Quote of the day:
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Consider:
Here is an interesting story by an unknown author that illustrates this quote.
The old witch doctor of the tribe, sat cross-legged upon the ground, looking at the man who stood before him. He listened to the other African as he told his tale of woe. He had been hurt in an accident. The rocks had fallen upon his ankle, and he would never walk again, but he wanted to know if the witch doctor could cure him.
Slowly the witch doctor ran his long pointed fingers nimbly over the injured ankle. Patiently he moved the grimy toes, and each action was accompanied by other questions. What did the white doctors say? When did the man go to them?
Finally he said, "Yes, I can cure you. I know exactly what is wrong with your leg; but you will need to be a brave warrior. There is grave danger! You must go across to the beehive which stands among the trees, and push the end of your crutch into the hive to stir it up. You must then lick the honey from the crutch. This is great magic, but it will cure your bad leg. Are you bold enough to do as I command?"
The African nodded. He rose from his seat and hobbled across to the beehive. Then, supporting his body on one crutch, he thrust the other into the hive and disturbed the bees. Immediately thousands of angry insects came out, to attack the invader from every angle. As the infuriated bees continued their attack, the man dropped his crutches and fled to the nearby dam, to dive frantically beneath the water.
The witch doctor grinned and a deep chuckle sounded in his throat, and each time the swimmer appeared on the surface the old watcher laughed again.
When another African asked why such treatment had been prescribed, the witch doctor replied, "There was nothing wrong with his foot. Yes, he had been hurt by the rocks, but that happened a long time ago. His ankle had recovered, but the silly man had persuaded himself he would never be able to properly walk again. His was a disease of the mind. As long as he continued to think such thoughts, nothing could be done for him. I sent him to stir the bees knowing they would make him run."
We laugh at the humor of the story but reflect a moment on the profound truth here—so many of us have been convinced by our negative self chatter that we can’t do such and such. We worry about all kinds of eventualities and persuade ourselves that the future is dark with peril. However, if instead of sorrowfully proclaiming our fears to the world, we would proceed to act as though everything were according to our desires we may find that we can indeed “walk.”
Wishing you all the best,
Coach Dana
(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)
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