Inspiration - Listen
By Nikki Viljoen of
Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
The quote today comes
from Shel Silverstein, who says:
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child.
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the wonts.
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...
Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be.”
There have been an
inordinate number of people, of late, who have been demanding that we listen to
them. A huge number of these have been
the doomsday orators whose predictions of the future of this country do not
bode well for us. This has resulted in,
sometimes quite prolific debates, which have resulted in bruised egos and
battered self-esteem.
Oh, please don’t get
me wrong – I believe that intelligent debate is a good thing. Apart from hearing, listening (and those are
two entirely different things believe it or not), and understanding a situation
from a completely different viewpoint, a good debate also ‘stretches’ the mind,
and quite honestly I’m all for that.
What I am having difficulty in understanding, is why some people are
‘hell-bent’ on declaring South Africa, hopeless.
I find it
disconcerting, and frankly, a little insulting to have to listen, on a
continual basis, about how this country is ‘going down the tubes’. Quite honestly, if they spent as much time
doing things to improve their lot as they do bemoaning the fact that they don’t
have one or because of apartheid, they still haven’t found one, I have no doubt
we would be a lot further along the road to recovery than we currently appear
to be.
I am astounded by the
amount of energy that they are willing to use in order to beat their breasts
and cry ‘woe is me’ and list all of the bad things that are happening around
us, and yet they are unwilling to spend a fraction of that energy in looking
for something good that has happened!
So here is the
deal. I am no longer prepared to listen
to these people, I am no longer prepared to waste my time and energy trying to
change their minds and show them the good around us. I am, in fact, no longer prepared to have
anything to do with these people – I know that that sounds a bit harsh, but
that is exactly how I feel.
Instead of wasting
time and energy on them, I will be using my time and energy to find the good,
to change what’s wrong in my own life, to make a difference in the lives of
others.
If we all just had
one positive thought, if we all just made one positive statement and if we all
just shared one positive thing with each other on a daily basis, I have no
doubt that this country would be a fabulous beacon of shining light.
So what are you going
to spend your energy on today?
Nikki is an Internal
Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702
8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
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