Are you a Velcro or a Teflon Person
A woman in a supermarket is following a grandfather and his 3 year-old grandson. The grandson is behaving very badly. It’s obvious that the man has his hands full with the child screaming for sweets and cookies and soda and chips.
Meanwhile, Grampa is working his way around, saying in a controlled voice, Easy William, we won’t be long… easy boy.
Another outburst, and she hears the grandpa calmly say, It’s okay William, just a couple more minutes and we’ll be out of here; hang in there, boy.
At the checkout, the little terror is throwing items out of the cart, and Grampa says again in a calm voice, William, William, relax buddy, don’t get upset. We’ll be home in five minutes; stay cool, William.
Very impressed, the woman goes outside where the grandfather is loading his groceries and strapping the boy into the car seat.
She said to the elderly gentleman, It’s none of my business, but you were amazing in there. I don’t know how you did it. That whole time, you kept your composure, and no matter how loud and disruptive he got, you just calmly kept on saying, things would be okay. William is very lucky to have you as his grandfather.
Thanks, lady, said the old man, but I’m William, that brat’s name is Steve.
We can live your lives two ways. Outside in or inside out.
Outside in, means you are affected by everything that happens around you or outside of you. External events, such as losing a job, a terminal diagnosis, loss of a relationship, financial difficulties, health problems, national problems, natural disasters. You name it, there is no shortage of unpleasant events happening around us, all the time.
Sometimes, even innocent conversations can make some people upset. Some people are so fragile that they get and unhinged so easily.
You are letting outside stimuli control your emotions instead of allowing your inside radar to regulate and respond to the stimuli presented. You are letting others control your mood and whack at your life while feeling like a victim or acting like a bully. You don’t make good choices; You are a victim of circumstances; you are like a cork in the ocean tossing around with no purpose, being totally at the mercy of the wind.
Don’t let outside events ruin your day and rock your life, but let the soul inside you manage the events in your environment. Don’t react to outside circumstances as they bombard you, but respond to them by processing them inside. Because there is a big difference between reacting and responding. Don’t be a victim of circumstances, be a victor.
Introspection helps us to cultivate an inner life which acts as a buffer against all the storms around us.
Inner life will remind you take a deep breath, and be proactive rather than reactive in a situation. Inner life enables you to see the big picture; inner life makes you love unconditionally and forgive easily; inner life will tell you not to sweat the small stuff; A person with an inner life does not get overly excited about superficial things. Inner life will give you inner peace, the peace that passeth understanding.
Imagine living in a world where nothing happens to you but everything happens through you.
That is the process of transformation from being a Velcro person to a Teflon person. That is living your life inside out, which is also called, an awakened life.
