If the weather and your circumstances have to be perfect for you to be happy, you will always be vulnerable. Let’s adapt Mr. Rogers’ motto: “What’s essential is invisible to the eye.”
Episode #850 September 30, 2022
Hi this is Dan Miller – and yes you’re listening to the 48 Days Radio show – where each week we take 48 minutes to dive into real-life questions about finding your passion, deciding what kind of life you want to live – and then finding or creating work that allows you to show up every day, excited to be able to do something that is meaningful, fulfilling – and profitable. This is where normal, indecision and ambiguity come to die. Welcome to the 48 Days Radio Show.
A Look At What’s Coming
I’m going to be devoting some podcasts to a simple thought or principle. I plan to take one idea from history like Zig Ziglar’s story of the pump, or how his neighbor lady’s biscuits got cooked in the squat, or the story of Jim Carrey writing himself a check for $10 million – dating it for 5 years later – and seeing it come true within that 5 year period, having starred in Ace Ventura. Jack Canfield’s story about attending a Come as You’ll Be party and how that set in motion the things he was able to accomplish.
It’s a beautiful day in paradise……
An excerpt from my upcoming book, An Understanding Heart
THURSDAY AFTERNOON, JOANNE AND flew from Nashville to Denver. That morning the temperature had dropped over twenty degrees, and there was a light rain. It was overcast, and the sun was not shining.
At the airport I heard a lot of gloomy comments: “ The food is too expensive here . . . This is ridiculous . . . Why do people wear cologne when they travel? It makes me sick . . . Why are these headrests so big? It forces my head too far forward . . . It’d sure be nice if the sun was shining.”
As a child growing up in Pennsylvania, Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) was a victim of vicious bullying in his neighborhood. Kids picked on him because he was skinny and sensitive about it. It was a horrible experience, but his childhood became the motivation for his formative work in showing a neighborhood where kids were kind and considerate. “I began a lifelong search for what is essential,” he said about his childhood. “What it is about my neighbor that doesn’t meet the eye?” He framed one of his favorite quotations and had it on the wall of his working studio: “What’s essential is invisible to the eye.”
Appearances are often misleading. First impressions are often incorrect. We can be upset and disturbed by what we initially see. Based on initial (but inaccurate) information, we can rush to a bad decision, become upset, or even become frightened. We may miss a new opportunity or an amazing experience if we don’t slow down and see what’s “invisible to the eye.”
Joanne and I took off on that flight in those miserable conditions. But a funny thing happened as the pilot directed us up into that rain and darkness. About two minutes after takeoff and at an altitude of about ten thousand feet, the sun broke through with not a cloud in sight, except those underneath us. The sky was clear, our vision was unrestricted, and there was a noticeable uplift in the mood of the passengers. The sun was “back out.”
But we know better. The sun was shining all the time. Our ability to see it was restricted, but the sun was doing exactly what it does every day. Our world is full of examples like this. To see through the murkiness of our current situation, we need to slow down, let things settle, and be patient. If we can be patient with initial appearances, the truth may appear in a brilliant form.
Mister Rogers had countless episodes where he would sit down with kids and gently talk through a tough issue. Whether it was self-worth, bullying, divorce, or how to ride a bicycle, he would walk those young viewers through new ways to see past their first impressions. He reassured those little tikes that they could figure out just about anything if they slowed down, took the time to consider multiple outcomes, and worked through it together.
I need that reminder, even though I’m no longer a little kid—and I suspect you do as well. Whether it’s a challenging client, an impossible deadline, or the apparent roadblocks to a desired move, I have the choice to slow down and see through the clouds that seem to be blocking my way.
Mister Rogers had another wonderful principle that’s worth remembering today. “Always look for the helpers,” he would tell boys and girls who were frightened or discouraged. “There’s always someone who is trying to help . . . The world is full of doctors and nurses, police and fireman, volunteers, neighbors, and friends who are ready to jump in to help when things go wrong.”
The Apostle Paul described it like this to the Corinthian church: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. —I Cor. 2:9, NLT
Give me another morning in Mister Roger’s living room. I can use the reminder that the sun really is shining, others eager to help, and whatever my eyes are telling me right now may just be a thin cloud over the wonderful reality on the other side.
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. —Antoine de Saint-Exupery
How are circumstances blocking what’s essential and beautiful for you today?
Quotation:
[click_to_tweet tweet=”“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Ephesians 1:18 @48daysteam” quote=”“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Ephesians 1:18″]
Resource:
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