Shake it off & rise above it
Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 11:40PM A story has been passed down among generations about a farmer who owned an old mule. After a long day's work in the field, this mule headed to his paddock and accidentally fell into the deep farmer's well.
Not long after that, the farmer heard the mule braying in a way the man hadn't heard before. After discovering what had happened and reviewing his options, the farmer felt guilty about the mule's suffering. He decide the best thing would be to put the animal out of his misery. So, he recruited a neighbor and explained things. They sympathized with the farmer and the mule. Together, they hauled dirt toward the well and decided it would make a good grave marker.
Initially, as the old mule felt dirt landing on its back, he became frantic. But the farmer and his neighbor continued shoveling and the dirt. It came in greater amounts. Then, the mule had a revelation. Every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he could shake it off and step on the pile. He did exactly that, as if to resist blow after blow.
He silently encouraged himself. He didn't desire to die. No matter how discouraging it seemed that his beloved owner was trying to bury him alive, he decide to reframe his toughts. AS the result, each pile of dirt went from being seen as very distressing to being seen as a blessing in disguise. They knew where he was and they were helping him! He reframed his situation. The mule fought his impulse to panic and just kept right on shaking off the dirt and stepping up.
Low and behold, it wasn't long before the old mule, albeit exhausted, reached the top and stepped victorious over the opening og the well. Imagine the looks of amazement on the farmer and his neighbour. They realized they could learn a few things from that old mule as the result of how he had handled his adversity.
Throughout life, just like the old mule, each of us is confronted with difficulties. All-the-while, we always have choices. We can refuse to give into the temptation to fear, doubt or, be consumed by negative thinking. There is hidden value in every situation which we can use to transform ourselves. You can always devise a strategy to get out of the wells of despair. How will you reframe aspects of your life to find good in every condition, every event, and every moment? Learn how to shake your head and refuse to give into hardship, self-pity or defeat. Shake off any thoughts that you aren't capable. Realize that you are. Go and rise above self-defeating thinking.
Reader Comments (2)
Your input is very valuable. I like the analogy of how people can sometimes seem to throw dirt on our dreams and ideas. People may forget they invite into their lives what they project from inside. The dirt-throwers may be a form of our own self-doubt which we can also quash from inside, and rise higher still. We catapult ourselves further than we ever thought possible whenever we prove that we can achieve what positive thinking would have our mind do.