Freshly Squeezed
Experiment:
With your back to an audience, take two dry orange colored sponges and place them above two glasses of water. One of which is filled with clear water and the other is filled with orange colored water.
Place both sponges into the glasses of water until soaked but not dripping.
Pull out the filled sponges, turn around, face your audience and ask the following question, “Which sponge has clear water, and which has orange?”
And the answer is…you’d have to squeeze the sponges to find out. Whatever comes out is what was in them to begin with. Though using sponges in this example, you could easily replace them with people. If you really want to know what is inside of a person, all you have to do is squeeze them.
Many of us are great when the world around us is wonderful. We look good, smell good, talk good and are full of optimism. However, what happens to us when the pressures on is when you “really” find out what we're all about. Watch someone under stress, pressure, or great challenge and that’s the squeezing that brings out their true nature. Whatever was in them to begin with is exactly what comes out.
Over the past several years, I personally have been confronted with some real personal and business challenges. I shared a bit about that in the recent Daily Inspiration, It's Not What You've Done, It's What You're Doing. I have to admit; the tighter the squeezing has been, what has come out has not always been clear water. As a matter of fact, it’s been pretty orange at times. I got squeezed to the point that it started to negatively affect my health and attitude.
However, what's exciting is the fact that if I want clear water to come out; I know, all I have to do is put some in. Therefore, I’ve personally been overdosing on reading positive and uplifting literature, listening to successful and inspirational podcast, hanging around with phenomenal winners, getting adjusted and really focusing on putting the good stuff in. As a result, I’m happy to say, “bring it on world…ain’t nothing I can’t handle!”
That may be great for me but how about you? In Earl Nightingale’s timeless recorded classic, “The Strangest Secret”, he asks this simple question, “Have you ever wondered why so many men and women work so hard and honestly without ever achieving anything in particular? Why others do not seem to work hard at all and yet get everything? We sometimes think it is the magic touch or pure luck. We often say, "Everything they touch turns to gold." Have you ever noticed that a person who becomes successful tends to continue this pattern of success? Or on the other hand, how a person who fails seems to continually fail? He continues with the revelation that the difference is, “we become what we think about most of the time.” (The Strangest Secret-Earl Nightingale)
If anyone else has been or currently is dealing with some, “life squeezing” then you probably understand exactly what I’m talking about. It really is as simple as making the choice to play BIG vs. small in the world. The cliché really is true, ‘when life gives you lemons; make lemonade! The key is making sure you’ve got some fresh spring water in the ol’ human pitcher to make it.
George Bernard Shaw sums it up best when he said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
Life is too short to not get what you truly desire. Do your best to be your best, put some spring water in the ol' noggin and bless us all with a cool glass of freshly squeezed human being please!
Believe…