Inspiring Stories Archives | Dan Waldschmidt

You’re Going To Hurt. What You Do About It Determines How Far You Get.

Performance & Productivity

On his ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro, Spencer West looked down at his dirt-stained hands and fingernails. He didn’t know how long it would take before they would be clean again. He had been walking for days.

You’ve Been Training Your Whole Life For This Moment.

Mindset & Purpose

The big day finally arrived, Dan was fueled with excess energy. He was nervous.

The Courage To Continue When You Feel Cold and Dead Inside.

Energy & Health

He was alive. Or at least it was a dream. A good one to have.

The Magic Of Knowing That You’ll Make It Out Alive.

Leadership & Influence

There is nothing more powerful than believing that you are going to make it. Not just believing. Knowing. Knowing that no matter how bad you feel right now that you are tough enough to make it through to the other side. To survive. And thrive. If you are struggling right now, you know the sense …

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1 Epic Victory And 10 Lessons Learned About The Power Of Words From The Greatest King Who Ever Lived.

Business & Career

It’s not good enough to be right. Or to do what you think is right. The hard truth about leadership is that to be effective you have to master the power of words. You have to master delivering those words in the right tone. A good example of this comes from perhaps the greatest ruler …

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Do Won Chang: 3 Jobs, 19 Hour Days, 1 Next Step, And A $5 Billion Empire

Wealth & Money

Do Won Chang sat in a crowded airport in Korea waiting on a plane to take him, his parents, and his new bride to America.

Frederic Tudor: How To Turn Your Ice-Cold, Crazy Ideas Into Epic Success.

Mindset & Purpose

It was at a dinner shortly after the wedding that the idea came up. One of Frederic’s younger sister had just married the most eligible bachelor in town. Chilled drinks were flowing. And so were the ideas. As Frederic’s rich older brother William joked with friends, out tumbled one of those ideas: ice for everyone. …

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You Shouldn’t Have To Pee Blood Before You Ask for Help.

Mindset & Purpose

Looking back, it was the stupidest move I could have made that day. Especially since I was about to run the longest race of my life. Stepping foot into the Landsford Canal 24-Hour Race I had big plans for what I wanted to accomplish. For the last few weeks, I had been raising money for …

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Just Because You Don’t Feel Like It Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t.

Performance & Productivity

Success demands courage. If you are going to get to where you want to be, you are going to have to be courageous when you least feel prepared to find it inside yourself. The chaos of the battle faded briefly from his mind. Replaced with raw panic and fear.William D. Hawkins bowed his head to …

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LIZ MURRAY: THE DAY SHE TURNED HOMELESS INTO HARVARD.

Mindset & Purpose

She came home from school to find her mom sitting on the couch, staring blankly out of the window. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, she blurted out the news.

GABRIELLE BONHEAUR: PASSION AND PURPOSE NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE.

Mindset & Purpose

Gabrielle was born into a poor family in the town of Saumur in western France. She helped her father trade in the market. It was a living that allowed them all to survive. But not much more.

JESSICA COX: NO LIMBS. NO LIMITS.

Leadership & Influence

She was 4 years old and wanted to climb the slide on the school playground. She was jealous of the other kids her own age having so much fun on the slide.

LI KA-SHING: DEATH IN HIS VEINS. FIGHT IN HIS SOUL.

Mindset & Purpose

Li Ka-Shing gasped. His finger traced the outline of the sentence he had just read in the heavy medical book in front of him.

GARDELL MARTIN: THE MIRACLES THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU BELIEVE.

Leadership & Influence

Gardell Martin was being raised in a rural Pennsylvania town. He had fields to run in and creeks to play in. He had a mom who got to stay home and take care of the kids.

JOAN MURRAY: FLYING HIGH AGAIN AFTER A SPECTACULAR CRASH.

Leadership & Influence

Joan Murray was 47 years old. She had a successful marriage, raised two beautiful twin girls and had finally started to enjoy life. She had a career at the bank that she loved even though sometimes it took too much of her time.

HUANG GUOFU: THE MAGIC OF MAKING ART FROM THE ASHES OF DISASTER.

Leadership & Influence

Huang Guofu was playing outside with his friends when he was four. It was rural China. 1975. He grabbed onto a wire that was dangling nearby — and had the shock of his life.

GEORGE STEINBRENNER: CHICKEN EGGS, BASEBALL, AND THE QUEST FOR BEING THE BEST.

Leadership & Influence

Although he came from a family with significant money, George Steinbrenner’s strict German father, Henry, refused to just hand everything to George on a silver platter.