Hi Folks,
It's been a crazy week here and there is a lot of really great stuff coming in November. So while I get back to work on that, here's another way to look at the world. More stories from the easy chair:
Think like a life master.
Think like a life master? How
do we do that? Here’s how. Something unusual has happened? Disaster
or blessing? Is it worth exploring? Do not judge it, examine it
first. Remain calm, keep the emotion out of it, and examine the
situation. Here are a couple of stories to help you understand.
One
day, as the people gathered in the market square as was their custom
each day, something unusual happened. A cart overturned, blocking the
narrow street which most people used to access the square. Worse yet,
the horse was still trapped in the traces and was kicking at everyone
who tried to get near, thus preventing people from clearing the
street. The harder they tried, and the more frustrated they got, the
more the horse fought them. This went on for some time, and everyone
was very upset as they could not get to the market square.
Suddenly
there was a shout from the back of the crowd. “Look, it’s the old
master from the hills, he will know what to do.” Everyone stopped
shouting and rushed to the old man as he slowly approached. “Master,
Master, a cart has fallen and the horse will not let us clear it
away, we cannot get to market. Please help us.”
Smiling
to himself, the old man approached to view the situation closely. The
frightened horse lashed out at him and he danced nimbly out of the
way. The old fellow looked carefully at the horse, then at the cart,
then smiled to himself as he walked around the block and entered the
square from another direction. Quietly, the others followed him,
embarrassed. The old fellow then approached the horse from the front,
calmed him, shared a carrot, then unhooked the tired animal from the
traces and led him to the water.
Moral
of the story? Take another look before you act. Knee jerk reactions
are rarely the best solutions, and the proper solution will usually
present itself if you just take a second look. It comes back to
asking yourself a better question, or a different question. The
question here for most of the people was not “How do we clear away
the cart that is blocking the street?” it was, “How do we get
into the square?” See, different questions bring different
solutions.
Ok,
here’s another story. A young fellow preparing for university was
called home early by his father, the carpenter. His father had been
laid off, worse yet, the money for the boy’s education had been
invested poorly. The family was bankrupt. The boy fell into
depression and didn’t speak for weeks until he had a visit from his
grandmother. “What am I supposed to do now?” he wailed. “Dad
ruined my life.”
“Your
life is only in ruins if you choose it to be,” she smiled softly.
“So,
what am I supposed to do now, pump gas for the rest of my life?”
“Work
is a privilege, not a birthright. If this is the work you have been
allotted, then be the best damn gas pumper in the world. Be so good
everyone in town will come to you for their gas just because it is
you.” With that, she walked out of his room.
Think
like a master.
The
next morning he went to work, vowing to heed her advice. Even though
he worked for a self serve station, he began pumping gas, checking
oil, washing windshields, and every Monday morning thereafter he gave
every female customer a rose.
Where is he now? He retired early, owner of dozens of stations, a
well known franchise. Many of his school chums who went to university
ended up working for him. His business manager, his accountant,
lawyer, etc.
So,
what happened? He asked a better question. “How can I turn this
situation to my advantage? His grandmother visited the next day with
the answer. Moral of the story? Never panic. I too have lost a
business I spent years building up. Sudden bankruptcy wasn’t my
best day, but life handed me new opportunities, new directions, and I
have greatly enjoyed the journey. I still am, and you can too.
Think
like a master, enjoy the journey, be blessed.
If you
have questions, or if there is a point you would like to discuss with
me, or if there is something you would like to see me address, don’t
be shy, drop me a line.
Now for the ROW80 check-in:
This was another slow week at the keyboard, but I did manage to write another two thousand words.
My target for next week is yet another two thousand words. Yes, I know it's NaNo month. I have been successful at NaNo several years in a row, but one day I will tell you how NaNo nearly ruined my writing career. This year I will work in reverse. I will attempt to write only a couple of chapters during November.
If you're doing NaNo I will be cheering you on. It is an exercise well worth doing and I may return to it next year with a fresh perspective.
Well, that's it for me this week. Drop me a line to let me know how you're getting on.
Bright Blessings
Pru
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