Something inspirational

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a
successor to take over the business.


Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do
something different. He called all the young executives in his company
together.


He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have
decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the
boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one
very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back
here
one
year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I
will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the
next CEO."


One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a
seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him
get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would
water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some  of

the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that
were beginning to grow.


Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew


Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.


By now, others were talking about their plants,
but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.


Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed

his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing
Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering
and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.


A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company
brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.


Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened.

Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing
moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to
the board room.

When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the
other executives. They were beautiful - in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his

empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry
for
him!


When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.




Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and
flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed
the next CEO!"


All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his
empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim
was
terrified.. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have
me fired!"


When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his
seed, Jim told him the story.


The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then
announced to the young executives, "This is your next Chief Executive
Officer!


His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.


"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.


Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed.



I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me
today.

But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for
them to grow.


All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When
you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for
the one I gave you.

Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with
my seed in it.

Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"


* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap
later.


Think about this for a minute.


If I happened to show up on your door step crying, would you care?
If I called you and asked you to pick me up
because something happened, would you come?
If I had one day left to live my life, would you be part of that last day?
If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?
This is a test to see who your real friends are or if you are just someone
to talk to when they are bored.


Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?


They blink together,
they move together,
they cry together,
they see things together,
and they sleep together,
but they never see each other;
that's what friendship is.
Your aspiration is your motivation,

your motivation is your belief,
your belief is your peace,
your peace is your target,
your target is heaven,
and life is like hard core
torture without it!

Thank you for visiting and please come back, Arlene, Tango and Ruby