Author and speaker, Harvey MacKay, tells a wonderful (adapted) tale about a cab driver who decided to soar like an eagle:

I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wasu, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.' 
Taken aback, I read the card. It said:

Wasu's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wasu said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' I said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wasu smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water, and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, I said, 'I'll take a lassi since I’ve never had one before.' Handing me my drink, Wasu said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have Good Housekeeping magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Bible, and a Travel + Leisure magazine.'

As they were pulling away, Wasu handed me another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.' And as if that weren't enough, Wasu told me that he had the heater on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me. Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know that he'd be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wasu,' I was amazed and asked him, 'have you always served customers like this?' Wasu smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about power of choice one day:

Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle.
If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining!
Don't be a duck.
Be an eagle.
Ducks quack and complain. 
Eagles soar above the crowd.

'That hit me right,' said Wasu.  He continued and said, 'It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle.

I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' I said.

'It sure has,' Wasu replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.'

Wasu made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

I love this story because we find life-success truths that lead to living a more meaningful and abundant life:

1. Success requires conscious, purposeful choice. The cab driver made a conscious choice to make changes, taking responsibility for himself and for his life. He DECIDED to change his attitude and become an eagle and purposely shifted his mindset away from a negative one that complained. He cultivated a positive mindset with the expectation of receiving good things. We usually get what we expect in life.
2. To improve yourself or your life, do what you can in just manageable amounts right where you are. To start his transformation, this cab driver made a few small changes. As he received good feedback and as his business began to grow, he made more changes. Sometimes we have to take baby steps, but the important thing is to begin. Do what you can where you are to begin your transforming your life.
3. Physical presentation matters. Many people today believe that how you look isn’t important. They say, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” That may be true in theory, but in reality people size you up within the first few minutes of meeting you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. First impressions count no matter who you are.
4. Differentiate yourself through attitude and action. It is attitude plus action that determines altitude. The cab driver decided to act--to move from the usual to the unusual, from being the same to being different, from ordinary to extraordinary. Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary? It is usually just small things put into action that lead to big improvements. The cab driver decided to change his attitude. A positive attitude is magnetic--drawing people and positive things to you.
5. Sow carefully. You reap what you sow. If that statement is true, and I believe that it is, then we must sow what we want to reap. By using our talents and abilities to serve others in this life, we draw good things back to ourselves. We are rewarded many times over. It is true that you can do well by doing good. As it has been said, A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

May we all decide to soar like an eagle and not quack like a duck.