The Rest of the Page

Welcome back from the Thanksgiving break.?There are less than 25 working days remaining in this calendar year; a year that has been filled with changes, challenges, and celebrations. Please let this story inspire you as you embark upon the week.

Don’t Focus on the Black Dot!

As students walked into the classroom for their final exam of their senior year, they were tense and nervous as they looked at a blank sheet of paper on their desks.?There were instructions from the teacher on the screen, “Do not turnover.”?The instructor waited for every seat to be filled before telling them to turn the page over. The students noticed a black dot on the paper.?The instructor then encouraged them to use the next hour to write what they see when looking at this paper.?They were perplexed and wondered if this was supposed to be their final exam but began writing.?

Interestingly, their writing ranged from creative, satirical, reflective, melancholy, and academic. They described the shape, contour, position on the page, and color of the dot. They handed in their papers and sat patiently in anticipation of the instructors’ guidance on when their final grade would be available. The instructor then read many of the papers and eventually said; “Each of you have done the work with your submission of all assignments throughout the semester. That has earned you a passing grade.?I am not grading you on this assignment, but my final charge to you is simply a life lesson.”?

Do not spend your life focusing on the black dots.?

Every one of you will encounter black dots for as long as you live.?The dots will try to consume you, your emotions, and in some instances, all of your attention.?Whenever you have these experiences, I encourage you to focus your energy on the rest of the page.?The rest of the page represents the vastness of other blessings for which you should be grateful.?It’s where you will be able to make a difference for you and others.?Do not allow the black dots to distract you.

However you celebrated last Thursday, I hope that you walked away with a desire to over-index on what past year has taught you. During the remainder of this calendar year, focus on all of the possibilities that the rest of the page offers.?

?This week’s empathy quote:

Radical Empathy – “Radical empathy is knowing that there is power in the act of forgiveness, and remembering that this often difficult act is the best medicine on your lonely and painful journey of emotional healing.”