Can Determination Make the Difference?

Guess who this story is about? You know the name and the person. Wait until the end and see if you know the name of the boy in this story.

One summer a little boy went to spend his vacation with his family at a seaside cottage. The little boy was 5 at the time and he was excited to learn how to swim. When they arrived he opened the car door and ran to the beach to see the ocean.

His aunt Joyce walked up beside him and asked him what he was thinking.

He said “I am thinking about how much fun it will be to learn how to swim.”

Aunt Joyce said, with a twinkle in her eyes, “I’ll bet you 10 shillings (a lot of money for a little boy at that time) that you won’t be able to swim before you get back home from summer vacation.”

He was determined to learn so he said “Aunt Joyce, I am going to learn and win that bet.”

Who will win the bet?

For the next two weeks he practiced as much as he could but he just couldn’t learn to swim. Finally, the day came for the family to go home. He was sitting in the car feeling forlorn. His aunt Joyce said “It looks like I won the bet.”

Just then he saw the ocean through the car window and begged his father to stop the car by the beach. He jumped out of the car and went into the water. He swam a complete circle and then proudly announced “Aunt Joyce, I won the bet.”

What did this show about this little boy’s character?

When he was in his early twenties, he wanted to start a business but did not have the capital. He asked everyone and finally he asked Aunt Joyce. She lent him the money and he became hugely successful.

Only when he paid Aunt Joyce back did he learn that she did not have the money to loan him. She had mortgaged her house to help him. That is the kind of faith that she had in him.

Her faith was very well placed.

Who is this man?

Bruce is a motivational speaker and conducts seminars and workshops based upon the ideas in his book, “Attitude Determines Destiny”.

Discover the fun and success that Bruce can bring to your life or the life of your organization, contact him for your next event