What’s the key to success? Money? Wealth? A good job? Or maybe a good network? Professional and social network? Or perhaps it’s knowledge, insight, wisdom? All of those are good answers but I think there may be a better answer.
There’s a story about a cruise liner which was trying to leave the port it was in but discovered it couldn’t start its engines. The ships owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing engines his entire life. He carried a large bag of tools with him and immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully from top to bottom. Two of the ships owners were there watching him, hoping he could fix the engine. After looking things over, the old man pulled out a hammer and gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine came to life. He put his hammer away and the engine was fixed. A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for $10,000. “What?” the owners exclaimed! “He hardly did anything.” So, they wrote the old man and asked for an itemized bill. The man sent a bill that read; “Tapping of the hammer - $2.00. Knowing where to tap - $9998.00.”
What’s the key to success? I want to suggest that it’s not wealth, money, jobs, or even knowledge – but rather, it’s knowing where to look.
If you want to be a successful, you need to know where to look.
One of my assignments while I was in ministry was located in the inner city of North St. Louis. While there, I decided to start a non-profit organization whose mission it was to rehab and build new houses for low income families. Surrounding this parish at the time in 2005, there were 46% abandoned properties. Can you imagine? 46% abandoned and vacant properties – almost every other home was boarded up. And one thing you quickly learn about living and working in area like this is that an abandoned property is an invitation for bad behavior, drug dealing, prostitution, you name it, it will happen in an abandoned property. So, I started an organization to address the abandoned properties.
Now, keep in mind, I know nothing about construction, or rehabbing homes, or building homes. In fact, I know nothing about physical labor to be honest with you.
But, I knew where to look. I knew where to find the people who did know about construction and rehabbing. And over the next five years with the help of hundreds of volunteers, the community went from 46% abandoned properties to less that 5% abandoned properties in the area around the parish. It had a tremendous impact on the community. I didn’t know a thing about construction but I knew where to look and the program became successful.
What’s the key to success? Knowing where to look.
And… I want to say that when it comes to our mental health – the same is true. The key to having good mental health is knowing where to look.
And it may not be where you think.
To be honest, most of us have lives that are filled, full, and busy. We’re busy all the time. We’re going places, doing things, completing tasks, constantly on the move. From the time we wake up until the time we go to bed – we’re constantly moving, going and doing.
But if we’re trying to be emotionally and mentally balanced – than we need to have some time alone, to simply be, to relax, to regenerate, to refuel, and to find our inner peace.
We are not going to find our inner peace in a crowed mall or in the midst of our busy lives – but rather, we can find peace if we’re willing to create a space, an environment, an atmosphere in which inner peace can be experienced and grow.
So, here’s my challenge for you. Create an emptiness in your life – an empty place, a place where inner peace can grow. A place where inner peace can be experienced.
Perhaps the best way to do that is to embrace the practice of mindfulness. To sit quiet a few times a day and focus on your breath, focus on your inner resources and experience the inner peace which can lead to having a balanced emotional and mental health.