Parable of the Pencil : Source unknown

The pencil maker took the pencil aside just before putting him into the box.There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil before I end you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget and you will become the best pencil you can be.

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One:
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You will be able to do many great things , but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand.

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Two:
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You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you will need it to become a better pencil.

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Three:
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You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

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Four:
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The most important part of you will always be what is inside.

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Five:
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On every surface you are used on , you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition , you must continue to write.

The pencil understood and promised to remember and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

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5 Myths About Changing Behavior
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http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/open_change-or-die-fasttake1.html

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Myth 1: Crisis is a powerful impetus for change
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Reality: Ninety percent of patients who've had coronary bypasses don't sustain
changes in the unhealthy lifestyles that worsen their severe heart disease and
greatly threaten their lives.

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Myth 2: Change is motivated by fear
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Reality: It's too easy for people to go into denial of the bad things that might
happen to them. Compelling, positive visions of the future are a much stronger
inspiration for change.

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Myth3: The facts will set us free
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Reality: Our thinking is guided by narratives, not facts. When a fact doesn't
fit our conceptual "frames" -- the metaphors we use to make sense of the world
-- we reject it. Also, change is inspired best by emotional appeals rather than
factual statements.

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Myth 4: Small, gradual changes are always easier to make and sustain
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Reality: Radical, sweeping changes are often easier because they quickly yield
benefits.

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Myth 5: We can't change because our brains become "hardwired" early in life
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Reality: Our brains have extraordinary "plasticity," meaning that we can
continue learning complex new things throughout our lives -- assuming we remain
truly active and engaged.