Hate is Too Big a Burden to Bear

Hate is Too Big a Burden to Bear October 7

“Never give up. Never give in. Never become hostile... Hate is too big a burden to bear.” -- John Lewis In their book “Getting Back to Happy” Marc and Angel Chernoff tell a story about a psychology professor who holds up a glass pitcher filled with water and asks the class how heavy they think it is. After various guesses, the professor explained that the weight of the pitcher depended on how long she had to hold it. If she only held onto it for a brief time it was not a problem. Hold onto it longer, though, and the weight will seem to increase. Hold onto it even longer and your arm will like cramp and become painful. The bottom line is the longer you hold the pitcher the heavier it will feel. “Your worries, frustrations, disappointments and stressful thoughts are very much like this glass of water,” she told the class. “Think about them for a little while and nothing drastic happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel noticeable pain. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed, incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.” Athletes often learn this the hard way. Hanging onto a bad at-bat can lead to a poor game at the plate. Same thing in basketball. If you hang onto the frustration of missing some early shots you will struggle. The bottom line is negative or worrying thoughts will come into your head throughout the day. They will also leave almost as quickly as they came -- if you let them. If you grab ahold of them and carry them with you, they can get heavy and weigh you down. Today, take a look at your life and see what you feel is weighing you down. Maybe it’s time to set it down and move along on your path. Win Your Day! Steve Gilbert *If you are not on Steve Gilbert’s Win Your Day! email list, but would like to be added, please click here or email him at winyourday@gmail.com