"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
​

A poor man once bought an old book at an open market for a few coppers. Between its
pages he found something very interesting indeed: a thin strip of parchment on which
was written the legend of the touchstone.

The touchstone, according to the document, was a small pebble that could turn any
common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands
and thousands of other pebbles on a beach. The real stone would feel warm to the touch,
while ordinary pebbles are cold.

The man sold his few belongings, set out for the seashore, and began testing pebbles.
He realized that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because
they were cold, he might inadvertently pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So,
each time he felt one that was cold, he threw it far into the sea.

He spent days at his search, picking up a pebble— cold —then throwing it into the sea...
then, picking up another... and throwing it into the sea...

One day, after months and months, the man picked up a pebble and threw it into the sea.
As it left his hand, he realized that the pebble had been warm. It was the touchstone!
However, by then, he had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the
sea, that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away without taking time to feel
its warmth.

Don’t let your habits trick you into throwing away your opportunities.

~Antonio Stringfield

A young woman known to her friends as an avid online shopper discovered she had received a small cash rebate from a purchase. It wasn’t expected, but seeing the envelope show up in the mail brought such a smile to her face, her roommate asked what good news she had received.

When the young lady explained she had received an extra $500, her roommate suggested she consider lending it out in the form of a microloan to women in need who were trying to finish their education or start their own business. The successful young woman liked the idea and, on a whim, signed up with an online site devoted to microloans.

About six months later when the loan was repaid, she decided to lend out the money a second time... then a third... and so on. Several years later, she had lent out the same dollars over and over again, without ever missing the money.

In the meantime, she continued to receive thank you letters and updates from many of the women who used the microloan, made possible through her check, to transform their own lives.
​
Although she has long since moved on from her roommate situation and is now a homeowner, she still sends her old friend a letter every year, sharing a few details of all the women she has helped. Each time, she thanks her old friend for making the suggestion years ago. That first loan changed the meaning of money for her, while changing the outcome for others at the same time.

​~Antonio Stringfield

Does your organization know how to learn? In a world dominated by the ability to process information, the ability to learn, as an organization, is crucial. Here are five ways you can create a learning organization:     
​

1. Encourage self-directed learning for employees. Instead of telling people what to learn, give them permission to explore what they think is important. Provide resources like access to information, the Internet, time off, and tuition reimbursement, if possible.
2. Promote cross-pollination of ideas. Bring together team members from different departments to share ideas and strategies. Encourage people to respect different opinions and points of view so meetings produce thoughtful, innovative results.
3. Use open-ended language. In your meetings and discussions, ask questions that stimulate creative thought and learning without simply focusing on finding “correct” answers. If you can say, “Let’s explore that further,” you’ll show everyone on your team that you consider striving for improvement more important than a single “right” answer.
4. Treat mistakes as learning opportunities. Hold honest, straightforward conversations when something doesn’t work as anticipated. Look for lessons that might improve the process next time, as well as ideas for new processes that might result in an innovative product.
5. Review the learning process. On a regular basis, ask team members what’s working and what isn’t. With this information, get to work on fixing what doesn’t work and enhancing what’s going well.

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. They looked harmless and gentle. They greeted her and introduced themselves by the names Wealth, Success and Love. “Well, those are interesting names," she said. "Why don't you come in and have something to eat?”

“You may only invite one of us,” they replied. “But if you will discuss with your family which of us it should be, we will be grateful for whoever it is.”

The woman went in and told her husband what they had said. Her husband was delighted. “How nice!” he said. “Since that is the case, let’s invite Wealth inside!"

His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success? Surely that will lead to wealth and make us the envy of our neighborhood.”

Their daughter chimed in, “I would rather have Love.” She was so sweet, and the couple loved her so much, they laughed and said, “Yes, let’s invite Love to eat with us.”

The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”

Love got up and walked toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady said: “I only invited Love. Why are you all coming?”

The old men replied together, “When you invite Love into your house, you also get both Wealth and Success.”
 
~Antonio Stringfield