“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” ~ Dalai Lama
On the last day of a psychology class, the professor walked up on stage to teach one final lesson which she called “a vital lesson on the power of perspective and mindset.” As she raised a glass of water over her head the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”
Students shouted out answers ranging from a couple of ounces to a couple of pounds.
After a few moments of fielding answers and nodding her head, she replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass is irrelevant. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the absolute weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”
As most of the students nodded their heads in agreement, she continued. “Whatever you’re holding onto including hurt, worries, frustrations, disappointments, and stressful thoughts are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a little while and nothing drastic happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel noticeable pain. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed, incapable of doing anything else until you drop them and let them go.”
What have you been holding onto way too long? If you’ve been struggling to cope with the weight of what’s on your mind, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down.
“You can alter your life by altering your mind. Change your thoughts and you change your world.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale
To Your Success,
Peak Performance Coach