What do you get when you squeeze an orange?
I heard this obvious question for the first time in a recorded lecture of Dr. Wayne Dyer. It was not a question I had ever spent some time on.
Dr. Wayne is one of my key teachers. Although I never met him in person, he has a prominent place in my heart and mind through his phenomenally inspiring books and tapes. Dr. Wayne truly left a legacy that makes this world a better place.
So Dr. Wayne was asking his audience: what do you get when you squeeze an orange?
Adults who were listening to him remained silent, probably thinking it was a trick question and not wanting to embarrass themselves. But fortunately for Dr. Wayne, there was a little boy present who shouted: 'Orange juice!'
Of course. When you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice.
Dr. Wayne applauded the little boy and explained to say that what you get, is what is inside. And of course, there is orange juice inside an orange.
It was not a trick question. It was a leading question to learn about ourselves.
When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out.
Similarly, we can ask: what comes out when I am squeezed? Just like with the orange: what comes out, is what is inside of you.
Challenging times and circumstances, when we are being squeezed, reveal who we are. That can be confronting because we are not all like Mother Teresa who only gave out love, whatever happened to her. But the good thing is that awareness of this simple orange-based wisdom can significantly benefit us in our development and growth as human beings.
If you want to learn and grow, ask yourself the following questions:
When you are squeezed, what comes out?
Who are you in this current crisis?
Do you like what comes out?
Are there things you would like to change?
The wisdom of meditation will make you aware of your life. Meditation practice will introduce you to yourself. Through wisdom and meditation, you will get to know yourself better.
Too much stress? Too much anger? Too much irritation? Too much aggression? Too much anxiety? Too much conflict?
And it just feels off? You prefer it differently?
Here is the good news: the orange will always give orange juice but we can change! Human beings can change their inside.
Challenges in life can bring out the best in people but also the worst. It all depends on your mindset.
When you use challenges to learn about yourself and see them as a growth and development opportunity, you are living like a master: turning adversity into opportunity!
You can use the current challenging world to learn about yourself: what kind of orange are you, what is inside of you, which juices coming out of you are not as you would like them to be?
And then, if there are things you would like to change about yourself, you can start training and focusing your mind to change your inside. It is possible to sail through the storms of life peacefully and calmly with the right mindset.
The more you know about something, the better you can handle it.
The more you know about yourself, the better you can handle yourself.
The better you can handle yourself, the better you can deal with the challenges of life and make the most of every situation.