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But The Most Inspiring Stories Aren't Those Of ... PRO
Contributed by Alan Perkins on Sep 29, 2002 (message contributor)
But the most inspiring stories aren’t those of Olympic champions or world-class mountaineers. Most of us will never compete for a gold medal, or stand triumphantly on top of the world’s highest peak. No, the stories which really hit home are those of men and women who overcome great obstacles just to do ordinary things; things that you and I take for granted. I’m thinking of a man named Bill Porter, whose life was portrayed by actor William H. Macy in the recent TV movie, "Door to Door". Bill was born with cerebral palsy, which made it difficult for him to speak clearly, or to walk, or to use his right arm. He was told that he would never be able to hold a job; never be able to take care of himself. The social service agencies labeled him as "unemployable". They told him his only option would be to collect government disability checks for the rest of his life. But Bill wouldn’t listen. He applied for a job with the Watkins company, selling household products door-to-door. At first, they turned him down, but he persisted. He offered to take the worst territory in the city, an area no other salesman wanted, just to have the chance to prove himself. Finally, they relented and gave him a job. Straight commission, no salary. Bill walked ten miles a day, ringing doorbell after doorbell, fighting against his crippled body; fighting against pain, and weakness, and fatigue - not to mention the difficulties of just speaking, just communicating with people. When he made a sale, he had to have the customer fill out the order form, because he couldn’t hold a pen to write. And yet, he succeeded. He became the company’s top salesman, first in that city, then in the region, and finally in the entire country. He...
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During His Reign, King Frederick William Iii Of ... PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 8, 2003
During his reign, King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in trouble. Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. He couldn’t disappoint his people, and to capitulate to the enemy was unthinkable. After careful reflection, he decided to ...read more
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A Man Who Had Hitchhiked From Coast To Coast And ... PRO
Contributed by R. Darrel Davis on Sep 17, 2004
A man who had hitchhiked from coast to coast and had walked many miles in the process was asked what he had found the most difficult to endure. To the surprise of his questioner it was not the steep mountains or the dazzling sun or the scorching desert heat that had troubled him, but, in the words ...read more
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Jerry Rice Works Day In And Day Out To Prepare ... PRO
Contributed by Kent Lenard on Aug 31, 2003
Jerry Rice works day in and day out to prepare for football unlike any other player in the NFL. The story of his ability to push himself started when he was in high school. The Coach of B.L. Moor High School, Charles Davis, had his players run twenty times up a forty-yard hill. On a particularly ...read more
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Webster's Dictionary Tells Me That - Commit Means ...
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 21, 2003
Webster’s Dictionary tells me that - Commit means to entrust, to give charge, to perform, to pledge. In my search for the definition of Commit I actually looked at one dictionary which did not even have ...read more
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Model Building Class PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 21, 2003
Illustration of my Model Building Class. I had an interesting week this week teaching a model building class. I had a bunch of students ranging in age from 9-13. I became a little frustrated with some of them this week when they refused to follow directions and as a result they where always ...read more
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