A very inspirational article shared by our beloved professor at the end of the semester. Posting it here to share it with everyone and also for my own easy reference!
Law of the seedTake 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 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.
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 spiraling down into more unhappiness.
On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
Friends SHOULD return favors.
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.
You prefer sunshine.. but if it rains, it is ok too!
To become happier, we either need to:
a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.
It is easier to change our Thinking!
IN A NUTSHELL
It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the
problem that is the problem. It's not what happens to you that determine your
happiness but rather how you think about what happens to you!