Hospital Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn and looked out the window only to face a blank wall.

A Gift Of Love!

 “Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked.

When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks. He blurted out the tragedy. “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak.”

He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might mingle with other young people,” his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

The boy’s father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be done? “I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured,” the doctor decided.

Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret,” said the father. The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.

Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. “But I must know!” He urged his father, “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “But the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come... one of the darkest days that a son must endure. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears. “Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut,” he whispered gently, “And nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?”

Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what that can be seen, but what that cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what that is done but not known.

Today, Specialists Agree that more businesses face an unstable business environment. Improvements in information processing and
telecommunications have made major changes in many businesses. Along with this, improvements in transport and the growth of
foreign economies (specifically in Europe and Asia) have generated a worldwide market and surpassed certain businesses. In
addition, as consumers are vulnerable to more choices, loyalty is becoming less important than it once was; a marginally better
price or a temporary shortage of inventory can easily result in the loss of consumers. Competitors also can alter rapidly, with
new ones appearing out of nowhere (frequently this means another side of the world ). With the uncertainty of the worldwide
market, it's vital that you make tactical planning component of your overall business strategy.

Proactive Versus Reactive Management. A few decades ago, you can establish and maintain a company by reacting to and meeting
changes in tastes, costs and prices. This reactive type of management was frequently enough to help keep the business moving.
However, today changes happen quickly and come from a number of directions. From the time a reactive manager can make the
necessary alterations, he or she might lose many clients -- possibly for good.

Proactive Planning is the expectation of future events. Decisions are based on forecasts of future states of the environment as
opposed to reactions to various disasters as they happen. Proactive planning within an unstable, technology-driven business
environment is critical to continuing success in just about any endeavor. As opposed to reacting to the situation as it affects,
proactive planning requires that you examine environmental forces and earn resource-allocation decisions. By doing this you will
take your company where it ought to be in the next month, decade and year. Barry Worth, a consultant specializing in small
business management, puts it this way: Today's entrepreneur has to be a business architect. Anything constructed in today's
business environment must have a step-by-step blueprint or strategy on the best way best to reach success. The blueprint for the
business owner is a business program.

The Need To Get a Strategic Plan. Planning plays a significant role in any business venture. It can make the difference between
the success or failure of your organization. You should plan carefully before investing your time and effort, especially, your
money in any business venture. The need for a strategy is best illustrated by the following situation -"A Tale of 2 Firms."

Two franchises (A and B) were launched by individuals who had worked in direction in much larger businesses. While Franchise A
supplied a item and Franchise B a service, the outcome of the franchise systems had been sold exclusively in the United States
prior to the present owners became involved. The output of both was easily available in several other developed countries as well.
The franchises opened about precisely the exact same time and franchisee had a solid market presence, nor do they present. Today
Franchise B is bankrupt. By comparison, Franchise A is promoting products in the Midwestern United States and in Europe.

What was the Deciding difference from both franchises' achievement? You probably expect it to be the you had developed a strategic
plan and another had not; however, it isn't this easy. Several factors can influence the result of a business venture. There were
lots of similarities between the franchises, but there were also many gaps.

Most notably, Franchise A marketed a product and Franchise B a service (though this doesn't clearly limit choices ). Another
variation was that Franchise A had a closely thought-out plan. The investors understood as they looked to get a franchise partner
that they wanted to locate something that could satisfy international markets and a franchiser who'd support that type of sales
effort. These investors were based in the Midwest, but negotiated for exclusive rights to export the franchiser's merchandise.
After they had obtained the franchise, and as they started to launch their company domesticallythey also started to contact
government specialists from the U.S. Department of Commerce and teachers and local managers with global experience.

Clear plans Were developed outlining how they would position, promote and distribute the product and which foreign markets will be
targeted first. Even as they were building sales in a single European market, they had been attending trade shows and preparation
entry strategies in others.

By contrast, The next investor (Franchise B) started his company strictly because he wanted to leave a former employer. Obviously
many small businesses begin this waynonetheless, in this case no investigation of franchising alternatives was completed. The
organization was located in a place which, as it was, contained virtually no customers for the kind of service being offered. When
this error was accomplished, it had been too late to move--the investor simply did not have the money or the desire to risk
starting again.

Other examples Further show the need for strategic planning and for developing a clear business plan. Whoever owns a company that
seemed to be performing quite well in two places was about to open in a third. The writers were called in to develop a benefits
policy and discovered cash flow problems that may be found just after operations had started in the new location. After analyzing
the circumstance, an expansion and financial plan was designed for the audio locations only. In another case, the authors
determined that a company had purchased more equipment than was necessary to do the present workload.

After careful Analysis, intends to make additional purchases were placed on hold, and the equipment available was utilized
efficiently to meet immediate demands.

A business Enterprise is to complicated to assume that failure to develop a solid business Plan will be the reason behind issues
But this failure frequently counts Among the factors contributing to business difficulties. As Worth has stated, "Being a company
entrepreneur now takes constant vigilance in order to Be in a position to take advantage of new opportunities and the availability
of new Technology and information as they become." The first step in Doing this is to have a program.

 robotics roll-off-dumpster roofing salvage-yard sandwich-shop sausage-making scrap-metal screen-printing scrub-uniform scrunchie self-storage semi-truck sewing shipping Container sign-making silver sip-and-paint skateboard skating-rink skid-steer skin-care-products skip-bin slot-machine small-bbq small-eatery smartphone snack-food snake-breeding sneaker sneaker-cleaning snow-plow snow-removal social-media-marketing sock sound-system spare-parts specialty-food spiritual sports sportswear spray-tan sprinter-van-expedition stationary sticker stock-market storage-unit stucco subscription-box sunglasses swap-meet sweepstakes sweet-shop