After writing several blogs on relationships, wealth, and life capitals, some readers asked me to talk about positive thinking. I will focus on the powers of positive thinking over the next few weeks. Please feel free to share your views on this topic via email if you are interested in participating in my blog writing, discussing, and sharing. Together, we can build an inspiring community with mutual interests, mindfulness, and consciousness.
What is positive thinking? Let’s see a dialogue between a doctor and a lady who just gave birth to a baby boy.
Doctor: Mary, I am so sorry to tell you that your boy is blind.
Lady: Well, at least he can hear my bedtime story.
Doctor: Unfortunately, your baby is also deaf and mute.
Lady: Well, at least his mind is alright.
Doctor: Sadly, I have to tell you the truth, that your boy is autistic and will have constant seizures.
Lady: I am grateful that he has healthy limbs.
Doctor: I am afraid to tell you, your child has no arms or legs.
Lady: I am still fortunate because he has one thing nobody can take away from him.
Doctor: Are you sure, lady? What might that be?
Lady: My boy has a loving and capable mother to raise him. By the way, he also has a wonderful and hardworking father on his side.
The lady's husband sitting beside her said, “I am blessed with such a sweet wife and a son because God has seen capability in me to nurture both. I am grateful that God chose me to be his father!”
Doctor: I wish all the disabled people in this world could have parents as loving and caring as you are.
Do you get the idea about positive thinking? The couple has proved to what extent one can be positive. Positivity is a matter of perspective. The things you look at change when you look at them from different angles and perspectives.
Could you think like that lady if that baby boy was your child? Could you remain as positive and calm as that mother? Do you have a husband with the similar positivity as you in similar situations? Let us see another example. You might have known the story of David and Goliath. A giant in a remote village was bullying and harassing the children for a long time, but nobody in the small village tried to fight back and protect the children. A 17-year-old shepherd boy visited his brothers in the village one day, and asked with curiosity, "Why don't you folks stand up and fight the giant?" The villagers were terrified and replied, "Don't you see the giant is too big for us to fight?" "No, he is not too big to fight; he is too big to miss if you were to fight", David said. You know what happened after that. David killed the giant with a sling. You see the same giant, yet with a different perception. So, the power of thinking is to shift your perspective for better results.
I would like to share one more example of positive thinking. Once upon a time in the Tang Dynasty of China, a humble and powerful emperor visited a monk at a Buddhist temple. The emperor was surprised to see that the monk's house was empty with literally no furniture but a pillow and a simple wooden twin bed. Let's see their conversation.
Emperor: You are such a wise and respected Buddha master; why do you have no belongings?
Monk: I am just a monk with no need for anything. You are an emperor; where are your belongings? I cannot see any.
Emperor: I have everything you can imagine at my palace. Right now, I am just a visitor; of course, I have nothing with me now.
Monk: So am I, emperor. I am also a visitor, I am only on earth for this life.
Emperor: Thank you so much for your profound statement! Yes, we are the same, visitors only. We are free, and we need nothing.
The emperor donated most of his palace assets to the people after the visit with the monk. What is the difference between having everything and having nothing? How can you live a happy life even if you have very little? Yes, we are all visitors to this world for this life. We are all born with nothing. We shall all leave this world and this life with nothing. Can you grow your positive thought like the monk? You should never be ashamed of being short of money because you can still enjoy your life with your loving heart and mindful soul. I can't imagine a better example of positive thinking.
I will share more examples of positive thinking next week.