Jack Canfield was speaking at Mark Victor Hansen’s MEGA BOOK MARKETING 2007 and shared this with attendees.

He was on a TV show, and one of his co-guests was telling him a story during the commercial break.

She had been down and out, on the streets, pregnant, and was contemplating suicide after delivering her baby because things were so bad. One cold evening, she staggered into the public library for warmth - and worried she’d get thrown out, picked up the first book on the shelf and started reading.

It was ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul‘.

She read a story about a puppy for sale. A little boy comes to the pet store, points to a puny, limping puppy and asks the store-keeper how much it cost. The pet shop owner said, “That pup’s lame. He can’t jump and play with you. You want one of the others. Here, take this one.”

The boy was persistent. He wanted the limping little puppy with the sad face. “How much does he cost?” asked the little boy.

“Well, I sell puppies at $30 to $50 each, but because you want him badly, you can take him for free” said the owner.

“No, he’s worth at least that much. I want to pay for him” said the little boy, and pulled coins out of his pocket and piled them on the counter. There was $1.37

“That’s all I have - but I’ll pay you the rest bit by bit!”

“Ok,” the shop keeper said, “but you don’t have to. This little pup is going to be hard to sell anyone else, he can’t jump or run or play”

The little boy pulled up his trouser leg, exposing a metal brace, and the stump of an amputated foot with an angry scar across it.

“Mister, I don’t jump too well either,” he said softly.

.

When she read this story, said the lady to Jack Canfield, she said to herself, “If that little puppy could find someone to love him, I’m sure I will too”

And in that instant, she decided against abandoning her child and committing suicide.

Now, like many others, she had heard about Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen persisting after having their manuscript rejected by publishers 143 TIMES before finding one who agreed to print the first Chicken Soup book.

She told Jack,

“If you both had quit at any time, even at the 142nd rejection, I would not be alive today!”

.

So…

Have YOU ever felt like giving up?

Can YOU relate to this story?

Do YOU still want to give up?

I know I don’t.

Not any longer.

P.S. - There’s some interesting discussion going on about this on the Warrior forum - take a look!