A new phase in your life begins. You have been dedicated to being a better person, a better parent, a better professional, a better grandfather or grandmother, among other qualifications you may be craving at this stage in your life.
Develop a proactive attitude and you will receive an important stimulus along this path. Reflect on this sentence:
Difficulty is a matter of point of view”
Do you know the story of the umbrella sellers? It is a very simple and very useful story.
It is said that, somewhere in China, two women were selling umbrellas on the streets of a big city. One of them could only sell when it was raining. On other days, she sold absolutely nothing. The other sold umbrellas every day, regardless of the weather. With the money she gathered, she started a business and became a thriving merchant. Meanwhile, her former competitor kept trying to sell her umbrellas, as although she earned little, that was her only livelihood. One day, in the midst of her daily toil, the umbrella seller, who was now elderly, saw an elegant and well-groomed lady pass by and recognized her former competitor:
– Weren't you the one who used to sell umbrellas around here? – she asked.
- Yes it was me. – replied the other.
– Tell me something: selling an umbrella when it rains is no secret, many people need one to protect themselves from the rain. But on sunny days, why would people want umbrellas? – Asked the saleswoman.
– It's simple: to protect yourself from the sun. – The merchant explained.
– And on days when there is no rain or sun?
The merchant promptly replied:
– It's even simpler: if you don't know if it's going to rain or if it's going to be sunny, you have two things to protect yourself against.
The saleswoman thought for a while, sighed and said:
– Lucky for you your customers think that way.
To which the prosperous merchant replied:
– Lucky nothing. Who do you think made my clients think like that?
Want to know the moral of the story? Learn how to reverse possible obstacles and use them in favor of your behavior changes. That's what a proactive attitude is. From time to time, the main media are full of news about crisis, violence, corruption, unemployment, indebtedness, bankruptcy… You have two choices.
Either you think: “I can't be a better person with this situation”, or you roll up your sleeves and think: “Now is the time that I need to change the most and do many different things from the way they've been done”.
Needs exist on sunny days, on rainy days, and on other days as well.
We all have bad days, difficult days, challenging days, mornings that start off rough and end up calm and, of course, amazing, exciting, joyful days full of good news. Recognizing the possibility of perfection in our daily lives and not talking about ideal and unattainable models is what is in front of our eyes and what makes existence around here so good, so necessary and transformative, even on cloudy days.
Let's move on!
