It might not be, but it could be if you give it a chance. There are twenty-four stories in the book and each one has a modern conclusion (the moral) followed by applications of that moral that you can use in your personal life and your business life. How many of the following would help you?
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Parables for Life -- the source for modern parables,
21st century fables & Aesop-like stories
that you can apply to YOUR life TODAY
21st century fables & Aesop-like stories
that you can apply to YOUR life TODAY
| Copyright (c) 2009-2010 by Stuart Gustafson Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
| My name is Stuart Gustafson, and I wrote Parables for Life in the 21st Century so that you will have stories that you can read and apply to your life. This is the first book of parables in a series (you will notice the numeral 1 on the book's spine when you receive your copy) of books that are written by the people who will use them. The next books are:
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| Here are some of the reviews of this book that has been called a "modern Aesop fables": "Seldom is a self-help (motivational) book both helpful and entertaining, but such is the case with Stuart Gustafson's Parables for Life in the 21st Century." http://www.myshelf.com/inspirational/06/parablesforlifeinthe21stcentury.htm Century by Stuart Gustafson. This book contained a moral and an explanation for each story. It's full of exciting stories and information to help you handle the trials of your lives." http://www.readingchair.com/2006/09/parables-for-life-in-21st-century-by_01.html |
Would you like a personally autographed copy from the author?
Century -- shipped to USA and Canada only.
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| . . . here is one of the stories from the book Roger and the Parakeet
had two older sisters while living at home, but they didn't share many common interests. They had the same parents, went to the same schools, even had the same Sunday School teachers; but they just didn't do very many of the same things. His sisters were always active in clubs and other organizations, while Roger tended to be more involved in individual activities, primarily homework and other scholarly projects. used to being alone. And now, in his mid-forties, Roger still lives alone. But Roger was ready for a change in his life. He decided that a small pet would be good. He knew he couldn't have a dog, for the building superintendent wouldn't allow that. But perhaps a fish or a small bird would do. One Saturday morning, Roger drove to a local pet store. He looked up the address in the telephone book, and had even called them to make sure they were open. Upon entering the store, Roger was surprised to see how many different types of birds and fishes there were in the store. The storekeeper saw the bewilderment on Roger's face, and went over to help him. After a brief dialog, Roger paid for his parakeet and was on his way home. The next day after church, Roger took a different way home so that he could drive by the pet store. Seeing the "OPEN" sign in the window, Roger pulled into the parking lot and stopped in front of the pet store. Walking into the store, Roger saw the storekeeper, and said to him, "You told me that the parakeet I bought yesterday would sing and talk to me. But he just sits in his cage and does nothing." The storekeeper replied, "You mean he didn't peck at his bell, and then start singing?" "His bell?" Roger replied. "He doesn't have a bell in his cage." "You didn't buy a bell? A bird like that needs a bell to help him get into the mood for singing. When he pecks it, he hears the tone, and then he tries to emulate that sound with his own singing. You need to get him a bell." "How much is the bell?" Roger asked the storekeeper. "The nice sounding bell is $6.95," said the storekeeper. Roger bought a bell and went home. The next afternoon, Roger rushed out of work so he could stop by the pet store. He was relieved to see that it was still open. In fact, the sign said that the store was open until 7:00 Monday through Friday. Roger walked up to the storekeeper, and the expression on Roger's face showed that he was more than slightly dismayed. "Well, I put that bell in his cage, but that silly parakeet still won't sing or talk to me." "That's strange. You mean he walked up and down his ladder, then pecked at his bell, and he still wouldn't sing to you?" the storekeeper asked Roger. "Ladder? What ladder?" Roger asked. "A parakeet needs a ladder just as you might use a treadmill to get your exercise. You see, a bird will walk up and down a ladder to get the blood moving, and then he will feel like getting going for the day." "How much for ladder?" "Eight fifty," replied the storekeeper. Roger left the store with ladder. He went home and put the ladder in the cage, right next to the bell. The next afternoon, Roger stopped again at the pet store; the fourth straight day he'd been there. Roger was really getting upset now. The storekeeper wasn't to be seen right away, but Roger found him. "That is really some dumb bird you sold me. I put the ladder in his cage, right next to the bell, and he still doesn't sing." "Hmm. That's strange," began the storekeeper. "You mean he walked up and down his ladder, preened himself in front of the mirror, pecked at his bell, and he still wouldn't sing to you?" "Wait a minute," said Roger. "What mirror? He did go up and down the ladder, pecked at that bell, but he doesn't have a mirror to look in." "Oh my," the storekeeper sighed. "You look in the mirror every morning to see how you look, don't you? Well, the parakeet is also a very proud bird, and he needs to look into the mirror to see how he looks." "How much for the mirror?" "The mirrors are on special, only five dollars." The storekeeper rang up the mirror and gave it to Roger, who looked less than pleased. The next day at noon, Roger was there at the pet store with a small bag in his hand. He went straight over to the storekeeper and said, "That bird you sold me died!" "What," said the storekeeper. "You mean to say that parakeet you bought just last Saturday died?" "Yes," said Roger. "And I even put that mirror right down near the bottom of the cage so he could look at himself. And then he died." "Did he ever sing for you?" asked the storekeeper. "He never sang," said Roger. "But he did finally talk." "Really? What did he say," asked the storekeeper. "Well," said Roger. "He did like you said he would do. He walked up and down the ladder several times. Then he went over to the mirror and seemed to puff out his chest as he saw himself there in the mirror. Then he hopped over to the bell and pecked it; and then he just fell over, rolled on his back and stuck his feet straight up in the air." "But you said he talked," said the storekeeper. "Oh, yes," remembered Roger. "Right before he fell over, he looked right at me and said, 'Didn't the storekeeper have any birdseed?' " Moral: Don't forget the basics. Roger did, and his parakeet died. Can you relate to Roger? Either personally, or do you know someone like him? Roger was doing everything he thought he needed to do. Given the circumstances, he was doing pretty well. Unfortunately for the parakeet, that was not good enough. What was Roger's one failing, at least in terms of his parakeet? Roger forgot about the basics. Instead of thinking about the parakeet's food — the most basic need for all animals — Roger was thinking more about the extra things, like having the bird sing and talk. This doesn't make Roger a bad person. In fact, every time he would inquire of the storekeeper, basically asking 'what else should I do?,' Roger would buy what the storekeeper suggested. So it is clear that Roger had good intentions and a good heart. Have you encountered people in business, perhaps even close associates of yours, who remind you of Roger? These are people who have good hearts, good intentions — they just seem to forget the basics at times. When they get in this mode, they are not doing "bad" intentionally. They think they are doing the right thing; they are just headed off in the wrong direction. Think of a recent presentation you've sat in. As the presenter was showing slides, what did the slides look like? Most likely, they had fancy graphs and clip art, and they were printed in color. For many presentations, some use of graphs, clip art and color are appropriate. But there are many times when plain black bulleted text items would get the same message across without the distractions that are created with the graphs, clip art and excessive use of color. Or what about a business paper you read? Was it clear and concise? Were its main points succinctly stated, and were they easy to find? Or did it seem more like a graduate student's paper who was being graded on volume? Too often in business, the author of a paper loses track of the point in why the paper is being written. It is not being written to impress the reading audience with your knowledge and your ability to amass a ton of supporting material; those exercises should be left in the academic world. The primary purpose of a business paper is to "sell" your ideas to the reader. These ideas might range from the implementation of new personnel policies, to the actual sale of a product your company makes. Certainly you will need some background and supporting data, but that should not be the main focus of your paper. Don't let your good ideas get lost in your own verbosity. Remember what you are trying to do, and that is to make your point. So do that, and then stop. When you are writing a document, do you get hung up on the formatting of the document? Do you spend more time making sure it "looks right," rather than focusing on what it contains? Many people focus more on form than on content. Form is important, but as in the previous example, you need to get your point across. And that is done with content, not with form. The point in these examples, and in the story of Roger and his unfortunate parakeet, is that you need to remember the basics. You can do additional things later on, but your foundation — whether it is in a new assignment, a product briefing presentation, or a business proposal — must be steeped in the basics of what you are trying to accomplish. |
| SCHOOLS -- The author will send you a free copy -- no obligation! Really! Read further down the page for more information. |
| SCHOOLS -- The author will send you a copy of Parables for Life in the 21st Century at no cost or obligation to you. You will also receive information on future books in the series, such as Parables for Life as a 21st Century Teenager -- stories written by and for teenagers (the book is about half filled already). Complete and Submit the form on the right, and Stuart will mail the book to you right away. Sorry, this offer is valid only for USA addresses. |
| Want to read the book for FREE? CLICK HERE |
| Want to read the book for FREE? CLICK HERE |