Sometimes everyone gets down in the dumps. They have to find something to grab to stand up again. Read these beautiful inspirational and heart touching short stories, and you will find the motivation you need. I’ve collected 7 of the best inspirational and beautiful short stories to help you get through life’s challenges.
Read and find the moral of these stories of motivation. You will understand this is the best thing you did to find answers for your problems. These inspirational and lovely short stories with a moral at the end are easy to digest and useful to help you with a lot of troubles.
I’ve been reading plenty of these short stories in the past days and found the lessons behind them truly beautiful. So I’ve decided to write out this article highlighting the 07 most inspirational attractive short stories I’ve heard. Enjoy!
Heart Touching, Motivational & Inspirational Short Stories about Life
07.Appreciation of Hard Work
Mark, a brilliant young man, sat confidently across from the CEO for his final interview at a prestigious company. His resume boasted top marks from high school all the way to his post-graduate research – a perfect academic record.
“Impressive,” the CEO chuckled, “Any scholarships along the way?”
“No sir,” Mark replied.
Intrigued, the CEO continued, “So, your father must have supported you through school?”
A shadow crossed Mark’s face. “He passed away when I was just a baby. My mom, she’s the one who worked tirelessly to pay for my education.”
The CEO’s gaze softened. “And what line of work did your mother do?”
“She’s a laundry worker,” Mark answered.
The CEO then made a peculiar request. “Show me your hands.”
Mark hesitantly extended his smooth, unblemished hands. “Did you ever help your mother with the laundry?” the CEO inquired.
Mark shook his head. “No, she always insisted I focus on my studies. Besides, she’s much faster at it.”
The CEO leaned forward. “Mark, when you go home today, wash your mother’s hands. Come back tomorrow, and tell me about it.”
Mark left feeling optimistic. Back home, he approached his mother with a hesitant smile. “Can I wash your hands, Mom?” he asked.
Surprise flickered across her face, followed by a warmth that brought tears to her eyes. She held her hands out, weathered and calloused, a stark contrast to his own. As Mark gently washed them, tears welled up in his own eyes. The depth of every wrinkle, every bruise, spoke volumes of her sacrifice. It was the first time he truly saw the price his mother had paid – the price of his academic success, his future.
With a newfound determination, Mark finished the laundry that night. He and his mother talked for hours, a conversation filled with rediscovered love and understanding.
The next morning, Mark returned to the CEO’s office. The CEO noticed the raw emotion in his eyes. “Tell me about yesterday,” he said gently.
Mark’s voice trembled. “I washed Mom’s hands and finished all the laundry. But more importantly, I realized three things. “Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there will not let a successful me today. Number 2, By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family “relationships.
The director said, “This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired”.
Later on, this young person worked very hard and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company’s performance improved tremendously.
Moral: If one doesn’t understand and experience the difficulty it takes to earn the comfort provided by their loved ones than they will never value it. The most important thing is to experience the difficulty and learn to appreciate hard work behind all the given comfort.
06.Dinner With Dad
The young man, David, carefully helped his elderly father, Arthur, into the bustling restaurant. Arthur, frail and unsteady, struggled a bit, but David patiently guided him. As they settled into their booth, a wave of nostalgia washed over David. This used to be their special spot, a place for birthday dinners and celebratory meals. Now, it was a reminder of Arthur’s fading strength.
Their meal arrived, and David watched with a bittersweet pang as Arthur fumbled with his fork. A stray pea bounced off his spoon, landing with a plop on his shirt. A ripple of disdain went through the restaurant; some patrons even stifled snickers. David, however, remained unfazed.
Calmly, he waited until Arthur finished eating. Then, with a gentle arm around his father’s shoulder, David excused himself and escorted Arthur to the restroom. Inside, David took a washcloth and meticulously cleaned Arthur’s shirt, his touch as tender as it was thorough. He combed his father’s hair and straightened his glasses, a small act that spoke volumes of love and respect.
Returning to their table, David could feel the weight of a hundred stares. He held his head high, his eyes meeting the disapproving gazes without flinching. Just as they were about to leave, a voice cut through the tense silence. An elderly gentleman sitting alone beckoned David closer.
“Young man,” he said, his voice raspy but kind, “you didn’t leave anything behind, did you?”
Confused, David shook his head.
The old man smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes. “On the contrary,” he chuckled, “you left a lesson for every son in this room, and a flicker of hope for every father. You showed them what true love and respect look like.”
The restaurant fell silent once more, but this time, the silence was heavy with reflection. David straightened his back, a newfound pride warming his chest. He had not just cared for his father, he had unknowingly reminded everyone of the beauty of compassion and the enduring strength of family bonds.
Moral: To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors. We all know how our parents cared for us for every little thing. Love them, respect them, and care for them.
05.The Ship of Friendship
Two friends, shipwrecked on a deserted island, clung to faith. They decided to divide the island and pray to see whose prayers were stronger. Both prayed for food. The next morning, one side held a fruit-bearing tree, while the other remained barren.
Days turned into weeks. Loneliness gnawed at the man with plenty. He prayed for a wife. Miraculously, the next day, a lone woman from another shipwreck arrived on his shores. Emboldened, he prayed for a house, clothes, more food – all granted. Seeing his companion’s continued misfortune, he felt a twisted sense of superiority. Finally, he prayed for a ship to escape.
As he prepared to leave with his newfound wife, a booming voice echoed from the heavens. “Why abandon your friend?” it demanded.
The man, puffed with self-importance, declared, “My blessings are mine! His prayers went unanswered.”
The voice boomed back, a tremor of disapproval. “Wrong! He offered one prayer, and it was answered. Without it, you would have received nothing.”
Intrigued, the man stammered, “What did he pray for that I owe him anything?”
A long pause followed, then the answer:
“He prayed that all your prayers be answered. “
Moral: For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us (Congregational Prayer). Value your friends, don’t leave your loved ones behind.
04.Self Confidence
There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an older man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said.
After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”
Then he asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand, saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.”
Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
“I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. Then he closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the older man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the older man.
“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.”
And she led the older man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long, he’d been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.
Moral: Power is always inside us. We can do anything. But the thing is that our lack of confidence results in us to defeat. Find the motivation you need from this story of inspiration.
03.The Wind and The Sun
It was an autumn day. The wind and the sun argued.
The wind boasted, “I am stronger than you.”
The sun mildly said, “No. you are not”.
Just then, they saw a traveler wrapped in a blanket was passing by. The wind said, “Whoever separates the blanket from traveler is the stronger. Do you agree?”
The sun replied, “OK. First, you try.”
The wind started blowing, so the traveler wrapped his blanket around him. He blew harder. The traveler held his blanket firmer. He blew still harder, but the traveler held his blanket even tighter. The harder the wind blew, the tighter and firmer did the traveler hold his blanket. The wind failed.
It was the sun’s turn. The sun smiled gently at the traveler. The traveler loosened his grip on the blanket. The sun smiled warmly. The traveler felt the warmth and soon took off the blanket.
The sun was declared stronger.
MORAL: Gentle smile can achieve what brutal force can’t.So use gentle for things can’t make with power.(Wind and the sun Inspirational short story is one of Aesop’s Fables.)
02.The Black Dot
One day a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor handed out the question paper, with the text facing down as usual.
Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions….just a black dot in the center of the page.
The professor seeing the expression on everyone’s face told them the following: “I want you to write what you see there.”
The students confused, got started on the difficult task. At the end of the class, the professor took all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them, with no exceptions, described the black dot, trying to explain its position in the middle of the sheet, etc. etc. etc.
After all, had been read, the classroom silent, so the professor began to explain:
“I am not going to grade you on this; I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot – and the same happens in our lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots.
Our life is a gift given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate – nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see every day……. However, we insist on focusing only on the dark spots – the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend, a.s.o. The dark spots are tiny compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds.
Take your eyes away from the black spots in your life. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with LOVE,”
How are those inspirational short stories? And here we are at the last story I’m going to tell you……….
01. What Goes Around, Comes Around – Inspirational Short Story
One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold and he knew how she felt. It was those chills that only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car, looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about being paid. It was not a job for him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
So, he told her that if she wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.“
Then He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.
The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be thus giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred-dollar bill, and the waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred-dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back.
The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you want to pay me back, here is what you do, do not let this chain of love end with you.” Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day.
That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard… She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, then she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low,
“Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”
Moral: There is an old saying, “What goes around, comes around.”
How were those stories of motivation?
And here we are at the end of those 7 beautiful and inspirational short stories about life. I hope you get and learn some lessons and found the motivation for a new start. So, leave a comment about these inspirational short stories. Then I know your ideas and comments about these Motivational stories.
Anyhooo, if there’s a short inspirational story that you’d like to share with our community, please do not hesitate to post it below in the comment section. I may add it to this list if enough people comment on it.
And I have gathered more inspirational short stories. Search my website and find more and more stories. If you are looking for more motivational writings and inspirational short stories, I think those stories are right for you.
Good Luck!!
Sasindu Jayasri is an Engineering student from Sri Lanka and he studies mechanical engineering at the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Moratuwa. He is passionate about writing and giving inspiration to the world. Follow him in LinkedIn for updates and you can contact him directly.
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Wow
Great job mate.♥️♥️✌️keep it up
Great ❤❤
Superb❤❤
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Sounds good…keep it up
Superb
Wow
Superb job
Those are really inspirational and motivational.Thank you.
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Thank you for sharing with us
It’s really awesome. Good luck. Keep it up.. your skill