 Well, are you a duck or an eagle? This motivational or inspirational story, some of you may have already read or heard during motivational lectures which you may have attended in the past. But I still thought of sharing this in my own words for those who may not have had the occasion of knowing this particular inspirational and motivational story. Harvey McKay, a New York Times bestselling books author and a well-known columnist covering career and inspirational advice, narrates a remarkable story about a cab driver, about a taxi driver who decided to soar or fly high like an eagle. Ordinarily, our personal encounters and experiences with taxis or cabs are not very pleasant in terms of hygiene, cleanliness, professionalism, politeness, conduct as a whole and more. Getting back to Harvey's exceptional narration, he was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled out, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine, smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie and freshly ironed black trousers. The cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey, showing his mannerism and good conduct. He handed him a laminated card, the driver handed Harvey a laminated card, which said, I am Wally, your driver, while I am loading your bags in the trunk, I would like you to read my mission statement. Harvey was quite surprised, anybody would be and perhaps he was taken aback. He read the card, which said, Wally's mission statement, to get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment. That was his mission statement, which he wanted Harvey to read as a passenger. This completely blew Harvey away, completely blew him away, especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab literally matched the outside, which was immaculately clean, both the exterior and the interior of the cab. As he glided behind the wheel, Wally, the driver or the chauffeur said, Would you like a cup of coffee, sir? I have a thermos, I have a thermos of regular coffee and one of decaf also, decaffeinated coffee as well. Harvey with a smile said, No thanks, I prefer soft drinks. Wally smiled back and said, No problem, sir. I have a cooler, I have a cooler up front with regular as well as Diet Coke, water and orange juice. Nearly stammering, Harvey said, I'll take a Diet Coke. And handing him the drink, Wally said, If you would like something to read, I have the Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today. So as they were dragging away, Wally handed another laminated cart to Harvey. These are the radio stations I get and the kind of music they play. I mean, if you'd like to listen to the radio, just let me know. Which station would you prefer? Said Wally, the driver, the cab driver. To top it all, Wally, the driver told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable enough for Harvey. Next, the cab driver went on to inform Harvey of the best possible route to his destination at that time of the day. He also offered to engage in a conversation with Harvey, very thoughtful of him. And he wanted to have conversation to tell him about the interesting sights which if at all, Harvey was interested in visiting. And if he was not interested in chatting with the driver, he said that he would leave Harvey with his thoughts. Harvey was nothing but utterly astounded and surprised and amazed. And he asked the driver, tell me, Wally, have you always served your customers like this? Wally smiled into the rearview mirror. No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. He said the driver, it's only been in the last two years, said Wally. During my first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wyandyer, on the radio one day. He heard Wyandyer on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You Will See It When You Believe It. You will see it when you believe it. Mr. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you will have a bad day. You will rarely disappoint yourself with the thought what you have had. Bad day, you will get a bad day. Stop complaining, differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck, don't be a duck, be an eagle, be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain, whereas eagles soar above the crowd. That hit me, said Wally. That hit me right between the eyes, said Wally. Mr. Dyer was really talking about me, I thought. I was always quacking like a duck and complaining. So I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle, become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers, the cabs were dirty, the drivers were impolite, unfriendly and the customers were by and large unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time when my customers responded well, I did more. So Wally took a baby step and then he took a giant step in a way. I take it that has paid off well for you. Harvey said, it sure has, Wally replied. My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year, said Wally. And this year, perhaps I will or probably quadruple it, my income. You are lucky to get me today, sir. I don't sit at cab stands anymore. My customers call me for appointment on my cell phone, said Wally, or leave a message on my answering machine. That's what he said, he was much in demand. If I cannot pick up the calls myself, I get a... If I cannot honor my commitments to the customers, then I arrange for some other reliable cabbie. Wally was incredible. He literally offered or he was offering a limousine service out of a regular taxi or cab. It doesn't matter if you work in an office or in the field. As a salesperson or after sales support or a teacher or a civil servant or a lawyer or a politician or a businessman or a bank or any other executive or employee or any professional for that matter or a taxi driver or a courier or food delivery agent. Whatever work you do, what matters is what choice you make, whether you make a choice to be a duck, always complaining or you make a choice to be an eagle, whether you are ready to take responsibility for your actions and circumstances which you are in or you don't want to take responsibility and accountability for your actions. Whether you're willing to change your approach and attitude or not, small changes in life bring about big advancements. As they say, whatever comes around, the theory of karma does work in practical terms. I personally feel it's not simply a theory. You can actually put it into practice, the theory of karma. Wally transformed himself from being a quacking duck to a high-flying eagle, as the story tells you. We can get inspiration from completely unexpected and unassuming quarters, the way we got this story from a taxi driver. So always keep your eyes and ears of your mind open. You don't know who will teach you what in life, which will eventually become a game changer for you. Yes, a game changer for you. Thank you. Goodbye and good luck.