“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”- Anais Nin
How do you see the world, or specifically, the events of your life? Are you always waiting for something to go wrong, never comfortable enough to relax in the moment and just breathe? Or do you generally see the up side of situations?
Your view of life can paint your experiences in vibrant technicolour or shades of grey. It all comes down to attitude. Your attitude greatly influences your reactions to your life’s experiences.
We all go through difficult times, some more than others. Experiences that shape us, that underpin all that follows, and while we are sometimes powerless to change the situation or the experience, we have a choice in how we respond. Attitude plays a powerful part in our response to our circumstances and the way in which those circumstances influence our lives.
So how do you see your cup? How do you react to life’s challenges?
There’s parable about a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule braying and, after a careful assessment of the situation, decided that neither the well nor the mule were worth saving. He enlisted his neighbours to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially the old mule was hysterical. But as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back, he would shake it off and step up. This he did, blow after blow: shake off the dirt and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up. It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped over the wall and out of the well.
If we face our challenges and problems in the same way and respond to them in a positive way, we, too, can realise the benefit of our choice to see the cup as half full.
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