Inspirational stories about life, work and entrepreneurship

Jim Abbott won an Olympic gold medal, played professional baseball, pitched a no-hitter, wrote a bestselling memoir and has positively impacted the lives of thousands of people through his inspirational talks.

With all of that success, Jim still enthusiastically recounts how one of his greatest inspirations was one of his earliest — Don Clarkson, his third grade teacher.

Jim Abbott was born with only one hand. Like most young kids, when Jim was in elementary school he desperately wanted to fit in, but it wasn’t easy. Jim recalls being singled out as different. Kids would …

Anish’s parents probably hadn’t seen a white person before. Now, not only was there a white man in their village, but Conor Grennan had pictures of their missing son, Anish, whom they had mourned every day for the past 4 years.

Both parent sobbed. This was the miracle they had prayed for daily. Their son was alive and they would see him again.

It’s a safe bet that Anish’s family and the 350 plus other families Conor Grennan has helped reunite would be surprised at how Conor got into the business of saving kids . …

How great is it that our small acts of kindness can make someone else’s entire day?

Here are 46 good deeds and small acts of kindness that can help you feel amazing.

Some of these are new ideas that I haven’t seen online before. Others aren’t as original, but a reminder certainly never hurts.

The first suggestion below inspired this post. I know Amy, and after liking her Facebook page, I felt so happy that I wanted to find more easy ways to help others and to feel great. Here’s what I came up …

My wife and I recently realized that we have a lot of stuff collecting dust. Instead of saving it in case we need it in 10 years, why not donate our stuff to people who need it now? In case you feel the same way, here is a list of where to donate clothes, furniture, toys, prom dresses, wedding gowns, DVDs, sporting equipment, musical instruments, eyeglasses, cell phones, computers, appliances, furniture, video games, cars and more:

Donate cell phones

Phones can be donated to National Network to End Domestic Violence which gets funds for recycling …

It was a star-studded night. After recording her new song at Rotation Records, Amy Hosmer left the studio. She was greeted by about 75 enthusiastic fans. It was an eclectic bunch, ranging from toddlers to middle-aged men. Amy smiled shyly and thanked everyone for coming. Not what we’d expect from a rock star. Probably because Amy isn’t a typical star.

Amy is similar to most little girls I know. She loves the color pink, Barbie, jewelry and makeup. She loves to perform and wants to be a professional singer. The 11-year-old receives a lot of …

I can’t believe 20 kids and 6 adults are dead. Shot in their school by a gunman. It made me cry. Shit, something like that could have happened in Philadelphia. That could have been our kid. As I sat devastated I thought, What now? What can I do?

I can be thankful for what I have. How can I let little or even big things bother me, when I consider what happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School?

I can be certain to appreciate and take full advantage of the time I have with my family. …

“Don’t get shot with your pants down! By using…Blaze Orange toilet paper instead of standard white TP, you let other deer hunters know you’re not Bambi’s white flashing tail.”

So reads the label on the orange toilet paper we now use every year at our holiday extravaganza. Why do we use orange toilet paper? And does it stain your butt? Let me explain . . .

Our craziest family traditions started innocently enough. One year we couldn’t make it to Seattle to visit my wife’s family for Christmas. My parents were concerned that Mia would …

It was a warm Tuesday night, four or five years ago, and I was outside a convenience store drinking the Gatorade I had just bought. As I often did that summer, I was participating in the Philadelphia skate club’s weekly Rollerblade through the city. We were about halfway through the skate and on a drink break.

I knew I had about ten minutes, so I gave my 85-year-old grandma, Nanny, a call to check in.

When she heard my voice, she said, “Brad, I’m so happy you called. I have some important information to share.”

She paused and then continued.

“I think your underwear is too tight. That’s why you’re having trouble having babies.”

Jack Andraka enjoys mountain biking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and science. According to his Facebook page, he’s a fan of Beavis and Butthead, Family Guy and The Simpsons. Oh yeah—when Jack was 15-years-old he also created a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer that is 28 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive and over 100 times more sensitive than the current diagnostic tests. And, in case that’s not impressive enough, the test also works for ovarian and lung cancer.

His diagnostic test earned him first prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair…