This is Ron with your Motivational Message:
My friend, Chris, reminded me the other day about a story I have told in the past and I thought would be worth sharing with you. I had given a few speeches in one day and was feeling tired and ready for bed after a good meal. Sitting in the hotel room preparing for bed, I had what you might call a “sweet tooth.” I needed a candy bar and I needed it soon. I asked the caregiver who was accompanying me, “Would you please go buy me a Snickers bar?” They responded, “Why don’t you get it yourself? I’m comfortable and I’m not about to go down the hall for a candy bar.” So, I proceeded out the door with a dollar sticking halfway out of my shirt pocket in hopes of finding a vending machine and someone to help me fit the bill into the machine.
Not finding what I was looking for, I headed for the front desk and a young lady greeted me with a smile. “Where are the candy machines?” I asked. “Just take the elevator down to the third floor and make a right,” she replied. I made my way towards the elevator, but because of the late hour, there was no one around to push the elevator buttons for me. I saw a snowboarder and called out, “can I get a hand with the elevator?” He walked over and I began to talk to him. As I rolled into the elevator and turned around, I realized I was talking to myself. The young man had not followed me in. The door had shut and I stared at the 21 buttons before me with no way to push any of them. “Someone will surely press the button for the elevator soon,” I thought. “Soon” then turned into 20 minutes and I began to panic, thinking that I would be trapped. I decided that I needed to figure this out on my own and implement some sort of plan. I turned the chair around, the back against the button panel, and began bashing my head against the buttons hoping to hit at least one. However, the buttons were set into the door and I could not apply enough pressure with my head to press the buttons inward. After about 10 or 15 attempts, leaving me with a sore head, the elevator began to move. When the door opened up, I shot out like a bird escaping its cage. The door shut and I found myself sitting in a very dark place. The elevator had taken me to the basement. I couldn’t see enough to move, so I sat wishing that I was back in the elevator that had imprisoned me earlier.
Suddenly, I heard something–the sound of keys jingling on a key chain. As a ray of light hit my face from a flashlight, a voice asked me “What are you doing?” The maintenance man had found me. “Um, I’m looking for the candy bar machine.” We laughed about the situation as he helped me find the machine. You better believe that I had him accompany me on the elevator and to my room! I was back in my room nearly an hour after having left and was faced with an angry caregiver. “Don’t even talk to me, just put me to bed,” I said. The funny thing was, after all of that effort, I didn’t even want the candy bar anymore.
It made me think: be careful what you think that you need because when you finally set your plan in motion and succeed, it may turn out to be something you did not need at all, or even want anymore. Have you ever pursued something that seemed so simple at first, but turned into one of your life’s disasters? Most people likely have a few “candy bar” stories of their own. So, the next plan that you pursue, whether it be a business venture or just a candy bar, ask the following questions: Does it fulfill my purpose? Will it help me reach my potential? Have I received enough input from others? Do I have a solid plan? In the end, will it create a win-win situation? If you have all of these conditions met then move forward, bearing in mind that you may bang your head a few times or find yourself in the dark. But don’t give up; the candy bar will still be there in the morning.
To your inspiration,
Ron
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