There once was a balloon salesman working the local county fair. All day long he would walk around the fair grounds and kids with their parents in tow would run to him, pick out their favorite colored balloon and off they would run, happy and contented. Mr. Balloon Salesman held a vast array of balloons in his hands, and they made the loveliest splashes of color.
Today, a small young black boy, his right hand in his pocket, stood watching our balloon man with great fascination. He was silently counting the nickel and two pennies he had in his pocket – just three pennies short of being able to buy his own balloon. Our small friend loved watching as the balloon man worked the crowd around him.
When things slowed down, the balloon salesman would release one balloon up into the air. Today, he released first a red one, then a blue one and after that a yellow one. The balloons would rise high, being caught up on the wings of the wind to be carried off to some faraway land.
After releasing each balloon the crowds would swarm around him, and business would be brisk for a while. What fun it is to go the county fair.
Once, when things slowed down, the young black boy approached the salesman and asked rather timidly, “Mister, if you released a black balloon would it raise high up in the sky like all the other balloons?”
With great wisdom Mr. Balloon Salesman looked the young boy in the eyes and said, “Son, it doesn’t matter what the color is on the outside that makes the balloon rise. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
So, what is inside of you? What thoughts tumble and rumble around inside of your head? Do you see yourself as capable? Are you thinking smart thoughts or dumb thoughts? Do you call yourself degrading names? Do you put yourself down? Or do you hold lofty ideals for yourself?
Remember, it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
I remember the day I discovered the simple phrase “I Approve of Myself.” That was a red-letter day for me. And such a simple phrase it is. There’s more to the story, but you see, I realized that I had not been fully accepting and appreciating myself in good, healthy and wholesome ways. I had been replaying too many old, negative tapes of “don’t, stop, you can’t, leave that alone, you’re not big enough, you don’t know what you’re doing” and a few other oldies but goodies that I had been feeding my mind on for far too many years.
There was a Shoe comic strip (written by Jeff MacNelly) a few years ago that showed Shoe, the crusty newspaper editor, standing on the mound with his catcher, in a baseball game.
His catcher says to him, “You’ve got to have faith in your curve ball.”
In the next frame Shoe remarks, “It’s easy for him to say that. When it comes to believing in myself, I’m an agnostic.”
What’s going on inside your mind? When you are all alone, where do your thoughts take you? What tapes do you play inside your head?
Are you capable? Do you like and appreciate your uniqueness? Do you feel a sense of worthiness to be successful? Have you heard mostly putdown in your life and that’s all you hear now?
Do you want to rise up high and soar like the big boys? Do you want to excel in life, in business, in living? Take a look at what’s on the inside of you. What do you feed your mind? What are you dominate thoughts? What beliefs do you hold to be true about yourself?
Here are some vitamins for the mind. Take 3 or 400 of some of these every day until the symptoms go away, then cut back to 50-100 per day.
I am a unique creation of God.
I can.
I am capable.
I like myself.
I approve of myself.
I have a brain in my head that works very well.
I have gifts and contributions that no one else has to offer.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Remember, it’s not the color on the outside that matters. It’s what’s inside that counts.
(*I learned this story a long time ago and now the source escapes me. If you know to whom credit should go for this story please contact me.)
Today, a small young black boy, his right hand in his pocket, stood watching our balloon man with great fascination. He was silently counting the nickel and two pennies he had in his pocket – just three pennies short of being able to buy his own balloon. Our small friend loved watching as the balloon man worked the crowd around him.
When things slowed down, the balloon salesman would release one balloon up into the air. Today, he released first a red one, then a blue one and after that a yellow one. The balloons would rise high, being caught up on the wings of the wind to be carried off to some faraway land.
After releasing each balloon the crowds would swarm around him, and business would be brisk for a while. What fun it is to go the county fair.
Once, when things slowed down, the young black boy approached the salesman and asked rather timidly, “Mister, if you released a black balloon would it raise high up in the sky like all the other balloons?”
With great wisdom Mr. Balloon Salesman looked the young boy in the eyes and said, “Son, it doesn’t matter what the color is on the outside that makes the balloon rise. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
So, what is inside of you? What thoughts tumble and rumble around inside of your head? Do you see yourself as capable? Are you thinking smart thoughts or dumb thoughts? Do you call yourself degrading names? Do you put yourself down? Or do you hold lofty ideals for yourself?
Remember, it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
I remember the day I discovered the simple phrase “I Approve of Myself.” That was a red-letter day for me. And such a simple phrase it is. There’s more to the story, but you see, I realized that I had not been fully accepting and appreciating myself in good, healthy and wholesome ways. I had been replaying too many old, negative tapes of “don’t, stop, you can’t, leave that alone, you’re not big enough, you don’t know what you’re doing” and a few other oldies but goodies that I had been feeding my mind on for far too many years.
There was a Shoe comic strip (written by Jeff MacNelly) a few years ago that showed Shoe, the crusty newspaper editor, standing on the mound with his catcher, in a baseball game.
His catcher says to him, “You’ve got to have faith in your curve ball.”
In the next frame Shoe remarks, “It’s easy for him to say that. When it comes to believing in myself, I’m an agnostic.”
What’s going on inside your mind? When you are all alone, where do your thoughts take you? What tapes do you play inside your head?
Are you capable? Do you like and appreciate your uniqueness? Do you feel a sense of worthiness to be successful? Have you heard mostly putdown in your life and that’s all you hear now?
Do you want to rise up high and soar like the big boys? Do you want to excel in life, in business, in living? Take a look at what’s on the inside of you. What do you feed your mind? What are you dominate thoughts? What beliefs do you hold to be true about yourself?
Here are some vitamins for the mind. Take 3 or 400 of some of these every day until the symptoms go away, then cut back to 50-100 per day.
I am a unique creation of God.
I can.
I am capable.
I like myself.
I approve of myself.
I have a brain in my head that works very well.
I have gifts and contributions that no one else has to offer.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Remember, it’s not the color on the outside that matters. It’s what’s inside that counts.
(*I learned this story a long time ago and now the source escapes me. If you know to whom credit should go for this story please contact me.)
