Blind Men & Elephant

I do not know who wrote this poem, but they were wise. It tells of the importance of not making assumptions and doing your homework before judging.

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, "Ho! what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me `tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

If you are looking at a franchise, new business venture or joining a new religion, get all the facts before rendering a decision. Making snap judgments can cause bad decisions. Getting all of information can tell you if you are looking at an Elephant or if it is in your imagination.

3 Words Guarantee Failure

SALES SOURCE | by Geoffrey James
Mar 19, 2012

3 Words That Guarantee Failure
People who fail to achieve goals signal their intent to fail by using this common phrase. Make sure you aren't falling into the same trap.

People who fail to achieve goals almost always signal their intent to fail by using three little words:
"I will try..."

There are no three words in the English language that are more deceptive, both to the person who says them and the person who hears them.
People who say "I will try" have given themselves permission to fail. No matter what happens, they can always claim that they "tried."

People who hear "I will try" and don't realize what it really means are fooling themselves, by thinking there's a chance that the speaker will actually succeed.

People who really and truly achieve goals never say "I will try."
Instead, they always say "I will do" something–or, better yet, "I must do" whatever the task is.

As a wise (though fictional) guru once said: "Do, or do not. There is no 'try.'"

Follow your Dream!

Successful entrepreneur Alan Hall listed his twelve traits to become an entrepreneur. The first trait he suggested and maybe the most important was to “follow your dream.” Over a few months Alan goes into more depth about each of those he listed his Deseret Newspaper articles. It would be worth getting on line and reading his comments as he wrote them starting in January of 2012 from the newspaper in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I am giving my own take on his 12 entrepreneur traits. First was to follow your dreams. Personally I do not think the dream has to be specific to any one idea. Dream about becoming an entrepreneur, owning your own business and controlling your own destiny is your first step. It is never too early to start.

Most of us were introduced to becoming a small business owner when we were young. I started about at the age of 6 when I learned collecting pop bottles was a real money maker. My parents encouraged me and by age eleven I had advanced into selling Christmas Cards door to door. Most little kids sell lemonade, candy or vegetables from the parent’s garden. We all have to start somewhere. Hopefully we can start early in life.

Usually pressure is put upon the children and they are told education is important for us to get a real job. If parents are smart they would teach the children to cultivate their entrepreneur talents as they get their education. I was once told by a very wealthy person, “the richest people in the world are entrepreneurs but with an education.” If we don’t develop both talents, we will just become educated persons working for entrepreneurs.

Don’t hold yourselves back and for sure don’t hold your children back from achieving everything that can be had. It is never too late or too early to start.