"No great deed is done By falterers who ask for certainty."

"God will give you a reward," said the grateful mother, as she was handed her child from a youthful George Washington.

Washington had just risked his own life in order to save the child.

The mother continued, "He will do great things for you in return for your efforts today, and the blessings of thousands including my own, will always attend you."

The ear of George Washington was always open to the cry of distress; his sympathy and aid were ever at the service of those who needed them.

One calm, sunny day, in the spring of 1750, Washington was dining with other surveyors in a forest in Virginia.

Suddenly the stillness of the forest was startled by the piercing shriek of a woman. Washington instantly sprang to his feet and hurried to the woman's assistance.

"My boy, my boy,--oh, my poor boy is drowning, and they will not let me go," screamed the frantic mother as she tried to escape from the detaining hands which held her from jumping into the rapids.

"Oh, sir!" she implored, as she caught sight of the manly youth of eighteen, whose presence even then inspired confidence; "Oh, sir, you will surely do something for me!"

For an instant Washington measured the rocks and the whirling currents with a comprehensive look, and then, throwing off his coat, plunged into the roaring rapids where he had caught a glimpse of the drowning boy.

With a resolute heart and steady hand he struggled against the daring rapids of water which threatened every moment to engulf him. Washington chose to disregard the pointed rocks which lay concealed beneath the water.

Three times he had almost succeeded in grasping the child's clothing when the force of the current drove him back. Then he gathered himself together for one last effort.

Just as the child was about to escape him forever, Washington was able to clutch the boy, but was himself swimming for survival.

The spectators on the bank cried out in horror. They gave both up for lost. But Washington seemed to lead a charmed life, and the cry of horror was changed to one of joy when, still holding the child, he successfully emerged from the flowing river.

Then amid the acclamations of those who had witnessed his heroism, and the blessings of the overjoyed mother, Washington placed the unconscious but still living child in her arms.

Sometimes we aren't afforded the luxury of time to thoroughly consider all the variables of a situation. Many times leaders are required to follow their instincts and trust their God-given reflexes to serve others.

Read more on the topic of Leaders Who Serve.

February 13, 2005 11:02 am - There Is Room Enough At The Top!

"There is room enough at the top,"

These words were spoken many years ago by a youth who had no other means by which to reach the top than hard work and determination.

These words have since become the dream of every poor boy and girl whose ambition is backed by energy and a strong desire to make the most possible become reality.

The occasion on which Daniel Webster first said "There is room enough at the top," marked the turning point in his life.

Had he not been fueled by an unwavering ambition to make the most of his talents, he might have remained forever in obscurity.

His father and other friends had secured for him the position of Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Daniel was studying law in the office of Mr. Christopher Gore, a distinguished Boston lawyer, and was about ready for his admission to the bar.

The position offered to him was worth fifteen hundred dollars a year. This seemed like a fortune to the struggling student. He lay awake the whole night following the day on which he had heard the good news, planning what he would do for his father and mother, his brother Ezekiel, and his sisters.

Next morning he hurried to the office to tell Mr. Gore of his good fortune.

"Well, my young friend," said the lawyer, when Daniel had told his story, "the gentlemen have been very kind to you; I am glad of it. You must thank them for it. You will write immediately, of course."

Webster explained that, since he must go to New Hampshire immediately, it would hardly be worth while to write. He could thank his good friends in person.

"Why," said Mr. Gore in great astonishment, "you don't mean to accept it, surely!"

The youth's high spirits were dampened at once by the reaction of his supervisor. "The bare idea of not accepting it," he says, "so astounded me that I should have been glad to have found any hole to have hid myself in."

"Well," said Mr. Gore, seeing the disappointment his words had caused, "you must decide for yourself; but come, sit down and let us talk it over. The office is worth fifteen hundred a year, you say. Well, it never will be any more. Ten to one, if they find out it is so much, the fees will be reduced. You are appointed now by friends; others may fill their places who are of different opinions, and who have friends of their own to provide for. You will lose your place; or, supposing you to retain it, what are you but a clerk for life? And your prospects as a lawyer are good enough to encourage you to go on. Go on, and finish your studies; you are poor enough, but there are greater evils than poverty; live on no man's favor; what bread you do eat, let it be the bread of independence; pursue your profession, make yourself useful to your friends and a little formidable to your enemies, and you have nothing to fear."

How fortunate Webster was to have at this point in his career so wise and far-seeing a friend!

His father, who had made many sacrifices to educate his boys, saw in the proffered clerkship a great opening for his favorite, Daniel. He never dreamed of the future that was to make him one of America's greatest orators and statesmen.

At first he could not believe that the position which he had worked so hard to obtain was to be rejected. "Daniel, Daniel," he said sorrowfully, "don't you mean to take that office?"

"No, indeed, father," was the reply, "I hope I can do much better than that. I mean to use my tongue in the courts, not my pen; to be an actor, not a register of other men's acts. I hope yet, sir, to astonish your honor in your own court by my professional attainments."

Judge Webster made no attempt to conceal his disappointment. He even tried to discourage his son by reminding him that there were already more lawyers than the country needed.

It was in answer to this objection that Daniel used the famous and oft-quoted words,--"There is room enough at the top."

"Well, my son," said the fond but doubting father, "your mother has always said you would come to something or nothing. She was not sure which; I think you are now about settling that doubt for her."

It was very painful to Daniel to disappoint his father, but his purpose was fixed, and nothing now could change it. He knew he had turned his face in the right direction, and though when he commenced to practice law he earned only about five or six hundred dollars a year, he never regretted the decision he had made.

He aimed high, and he had his reward.

It is true now and forever, as Lowell says, that-- "Not failure, but low aim, is a crime."

Read about these other present-day high-achievers who are Making Money On The Net.

February 15, 2005 6:16 pm - February 2005 Edition, Leadership Tools Monthly News has arrived!

The most recent edition of Leadership Tools Monthly News is now available.

Content Summary

• Lessons in Leadership - Six Keys to Leadership Success
• Meeting for Results - What's Missing in Leadership? Quickly get to the heart of any HR issue.
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February 21, 2005 2:55 pm - Freedom in Leadership!

Invincible determination, and a right nature, are the levers that move the world.
--PORTER.

Born a slave, with the feelings and possibilities of a man, but with no rights above the animals in the field, Fred Douglass gave the world one of the most notable examples of man's power over circumstances.

He had no knowledge of his father, whom he had never seen. He had only a dim recollection of his mother, from whom he had been separated at birth.

The poor slave mother used to walk twelve miles when her day's work was done, in order to get an occasional glimpse of her child. Then she had to walk back to the plantation on which she labored, so as to be in time to begin to work at dawn the next morning.

Under the brutal discipline of the "Aunt Katy" who had charge of the slaves who were still too young to labor in the fields, Fred began early to realize the hardships of his situation, and to rebel against the state of bondage into which he had been born.

When about seven years old, he was transferred to new owners in Baltimore, where his kind-hearted mistress, who did not know that in doing so she was breaking the law, taught him the alphabet.

He thus got possession of the key which was to unlock his bonds, and, young as he was, he knew it!

It did not matter that his master, when he learned what had been done, forbade his wife to give the boy further instructions. He had already tasted of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. The prohibition was useless. Neither threats nor chains could hold the awakened soul in bondage.

With infinite pains and patience, and by stealth, he enlarged upon his knowledge of the alphabet. An old copy of "Webster's Spelling Book," cast aside by his young master, became Fred's greatest treasure.

With the aid of a few good-natured white boys, who sometimes played with him in the streets, he quickly mastered its contents.

Then he cast about for further means to satisfy his mental craving. How difficult it was for the poor, despised slave to do this, we learn from his own pathetic words. "I have gathered," he says, "scattered pages of the Bible from the filthy street gutters, and washed and dried them, that, in moments of leisure, I might get a word or two of wisdom from them."

Think of that, boys and girls of the twenty-first century, with your day schools and evening schools, libraries, colleges, and universities,--picking reading material from the gutter and mastering it by stealth!

While being "broken in" to field labor under the lash of the overseer, chained and imprisoned for the crime of attempting to escape from slavery, the spirit of the youth never quit.

He believed in himself, in his God-given powers, and he was determined to use them in freeing himself and his race.

How well he succeeded in this stupendous task. A roll call of the world's great moral heroes would be incomplete without the name of the slave-born Douglass, who came on the stage of life to play the leading role of the Moses of his race in one of the saddest and, at the same time, most glorious eras of American history.

Fred Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland. The exact date of his birth is not known; but he himself thought it was in February, 1817. He died in Washington, D.C., February 20, 1895.

Read more inspiring articles on leadership.

February 24, 2005 7:06 pm - If Leaders Rest, They Rust!

The achievements of great men were not attained by accident or without hardship.

They, while their competitors slept, were working studiously early in the morning and late into the night.

The significant inscription found on an old key,--"If I rest, I rust,"--would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness.

Even the most industrious person might consider adopting the above phrase to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and decay.

Eventually the rust becomes so damaging that the key cannot do the work required of it.

Those who will continue to learn, grow and contribute, must keep their faculties sharpened by continual use.

"Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement."

"Labor vanquishes all,"--not the kind of misdirected labor that is unfocused, but faithful, unwavering daily effort toward a well-directed purpose.

Here Is A Great Antidote For RUST!

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