Destiny is in Your Hands

I had lunch last with one of my mentors and friends a few months ago, who shared with me the power and meaning he has taken back in his life by making some decisions he had been putting off.  It was inspiring to witness the renewed energy, vitality, and clarity in which he spoke as he shared his plans to better serve himself and others by sharing his many gifts with the world.

As we spoke, I was reminded of a powerful story I heard during one of the conference sessions I had recently attended in Orlando, FL.

High in the Himalayan mountains lived a wise old man.

Periodically, he ventured down into the local village to entertain the villagers with his special knowledge and talents. One of his skills was to psychically tell the villagers the contents in their pockets, boxes, or minds.

A few young boys from the village decided to play a joke on the wise old man and discredit his special abilities.

One boy came up with the idea to capture a bird and hide it in his hands. He knew of course, the wise old man would know the object in his hands was a bird.

The boy devised a plan.

Knowing the wise old man would correctly state the object in his hands was a bird, the boy would ask the old man if the bird was dead or alive. If the wise man said the bird was alive, the boy would crush the bird in his hands, so that when he opened his hands the bird would be dead.

But, If the wise man said the bird was dead, the boy would open his hands and let the bird fly free. So no matter what the old man said, the boy would prove the old man a fraud.

The following week, the wise old man came down from the mountain into the village. The boy quickly caught a bird and cupping it out of sight in his hands, walked up to the wise old man and asked, “Old man, old man, what is it that I have in my hands?”

The wise old man said, “You have a bird, my son.” And he was right.

The boy then asked, “Old man, old man, tell me: Is the bird alive or is it dead?”

The wise old man looked at the boy, thought for a moment and said, “The bird is as you choose it to be.  It’s destiny is in your hands.”

Why am I sharing this with you, and what’s the moral of the story, you ask?  The power, destiny and direction of our lives is in our own hands.  What will you do with the God-given gifts you possess?

Will you relinquish control to others?  Will you just take it easy and coast through life? Or, will you serve yourself by serving others with your time, treasures and talents?

Does this story resonate with you and your life? If so, I’d love to hear how.

– See more at: http://www.broughtonadvisory.com/category/blog/page/6/#sthash.KO2GP4F9.dpuf

I had lunch last with one of my mentors and friends a few months ago, who shared with me the power and meaning he has taken back in his life by making some decisions he had been putting off.  It was inspiring to witness the renewed energy, vitality, and clarity in which he spoke as he shared his plans to better serve himself and others by sharing his many gifts with the world.

As we spoke, I was reminded of a powerful story I heard during one of the conference sessions I had recently attended in Orlando, FL.

High in the Himalayan mountains lived a wise old man.

Periodically, he ventured down into the local village to entertain the villagers with his special knowledge and talents. One of his skills was to psychically tell the villagers the contents in their pockets, boxes, or minds.

A few young boys from the village decided to play a joke on the wise old man and discredit his special abilities.

One boy came up with the idea to capture a bird and hide it in his hands. He knew of course, the wise old man would know the object in his hands was a bird.

The boy devised a plan.

Knowing the wise old man would correctly state the object in his hands was a bird, the boy would ask the old man if the bird was dead or alive. If the wise man said the bird was alive, the boy would crush the bird in his hands, so that when he opened his hands the bird would be dead.

But, If the wise man said the bird was dead, the boy would open his hands and let the bird fly free. So no matter what the old man said, the boy would prove the old man a fraud.

The following week, the wise old man came down from the mountain into the village. The boy quickly caught a bird and cupping it out of sight in his hands, walked up to the wise old man and asked, “Old man, old man, what is it that I have in my hands?”

The wise old man said, “You have a bird, my son.” And he was right.

The boy then asked, “Old man, old man, tell me: Is the bird alive or is it dead?”

The wise old man looked at the boy, thought for a moment and said, “The bird is as you choose it to be.  It’s destiny is in your hands.”

Why am I sharing this with you, and what’s the moral of the story, you ask?  The power, destiny and direction of our lives is in our own hands.  What will you do with the God-given gifts you possess?

Will you relinquish control to others?  Will you just take it easy and coast through life? Or, will you serve yourself by serving others with your time, treasures and talents?

Does this story resonate with you and your life? If so, I’d love to hear how.

– See more at: http://www.broughtonadvisory.com/category/blog/page/6/#sthash.KO2GP4F9.dpuf