Contents

1. The Starfish

2. The Gossip Test

3. The Mousetrap

4. The 2 Wolves

5. Growing Bamboo

6. Helping Hands

7. A Yes Face

8. The Frogs and The Tower

9. Growing Good Corn

10. Obstacles in our Path

11. The Time Bank

12. A Walk in the Mountains

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 The Starfish

Alfie Says

Dad has always taught me to be kind to people, even strangers and those people I
dont really know very well.

Mark Twain once said Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the
blind can see, and this story shows that even with the smallest things, its possible
to make a difference.

One day a man was walking along a beach

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could
see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back
and forth this person went. As the man approached, he could see that there
were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural
action of the tide, and the person was picking them up and throwing them
back into the water.

The man was stuck by the apparent futility of the task. There were far too
many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish.

As he approached, the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by

one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person, he said: "You must be crazy. There are

thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a
difference."

The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and picked up one more
starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said:

"It made a difference to that one!"

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 The Gossip Test

Alfie Says

If youve got nothing good to say about people, then say nothing at all. Gossiping
and negativity never does any good and in most cases just makes things worse.

I remember one time at school when a boy was going round spreading rumours
about one of the girls in my class. When he came to me to ask me if Id heard, I told
him this story that my Dad had told me some time before. He stopped telling stories
about people after that

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high

esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, Do
you know what I just heard about your friend?

Hold on a minute, Socrates replied. Before telling me anything Id like you

to pass a little test. Its called the Triple Filter Test.

Triple filter?

Thats right, Socrates continued. Before you talk to me about my friend, it

might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what youre going to say.
Thats why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you
made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?

No, the man said, Actually I just heard about it and ...

All right, said Socrates. So you dont really know if its true or not. Now lets
try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me
about my friend something good?

No, on the contrary

So, Socrates continued, you want to tell me something bad about him, but
youre not certain its true. You may still pass the test though, because theres
one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my
friend going to be useful to me?

No, not really

Well, concluded Socrates, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor
good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?

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 The Mouse Trap
Alfie Says.

If you get the chance to help someone, dont ignore it, do it! We are all connected,
and next time it may be you!

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his
wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered.
He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: "There is a

mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said "Mr.Mouse, I can
tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot
be bothered by it." Then the mouse turned to the pig and told him "There is a
mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig
sympathized, but said "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I
can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry
for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house,
head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house - like the sound of a
mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap
had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the
hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took
his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's
sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the
clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not
get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral the farmer had the
cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So
the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't
concern you, remember: when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We
are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one
another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry.

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 The Two Wolves

Alfie Says

One day Id had an argument with someone at school. I was feeling a bit cross and
resentful, and I was jealous because they had something I wanted. Dad sat me
down and told me this story and I always try to remember it if I start feeling that
way again!

Its one of my favourites, so enjoy it and have a think about which wolf youre
feeding!

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is
between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity,

guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness,
benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather

..."Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

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 Bamboo
Alfie Says

Dad told me that persistence is one of the biggest keys to success, and that if you
give up too early youll never accomplish anything. He said that in business,
building a solid foundation is necessary and that many people quit just as things
are about to happen for them. To illustrate it he told me this story he learned from
one of his mentors, a man named Zig Ziglar.

Zig told him the oriental world is blessed with a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree.
This is a remarkable tree, and the way it is grown is very unusual too.

The Chinese bamboo tree when planted, watered, and nurtured for
an entire growing season doesnt outwardly grow as much as an inch. Then,
after the second growing season, a season in which the farmer takes extra care
to water, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree, the tree still hasnt sprouted.

The same happens during the third an fourth years. The farmer tends and
waters, tends and waters, for no apparent result.

Then, along comes year five.

In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and the
bamboo tree grows a foot a day, up to 90 feet in just one growing season! Or
so it seems.

So the question is; did the little tree lie dormant for four years only to grow
exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground,
developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward
growth in the fifth year and beyond?

The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen
foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew.

The same principle is true for people. People, who work patiently towards
worthwhile dreams and goals, building strong character while overcoming
adversity and challenge, grow not only successful businesses, but also the
strong internal foundation needed to handle their success.

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 Helping Hands

Alfie Says

When I was a bit younger I always thought I knew best. It annoyed me if anyone
tried to help me and Id get really frustrated. Then Dad told me thats its ok to ask
for and to receive help from others, and that its usually easier to be shown
something by someone first than to work it all out for ourselves.

Also, if possible we should always try and lend a helping hand too if its needed!

A mother, wishing to encourage her son's progress at the piano,

bought tickets to a performance by the great Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski.
When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert
hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on the stage. Soon the mother
found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away.

At eight o'clock, the lights in the auditorium began to dim, the spotlights came
on, and only then did they notice the boy - up on the piano bench, innocently
picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." His mother gasped in shock and
embarrassment but, before she could retrieve her son, the master himself
appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard.

He whispered gently to the boy,

"Don't quit. Keep playing."

Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in
the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side and
improvised a delightful obligato. Together, the old master and the young
novice held the crowd mesmerized with their blended and beautiful music.

In all our lives, we receive helping hands - some we notice, some we don't.
Equally we ourselves have countless opportunities to provide helping hands -
sometimes we would like our assistance to be noticed, sometimes we don't.
Little of what we all achieve is without learning from others and without
support from others and what we receive we should hand out.

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 A Yes Face
Alfie says

A while back I gave up in a cross country race at school. Dad told me he could see
in my face that I was going to quit, and he told me this story. Now I always try and
make sure Ive got my yes face on whenever I do anything difficult.

How about you? Do you have a yes face or a no face?

Long ago in The United States during Thomas Jeffersons presidency, he

and a group of travelers were crossing a river that had overflowed its banks.

Each man crossed on horseback fighting for his life.

A lone traveler watched the group traverse the treacherous river and then
asked President Jefferson to take him across. The president agreed without
hesitation, the man climbed on, and the two made it safely to the other side of
the river.

When they arrived somebody asked him:

Why did you select the President to ask this favor?

The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the President of the
United States who had carried him safely across.

All I know, he said, is that on some of your faces was written the answer
No and on some of them was the answer Yes.

His was a Yes face.

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 The Frogs and the Tower

Alfie Says

Dad tells me that in business and in life there will be lots of people who will try to
tell you it cant be done. He says I shouldnt listen to them and that anything is
possible with the right mindset and lots of persistence. He said I should turn a deaf
ear to them, and as an example he told me how Thomas Edison failed 10,000
times before he made the incandescent light bulb work Wow, thats persistence!

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running

competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd
had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...

The race began.

Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the
top of the tower. All you heard were statements such as:

"Oh its WAY too difficult!!" "They will NEVER make it to the top".

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one, except for those who in a fresh
tempo were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up, but ONE continued higher and higher
and higher...

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower except for the one
tiny frog who, after a huge effort, was the only one who reached the top!

Of course all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one
frog managed to do it? One contestant then asked the tiny frog how he had
found the strength to reach the goal.

It turned out the winner was deaf, so hadnt listened to all those who said it
couldnt be done.

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 Growing Good Corn

Alfie Says.

Dad taught me early on that you cant out give the universe. He told me that truly
prosperous people understand the importance of contribution, and that when you
give, whether its money, love, or kindness, you get back in abundance.

I like this story about a farmer who understood this well

There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year
he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something

interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer
shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when
they are entering corn in competition with yours each year? the reporter
asked.

Why sir, said the farmer, didnt you know? The wind picks up pollen from
the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow
inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn.
If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve
unless his neighbors corn also improves.

So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their
neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to
live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those
who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of
each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this

If we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

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 Obstacles in our Path

Alfie Says.

Sometimes things just seem to get in our way. We really want something, but just
as we think we are getting somewhere an obstacle appears.

Dad tells me that most people just complain and give up at that point, but if we
dont, with most obstacles can also come great opportunity.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway

Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge
rock.

Some of the Kings merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked
around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but
none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.

Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to
move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he
finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in
the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins
and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who
removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand.

..Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

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 The Time Bank
Alfie Says

Dads mentor, Jim Rohn always said that time is more valuable than money. You
can always get more money but you cannot get more time. The Time Bank is a
story Dad told me to make that point. I like it and even though Im young, I always
aim to fill my time as productively as possibly!

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning

with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it
deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!

Well each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off,
as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest in good purpose. It carries
over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for
you. Each night it burns the remains of the day If you fail to use the days
deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against
tomorrow. You must live in the present on todays deposits. Invest it so as to
get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of TODAY.

To realise the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realise the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a
premature baby.

To realise the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realise the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realise the value of ONE MINUTE, ask the person who missed the train.

To realise the value of ONE SECOND, ask the person who just avoided an
accident.

To realise the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the athlete who won a silver
medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you
shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. And
remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a
mystery. Today is a gift - thats why its called the present!!!

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 A Walk in the Mountains

Alfie Says.

Dad always tells me that I should be careful with the things I say, both to myself
and others. He says that if I say good, positive things, then good positive things are
more likely to happen to me. On the other hand, if Im nasty and spiteful and say
bad, negative things, Ill most likely get that sort of thing back.

He told me this story and its one of my favourites

A son and his father were walking in the mountains.

Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:

AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Curious, he yells: Who are you? and he receives the answer: Who are you?

Angered at the response, he screams: Coward! And he receives the answer:

Coward!So he looks to his father and asks: Father, whats going on?

The father smiles and says: My son, pay attention.

And then he screams to the mountain: I admire you! The voice answers: I
admire you!

Again the man screams: You are a champion! The voice answers: You are a
champion!

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains: People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It
gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our
actions.

If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.

If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; Life will give
you back everything you have given to it.

YOUR LIFE IS NOT COINCIDENCE. ITS A REFLECTION OF YOU!

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