The dead zone in our minds

Nothing can be achieved when you linger in a dead zone except a headache and unnecessary stress.

Sometimes, if you search deeper, you stumble on something new that takes you away from a trap. Many, unfortunately, do not give much thought to enterprising activities but prefer to live in the same ‘boring old life.’

My old neighbour, after seeing me coming back from a long walk, touched his bulging belly and decided there and then that he needed to do something about it.
 “I think I should start walking on the beach and lose some weight,” he told me but I did not think he was serious. Many people know what they are supposed to do when confronted with a problem but few have the courage of rigorously following through their plans.

It does not take much to work out a determination as long you allow yourself a variety of choices. You won’t feel good if you are unfit and certainly you may feel stressed out if something bothers you. Lying on a sofa and watching television is relaxing but it won’t abate the fear of losing a job.

“I knew that someone was unfair at work but I also realised that total isolation would not work,” a friend said to me when he was faced with the prospect of being fired.

Sometimes you know that making the right decision may involve a heartbreaking possibility of losing what you have worked for all your life. My friend accepted that possibility because it was the only way he could come to terms with his own peace of mind.

“My first impulse was to look for another job but that would mean that I was running away from a problem. So I decided to confront the source which threatened my livelihood to straighten my office problems.”

He did, and he took the risk of aggravating his problem. However, it turned out that the “conflict” was merely an academic one and it was sorted out within minutes.
“It was really amazing,” he explained. “I sweated out on something that needed only a couple of sentences to clear out. All I had to do was to look at the problem in a different light.”

When I was student, a classmate thought the teachers were unfair with the examinations. He complained and fumed and he did not realise that he was wasting precious time.

Until one day, a teacher drummed two fingers on his head and said, “we have done our job. It’s time you do yours. Your anger won’t change our mind.”

He knew he had everything to lose if he stormed out of the classroom. He calmed down and started the examination without making another fuss. He passed and I am sure he learned his lesson because he never complained again.

Nothing will seem unfair if you look at the other person’s point of view. Everybody can come up with a justification to defend their decisions.

When two opinions clash, it helps if both of you come out in the open to level things out. Sometimes, it pays to give each other some credit to remove hostility.
But above all, never underestimate your values into thinking that you are wasting time when you are actually doing something.