or something.

People who make money are most often persistent, passionate, respectful, and whole bunch of things. But you don’t have to be smart to make money. A good dose of chutzpah helps and being a mench is key. Charm never hurt, and of course, the most important ingredient, luck. But one does not have to be an academic to make money.

I know many many smart people who have no money and I know many rich people who are not smart. In fact I remember a very wise man once saying that making money is about 10% seichel (smarts) and 90% mazal (luck) and those you use more seichel always land up making less money.

Yes, when you get too clever for your own good we generally mess things up. So, don’t mess with a winning formula! Don’t forgot who you are and where you have come from – stay grounded.

And always remember to say what you mean and mean what you say.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

A hairdresser decided to open up his own hair salon. He wanted to give his clientele style and quality.

So he employed the best stylists and cutters he could find. He paid them accordingly and his clientele paid him, happily, R60 a time. For three months all went well.

Until one day another hairdresser opened up right across the street from him.

This salon was a very different story. On the day it opened for a business a sign appeared which read: Haircuts R6 a time.

Now this was very worrying for the first hairdresser.

How could he possibly compete? He simply had to charge R60 to keep up the standards he had promised his customers.

For days and days he fretted, wondering how to overcome his rival. Then it came to him.

The very next day a sign appeared outside his salon. It read quite simply: We fix R6 haircuts.

Now ask yourself this.

Which side of the street does your advertising agency live on?

Keep your THOUGHTS positive …
Because your thoughts
become your WORDS
Keep your WORDS positive …
Because your words
become your ACTIONS
Keep your ACTIONS positive …
Because your actions
becomes your HABITS
Keep your HABITS positive …
Because your Habits
become your VALUES
Keep your VALUES positive …
Because your values
become your DESTINY