As though we didn’t have enough to worry about with challenges from the economy, foreign affairs, war, jobs, immigration, and politics, do we really need the burden brought about by relationships? I’m talking about those connections with friends, family, loved ones, neighbors, and co-workers. They’re certainly many and varied, demanding skills and strategies that many of us have not been exposed to.
One of my favorite philosophers said it best, and his advice has led me through a myriad of relationship challenges over the years. The philosopher: Kenneth Donald Rogers, better known as Kenny Rogers. The message: “Know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em!”
The following anecdote may better explain the power of choice we each possess and the need to utilize it wisely.
SAND & STONE
A story goes that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.
The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the pool and started drowning, but the friend saved him.
After he recovered from near drowning, he wrote on a stone:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”
The other friend replied, “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.
It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.
Take time to live! Value who you have in your life.
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.
Harry,
Apparently need to learn this as this is the second time in as many weeks that I have encountered the same message.
In a presentation by Shawna Schuh last week, she shared how she had been having trouble with her horse biting, and every time it did, she would get upset and being upset would ruin her ride. After watching this happen several times, her husband called her on this. He pointed out that animals do not hold a grudge or remember past wrongs. They just let it go as soon as something happens. He encouraged her to do the same the next time the horse tried to bite. Smack it across the nose so it would learn not to do that, but do not allow the horses behavior to ruin her ride or the rest of her day.
Thanks for sharing your story.