The Bad Stone
A young mason wanted to help his elderly neighbor to build a new wall outside in the yard since the old one was threatening to break down.
He put all his effort in it and wanted to do it perfectly. Stone by stone he laid, made sure everything turned out solid so that the wall would last for the rest of his neighbor’s life.
When he was finished he stepped back to inspect his work. Suddenly he noticed that one stone right in the middle wasn’t placed perfectly and he became all upset about his work. Whilst being disappointed with himself and saying out loud “I never can do anything right” the elderly neighbor arrived and stood silently next to him.
The young mason apologized for having done a bad job and promised to build a new, better wall. The old man just smiled at him and said to him:
“Son, look at this wall, you’ve placed all these stones in the right way, even the one you complain about, it’s just a little out of place. You can be grateful for your work, I’m for sure.
Look, when we focus only on the thing that did not go right in life we do not see all the good things we did well. Be grateful for what you have achieved and don’t mourn about the things you didn’t.
💡 Do you find yourself focusing too much on the things you did wrong instead of focusing on the things you did well and could be grateful for at times?
@amiablePeace77 this is a story that I can identify with. It seems like no matter how much I do there is always one "bad stone" that I focus on.
Just surviving all the ups and downs in life has been a major accomplishment. Pat ourselves on the back (if you can reach that far lol).
@soulsings
Right, I'll use my back scratcher to reach (lol)😄
@scarletPear1945 great idea ! lol
@soulsings
I agree, surviving all the challenges is a big deal!
@amiablePeace77
Do you find yourself focusing too much on the things you did wrong instead of focusing on the things you did well and could be grateful for at times?
I do it all the time.
@greenYard2803
It's hard to be content with ourselves when we lean toward perfectionism.
@amiablePeace77 <3
@amiablePeace77 i think i find myself focusing on the negative a lot as well. then i have to try very hard to improve my mood and bring it back to positive. like why didn´t they do this especially when i get more tired and then why didn´t i do this and how could i forget? this amplifies when somebody else adds anything to it. but i am trying to change the pattern whenever possible!
@bubblyMusic8287
Me too, all ways second-guessing what I do and being raised to be a perfectionist❤️ surely adds to the stress
@amiablePeace77
Yes, I do all of the time.
@greenYard2803
It must feel bad to see only the negative things and not the good things you do. Something that soulsings said time ago is to ask yourself at the end of the day "What did I do right today", I started doing this and it really helped me.