success
The road to success is always under construction; share your equations for success — and learn some new ones.
The Boy Who Lost Millions
Hobo. H-o-b-o. Never a nice word, at least the way I’ve heard it. People passing by me on the road muttering under their breaths. My story is famous, and no one will ever let me forget it. The worst part is, it didn’t have to be this way. One small change could alter my entire world.
By Amy Dane Falkowski5 years ago in Motivation
The Walk of Average
For Average had been walking for years, decades wondering when or if he would get there. Average did not know what “there” was. However, Everyone seemed to be “there”. Average thought to himself, Everyone is there already. It flustered him having to walk every day through the same path past the same giants, the same mountains to always end up walking back home and having to restart his path again the next morning. Average saw Everyone going through the same motions and paths he was going through. The difference was that Everyone’s path appeared to be easier, prettier than his. And he continued with the same routine every day and each day he would ask himself if that was it. He wondered if the glorious stories of knights and beautiful castles embraced in joy were ever true. He wondered if all those stories were now just that, nothing else but a story. Before he knew it, Average had grown, and more years had passed. Average was becoming more concerned. He had been collecting rocks throughout his walks. He had picked up many rocks including the rock of discontent, unwillingness, jealousy, hatred and the heaviest of all, the rock of loss of self-worth. One day, Average decided to take a different path. He had seen this path before, once even took a step towards it but decided it was too risky and went back to his usual walk. Walking slowly through the path, he realized he had walked too far in. It was now too late to walk back. “What was the way back anyways? He thought to himself, well, this at least is something new. Right?”. Nervously, he kept walking. As he kept walking, he realized that the giants in this new path were far greater and the mountains were far higher. The cliffs were far deeper. By now, his rocks became heavy. He wondered if he would ever make it. His knees trembled and he was starving. Without a sense of direction, he kept moving forward down the unknown path. That is until Average came across a stone. On this stone there was a small black book with rounded edges. The stone read, The Book of Talent. He stood across the little, small black book. Hesitant to pick it up, he walked away. Average decided to take a nap. However, he could not take his mind off the black book. Was that meant for him? Hours turned into days. Average finally decided to pick the little black book up. As he opened it, he was surprised to see empty ivory-colored pages. Average decided to take his new find, his new treasure back with him. Average decided to fill the ivory pages with his experiences. He began to record the mountains he crossed, the giants he fought and the cliffs he climbed. Average recorded the rocks he carried with him. He came to the realization that each time he recorded a rock, that recorded rock became a precious stone. Day by day a new rock was recorded until he had no more rocks and just beautiful stones. By then, Average came to the realization that he had somehow made it back home. He laid his black book flat and looked through the little black book once again, now with ivory pages embellished in ink. Doing so, Average noticed an expandable pocket towards the end of the book. In the pocket was a note that read, “The Book of Talent; Champions and Originality”. Average realized the reason Everyone’s path was “easier” was because they had found a little black book too. Average now became Original and his little black book with rounded corners became the door to the knights and beautiful castles embraced in joy.
By Mayra Martinez5 years ago in Motivation
Take Notes
I’m a little old for the game in which you choose a raindrop and watch it race the others down a window pane, but, since I forgot to charge my phone all day, I’m playing it anyway, the drops turning orange, red, then green, as the bus braves slick streets on yet another miserable evening.
By Emily Stephenson5 years ago in Motivation
The Weeds
Coyotes had been up on High Ridge Drive the last couple nights. They were tracking something. My uncle used to talk about how some winters they would form larger packs and stalk unusual prey. Talk down at the farm co-op sometimes turned to stories of savage attacks that seemed to happen when certain circumstances coalesced. The weather, the moon, the aurora borealis, the early season departure of the geese, I never listened to it much. Old Will Drucker often told of the time during The Great Depression a five year old girl had been killed by a pack down by Motrin's Mill. Although not everyone had believed it was the coyotes that got her.
By Greg Dueck 5 years ago in Motivation
Rectangles
In the ash-grey light of morning, in an outer borough of the city, Santiago refills the air freshener and wipes down the vinyl interior of his cab. And that’s when he sees it. There, on the larger, black rectangle of the back seat, as if it had just been calved, lies a smaller, black rectangle.
By Alice Twemlow5 years ago in Motivation
Altovise Ferguson: From Pain Points to Purpose Points
August 25, 2001 was the day that I was invited to attend a wedding of someone that I did not know. I was at a phase in life where I wanted to see people in love and happy. I love the idea of love and the events that happen on the journey to love, such as the wedding. Therefore, it was an easy yes when my friend asked me to attend a wedding with her to support her friend.
By Tavetta Patterson5 years ago in Motivation
Breaking Glass
Cassidy Brown stared at the strange package she found on her door step. After a long work day and battling the cold Chicago winter weather she was tired. Too tired to let her curiosity get the best of her. She took one last glance at the package before tossing it to the side.
By Fayth Christian5 years ago in Motivation
Last Rites
In March’20 when the whole world went into lockdown to save itself from the deadly Coronavirus, some people decided to give back to society and one of them was Yash. He was a 30 year old man residing in India who decided to start a Non Profit organisation(Last rites) to give a proper funeral for people who died due to Covid-19 virus. The pandemic victims could not get a proper funeral because their families were too scared to catch the super spreading Virus. Due to this mentality amongst people, the number of unclaimed dead bodies piled up at multiple hospitals all over India and sometimes hospital staff had to do the last rites of many victims. The NPO called Last rites came in and helped to reduce the burden of already burdened medical staff.
By Dipra Jain5 years ago in Motivation
Love Wins In The End
No one ever expected much from him upon his return to this small town. To say that his life was only going to continue to circle the drain was evident. Homeless and losing his mind, who walks away from a successful career as a chef? The poor guy, the one feeling I had left sparked for him, it really did.
By ThyLittleBirdy5 years ago in Motivation
Mystery of The Giver
The streets of Philadelphia are cold in January. The holidays are long over and on certain days like today, the morning after a heavy snow, they are empty. I used to think this was beautiful. Fresh snow, a quiet city. But these days I’m sick of the streets. I can’t believe I’ve been living on them for almost 7 years. It was only supposed to be temporary. I’d get back on my feet in no time.
By MP Tarantino5 years ago in Motivation
