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01-17-2008, 01:51 PM
THROWN FROM THE BULL
Speaker Andy Sherman tells about learn*ing to ride bulls in the rodeo.
At eighteen, he told his father he wanted to be a professional bull
rider. His father said, "You want to do what? Why
would you want to do that?"
Andy said jokingly, "I don't know - I guess I like the hours. You
just work eight seconds at a time. That appeals to me."
His father, concerned about the inherent danger, responded, "I
absolutely forbid you to do that!" And, at that moment, young Andy
instantly knew his life's calling!
The only problem was - he couldn't ride. Always 7 1/2 seconds away
from making the eight*-second buzzer, he decided to enter "Rodeo
School."
The first day of school he was told to get on a bull. He got on and
was immediately thrown off. The instructor said, "Get on another
one." He was thrown from a second bull. Then a third. And a fourth.
He finally asked the instructor, "Are you going to show me how to
ride these things?"
"That's how you ride them," came the re*ply. "Just get on one and
ride."
By the week's end, Andy had climbed on, and been thrown off, about
eighty bulls. But he learned how to ride.
Experience can be a great teacher. Unfor*tu*nately, there is only one
way to get it, and that is to fall a few times until you learn. Like
the em*ployer who told her new employee, "I hired you to make right
decisions."
"And how do I do that?" he asked.
"Experience!" she answered.
"How do I get experience?" he asked.
"Wrong decisions."
But experience will never come if we are afraid to try. And fail. And
try again. And maybe fail again. We may have to "get thrown from a
lot of bulls" if we are ever going to learn to ride. But that is part
of living a full and happy life!
-- Steve Goodier
Speaker Andy Sherman tells about learn*ing to ride bulls in the rodeo.
At eighteen, he told his father he wanted to be a professional bull
rider. His father said, "You want to do what? Why
would you want to do that?"
Andy said jokingly, "I don't know - I guess I like the hours. You
just work eight seconds at a time. That appeals to me."
His father, concerned about the inherent danger, responded, "I
absolutely forbid you to do that!" And, at that moment, young Andy
instantly knew his life's calling!
The only problem was - he couldn't ride. Always 7 1/2 seconds away
from making the eight*-second buzzer, he decided to enter "Rodeo
School."
The first day of school he was told to get on a bull. He got on and
was immediately thrown off. The instructor said, "Get on another
one." He was thrown from a second bull. Then a third. And a fourth.
He finally asked the instructor, "Are you going to show me how to
ride these things?"
"That's how you ride them," came the re*ply. "Just get on one and
ride."
By the week's end, Andy had climbed on, and been thrown off, about
eighty bulls. But he learned how to ride.
Experience can be a great teacher. Unfor*tu*nately, there is only one
way to get it, and that is to fall a few times until you learn. Like
the em*ployer who told her new employee, "I hired you to make right
decisions."
"And how do I do that?" he asked.
"Experience!" she answered.
"How do I get experience?" he asked.
"Wrong decisions."
But experience will never come if we are afraid to try. And fail. And
try again. And maybe fail again. We may have to "get thrown from a
lot of bulls" if we are ever going to learn to ride. But that is part
of living a full and happy life!
-- Steve Goodier