Steve Goodier Wisdom: Getting What You Deserve

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our optimism Enjoy!

According to Alan Loy McGinnis in his book Confidence (Minneapolis: Augsburg), actor Sidney Poitier achieved prominence in his field largely because of self reliance he learned from his parents. “I was the product of a colonial system,” says Poitier, “that was very damaging to the psyche of non-white people. The darker you were, the less opportunities were presented to you.”

He continues, “My parents were terribly, terribly poor, and after awhile the psychology of poverty begins to mess with your head. As a result, I cultivated a fierce pride in myself, something that was hammered into me by my parents, Evelyn and Reggie — mostly by Evelyn. She never apologized for the fact she had to make my pants out of flour sacks. I got used to ‘Imperial Flour’ written across my rear. She always used to say, ‘If it’s clean, that’s the important thing.’ So from that woman — and probably for that woman — I always wanted to be extraordinary.” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: The Good Old Days…?

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our optimism Enjoy!

Does life seem to be more complicated than before? Too many plastic cards and PIN numbers and technology? One woman quipped, “I’d like to bank by phone, but I can’t figure out how to get the money in those little holes.”

Computers, of course, are supposed to make work more efficient. I love them — but I feel overwhelmed by their complexity at times. And I wonder how we became so dependent on them. Like when retired Rear Admiral Heintz Loeffler received a personalized computer-generated letter from a respected charity. It began, “Dear Rear….” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Are You Playing Your Music?

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our legacy Enjoy!

We visited friends recently and sat outside where we watched paragliders and hang gliders soaring overhead. They rose up into the sky upon invisible warm currents of air and floated effortlessly by — trusting in their equipment and their ability to keep them from crashing into the earth. But isn’t that risky? Perhaps it is, but what a thrill to experience!

My son is a rock climber. Using toeholds and fingertip holds he makes his way up the shear face of a cliff. Though he fell once and broke his arm, he’s back out there again. Why? Isn’t that risky? Perhaps, but he likes the feeling of satisfaction of conquering the mountain and succeeding at a difficult endeavor. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Viewing the Future

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about trust. Enjoy!

When Jeanne Calment turned 120 years old, she was asked what her view of the future was. “Very brief,” she responded.

Don’t you wish the future were clear? It is usually hazy, at best. A lonely frog called a psychic hotline. “You will meet a beautiful young woman who will want to learn all about you,” the psychic advisor told him. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: When You’re Root-Bound

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about growth and change. Enjoy!

Like potted plants, people can become “root- bound.” We have a beautiful “Christmas Cactus” which I gave to my wife as a gift 28 years ago. It has accompanied us through tough years and good times. It has lived with us in four different communities and has been present during the raising of our family. But it almost died.

As the small plant grew, we transferred it to a larger pot. It did well for about twenty years, but then began to die. It seemed that no amount of feeding, coddling or attention helped. We finally plucked a few leaves, re-rooted them and started over. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Using Your Homing Instinct

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about leadership. Enjoy!

Did you know that the Arctic Tern, that lives about seven degrees south of the North Pole, leaves its home every year and flies all the way to Antarctica and back — some 23,000 miles in all.

I wonder WHY the bird does that.. Is it looking for a better place to live? Surely it must pass a LOT of good real estate between its home seven degrees south of the North Pole and Antarctica! Can’t it find something suitable? Is Antarctica really that much better? Or, if it’s getting a little warm, why doesn’t the bird just fly up to the North Pole? Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: A Few Good Followers

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about leadership. Enjoy!

A young woman was filling out an application for college when she came across the question: Are you a leader? She thought she had better be brutally honest, so she answered, “No.” She was convinced when she sent the application in that she’d never hear from them because of that answer.

But she received a letter back from the school that read: “We have reviewed numerous applications and, to date, there will be some 1,452 new leaders attending school next year. We have decided to accept your application because we felt it was imperative that they have at least one follower.” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: What Would You Die For?

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our hapiness. Enjoy!

Do you know what you would die for? An ancient story tells of two great warriors, Cyrus and Cagular. Cyrus, of course, was the  noted emperor of Persia and Cagular was a little-known chieftain who consistently repelled Cyrus’ attacks.

Cagular’s troops tore the Persian army apart time and time again as they resisted Cyrus’ attempts to expand his southern border. Finally, Cyrus amassed his whole army, surrounded Cagular, captured him, and brought him to the capitol for trial and execution. Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: We Are One

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about our similarity. Enjoy!

Have you ever had something like this happen to you?

My son recently told me that his vacuum cleaner broke. We had given it to him when he moved into his first apartment. “No problem,” I said.

We bought it at an electronic discount store and picked up a three-year service contract. “If we can’t fix it,” the salesperson said, “we’ll replace it.” Read more

Steve Goodier Wisdom: Mastering Your Habits

In this inspirational article, master storyteller, Steve Goodier, shares a key piece of life wisdom about habits. Enjoy!

Someone accurately pointed out that “habit starts out as a thread. As new threads are added, it becomes a rope we cannot break.” We want to be careful about the habits we make, for they eventually make us. But by making strong and productive habits, we build strong and productive lives.

Here is a list of habits, drawn on research from numerous sources, that peak performance people share. They are essential to master successfully if you intend to master a successful life. Yet one does not need to be a CEO or corporate head to benefit from the research. Anybody who works to develop these traits will experience almost instantaneous results. Read more

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