A Lesson

Many years ago, I read an article in the Hartford Courant that initially appalled me, after seeing the headline and the first paragraph or so of the article. A group of Tibetan monks was visiting Trinity College in Hartford and created a display of a traditional mandala - an oft elaborate piece of artwork created on a surface (typically the floor) out of brightly colored sand, arranged in intricate patterns and designs. Part way through the process of their creation, a handful of local punks burst into the room, ran onto the floor where the mandala lay, and kicked the sand all over - destroying days of painstaking and delicate work.

As I read further, however, my attitude changed. I progressed from being upset and angered by the callous and cruel intentions of those kids, and the malicious act they'd committed, to a feeling of inspiration and renewed spirit.  Why? Because of the monks' reaction to what happened to them and their artwork. What they said and how they responded made an indelible impression on me, with the lesson staying with me ever since.  How did the monks react?  What did they do in the face of such frustration?  They did the only logical, productive, and positive thing they knew how to do: they forgave the youths and went back to work, starting a new mandala from scratch.  It was even suggested that the monks thanked those youths for the wonderful opportunity with which they'd been presented: as the creation of the mandala is a journey and an expression of their Buddhist faith, the monks felt they'd been blessed with the opportunity to venture on yet another journey.  After all, after the mandala would be completed, the journey would be over.  Such a "tragedy" allowed them a chance at a new enlightening experience.  As many times as someone might destroy the mandala, so said the monks, they'd only start over again.  And this - they said - can never be taken away, no matter how many times their work might be ruined.  The chance at creating something new - new journeys - is something they would always have, and this brings peace.

A bit of irony is that the destruction of a mandala and equally as important to the ritual as the construction.  In this sense, the youths who destroyed the mandala were unwittingly helping in being part of the process.  It teaches not to be too attached to fleeting things; to appreciate the here and now - and value the things that stay with us, long after the proverbial sand is gone.

What a wonderful set of lessons there are to be learned from this story!  Next time you sense a loss - from a thing, an account, an opportunity, or even a relationship - picture the new doors that are opened where old ones are closed.  We don't live in a vacuum, and any open gap is soon filled.  In business, if we lose a client, we soon find a new one.  If the market conditions take a turn for the worse, we re-strategize and make course corrections. 

When we all got into our chosen fields of business, we did so because of two reasons: the journey and the destination.  Regardless of the industry, and regardless of our own unique goals, all of us share this fundamental motivation.  While most would agree that becoming successful and secure are reasonable goals for a destination, few ever choose a path unfitting of their internal value compass and vision.  We enjoy our work!  If we don't, we better get out. No one gets up each morning looking forward to hating their day.  And few entrepreneurs say to themselves, "I hate everything about my work and I can't wait to just get rich so I can stop trying."  If this were true more often than not, many of today's most successful people would simply retire.  But what do we see?  We see successful people who thrive on the experiences of their journeys.  For them, they never fully arrive.  They simply love the travel.  And it is this passion, this love for their journeys, that makes and keeps them successful. 

Success comes in many flavors.  It may be material, such as wealth or more toys in the garage.  It may be about personal growth or creative achievements.  It may be about connecting with people and sharing what we have to offer.  But for the truly enlightened, our success is measured by the richness and depth of the journeys themselves.  Regardless, one thing remains true: none of our goals - our destinations - will happen without the journey.  And it is the chance we are all empowered with to explore and pursue these journeys that is the greatest blessing of all.

Comments

[Drew McLellan]

Steve,

I think this world is filled with way too many people who are "waiting to be happy." They either hate their job, their boss, their spouse, their whatever...and they just endure.

Life is not meant to be endured. We possess the freedom to either change the circumstance or change our attitude.

Maybe life is like a road trip. You can either grumble about how much longer you have to drive or you can sing another round of 100 bottles of beer on the wall.

You end up in the same place at the same time. It's just a matter of how much fun it was to get there.

Drew