Very often, we face troubles and find ourselves being bombarded with all sorts of external pressures ranging from work load, relationships, financial, etc....
Our natural reaction would most likely be "SH@#!!!!!!", when faced with problems. I guess, and I am pretty sure I will be right if I were to say that we will all say, "it's one of those bad days", "sucky day!", "crappy day!" or a a very famous phrase from a Stephen King book, of which I believe it is Dreamcatcher, "SSDD - Same Sh@# Different Day" [P.S - kids, don't pick that phrase up please. :)]
So now, this brings me to my point that we are always so concerned about today, the now, busy trying to catch the moment or busy trying to be the center of the cockscrew. In the midst of all the trying, we end up losing our sight on the big picture. The big picture is not only about the now, it is about the past, present and the future.
There is nothing wrong about focusing on the now, but focusing on the now causes us to lose sight of things. Very simply, imagine you keep your eyes focused on your index finger. Keep looking at your finger like your life depends on it. A couple of seconds later you will begin to realise everything else around your index finger becomes blurry, and that's exactly what happens when we are too focused and concentrated on the now. We lose out on the big picture!
Read the short story below and you might just find it more inspiring than my literature above. =)
The Big Picture
Having a bad day? Back up and ask yourself this important question.
He was a most remarkable man. A man of years clearly mapped out upon his face. Clean, well-kept, but not pretentious in his style or dress. I shook his hand and felt a mix of gentleness and hardened, leather-like skin. I would guess he labored most of his life; now he was forced to stop long enough to heal.
His movie-star blue eyes slip you into a momentary trance. He wouldn't notice you staring at him, though, for he is legally blind. But he senses the hesitation in your voice if you do not respond immediately to his first question. "So, how was your life?"
That question alone halts you in your tracks.
"I would be better prepared to answer how was my day," I suggested.
"That's too easy," he said. "I think we need to keep up on our life as a whole."
I thought for a moment and simply asked, "Why?"
"We tend to nit-pick. We can so easily take one day and dissect it. It is easy to say you are having a bad day. Or simply write it off as 'One of those days.' But when we broaden the view, we take much more into consideration. Life in general will be 'good' or at least 'okay,'" he explained.
"So you cut right to it and ask for an overall rating," I said.
"If I can get someone to see the big picture and realize there is more good in their life than one bad day, I might even change their outlook on this very day," he said.
"So, how was your life?" I asked him right back.
"Wonderful so far!" he responded with a smile. "Thanks for asking."
Then he said one more thing that really stayed with me. "I'm on the shady side of sunset."
How powerful! It seems to me that we often see life as beginnings and endings. Sunrise depicts a new dawn, an exciting adventure ahead. Sunset make us think of endings, like "riding off into the sunset."
This man knew his life, his time, was coming to a close.
"I do hope the sun sets slower for you," I told him. "You have so many more people to ask the big question."
Before I left I promised him I'd help. Let me begin by asking you.
"So, how was your life?"
Our natural reaction would most likely be "SH@#!!!!!!", when faced with problems. I guess, and I am pretty sure I will be right if I were to say that we will all say, "it's one of those bad days", "sucky day!", "crappy day!" or a a very famous phrase from a Stephen King book, of which I believe it is Dreamcatcher, "SSDD - Same Sh@# Different Day" [P.S - kids, don't pick that phrase up please. :)]
So now, this brings me to my point that we are always so concerned about today, the now, busy trying to catch the moment or busy trying to be the center of the cockscrew. In the midst of all the trying, we end up losing our sight on the big picture. The big picture is not only about the now, it is about the past, present and the future.
There is nothing wrong about focusing on the now, but focusing on the now causes us to lose sight of things. Very simply, imagine you keep your eyes focused on your index finger. Keep looking at your finger like your life depends on it. A couple of seconds later you will begin to realise everything else around your index finger becomes blurry, and that's exactly what happens when we are too focused and concentrated on the now. We lose out on the big picture!
Read the short story below and you might just find it more inspiring than my literature above. =)
The Big Picture
Having a bad day? Back up and ask yourself this important question.
He was a most remarkable man. A man of years clearly mapped out upon his face. Clean, well-kept, but not pretentious in his style or dress. I shook his hand and felt a mix of gentleness and hardened, leather-like skin. I would guess he labored most of his life; now he was forced to stop long enough to heal.
His movie-star blue eyes slip you into a momentary trance. He wouldn't notice you staring at him, though, for he is legally blind. But he senses the hesitation in your voice if you do not respond immediately to his first question. "So, how was your life?"
That question alone halts you in your tracks.
"I would be better prepared to answer how was my day," I suggested.
"That's too easy," he said. "I think we need to keep up on our life as a whole."
I thought for a moment and simply asked, "Why?"
"We tend to nit-pick. We can so easily take one day and dissect it. It is easy to say you are having a bad day. Or simply write it off as 'One of those days.' But when we broaden the view, we take much more into consideration. Life in general will be 'good' or at least 'okay,'" he explained.
"So you cut right to it and ask for an overall rating," I said.
"If I can get someone to see the big picture and realize there is more good in their life than one bad day, I might even change their outlook on this very day," he said.
"So, how was your life?" I asked him right back.
"Wonderful so far!" he responded with a smile. "Thanks for asking."
Then he said one more thing that really stayed with me. "I'm on the shady side of sunset."
How powerful! It seems to me that we often see life as beginnings and endings. Sunrise depicts a new dawn, an exciting adventure ahead. Sunset make us think of endings, like "riding off into the sunset."
This man knew his life, his time, was coming to a close.
"I do hope the sun sets slower for you," I told him. "You have so many more people to ask the big question."
Before I left I promised him I'd help. Let me begin by asking you.
"So, how was your life?"
Insightful!
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