DIGNIFIED DEATH Blessed Mother Teresa (1910-1997), while serving as a nun and teacher in the Loreto order, received God’s special call to serve Him among the poorest of the poor. Thus she founded the order of the ‘Missionaries of Charity’ in 1950 in the filthy slums of Kolkata in India. One day, she found a poor, dying woman in a heap of rubbish. Her body was bitten by maggots, ants and rats. The mother carried her to a safe place, cleaned her and gave all possible medical attention and loving care. Her life could not be saved, but she died with a sweet smile on her face. She died with dignity. The mother remained close to her till her death. This incident gave her the inspiration to start a home for the dying, where people could die with dignity, receiving tender care and affectionate attention till the last moment of life. In 1952, the Mother opened the ‘Nirmal Hriday’ meaning ‘pure heart’ as a home for the dying. Dying destitute people brought to the Nirmal Hiday received the religious rites of their own faith before their death. The Christians received the Last Rites of Holy Liturgy, the Hindus received the Holy water from the sacred river, Ganges (Ganga) and the Muslims could hear the recital of the Holy Quran while approaching death. Thus they could die in faith and dignity, with the feeling that they are wanted and loved. The home was meant to gift a beautiful death to people who lived like animals; with the grace of angels, with the feeling that they are loved and wanted. She came to be known as ‘the Saint of the Gutters’. She spent all the money received as gifts, donations and awards for the care of the poor, sick and destitute people. She accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 “in the name of the unwanted, unloved and uncared people.” The mission of the Missionaries of Charity, according to her, is to “care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” To persons who volunteered to join her acts of charity, she said, “What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God. ” Her words reveal her vision about her mission , “We are all pencils in the hand of God. In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. She had a clear view about religion and conversion. She said, “There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I have always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu , a Muslim become a better Muslim , a Catholic become a better Catholic .” In her view, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” She said, “ Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. I see God in every human being. When I wash the lepers’ wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord Himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?” Mother Teresa was a true disciple of Jesus who taught us, “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them” {John 15 : 12, 13}. By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. This is Story No. 155 in this site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read previous stories and click ‘Newer Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in this site. Please click on a word in the ‘Story Themes’ to read stories on that theme.

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DIGNIFIED DEATH Blessed Mother Teresa (1910-1997), while serving as a nun and teacher in the Loreto order, received God’s special call to serve Him among the poorest of the poor. Thus she founded the order of the ‘Missionaries of Charity’ in 1950 in the filthy slums of Kolkata in India. One day, she found a poor, dying woman in a heap of rubbish. Her body was bitten by maggots, ants and rats. The mother carried her to a safe place, cleaned her and gave all possible medical attention and loving care. Her life could not be saved, but she died with a sweet smile on her face. She died with dignity. The mother remained close to her till her death. This incident gave her the inspiration to start a home for the dying, where people could die with dignity, receiving tender care and affectionate attention till the last moment of life. In 1952, the Mother opened the ‘Nirmal Hriday’ meaning ‘pure heart’ as a home for the dying. Dying destitute people brought to the Nirmal Hiday received the religious rites of their own faith before their death. The Christians received the Last Rites of Holy Liturgy, the Hindus received the Holy water from the sacred river, Ganges (Ganga) and the Muslims could hear the recital of the Holy Quran while approaching death. Thus they could die in faith and dignity, with the feeling that they are wanted and loved. The home was meant to gift a beautiful death to people who lived like animals; with the grace of angels, with the feeling that they are loved and wanted. She came to be known as ‘the Saint of the Gutters’. She spent all the money received as gifts, donations and awards for the care of the poor, sick and destitute people. She accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 “in the name of the unwanted, unloved and uncared people.” The mission of the Missionaries of Charity, according to her, is to “care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” To persons who volunteered to join her acts of charity, she said, “What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God. ” Her words reveal her vision about her mission , “We are all pencils in the hand of God. In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. She had a clear view about religion and conversion. She said, “There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I have always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu , a Muslim become a better Muslim , a Catholic become a better Catholic .” In her view, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” She said, “ Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. I see God in every human being. When I wash the lepers’ wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord Himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?” Mother Teresa was a true disciple of Jesus who taught us, “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them” {John 15 : 12, 13}. By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. This is Story No. 155 in this site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read previous stories and click ‘Newer Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in this site. Please click on a word in the ‘Story Themes’ to read stories on that theme.

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There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back to dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching. Diane had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, “Diane, let’s wash the dishes.” But Diane said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.” Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?” So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I need Diane to help make supper.” Diane just smiled and said, “Well that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.” She whispered again, “Remember the duck?” So Diane went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Diane’s he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Diane make a slave of you.” Reflection : “Thought for the day and everyday there after: Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, debt, fear, haltred, anger, unforgiving, bitterness, etc.) Whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing, HE has seen your whole life. HE wants you to know that HE loves you and that you are forgiven. HE’s just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets - It is by God’s Grace and Mercy that we are saved.Go ahead and make the difference in someone’s life today.” Share this with a friend and always remember… God is at the window

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God Is At The Window

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother, but I only have seventy-five cents and a rose costs two dollars.” The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me, I’ll buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes,please ! You can take me to my mother.” She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, cancelled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s home. ***************************************************** Treat your parents well while they are still healthy, do not only show your respect to them when they are in the grave. ***************************************************** Sacrifice Love ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little boy was told by his doctor that he could save his sister’s life by giving her some blood. The six-year-old girl was near death, a victim of disease from which the boy had made a marvelous recovery two years earlier. Her only chance for restoration was a blood transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the illness. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. “Johnny, would you like to give your blood for Mary ?” the doctor asked. The boy hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled, and said, “Sure, Doc, I’ll give my blood for my sister.” Soon the two children were wheeled into the operating room - Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and the picture of health. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As his blood siphoned into Mary’s veins, one could almost see new life come into her tired body. The ordeal was almost over when Johnny’s brave little voice broke the silence, “Say Doc, when do I die ?” It was only then that the doctor realized what the moment of hesitation, the trembling of the lip, had meant earlier. Little Johnny actually thought that in giving his blood to his sister he was giving up his life ! And in that brief moment, the final decision that he had made was the greatest love of all……… the unconditional sacrificinglove……………. **************************************************** Sacrificing PART of what you have is human’s nature, but sacrificing all of what you have needs a lot of LOVE. Nowadays people always think of what they can get in return before giving, if the return is less than their givings, then they will be reluctant to give. **************************************************** BE………… Be understanding to your enemies, Be loyal to your friends. Be strong enough to face the world each day. Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone. Be generous to those who need your help. Be frugal with what you need yourself. Be wise enough to know that you do not know everything. Be foolish enough to believe in miracles. Be willing to share your joys. Be willing to share the sorrows of others. Be a leader when you see a path others have missed. Be a follower when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty. Be the first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds. Be the last to criticize a colleague who fails. Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble. Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way. Be loving to those who love you. Be loving to those who do not love you, and they may change. Above all, be yourself. ******************************************** Sometimes a simple action, or something that you think is unimportant can change another person’s life or thinking. ******************************************** THANKS for spending your precious time to read the story and hope you can gain some meaning out of the story

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Unconditional Love

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother, but I only have seventy-five cents and a rose costs two dollars.” The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me, I’ll buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes,please ! You can take me to my mother.” She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The man returned to the flower shop, cancelled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s home. ***************************************************** Treat your parents well while they are still healthy, do not only show your respect to them when they are in the grave. ***************************************************** Sacrifice Love ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little boy was told by his doctor that he could save his sister’s life by giving her some blood. The six-year-old girl was near death, a victim of disease from which the boy had made a marvelous recovery two years earlier. Her only chance for restoration was a blood transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the illness. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. “Johnny, would you like to give your blood for Mary ?” the doctor asked. The boy hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled, and said, “Sure, Doc, I’ll give my blood for my sister.” Soon the two children were wheeled into the operating room - Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and the picture of health. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As his blood siphoned into Mary’s veins, one could almost see new life come into her tired body. The ordeal was almost over when Johnny’s brave little voice broke the silence, “Say Doc, when do I die ?” It was only then that the doctor realized what the moment of hesitation, the trembling of the lip, had meant earlier. Little Johnny actually thought that in giving his blood to his sister he was giving up his life ! And in that brief moment, the final decision that he had made was the greatest love of all……… the unconditional sacrificinglove……………. **************************************************** Sacrificing PART of what you have is human’s nature, but sacrificing all of what you have needs a lot of LOVE. Nowadays people always think of what they can get in return before giving, if the return is less than their givings, then they will be reluctant to give. **************************************************** BE………… Be understanding to your enemies, Be loyal to your friends. Be strong enough to face the world each day. Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone. Be generous to those who need your help. Be frugal with what you need yourself. Be wise enough to know that you do not know everything. Be foolish enough to believe in miracles. Be willing to share your joys. Be willing to share the sorrows of others. Be a leader when you see a path others have missed. Be a follower when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty. Be the first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds. Be the last to criticize a colleague who fails. Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble. Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way. Be loving to those who love you. Be loving to those who do not love you, and they may change. Above all, be yourself. ******************************************** Sometimes a simple action, or something that you think is unimportant can change another person’s life or thinking. ******************************************** THANKS for spending your precious time to read the story and hope you can gain some meaning out of the story

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Unconditional Love

HAPPINESS:

I don’t know why I chose today to bring a happy story, but as I sit writing this I sense it was a good choice. The weekend offers more time with your family and friends, and it is only a full working day away.

Do you celebrate a birthday in a big way? My observation is why wait a full year to be happy! I try to make every day full of the essence that brings forth a cheerful attitude.

Photo Courtesy: readersdigest.com.au

Today’s story is slightly different, it is more like a joke than a story, but hidden within it is a confirmation that certain things are more important than others.

If you strive for financial prosperity, would you bend your head down and charge your way through life, bustling everything out of your way. Or would you do your job to the best of your ability, remain cheerful and happy and watch with due care and attention as the play of life unfolds.

Chris Evert, the American tennis player once said, “If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that is a big accomplishment. That quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life.”

It is how you view life that assists in your efforts to be happy. Everyday situations arise that try to knock you off your pedestal, almost as if a magnet is pulling you down.

To do a certain task may hold you in high esteem amongst your colleagues, but to do it with grace, nobleness, cheerfulness and a most pleasant attitude; will imply that you have room for more. You have a big heart, but wait until they see it at its biggest. You are determined, but wait until they see you totally committed. In other words you’ll appear to breeze through every task, in fact you’ll find no need to impress people with what you do, it will be obvious.

Please enjoy this story, you’ll not be able to resist telling others…

100 POINTS

A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.”

“Okay,” the man says, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.”

“That’s wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth two points!”

“Two points!?” he says. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.”

“Terrific!” says St. Peter, “that’s certainly worth a point.”

“One point!? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.”

“Fantastic, that’s good for two more points,” he says.

“TWO POINTS!!?” the man cries, “At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!”

“Thank you for seeing that, that’s worth 95 points, please come in,” said St. Peter.

(Unknown Author).

Don’t TRY to impress, by doing impressive things. Allow your roots to be fed with love, grace and a happy attitude. Then everything that grows will be impressive without TRYING…

QUOTE: “Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything.”

(Eugene Delacroix).

CHILDREN:

Children need to be taught the truth. They need to both improve their knowledge and experience. When they see the truth in either of these, they advance.

Children are very perceptive. If you asked children over the age of eleven which emotion has the greatest value, most would eventually agree upon love.

Why would they agree on that emotion? Innocence and very little baggage.

But as adults we know that love is THE most important emotion. If we don’t allow it to manifest, it infuses and cripples the other emotions from operating properly. Yet strangely we don’t always prioritise it that way.

Courtesy: dailymail.co.uk

If you were to route every decision through love, life would be so much better.

So we have a lot to admire about the way children initially react and respond to situations.

Today’s story is how love should prevail over other emotions…

TIME AND LOVE

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived; Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge and all the others, including Love.

One day, it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So, all the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed to the end. She wanted to cherish the island paradise until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost totally under, Love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then, Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, “Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?” Richness answered, “I’m sorry but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat

and there would be no room for you anywhere.”

Then, Love decided to ask Vanity for help, who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, “Vanity, help me please.”

“I can’t help you,” Vanity said, “You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat.”

Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, “Sadness, please let me go with you.”

Sadness answered, “Love, I’m sorry but I just need to be alone now.” Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, “Happiness, please take me with you.”

But, Happiness was so overjoyed, that he didn’t hear Love calling to him. Love began to cry.

She then heard a voice say, “Come, Love, I will take you with me.” It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land, the elder went on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder. Love looked for Knowledge and asked, “Who was the elder that helped me?”

“It was Time,” Knowledge answered. “But, why did Time help me, when no one else would?” Love asked.

Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is.”

(Author Unknown).

QUOTE: “Experience is the child of Thought, and Thought is the child of Action. We cannot learn becoming a man from books.”

(Benjamin Disraeli, First Earl of Beaconsfield)

ADAPTING TO CHANGE:

Some change is forced upon you. Without doubt this is the change you may fear most, and justifiably so.

But there is an answer. The answer is trust. You must trust your ability to adapt.

Allow yourself to wallow in sadness for a while, perhaps a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks depending on the circumstances. Then time itself will help you adapt to change.

(Allow me to excuse one change. If you are faced with bereavement, then this is a change that few can expect. My advice would be to accept counselling from all; that means both the authorities and your family and friends. Cherish the happy memories and allow time to help heal the emptiness).

Imagine your very first love, and I beg forgiveness for those who still live their first love, but at the moment the relationship ceases, you’d had thought that the world would end.

Your friends and family would have given the appropriate support.

For every 5 plus factors in a relationship, there are normally one or two factors that you struggle with. Breaking up from your first love is a big learning process, not that you could see that at the time.

Coutresy: allposters.com

Every subsequent relationship is built on a better fundamentals; and so therefore… should every other aspect of your life.

Just a little trust and both small and big changes will not become so fearful.

The next story confirms if any suspicion exists, that events happen for a reason. Adapting to change following such an event will be done from strength and not from fear and weakness.

A DONKEY, A ROOSTER AND A LAMP

Rabbi Moshe took a trip to a strange land. He took a donkey, a rooster, and a lamp. Since he was a Jew, he was refused hospitality in the village inns, so he decided to sleep in the woods.

He lit his lamp to study the holy books before going to sleep, but a fierce wind came up, knocking over the lamp and breaking it. The rabbi decided to turn in, saying, “All that God does, he does well.” During the night some wild animals came along and drove away the rooster and thieves stole the donkey. Moshe wake up, saw the loss, but still proclaimed easily, “All that God does, he does well.”

The rabbi then went back to the village where he was refused lodging, only to learn that enemy soldiers had invaded it during the night and killed all the inhabitants. He also learned that these soldiers had travelled through the same part of the woods where he lay asleep. Had his lamp not been broken he would have been discovered. Had not the rooster been chased, it would have crowed, giving him away. Had not the donkey been stolen, it would have brayed. So once more Rabbi Moshe declared, “All that God does, he does well!”

(Author Unknown)

QUOTE: “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is your strength.”

(Arnold Schwartzenegger, Actor)

A beggar came and sat before me. “I want bread,” he said. “How wise you are,” I assured him. “Bread is what you need. And you have come to the right bakery.” So I pulled my cookbook down from my shelf and began to tell him all I knew about bread. I spoke of flour and wheat, of grain and barley. My knowledge impressed even me as I cited the measurements and recipe. When I looked up, I was surprised to see he wasn’t smiling. “I just want bread,” he said. “How wise you are.” I applauded his choice. “Follow me, and I’ll show you our bakery.” Down the hallowed halls I guided him, pausing to point out the rooms where the dough is prepared and the ovens where the bread is baked. “No one has such facilities. We have bread for every need. But here is the best part,” I proclaimed as I pushed open two swinging doors. “This is our room of inspiration.” I knew he was moved as we stepped into the auditorium full of stained-glass windows. The beggar didn’t speak. I understood his silence. With my arm around his shoulder, I whispered, “It overwhelms me as well.” I then leaped to the podium and struck my favorite pose behind the lectern. “People come from miles to hear me speak. Once a week, my workers gather, and I read to them the recipe from the cookbook of life.” By now the beggar had taken a seat on the front row. I knew what he wanted. "would you like to hear me?" "No," he said, "but I would like some bread." "How wise you are," I replied. And I led him to the front door of the bakery. "What I have to say next is very important," I told him as we stood outside. "Up and down this street you will find many bakeries. But take heed; they dont serve the true bread. I know of one who adds two spoons of salt rather than one. I know of another whose oven is three degrees too hot. They may call it bread," I warned, "but it’s not according to the book." The beggar turned and began walking away. "Don’t you want bread?" I asked him. He stopped, looked back at me, and shrugged, "I guess I lost my appetite." I shook my head and returned to my office. "What a shame," I said to myself. "The world just isn’t hungry for true bread anymore."

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Beggar And Bread

LOVE:

Love is such a complex subject. It is said that before you can love others, you must first love yourself. You must respect and admire your own actions, not to fuel your ego, but to make you credible.

When you see this love, you can then offer an equal to others.

Upon my study of anger, I found that 95% of the time anger is self inflicted. That is when you are angry at someone, you were first angry at yourself.

Love is exactly the same. If you sense your love is fading, first look at yourself and correct and tweak your own actions.

If you could avoid expectations in love, you’ll be surprised at how frequent love repays your own endeavours.

photo courtesy: easy-upload.net

Imagine a few blissful hours with your children in the park. You’ve bonded a little more. You walk home alongside the supermarket and seen and old lady struggling with her shopping. You have no hesitation; you tell the children to hold on a moment until you’ve helped pack the shopping in the car boot for this lady.

You return home and your partner has cooked the perfect meal, the house is tidy, the dining table set for a banquet. The children flitter through the house, find a seat to rest their tired body and sit quietly reading or watching television.

That may or may not be the perfect ending to a few hours play in the park, but it was if someone was watching.

The love you gave your children in the park, made you alert enough to see the lady struggling at the supermarket, whereas another day you’d have missed it. Your partner another day may well have been on the phone when you arrived back and flustered with the daily chores.

If you give it, you’ll receive it back! If you live in a world of lies, you’ll only ever dream of love…

Whilst this next story is called ‘Great Expectations’ it should be called, ‘Apply the Truth and Bliss Will Follow…’

Great Expectations

Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, and I have never met, but he taught me something so valuable that it changed my life.

Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb’s all time hits record. One reporter blurted out, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you’ll need to get the 78 hits?” Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, “78.” The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on Pete, you don’t expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats do you?”

Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. “Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don’t expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter’s box in the first place!”

“If I go up hoping to get a hit,” he continued, “Then I probably don’t have a prayer to get a hit. It is a positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place.”

When I thought about Pete Rose’s philosophy and how it applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband.

The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son’s baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! Thanks,
Mr. Rose!

(Barry Spilchuk, Speaker and Author)

QUOTE: “I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling the truth than adore me for telling you lies.”

(Pietro Aretino)