Triumphs of the human spirit

They say that life is a valley of tears. And may I add to that: hardships, fears, problems, disappointments, frustrations, and sometimes hopelessness and despair. Life does seem to be like that, as most of us encounter day by day. During times of great challenge (financial, emotional, ill-health), we need inspiring stories to encourage us on and raise our hopes. We need true-to-life experiences that would make us say, “They did it; I can do it, too!”

Here are some stories that could brighten your day and make you have faith once more in the beauty of life and its wondrous surprises. It is possible that these stories may have been romanticized, but it is the heartening message they convey that is important: that the human spirit, despite all odds, can eventually triumph and be victorious.

The Power Of Thinking Big

William J. Blythe IV was born in a town of 1,200 people, where poverty was the standard of life. His dad died before he was born. His mother, a young widow, decided to remarry, needing love and hoping for a better life. But his stepfather, Roger, used to beat up young Billy’s mom whenever he was high on alcohol.

Realizing that living in Hope, Arkansas didn’t promise much, Billy’s mother taught him the value of persistence and of thinking big. Billy strived to be a decent student and with the Boy’s Club, went to Washington, DC, took a tour of the White House, and got to shake hands with the President of the United States. A photographer happened to be close by and took a photo of 16-year-old Billy Blythe and President John F. Kennedy. On the photo, you can almost read this teenage boy Billy’s thoughts: “I admire you, I want to be like you, and someday I am going to be president of the United States!”

That young man was eventually adopted by his stepfather and naturally had to change his last name. Twenty-eight years after the photo was taken, William Jefferson Clinton was sworn in as president of the United States and, four years later, took the oath of office for a second term. Persistence and thinking big brought him to his dreams.

The Power Of The Written Word

When you write your dreams and visions down, they take on an amazing power that seems to assure their fulfillment. Nonsense, you say? Check this out.

There was a guy who was so broke that he couldn’t afford to buy Christmas gifts to give his friends and family. He was 42, was completely illiterate, and couldn’t even sign his name. He asked someone to read his grandma’s written recipe, then baked chocolate chip cookies, and wrapped each dozen cookies in a little brown paper bag. His family and friends clamored for more of his incredible cookies, and soon, word spread like wildfire, raising the demand for his delicious cookies.

He had a dream so he got someone to help him write it down on a piece of paper. At age 42, he took reading and writing lessons with the LVA, the Literacy Volunteers of America. In between his lessons, he rented a shack on the beach in Hawaii and baked the cookies which he decided to call Famous Amos Cookies.

Since he had absolutely no money for advertising, he went to grocery stores, approached the owner or manager and stuck out a bag saying, “Hi, please taste one of these and tell me if you ever had such a delicious cookie.” One bite was all it took to convince every store to take every bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies he could bake and deliver.

In seven years, the formerly illiterate and destitute man was able to thank the LVA for teaching him how to read and write as a grown adult. He thanked them generously with a check for $10 million!

There is an interesting postscript to the legend of Wally Amos. Ten years after he founded his company, he decided to concentrate on a life of teaching illiterate adults how to read. He sold the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Company for $40 million. Sadly, people he trusted ripped him off the majority of his money. The only business he had known was baking chocolate chip cookies, and so, when the non-competitive clause in his contract expired, he bounced back into the baking business with a new company and new, better cookies!

The Power Of Persistence

An unsuccessful, broke appliance salesman was depressed at his inability to provide for his young family’s financial needs. On a whimsy, he tried out for a role in a play called Mister Roberts in a theater in New York City. All these years later, this young man, Paul Newman, became a well-known and celebrated actor, providing well for his family, and donating more than $100 million to charity through the sale of his Newman’s Own natural gourmet sauces and food products.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hanson were rejected by 33 publishers who said that their book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, would never sell. Unaffected by the pronouncements and greatly believing in their work, they pursued their dream with more determination and greater focus. When Health Publications published their book, it sold 20 million copies, followed by sequels, personal appearances, and seminars worth millions of dollars!

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When you are down and seemingly out, it never is the end of the world. Your health is your wealth; take care of yourself. Keep your spirits high and go for your dreams. Your rainbows are surely just a thin cloud away!

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