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The Monk And The Tigers - Being Responsible For Your Own Happiness

By
Mortgage and Lending with Bank of England (NMLS#418481) NMLS# 1046286

If you haven't stumbled across Kevin Bungert and his blog yet, please take a moment to check him out.  He'sKevin Bungert - Real Estate Coach been writing a series of posts on his coaching and life philosophies that I have throughly enjoyed.  He really seems to have a grasp on what it takes to not only be a successful real estate person, but a successful person, period!

The other day he wrote a post called, "The Most Important Thing In Life Is Your Health" which makes a compelling argument that no matter what your other gifts are, that taking care of your body is the single most important thing that you can do in order to be happy and successful.  Having recently suffered a health setback in the form of an unexpected injury (I torn my right rotator cuff), I've been doing a lot of thinking on the subject of both health and being happy.

I wish that I had a better story to tell about how I torn that rotator cuff, but I don't.  I didn't get into a bar fight or crash my motorcycle, I simply raised my arm and it torn.  This injury was the last in a series of insults that my body has been throwing at me.  Such as, after having a life time of excellent eye sight, all of a sudden I needed glasses.  Then I fell sober out of a bar.  No good reason, I was just a klutz and fell and broke my right leg.  Then as I was healing from that, I got a stone bruise in my left foot.  

When my foot didn't get better, I went to see my doctor and he told me that I had plantar fasciitis which is basically a stone bruise that doesn't go away.  If you've ever had it, it sucks!  When I asked my doctor why I got it, he told me that it's just one of those things that happen when you get older.  The fact that I'm bigger and I've ran quite a bit, probably didn't help things out much.

Then I torn that damn rotator cuff for no apparent reason.  It just popped!  To say that I started feeling old was an understatement!  Here I was, after years of working out, going blind, getting clumsy, hurting for no apparent reason and hurting myself by doing almost nothing!  I fell into a kind of funk over it all.

I guess that maybe it was the start of a mid-life crises of some sorts.  My business was having trouble, the market sucked, my kids didn't need me as much and it had become readily apparent that I was getting older.  Being as I couldn't afford to go out and buy myself a Vette, I decided to meditate my way out of this funk.

I thought back to some of the things that I have read over the years including a story that I had read somewhere.  I guess that it's kind of a fable, but it helped me to put things in perspective and it illustrates why, as I pointed out in my comments on Kevin's posting, I think that being responsible for your own happiness is really the single most important thing in your life.

The monk and the tigersThe Monk And The Tigers

One day a monk was walking along a path when he noticed that he wasn't alone.  In the woods near him he saw a large tiger that was following him.  He became fearful and attempted to run away from the tiger.

As he ran down the path as fast as he could, he didn't see that the path turned and he tumbled over the edge of a cliff.  As he slid down the slide of the cliff he was able to grab hold of a small tree that was growing out of the side of the cliff.  Soon, the tree started to pull away from the cliff under his body weight.

This is when he noticed the second tiger waiting for him at the bottom of the cliff.  If he fell, it would be to a certain death.

He thought about attempting to climb back up the cliff, when he saw that the first tiger was looking down on him from above.  There would be no escape by climbing up.

At that particular moment he noticed a large, ripe strawberry that was also growing out of the side of the cliff.  He looked up at the first tiger, then down at the second one.  He then saw that it would only be another few seconds before the tree that he was holding onto was going to succumb to his body weight.

In those seconds he thought of what the Buddha had taught him.  Knowing that there was to be no escape, he reached out and ate the strawberry.  He savored it for as long as he could, then he let go.  Falling to a certain death.

The monk died with a smile on his face.

The moral of the story is that he took responsibility for his own happiness.  Even when faced with certain death, he made what he could out of the situation and enjoyed the sweetness of that strawberry while he could.

I personally am not that enlightened. I might have eaten the strawberry...probably would have.....but then I would have done my best to kick some tiger ass.  Maybe it's the American in me, but I would have gone down fighting!

But that doesn't change the moral of the story......No matter what your situation is.  If you're business isn't going as well as you would have hoped or maybe you're like me and your body seems to be falling apart, it doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter because happiness isn't something that comes from the outside.  It's something that comes from inside of you and if you're taken personal responsibility for your happiness, no matter what the world throws at you, then at least when it comes your time, like the monk in the story, you'll die with a smile upon your face.

 

R.B. "Bob" Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.

 

P.S.  I don't know the origins of the story of the monk and the tigers, if anybody does know, could you please let me know.

 

Bob Mitchell is president of ValueList Real Estate Services,  St. Louis' largest discount/full-service real estate and mortgage company.  If you would like to find out more about Bob, ValueList or our flat-fee listing program, please feel free to visit our web site at valuelistre.com  

 

 

 

Comments (7)

Bryant Tutas
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc and Garden Views Realty, LLC - Winter Garden, FL
Selling Florida one home at a time
Bob, I think I like this side of you. Very introspective. Our peace is certainly within us. And the funny thing is always has been even though we spend much of our lives looking for it. Problem is we are usually looking in the wrong places or things.
May 02, 2008 08:48 AM
R. B. "Bob" Mitchell - Loan Officer Raleigh/Durham
Bank of England (NMLS#418481) - Raleigh, NC
Bob Mitchell (NMLS#1046286)

Thanks Bryant, I forgot where I even picked that story up at, but it does illustrate the point of our peace being inside of each of us.  Have you ever heard the story of the big dog and the little dog?  Kind of has the same moral.

 

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc. 

May 02, 2008 09:24 AM
Kevin Bungert
ReMax Professional Group - East Northport, NY

Bob- Great Post!  Thank you very much for the kind words.  You say that you aren't that enlightened, I would strongly disagree!  From reading your posts over the last three months, I think you just are beginning to share that side of you.  Every personal story you share helps other people get to know you.  I see you doing more and more of that and you have a lot of great insights!

As for the moral of the story, I couldn't agree more!  Whatever life throws at us, it is how we respond that determines our happiness.  I have had a lot of crap thrown at me during my life as you have.  If your human, you can't escape life, it gets everybody eventually, it's a matter of deciding how we deal with it, that makes for a good life or not!

Thanks again Bob for the shout out, I REALLY appreciate it and I look forward to your future posts!  Have a great weekend!

Kevin

May 02, 2008 10:40 AM
Debbie DiFonzo
Debbie DiFonzo - United Country VIP Realty, SW Missouri - Lebanon, MO
Lebanon MO and Buffalo Missouri Real Estate

Thanks Bob for linking to Kevin Bungert. I had never read any of his writings until tonight; I enjoyed his posts.

Great post -  one of the best I've read on AR!

May 02, 2008 02:04 PM
R. B. "Bob" Mitchell - Loan Officer Raleigh/Durham
Bank of England (NMLS#418481) - Raleigh, NC
Bob Mitchell (NMLS#1046286)

Kevin:  You're more than welcome!  I've really enjoyed your writings as well.  Thanks for the comment and I hope that this post turns some folks on to your writings!

Debbie:  Thank you for the kind words.  I hope that you enjoy Kevin's writings.  I have!

 

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc. 

May 02, 2008 06:19 PM
Nancy Pav
Century 21 Redwood Realty - Ashburn, VA
Nancy Pav, Your "GottaHave" Realtor

I like the post too!  We are responsible for our own happiness!!  Keep up the funny, profound posts!

May 16, 2008 12:30 PM
R. B. "Bob" Mitchell - Loan Officer Raleigh/Durham
Bank of England (NMLS#418481) - Raleigh, NC
Bob Mitchell (NMLS#1046286)

Thanks Nancy!  I'll try! ;-) 

 

Bob Mitchell

ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.

May 17, 2008 07:37 AM