50 Websites That Will Change Your Life Forever
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Top 100 Short Inspirational Stories
A collection of 100 short inspirational stories which will make you think deep and hopefully you will learn something from them.
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
- The dream that came true
- Value of hard work - The bruised hands!
- The judgmental woman
- A cracked pot
- Strength or Weakness???
- Kalam - The people person
- Your bank account
- Importance of attitude
- A story of a butterfly
- A vase and a poor man
- River cuts the rock
- A glass of milk
- How heavy is this glass of water?
- Old man and rotten bananas
- Encouraging pencil
- Success is how you bounce back
- A woodcutter and his axe
- God will save me
- Burnt biscuits
- Lunch with god
- A screw
- Farmer and the Old Donkey
- Sheela and the python
More stories coming soon...
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
A vase and a poor man
Once upon a time, there was an unfortunate poor man. His home was also very poor – a small and empty house, where mice made their nests and spiders made their webs. People tried to avoid coming into his house – why should they stick their noses into those poor ruins? And the poor man thought that poverty is the reason of his misfortunes – his eternal destiny.
So once, the poor man met a wizard and complained to him about his poverty and miserable life. The wizard felt sorry for the poor man and gave him an unprecedented vase. And said: This is a magical vase that will save you from poverty.
The poor man took the vase and wanted to sell it at first and then spend the money on alcohol, as usual, besides, why would he need such a beautiful thing? But then he started admiring the vase and couldn’t take it to the market. He brought the vase home, put it on the table and started admiring it.
It’s not right for such a beautiful thing to be empty, - the poor man thought. So he picked some wild flowers and put them into the vase.
It became even more beautiful.
Not good, - the poor man though again, - that such a beautiful thing stands next to a spider web.
So the poor man started cleaning his house from spider webs, sweeping out cockroaches and mice, cleaning the dust, washing the floor and the walls, whitening the ceiling.
And it became clear that his house wasn’t poor, but rather warm and cozy. And the poor man wasn’t a poor man any more, but a hard working host, who had no time for thoughts about misfortune.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
A story of a butterfly
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached as by the obstacles which he has overcome.
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
Importance of Attitude
There was a man who made living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of balloons Including red, yellow, green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium filled balloons into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon and his sales would go up again. He continues this process all day. One day, he felt something tugging his jacket. He turned around and saw a little boy who asked,” If you release a black balloon, would that also fly?” Moved by the boy’s concern, the man replied with empathy.” Son, it is not the Color of the balloon, it is what inside that makes it go up.”
The same thing applies to our lives. It is what is inside that counts. The thing inside of us that makes is go up is our attitude.
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Remember, a bad attitude is like a flat tire, if you don't change it, you will go nowhere.
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
Your Bank Account
Imagine there is a bank, which credits your account each morning with $ 86,400, carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!
Well, God had provided everyone 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 to 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 records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow."
Therefore, there is never not enough time or too much time. Time management is decided by us alone and nobody else. It is never the case of us not having enough time to do things, but the case of whether we want to do it.
Lost time is never found again, time is real money distributed equally to everybody :)
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
Old man and rotten bananas
Once there was a poor old man who lived in a small town.
One day a stranger appeared on his doorstep and requested him for drinking water. After drinking the water the stranger said that he was very pleased with the way he served a thirsty stranger, so in return he is intending to reward him with a bunch of Bananas. He said it is a rare breed and very tasty.
Old man was very fond of Bananas. He took it in and placed it inside a cupboard. He was very happy and thought of eating one fruit out of the bunch.
Suddenly he noticed a rotten Banana in the bunch. He decided that he will eat that Banana first and from tomorrow he will start eating the good ones. He ate the rotten Banana and closed the cupboard.
Next day he opened the cupboard and noticed that again a Banana was rotted. He decided again to eat that one for the day, so that he can start eating good ones from the next day. This went on and even when there were only two Bananas with one being rotten, he could not make up his mind to eat the good fruit.
He finally finished the whole bunch by eating only the rotten Bananas without even tasting the good ones.
Our life on earth is also like a bunch of Bananas, with each single fruit being a day. Waiting for good days to come calling is like chasing a mirage.
All that matters is what we do TODAY.
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
A glass of milk
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.
He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”
He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words:
“Paid in full with one glass of milk”
Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly.
No act of kindness is ever wasted. Smile. Be Kind.
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
How heavy is this glass of water
Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”
Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.
She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”
As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”
It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries. If you still feel the weight of yesterday’s stress, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down.
No matter what happens during the day, don’t carry your worries, put all your burdens down
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
A river cuts the rock
An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. They were moving to a smaller house because they could not afford to stay in the present house after paying the doctor's bills. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and there was no one to loan them the money.
When she heard her Daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation, 'Only a miracle can save him now', the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.
Clutching the precious piggy bank tightly, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the local drugstore. She took a quarter from her bank and placed it on the glass counter.
"And what do you want?" asked the pharmacist.
"It's for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He's really very sick and I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg you pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry," the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs."
In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stopped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"
"I don't know," She replied with her eyes welling up. "He's really sick and mommy says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought my savings".
"How much do you have?" asked the man.
"One dollar and eleven cents; but I can try and get some more", she answered barely audibly.
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man, "A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and held her hand with the other. He said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again and doing well.
"That surgery," her mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost."
The little girl smiled. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost.. One dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child..
Perseverance can make miracles happen !
A river cuts the rock not because of its power, but because of its consistency.
Never lose hope & keep walking towards your vision..
Also see:Quotes by World's famous 500 people
A screw
There was an industrialist whose production line inexplicably broke down, costing him millions per day. He consulted various technicians but could not track the source of error in the machinery.
He finally finds an expert to check the matter. The expert just takes out a screwdriver, turns one screw, and the factory cranks back to life.He presents a bill for £10,000.
This came as a shock to owner as he thought that it was only one screw.Affronted, the factory owner demands an itemised version.
The expert was happy to oblige. The note read:
For turning a screw: £1.
For knowing which screw to turn: £9,999.
It is rightly said that the greatness of work is not judged by the effort spent behind it, but instead by the knowledge, intent and outcome of it.
The complexity of work is different for each and every individual depending on their knowledge and experience for doing the same.
Lunch with god
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Sandwich & Orange juice and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to drink his orange juice when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Sandwich.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him orange juice.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?
"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I ate Sandwich in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added,"
You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.Sometimes a gesture is more than enough to communicate effectively.
People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally !!
Burnt biscuits
When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then.And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed it!
Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school.
I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits.
And I'll never forget what he said: 'Honey, I love burned biscuits.'
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.
He wrapped me in his arms and said, 'Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired.
And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!'
You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.
What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults and choosing to celebrate each others differences. It is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, he is the Only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a big deal !!
We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!
"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."
So please pass me a biscuit, a burnt one will do just fine. And please pass this along to someone who has enriched your life...
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