The wind and the sun had a discussion one day about who could get a man, who was wearing a trench coat, to take it off the fastest. The wind was adamant that he would be the winner on the day. So the sun stood back and allowed the wind to take the first attempt. Well the wind created such a fierce force that the man, wearing the coat, hung on to that coat with all his life and wouldn't let go. The stronger the wind, the longer he held on until the wind finally gave up and retreated in defeat. The wind was firmly convinced that if he could not get the man to budge, with all the force that had been applied, that the sun had no chance of competing. Then it was the sun's turn. Out came those bright rays of warmth that make the flowers blossom and the grass grow, and it wasn't too long before the man quickly took off his trench coat and walked down the road whistling a happy tune. The moral is quite clear. You can usually accomplish much more with a warm smile than brute force. Before dismissing this familiar bit of common sense as being much too elementary and trivial, think about it. It may be "common sense" but it's certainly not all that commonly practiced. From my experience, some of the greatest influence that you can ever have on another life is by simply presenting yourself with a smile, extending a handshake, patting someone on the back, showing interest in another person, and basically seeking ways to spread a little sunshine.
