Today is Friday, and I’m happy.
Despite a lot of good things happening in my life, the coming two days will pause some of my professional problems.
You can relate to me, right?
Despite everything that we do, something bothersome always pops up!
And when it does, it brings along stress, restlessness and other mental/physical problems.
Arjun was no different.
Like any person that’s alive, he wanted to get rid of his problems.
Although Arjun had always been a hardworking and dedicated person, things had started to get out of hand. His business was failing, his marriage was falling apart, and he was struggling to keep up with his finances. He was fed up with his problems and didn’t know what to do.
Being the spiritual guy he was, he sought the advice of his guru. Arjun decided to pay him a visit.
The guru welcomed him with a smile and asked him to explain his problems. Arjun poured his heart out, telling the guru about his failing business, his troubled marriage, and his financial troubles. The guru listened patiently and then said, “I can help you, but you have to do something for me.”
“What is it?” Arjun asked.
“I will take your problems from you. Just write them on a piece of paper.
But in exchange, you must pick a chit from this bowl,” the guru said, pointing to a bowl on the table.
“What’s on the chit?” Arjun asked.
“On the chit is someone else’s problem,” the guru replied. “I’ll end your problem, but in return, you must be willing to take someone elses.”
Arjun was hesitant at first, but he agreed to the guru’s condition.
He picked up the first chit from the bowl and read it. It read, “My house was burned down in a fire, and I lost everything.”
Arjun felt empathy for the person whose problem was written on the chit, but he still thought that his own problems were worse. He picked up another chit, and this one read, “My wife and children were killed in a car accident.”
Arjun was shocked and horrified. He had never imagined that someone’s life could be so much worse than his. He picked up a third chit, and this one read, “I have a terminal illness, and I have only a few months to live.”
Arjun realized that every chit he picked was a problem that was worse than his own.
He was humbled and saddened. He began to realize that his own problems, while significant, were not insurmountable.
He left the guru’s abode feeling grateful for the life he had.
Arjun realized that the guru had indeed taken his problems from him and had given him a new perspective. With time, he worked on his problems and made his way through all of them with a smile.
That’s the way that Arjun chose. What do you want to choose?
Yes, you may have financial troubles.
Are you willing to switch places with Warren Buffett? (He’s worth over Rs. 10,000 crores)
He’s also 93 years old, drives a very old car and eats McDonald’s or other cheap food for breakfast (almost daily), often using food coupons to get discounts.
You can replace financial troubles with health issues. And then I’ll talk about Sunil Chhetri or Virat Kohli.
Both extremely fit, but no one would willingly follow their diet, exercise or sleep patterns.
In the end, we all end up realising that whatever’s happening is the best thing that happened.
So why wait till the end? Let’s start being grateful for it today itself.
