Once upon a time, a traveler appeared in a small village. Hungry and tired he went to the first house and  asked the woman inside  if she could spare just a small bit of food. The woman replied, “I’m sorry I have nothing to give you. I can barely feed my children”.    The traveler went from home to home and each time the response was the same.

Finally the traveler went to the village square, took the large cook pot and began filling it with water.  When one of the villagers asked what he was doing he replied “I am making stone soup”.  As the villager watched., the traveler dug into his bag and removed a small silk bag containing a single stone.  “This is a magic stone which makes the most delicious soup you  have ever tasted” the traveler said and dropped it in pot.

After a few moments, the traveler tasted it and offered a bit to the villager.  The villager gave him a perplexed look and said ” It just tastes like water”.  The traveler replied  “Yes it is MUCH better with a carrot or two.  Alas, I have no carrot.  It would be  a fine soup indeed for us”.  The villager disappeared and returned with a few carrots.  “Will these work?” the villager asked.  “In deed!”  the traveler replied and added them to the cook pot.

As the traveler tasted the soup, a woman from the village appeared and asked what in the world they were doing.  The first villager replied that they were making stone soup.  The traveler interjected that it would be incredible if only they had some onion.  She returned shortly another woman in tow, and produced not only an onion but asked if potato might be nice in the stone soup.

Now a crowd was really gathering and the traveler said “If only we had a bit of beef, this soup would be fit for a King”!  The town Butcher spoke up and said he may have a few scraps to offer.  As they waited a few more villager approached the pot offering what little they had… parsnips…cabbage…salt..and an herb here and there.    After the Butcher returned and the meat had simmered, the traveler pronounced the soup ready!  That evening the whole town joined in a feast where there had been none all the while, marveling at the magic of the stone soup!

The next morning as the traveler prepared to leave, the villager elder offered him a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell it .  As he left, the traveler came upon a group of village children standing near the road. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to the youngest child, whispering to the group, “It was not the stone, but the villagers that performed the magic.”

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 Michelle Archer is a certified coach with nearly 25 years experience in direct sales. Michelle works with companies and individuals to explode their business potential. Connect with her on Facebook Learn more at http://directsalesinstitute.com/