My Birthday Surprise
(Grownup Version)
Words in
RED are
the personalized words
#505a My Birthday Surprise (Grownup Version)
“My Birthday Surprise”
was created especially for
David Allen Smith
Happy “50th”
Birthday!,
We Love You,
Jason & Linda
July 7, 2002
Page 4
Yes,
it was birthday time again, July 7. David Allen Smith of Ennis,
Texas, had reached yet another major plateau in his
life – age 50.
David
was a high flier, a born leader, and a man of many accomplishments. There was
no doubt about it – David was a legend in his own mind.
Page 7
Jason, Linda and Jamie had planned a big birthday
bash for David this year. Hand-written
invitations had been sent to all his friends.
Fortunately
for Jason, Linda and Jamie,
the job had been very easy. Only a few invitations had to be written.
Page 8
Jason, Linda and Jamie had spent a lot of time
developing a theme for this special birthday party. It was
David Allen Smith
The ten keys to success
in your life
Obviously,
the theme was a very popular one. The party room was packed.
Page 11
Jason, Linda and Jamie started his success story by explaining that the path David had followed through life had been met with a
series of closed doors. Over the years, judging from the shape of his beak,
many of these doors had been slammed in his
face.
Despite
these setbacks, David had still managed to
become a success in Ennis, Texas. It was evident
that these ten keys had worked a miracle for David.
Page 12
David
and the rest of the party group were quiet when Jason, Linda
and Jamie announced the first key to his
success.
“Always be
full of hot air.”
David
had devoted much of his life to achieving this
goal. Those who knew him agreed that he was definitely full of it.
Page 15
The
second key of success was
“Stay young.”
David
maintained his youthful appearance by following a strict exercise program. His favorite activity seemed to be jogging to the
refrigerator.
Unfortunately,
staying young was difficult after 50 birthday
celebrations. In fact, lighting the candles on his
birthday cake was considered a fire hazard for David
and everyone else present at the party.
Page 16
Believing that
“No mountain is too hard to climb”
was
another component of the success formula for David.
Anyone
who had ever seen David demolish a mountain of
ice cream topped with whipped cream and a cherry realized the truth of this
statement. He could whittle it down in seconds.
Page 19
The
fourth key was a critical factor in making David
the success he is.
“Surround
yourself with intelligent,
responsible
people.”
David
always kept snapshots of his trusted friends in his
wallet. Come to think of it, that was about all you could ever find in his wallet!
Page 20
The
excitement of the party had almost been too much for everyone. They decided to
briefly interrupt this spell-binding “Success Story” and have David open his many
gifts.
Nobody
had trouble buying David a present. After all, what
can’t you buy for a man who needs everything?
Page 23
After
watching David open his
gifts, the anxious crowd was eager to hear the fifth key to his success. It was
“Don’t be a
horse’s … behind.”
Unfortunately,
David couldn’t help himself. It was just his nature.
Page 24
The
saga of David continued. The next key to his success was
“Enjoy the
sweet things in life.”
There
are man sweet things in life: the presence of a wonderful companion,
adventure-filled vacations and lots of money.
Whenever
David wanted to enjoy sweet things, he went to his pantry.
This was the only source of sweet things for David.
Page 27
The
seventh key was vitally important for social climbers like David:
“Don’t forget from whence you came.”
On his long climb up the ladder of success, David never once forgot his
roots. He was so very proud of all his ancestors.
Page 28
To
really be successful, you must
“Only play
games you can win.”
Talented
individuals like David pride themselves on their
athletic and business prowess. Very few adults had ever beaten David at any of his
favorite games. Everybody knew he would have a
temper tantrum if they did.
Page 31
“Blow your own horn”
was
certainly another vital part of his success
formula.
Everyone
agreed that if David didn’t blow his own horn, nobody would do it for him. In fact, he kept
stacks of horns and whistles handy for all the important moments in his life. David would
do almost anything to call attention to himself!
Page 32
David
always maintained that, to be successful, you must
“Picture
yourself as you want to be.”
David
thought that once he was successful, his portrait would be hung in the homes of all of his friends.
Page 35
Now
you know the ten keys to the success in your life. We had originally planned to
have you say a few words, but we remembered that brevity is not one of your ten
keys.
Congratulations
on yet another “successful” year. Happy Birthday!
Jason and Linda
July 7, 2002