A little boy comes home from school, looking unhappy.
His mum notices and asks him what it is.
“It is my teacher; he makes me very unhappy”, the little boy responds.
He starts crying and explains why he hates his new teacher.
Nothing is good about the teacher.
The little boy does not want to go to school anymore.
Mum listens patiently and lovingly.
After the emotional outburst is over, she says:
“Wow, that is tough for you. Let me help you”.
“How?”, the little boy says, “there is nothing you can do”.
“Well” says mum, “I have a challenge for you, will you take it?”
The child likes challenges and, with a faint smile, says:
“ok, I will take it. What is the challenge?”
And mum says: “next time at school, find 1 thing you like about your teacher”.
“No”, the boy responds, “that is not possible”.
But mum insists: “you said you wanted a challenge”.
So the little boy accepts.
When he comes home the next day, his mum welcomes him and asks “and?”
“I still hate my teacher”….
“But did you find 1 thing you liked”, mum reminds him of the challenge.
And, reluctantly, the boy says “yes, I found something”.
“My teacher can draw very well”.
“Great”, mum says and asks her son: “are you up for another challenge?”
He is, and she continues: “next time at school, find a 2nd thing you like about your teacher”.
The boy again resists but decides to also accept this 2nd challenge.
“And?”, his mum asks when he arrives home the next day.
“I don’t like my teacher but I did find another thing”, the boy answers.
“My teacher sometimes tells a good joke that makes me laugh”.
“Great”, mum says, and continues with “up for a new challenge?”
And so the boy goes to school finding a 3rd thing he likes about this teacher.
He succeeds. The teacher tells exciting stories on history.
Mum continues giving him the same challenge for 10 days in a row.
And the boy addresses them.
The teacher wore a nice shirt today.
The teacher helps you when you need it.
Etc. etc.
After delivering on all 10 challenges, the boy comes home.
He has a big smile on his face and looks very happy.
His mum notices and asks him what it is.
To which he responds: “I love my teacher; the best I have ever had!”
END
Happy people build their inner world by deliberately choosing their focus on what is good.
Unhappy people blame the outer world for what they don’t like in their life.
Meditation will help you to become aware of your thinking and gives you the power to choose your focus.
With the help of his wise mum, the little boy now knows an important secret: when I focus on what I like, I will feel good and happy!
Ask yourself what your focus is:
The good or the bad?
What you have or what is missing?
The positive or the negative?
The problem or the opportunity?
And remind yourself that there is only 1 person who makes the choice: YOU!
Become aware of your mind, (learn to) meditate.