do that; At least no one ever has done
it
But he took off his coat and he took
off his hat And the first thing we
knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a
grin, Without any doubting or
quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the
thing That couldn't be done, and he
did it.
There are thousands to tell you it
cannot be done, There are thousands
to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to
you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the
thing
That it cannot be done, and you'll do
it.
Figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You've all that the greatest of men
have had, Two arms, two hands, two
legs, two eyes,
And a brain to use if you would be
wise. With this equipment they all
began,
So start for the top and say "I can."
Look them over, the wise and great,
They take their food from a common
plate And similar knives and forks
they use,
With similar laces they tie their
shoes, The world considers them
brave and smart.
But you've all they had when they
made their start.
You can triumph and come to skill,
You can be great if only you will,
You're well equipped for what fight
you choose, You have legs and arms
and a brain to use,
And the man who has risen, great
deeds to do Began his life with no
more than you.
You are the handicap you must face,
You are the one who must choose
your place, You must say where you
want to go.
How much you will study the truth to
know, God has equipped you for life,
But He Lets you decide what you
want to be.
Courage must come from the soul
within, The man must furnish the
will to win, So figure it out for
yourself, my lad,
You were born with all that the great
have had, With your equipment they
all began.
Get hold of yourself, and say: "I
can."
The World is against me by Edgar A.
Guest
"The world is against me," he said
with a sigh. "Somebody stops every
scheme that I try.
The world has me down and it's
keeping me there; I don't get a
chance.
Oh, the world is unfair! When a
fellow is poor then he can't get a
show; The world is determined to
keep him down low."
"What of Abe Lincoln?" I asked.
"Would you say That he was much
richer than you are to-day? He
hadn't your chance of making his
mark,
And his outlook was often
exceedingly dark;
Yet he clung to his purpose with
courage most grim And he got to the
top. Was the world against him?"
"What of Ben Franklin? I've oft
heard it said That many a time he
went hungry to bed.
He started with nothing but courage
to climb, But patiently struggled and
waited his time. He dangled awhile
from real poverty's limb,
Yet he got to the top. Was the world
against him?
"I could name you a dozen, yes,
hundreds, I guess, Of poor boys
who've patiently climbed to success;
All boys who were down and who
struggled alone, Who'd have thought
themselves rich if your fortune they'd
known;
Yet they rose in the world you're so
quick to condemn,
And I'm asking you now, was the
world against them?"
Things Work Out by Edgar Albert
Guest
Because it rains when we wish it
wouldn't, Because men do what they
often shouldn't, Because crops fail,
and plans go wrong- Some of us
grumble all day long.
But somehow, in spite of the care and
doubt, It seems at last that things
work out.
Because we lose where we hoped to
gain, Because we suffer a little pain,
Because we must work when we'd
like to play- Some of us whimper
along life's way.
But somehow, as day always follows
the night, Most of our troubles work
out all right.
Because we cannot forever smile,
Because we must trudge in the dust
awhile, Because we think that the
way is long- Some of us whimper that
life's all wrong.
But somehow we live and our sky
grows bright, And everything seems
to work out all right. So bend to your
trouble and meet your care,
For the clouds must break, and the
sky grow fair. Let the rain come
down, as it must and will, But keep
on working and hoping still.
For in spite of the grumblers who
stand about, Somehow, it seems, all
things work out.
Don't Quit by Anonymous
When things go wrong, as they
sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems
all uphill, When the funds are low
and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have
to sigh, When care is pressing you
down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he
stuck it out. Don't give up though the
pace seems slow - You may succeed
with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
Whe he might have captured the
victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the
night came down, How close he was
to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you
are, It might be near when it seems
afar;
So stick to the fight when you're
hardest hit - It's when things seem
worst that you must not quit.
My Comfort Zone
Unknown
I used to have a comfort zone
where I knew I wouldn't fail. The
same four walls and busywork were
really more like jail.
I longed so much to do the things I'd
never done be fore,
But stayed inside my comfort zone
and paced the sam e old floor.
I said it didn't matter that I wasn't
doing much. I said I didn't care for
things like commission checks and
such.
I claimed to be so busy with the
things inside the zone,
But deep inside I longed for
something special of my own.
I couldn't let my life go by just
watching others win.
I held my breath; I stepped outside
and let the change begin.
I took a step and with new strength
I'd never felt before,
I kissed my comfort zone goodbye
and closed and locked the door.
If you're in a comfort zone, afraid to
venture out,
Remember that all winners were at
one time filled w ith doubt.
A step or two and words of praise can
make your dreams come true.
Reach for your future with a smile;
success is there for you!
Count That Day Lost By George
Eliot
If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have
done, And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who
heard, One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went-
Then you may count that day well
spent.
But if, through all the livelong day,
You've cheered no heart, by yea or
nay- If, through it all
You've nothing done that you can
trace That brought the sunshine to
one face- No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing
cost- Then count that day as worse
than lost.
Life by Nan Terrell Reed
They told me that Life could be just
what I made it
Life could be fashioned and worn like
a gown; I, the designer, mine the
decision
Whether to wear it with bonnet or
crown. And so I selected the prettiest
pattern
Life should be made of the rosiest
hue Something unique, and a bit out
of fashion, One that perhaps would
be chosen by few.
But other folks came and they leaned
o'er my should er;
Someone questioned the ultimate
cost; Somebody tangled the thread I
was using;
One day I found that my scissors
were lost. And somebody claimed the
material faded; Somebody said I'd be
tired ere 'twas worn;
Somebody's fingers, too pointed and
spiteful, Snatched at the cloth, and I
saw it was torn.
Playing The Game Unknown
Life is a game with a glorious prize, If
we can only play it right.
It is give and take, build and break,
And often it ends in a fight;
But he surely wins who honestly tries
(Regardless of wealth or fame),
He can never despair who plays it
fair How are you playing the game?
Do you wilt and whine, if you fail to
win In the manner you think your
due?
Do you sneer at the man in case that
he can And does, do better than you?
Do you take your rebuffs with a
knowing grin? Do you laugh tho' you
pull up lame?
Does your faith hold true when the
whole world's blue?
How are you playing the game?
Get into the thick of it, wade in, boys!
Whatever your cherished goal;
Brace up your will till your pulses
thrill, And you dare Ð to your very
soul!
Do something more than make a
noise; Let your purpose leap into
flame
As you plunge with a cry, I shall do
or die, Then you will be playing the
game.
Influence By Joseph Norris
Drop a pebble in the water,
And its ripples reach out far;
And the sunbeams dancing on them
May reflect them to a star.
Give a smile to someone passing,
Thereby making his morning glad;
It may greet you in the evening
When your own heart may be sad.
Do a deed of simple kindness;
Though its end you may not see,
It may reach, like widening ripples,
Down a long eternity.
Before You
By William Arthur Ward
Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.
Do More
By William Arthur Ward
Do more than belong: participate.
Do more than care: help.
Do more than believe: practice.
Do more than be fair: be kind.
Do more than forgive: forget.
Do more than dream: work.
We Must
By William Arthur Ward
We must be silent before we can
listen. We must listen before we can
learn.
We must learn before we can
prepare. We must prepare before we
can serve. We must serve before we
can lead.
Be The Best of Whatever You Are By
Douglas Malloch
If you can't be a pine on the top of
the hill, Be a scrub in the valley-but
be
The best little scrub by the side of the
rill; Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the
grass, And some highway happier
make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be
a bass But the liveliest bass in the
lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to
be crew, There's something for all of
us here,
There's big work to do, and there's
lesser to do, And the task you must
do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be
a trail, If you can't be the sun be a
star;
It isn't by size that you win or you
fail Be the best of whatever you are!
Profit From Failure, Unknown
The test of a man is the fight he
makes, The grit that he daily shows;
The way he stands on his feet and
takes Fate's numerous bumps and
blows.
A coward can smile when there's
naught to fear, When nothing his
progress bars;
But it takes a man to stand up and
cheer While some other fellow stars.
It isn't the victory, after all, But the
fight that a brother makes;
The man who, driven against the
wall, Still stands up erect and takes
The blows of fate with his head held
high; Bleeding, and bruised, and
pale,
Is the man who'll win in the by and
by, For he isn't afraid to fail.
It's the bumps you get, and the jolts
you get, And the shocks that your
courage stands,
The hours of sorrow and vain regret,
The prize that escapes your hands,
That test your mettle and prove your
worth; It isn't the blows you deal,
But the blows you take on the good
old earth, That show if your stuff is
real.
Success Unknown
Success is speaking words of praise,
In cheering other people's ways.
In doing just the best you can, With
every task and every plan.
It's silence when your speech would
hurt,
Politeness when your neighbor's curt.
It's deafness when the scandal flows,
And sympathy with others' woes. It's
loyalty when duty calls, It's courage
when disaster falls.
It's patience when the hours are long,
It's found in laughter and in song.
It's in the silent time of prayer,
In happiness and in despair.
In all of life and nothing less,
We find the thing we call success.
On Top of the Rock
by Dr. Rick McGrath, Ph.D.
There are many rocks in my life to
overcome There are big ones and
small ones too