Whenever I was in a jam as a kid I'd wish I had a magic crayon so that all I had to do was draw whatever it was I needed at that particular moment to get me out of trouble. Maybe it was because when I was very young there was the TV show for kids, "Winky Dink and You."
"The concept of the show was simple. Children could purchase a Winky Dink and You kit from their local toy store, which came with a “magic screen” (a piece of clear plastic), crayons, and a wipe. When the show came on the kids would cover their TV with the magic screen (which would cling to the screen). Children would watch Winky, the main character, and his dog Woofer go on all sorts of fun adventures, but they would often run into trouble and look to the viewers for help. How? The kids could draw something on the magic screen of course, like a line that becomes a bridge so that Winky could cross a river, or a circle that transforms into a rocket ship so Winky could escape to space, or even a moustache to disguise Woofer from his evil enemy Harum Scarum. Pretty genius, huh? The only problem, the many, many children who forgot to put on their magic screen and drew all over the TV screen to the annoyance of their parents!"
As crazy as my childhood fantasy was it did have some merit. Of course the idea of just drawing my way out of circumstances I've gotten myself into is childish, but the idea that we have the power to transform any situation for the better is not. Our outer circumstances will always reflect our inner life: our thoughts, feelings and attitudes. Or as James Allen puts it, "Circumstances don't make the man, they reveal him."
So I've adopted, "Bless a thing and it will bless you, curse a thing and it will curse you," as a spiritual tool I remind myself of constantly. When applied, it never fails to work. Even if you find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation you have the power change it by simply changing the way you are thinking about it. No matter what the difficulty seems to be, the truth is; "It's only a thought, and a thought can be changed." - Louise Hay.
Several years ago I was told by my manager that I was going to be assigned another TV production facility to supervise. He warned me about what I had already known, that this place had been a hornet's nest for years and it was probably gonna be tough long before it gets easy. There was a manager there, that for some reason unbeknownst to me didn't like me. This became very apparent when one of my newly assigned direct reports confided in me that I better watch my back. He went on to explain that she told everyone there that if Darrell Fusaro so much as peeps anything that can even misconstrued as harassment, "I'm going to make sure he goes down."
Immediately upon hearing this my feelings ran the gamut from worry, panic, anger, self-pity, and finally surrender. I knew deep down that no amount of self-will could manipulate the situation in my favor to either win her over or eradicate her swiftly and effectively with little or no consequences to myself. So I put all my faith in the power of love. "Bless a thing and it will bless you, curse a thing and it will curse you," was my guide. In spite of dreading having to interact with her each day, I began to apply this practice; everyday when thoughts of fear, worry and/or anger came up I would sweep them aside by blessing the situation. I'd send off thoughts of love, happiness and success for her as prayers. I'd wish for her every good thing that I'd want for myself. Some days this came easy others not so much. For instance there was one time I pulled into the lot and noticed that her car was parked in the handicapped space, it took every once of good will power to not call to have her ticketed and towed. Instead, I blessed her and let it go.
Soon, with no coercion on my part, things began to improve. We began to talk. She would initiate pleasant conversations with myself and crew. Being a long time Los Angeles resident she would suggest fun outings for my wife, Lori, and myself to go on during the weekends. One of my crazy habits at the studio was to break into short songs at unexpected moments, something she detested. But not anymore. Now she'd pick up where I left off, singing out loud the next verse. I began to look forward to seeing her each day. Things had improved so much that those who had witnessed the situation prior were wondering if I was putting something in her coffee. Incredibly the positive power of prayer had worked it's incredible magic. Love truly is the most powerful and effective force in the world. And it works even better than a magic crayon!
So I've adopted, "Bless a thing and it will bless you, curse a thing and it will curse you," as a spiritual tool I remind myself of constantly. When applied, it never fails to work. Even if you find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation you have the power change it by simply changing the way you are thinking about it. No matter what the difficulty seems to be, the truth is; "It's only a thought, and a thought can be changed." - Louise Hay.
Several years ago I was told by my manager that I was going to be assigned another TV production facility to supervise. He warned me about what I had already known, that this place had been a hornet's nest for years and it was probably gonna be tough long before it gets easy. There was a manager there, that for some reason unbeknownst to me didn't like me. This became very apparent when one of my newly assigned direct reports confided in me that I better watch my back. He went on to explain that she told everyone there that if Darrell Fusaro so much as peeps anything that can even misconstrued as harassment, "I'm going to make sure he goes down."
Immediately upon hearing this my feelings ran the gamut from worry, panic, anger, self-pity, and finally surrender. I knew deep down that no amount of self-will could manipulate the situation in my favor to either win her over or eradicate her swiftly and effectively with little or no consequences to myself. So I put all my faith in the power of love. "Bless a thing and it will bless you, curse a thing and it will curse you," was my guide. In spite of dreading having to interact with her each day, I began to apply this practice; everyday when thoughts of fear, worry and/or anger came up I would sweep them aside by blessing the situation. I'd send off thoughts of love, happiness and success for her as prayers. I'd wish for her every good thing that I'd want for myself. Some days this came easy others not so much. For instance there was one time I pulled into the lot and noticed that her car was parked in the handicapped space, it took every once of good will power to not call to have her ticketed and towed. Instead, I blessed her and let it go.
Soon, with no coercion on my part, things began to improve. We began to talk. She would initiate pleasant conversations with myself and crew. Being a long time Los Angeles resident she would suggest fun outings for my wife, Lori, and myself to go on during the weekends. One of my crazy habits at the studio was to break into short songs at unexpected moments, something she detested. But not anymore. Now she'd pick up where I left off, singing out loud the next verse. I began to look forward to seeing her each day. Things had improved so much that those who had witnessed the situation prior were wondering if I was putting something in her coffee. Incredibly the positive power of prayer had worked it's incredible magic. Love truly is the most powerful and effective force in the world. And it works even better than a magic crayon!
Now for some fun!
Click on image first to begin!
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