One day, a professor entered his classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin. As usual, the professor handed out the exams with the text facing down. Once he handed them all out, he asked the students to turn over the papers. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions–just a black dot in the center of the paper.
The professor, seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, told them the following “I want you to write about what you see there.” The students, confused, got started on the inexplicable task. At the end of the class, the professor took all the exams, and started reading each one of them out loud in front of the students. All of them, with no exception, defined the black dot, trying to explain its position in the center of the sheet.
After all had been read, the classroom silent, the professor started to explain: “I’m 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. Our life is a gift given to us by God, with love and care and we always have reasons to be grateful every day. Yet, everyone focused on the black dot – and the same thing happens in our lives. We insist on focusing on the dark spots; health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend.
The dark spots are very small when compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds. Take your eyes away from the black dots in your lives. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with love.”
This is gorgeous. Thank you!! <3 Very very powerful, and simple. Blessings.
Thanks Debbie.
What a great way of teaching a lesson! I wish more teachers would teach these life skills!! Just imagine if they did!!
Peace,
Tamara
Thank you Tamara for the kind words.
A very good story. I enjoyed reading this. Solid teaching.
Hi SpiritualJourney17, I wish kindly go through my 4/7/16 blog and help me to fight out with my negativity. I think what we write in blogs should be followed in our life and solve others problem. Hope you understand my logic. Regards.
I’m not understanding. Are you asking me to solve your problem?
Hi! I’ve nominated for you the Liebster award!
https://timelesswheel.wordpress.com/2016/04/07/lobster-oh-liebster/
I would love to see your post on it, but no pressure to participate:)
Hi Spiritual journey 17, momentarily my mind filled with happiness after reading so many inspiring words from different posters but I feel what they preach, they don’t follow though I have no proof to prove it. I am slightly driven by negativity and see numerous black dots instead of one. My perspective is white space is being devoured by many black spots for which we human beings are responsible. I am happily ready to take criticism for my post and I think, professor should educate his pupil how to erase the existing single black spot. Regards.
( P.S. honestly what I see around me, I write as I hate hypocrisy )
Hello Alokb, thanks for passing by. First off, you need to change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive. Come up with solutions instead of dwelling on the challenges. This was one of my former bosses advise to me when I started working and it stuck with me because it rang true for me. Secondly, find at least 3 things you are grateful for right now. Try to do so on a daily basis. If you can write more…the better. It helps you appreciate what you already have than what you don’t. Continue to read positive quotes or posts. I believe I posted a quote somewhere that read: watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become action. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Take care…and hope to see you around soon.
Hi spiritual journey17, Thanks for reading my decease “Negativity” and helping me to overcome it by your own experience. Your boss is undeniably correct when he says instead of dwelling on challenges, get solution. Same advice I used to give my subordinates but if solution (technical) betray them, I got irritated. I think my irritation were linked with negativity which I used to kept within me and joined my team to get solution instead. I don’t desire which I haven’t. No doubt quotes are beautiful to read but believe me it is difficult to bring in practice barring very few. Many readers wondered after reading quote of Frank outlaw’s (not confirmed) “watch your thoughts …” but do you seriously feel how many follow it seriously (…my negativity again perhaps). Frank couldn’t quote it as his life was nothing but black dots (murder/ bank robbery) and is simply hypocrisy if we share these lines and fail to follow. I wish you remain my pathfinder like one of my co-blogger. Regards.
Did you create this story? Wow it’s amazing and very inspiring! 😀
Hi there. I would note the source of the author at the bottom of the post. The author is unknown. Thanks for asking. 😉
Thank you for this, I had to reblog.
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
Reblogged this on Body Renovations and commented:
This was posted by a fellow blogger and I wanted to share.
Focus on the good things in life…
Love an hugs!
Powerful!
We must pay attention to what we focus on. Whatever we focus on we give power to.
Thanks,
Vernon
Exactly! Thanks for passing by Vernon. Enjoy the rest of your day.
beautiful post
Thank you Sharat! Glad to see you.
Thank you for that reminder to be grateful and see all the light there is to see! I nominated you for the Liebster Award. You can check out my recent post about it.
Will do. Thanks for passing by.
Great post! What a wonderful story and a great reminder for us to look at the bigger picture 😉
Love this! Great way of sharing the perspective.
Everyone needs someone so wise in their life.
Great message. <3
What an amazing lesson for us all. And so true, we do tend to focus more on the black dots of the world. Thanks for the reminders to focus on the rest!
Thanks Miriam. Glad you stopped by v
This was awesome!
Thanks Nicky.
Nice post! We should draw our attention towards good rather than bad.
Thank you Shreya for commenting!
Great post, really enjoyed the black dot theory, very true
Thank you!
As a life coach, do you work with people who don’t know where they want to go in their career?
Yes, they are my majority of clients
Ahhhh, beautiful!
Thank you. Good way to start our week. 🙂
Post with a lovely message. All we need to do sometimes is to shift the attention away from the black dot and focus on the positives.
thank you, divine and an excellent reminder to look at the good. xx
That’s really an inspired exercise. Very nice. Thanks for sharing it. ❤️
Awww..glad you liked it Van.
Wow! That is so true. We tend to focus more on the negative things happening around us that we forget of the many blessings we’ve been bestowed with. Enjoyed the story. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
You’re welcome. Glad you stopped by.
Nice story, I liked it. Thank you.
Glad you passed by. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Beautiful story! Love it
Thank you!