I’ve been recently doing my sister’s course on Brain Powered Confidence and she shared a Youtube link to a story on Gratitude.
A professor gave a surprise test to his students, giving them pieces of paper facing down.
To the student’s surprise, they turned the paper over to find simply a black spot on it, near the bottom of the page.
The professor said ‘I want you to write about what you see here.’
Eh? The students thought, but followed the instructions as told.
At the end of the time the professor gathered up the papers, to see that every single student had talked about the black dot and its position on the paper.
He spoke to the students, explaining he had not graded them for this test. He had used it to help them understand that that black dot represents things in our lives.
He said ‘Our life is a special gift from God and we always have reasons to celebrate. And yet we focus on the dark spots in our life.’
These could be issues with our health, our finances, relationships, disappointments with our social lives and so on.
The professor expanded that the black dot is really small compared to the white areas in our lives, and yet the dot is the one that we focus on, spoiling our minds.
‘Look away from the black spots in your life. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you.’
The video concludes: We all have so many things in life to be grateful for. Be grateful and enjoy each moment of your life.
BE HAPPY AND ENJOY LIFE.
It is such a simple message, but so profound. How often we do exactly what these students did, rather than what the professor was sharing.
Maybe today, on Valentine’s Day, you could focus on all the best qualities of your partner, the reasons why you liked them in the first place, not on the niggly things. Or maybe you could do a variation and celebrate Galentine’s Day—a special day dedicated to celebrating friendship rather than romantic love.
If you are single, maybe you could focus on all the benefits of being single. All the positive things about spending time with yourself, or with those around you without the ties of a partner. Celebrating yourself and them. Remembering the white paper rather than the black dot.
Simple, but profound.
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www.amanyadesign.com and www.amanyadesigncourses.com
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Love Anna
