How many of you can remember when you were a kid and looked for that proverbial prize in the box of cereal? I can remember when I was about 8 years old, I asked my mum to buy me a certain cereal because it sponsored Flash Gordon. It's possible that many of you younger readers don't have a clue who Flash Gordon was. Flash Gordon was an invincible super-hero who crusaded for good deeds in outer space.

At any rate, my mum bought the cereal for me mainly because I wanted the prize that came with it. The prize was a Flash Gordon Super Vision Shield. It was an amber coloured pair of goggles.

However, in order to get to the prize I had to pour the entire box of cereal out because it was at the bottom. I didn't dare think of eating my way to the prize because I was too impatient. Yes, I wanted to be like Flash Gordon! Once that shield came pouring out from the bottom I put it on and I felt invincible like my favourite super-hero. I wore it everywhere my mum and I went. I even tried to wear it to school but the teachers didn't want a super-hero flying around the playground.

Over the years there were other neat prizes from many different brands of cereal, but I was never really interested in the cereal, only the prize. In my defence, I could say, 'But I was only a kid and didn't know any better.'

When you think about it; life itself can be like a box of cereal. Even as adults we keep looking for that proverbial prize which we'll go to all costs to obtain. Just think about what we do at times. We get greedy and pushy just to obtain what we think is the prize.

If you happen to have a box of cereal that has a prize in it, what would you do? Would you throw it away just to get to the prize? Unfortunately there are times we don't consider our friendships or other people's feelings when we are trying to find it.

Try to look at it from a different perspective. Wouldn't it be better to enjoy the journey along the way? In other words, don't be impatient and pour the cereal out of the box. That will only spoil the real meaning of the prize. Savour what you have and be grateful. I guarantee your prize will appear, without having to push others out of the way to get it.

Written by Tony Masiello

Tony Masiello is a speaker, consultant and author of the e-book, Whispers from the Universe, a collection of writings that will help to motivate, inspire and guide you along the inner path of your life. You can visit his website at ... Whispers from the Universe >>>

Tony has produced a very special series of five of his inspirational stories and you can view them at ... 5 Parables of Inspiration >>>