A story is told of two spiritual men who had taken vows never to touch people they considered unclean. One day, as they were waking along a path, miles away from their isolated home, they found a disabled youth who could not walk. One of the men, moved by the youth’s condition, put him on his shoulders. He carried him to the nearest town, notified its leaders and left the youth under their care.
From the moment he picked up that youth, his friend stopped talking to him. Even after he had left the youth behind, his friend still wouldn’t talk to him. Eventually the merciful man asked his friend, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you not talking to me?” The friend responded, “How can I talk to you when you carried that unclean youth? You broke our vows!”
After hearing the reason for his friend’s silence, the merciful man answered, “I am sorry for you. You must be tired of carrying that unclean youth for this long. You see, I left him hours ago but you are still burdened by him.”
Unfortunately, that’s how most of us live from year to year, month to month and day to day—carrying past disappointments. When you cling to those disappointments, they can ruin creativity and a positive attitude, and keep you focused on a past that can’t be changed instead of building the future based on the lessons you’ve learned.
What are the dreams that you had in the past that didn’t materialize? One way to create a future is to seek fulfillment—and I don’t mean material success. Set goals that are directed by the big picture of the life you envision. Let your efforts be devoted to life aspects that outlive your longevity.
Professional and personal lives are constantly ruined when people cling to past hurts. Anger and/or the motive for revenge are not the elements you need for the new beginning. Your future is stainless, regardless of how your past has been. You must resolve to turn past experiences, good or bad, into sources of inspiration to do and be better.
Fulfillment is always connected to how we improve the lives of other people. When you give hope, your life gets better.
