Build with Clay #117: Focus
A bi-weekly newsletter sparking personal growth
Hi, reader!
Today’s trivia: What company manufactures the most tires in the world? Hint: they annually produce 50% more than any traditional tire manufacturer.
With that, welcome to the 117th newsletter! This one is all about Focus.
A story.
One day a professor entered a classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor handed out the test with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions...just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor, seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, told them the following:
“I want you to write what you see there."
While confused, the students began to write out their answers.
At the end of the class, the professor took all the answers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them described the black dot, trying to explain its position in the middle of the sheet, etc. etc. etc. After all had been read, the classroom was silent, the professor began to explain.
“I am not going to grade you on this. I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot and the same happens in our lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy. But we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is a gift given to us with love and care and we always have reasons to celebrate - nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see every day.”
Author Unknown
A thought.
Dark spots show up in our lives in many forms:
Death of a loved one.
Struggles at home.
Work issues.
Political discourse.
Financial strain.
When these dark spots are present, it’s often all we see. It’s the focus of, well, our focus.
But if we shift our focus, there is always plenty of light space around the dark spot.
Space to be grateful, to shift our emotion, to see opportunity and begin writing a new narrative.
What dark spot are you focusing on?
A quote.
“You can curse the darkness or light a candle. The choice is yours.”
Answer: LEGO produces over 300 million (toy) tires per year