The Grandfather - An Inspirational Story

The Grandfather

Author Unknown

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes observe, their ears listen, and their minds process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently providing a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realises that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let's be wise builders.

Emotional Intelligence - Methods of Improving Self-Management

Self-management is attained by being aware of your emotions and habitual responses and understanding them to the degree that you have some control over them. Over time you will increase your ability to pick up on the information being provided to you and further increase your ability to self-manage. The following suggestions might also help.


Choose your attitude

Remember, you always have the choice to act in any way you want to. You are not controlled by your emotions and if you take time out to consider what the rational way of acting is in any given situation, you will become more focused on the positive aspects of your interactions.

Anchor your positive feelings

Think of the periods when you were really in control. Harness those positive feelings and emotions and recall them in times when you feel less positive. This will help you to overcome bad feelings.

Challenge negative ‘self-talk’

Every time you hear your negative ‘inner voice’ telling you that you can’t achieve something or that you will fail, challenge it, ask yourself why you can’t achieve it or why you will fail.

Have a positive mental attitude

When you have a positive mental attitude, you look at how things can be done rather than why they can't be done. You believe that "where there's a will, there's a way." You look at possibilities and opportunities rather than obstacles and problems. This mindset is important for success in any endeavour.

Live life with an abundance mentality

People with an abundance mentality believe there are enough resources available to accomplish their goals. They also believe that their success doesn't mean failure for others. On the contrary, the more successful they are, the more others are affected in a positive way. They can be happy when friends and associates prosper. They can enter every business transaction with a "win/win" attitude.

This is an excerpt from the training manual of our training course material on 'Emotional Intelligence', which you can purchase from our website at www.trainerbubble.com

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