Just wanted to share some Buddhist philosophy that I hope is good timing for you.
Take a look at an apple tree.
There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds. That’s a lot of seeds!
We might ask, “Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?”
Nature has something to teach us here.
It’s telling us: “Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow.
So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once.”
This might mean:
You’ll remind your child ten times to say thank you before they do it without prompting.
You’ll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
You’ll interview forty people to find one good employee.
You’ll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea.
And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend .
When we understand the “Law of the Seed”, we don’t get so disappointed.
We stop feeling like victims.
We learn how to deal with things that happen to us – just as they are.
Laws of nature are not things to take personally.
We just need to understand them – and work with them.
IN A NUTSHELL
Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.
When Things Are Beyond your control, here’s something that you must NOT DO so as to be happy.
You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
Many times, such thoughts can bring you spiralling down into more unhappiness.
On the other hand, let’s say you expect that:
Friends SHOULD return favours.
People SHOULD appreciate you.
Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
Everyone SHOULD be honest.
Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.
These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won’t happen!
So you end up frustrated and disappointed.
There’s a better strategy.
Demand less, and instead, have preferences!
For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:
“I WOULD PREFER “A”, BUT IF “B” HAPPENS, IT’S OK TOO!”
You prefer that people are polite.. but when they are rude, it doesn’t ruin your day.
Whatever your challenges this coming week, keep on keeping on.
Challenge yourself to be resilient, patient, insistent, calm and philosophical.
Chalk disappointments and ‘failures’ up as necessary stepping stones on the path to achievement and success.
You are doing important work – and there are people in this World that love you more than you can imagine.
Hold that thought……and have a great week.