What Do You Mean by Peace?: Anonymous

There was once a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint
the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all
the pictures. But, there were only two he really liked, and he had to
choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for
peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky
with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought it was a perfect
picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare.
Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning
played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This
did not look peaceful at all.But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall, a tiny
bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had
built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest -- in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second
picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

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How to Succeed in Sales: Francis Kong

A rich Dutch merchant was seeking to buy a certain
diamond to add to his collection. A famous dealer in New
York found such a stone and called him to come and see it.

The merchant flew immediately to New York, where the
dealer had assigned his best diamond expert to close the
transaction. The diamond expert described the stone's
worth and beauty in perfect technical detail, but after the
pitch, the Dutchman decided not to buy it.
Before he left, the owner of the store stepped forward and
asked, "Do you mind if I show you that stone once more?"
The merchant agreed.
The store owner did not repeat one thing that his expert
salesman had said. He simply took the stone in his hand,
stared at it, and described the beauty of the stone in a way
that revealed why this stone stood out from all the others he
had seen in his life. The customer bought it immediately.
Putting his new purchase into his breast pocket, the
merchant said to the owner, "Sir, I wonder why you were
able to sell me this stone when your salesman could not?"
The owner replied, "That salesman is the best in the
business. He knows more about diamonds than anyone,
including myself, and I pay him a large salary for his
knowledge and expertise. But I would gladly pay him twice
as much if he had what I have. You see, he knows
diamonds, but I love them."

If you are in sales, remember this: people can smell a fake
a mile away. And the sad thing about this is that many of
the people in sales are indeed just faking it. They talk about
the benefits of the products and its features using
superlative descriptions, but their hearts are far from the
product. Their only desire is to close a deal and to conquer
another client. If you are like this, then you are no good for
sales. You may be intelligent, you may be skilled, you may
be articulate and smart and good-looking, too, but unless
you take the time to love the product you are selling, to sell
it honestly as you know it, then you will never be an
effective salesperson.
Many of the successful salespeople I know are people who
take pride in their product and are willing to defend its
integrity. They love the product they are selling. This gives
them the added advantage that you cannot find in
professional salesmen whose objective is just to get that
precious order. Friends, loving your work, loving your
product, is essential in achieving true success in your field

Tags:short story, inspirational story, francis j kong, how to succeed in sales, sales

The Story of 3 Trees: Francis Kong

Once upon a mountaintop, three little trees
stood, dreaming of what they wanted to
become when they grew up. The first little
tree looked up at the stars twinkling like
diamonds above her. "I want to hold
treasure," she said. "I want to be covered
with gold and filled with precious stones. I
will be the most beautiful treasure chest in
the world."
The second little tree looked out at the
small stream trickling by on its way to the
ocean. "I want to be a strong sailing ship,"
he said. "I want to travel mighty waters and
carry powerful kings. I will be the strongest
ship in the world!"
The third little tree looked down into the
valley below where busy men and busy
women worked in a busy town. "I don't want
to leave this mountaintop at all," she said.
"I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they will
raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in
the world!"

Years passed. The rains came, the sun shone and the little trees grew
tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first
woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful and it
is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell.
"Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest," thought the first tree. "I
shall hold wonderful treasures."
The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is
strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax the second
tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters," thought the second tree. "I
shall be a strong ship fit for kings."
The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her
way. She stood straight and tall, bravely pointing to heaven. But the
woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree would do for me."
He muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax, the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to the
carpenter's shop. But the busy carpenter was not thinking about
treasure chests. Instead his work-worn hands fashioned the tree into a
feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold
or filled with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay
for hungry farm animals.

The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took him to a shipyard.
But no mighty sailing ships were being made that day. Instead, the
once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat.
Too small and too weak to sail an ocean or even a river, he was taken to
a little lake. Everyday, he brought in loads of dead smelly fish.

The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong
beams and left her in a lumber yard. "What happened?" the once tall
tree wondered. "All I ever wanted to do was to stay on the mountaintop
and point to God."

Many days and night passed. The three trees nearly forgot their
dreams. But one night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a
young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could
make a cradle for Him," her husband whispered. The mother squeezed
his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy
wood. "This manger is beautiful," she said. And suddenly the first tree
knew she was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing
boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into
the lake. Soon a thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. He
knew he did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely
through the wind and rain.
The tired Man awoke. He stood up, stretched out His hand and said,
"Peace!" The storm stopped as quickly as it had began. And suddenly,
the second tree knew he was carrying the King of Heaven and Earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were
yanked from the forgotten wood pile. She flinched as she was carried
through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a
man's hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday
morning when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath
her. The third tree knew that God's love had changed everything.

It had made the first tree beautiful, it had made the second tree strong and
every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.
That was better than being the tallest tree in the whole world.

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