What do you see? A lesson from my 6-year old girl

A few weeks ago, on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon, I asked my little girl to accompany me to the mall. As we drove out of our estate, she asked if she could wind down the glass (slightly tinted). So I asked why, since the car AC was on and it was a bit hot outside.

"I just want to enjoy the view outside" she said. "Oh really! Tell me, what do you see." "Ok daddy" she replied with a lot of excitement as she wound down, "I see the green grass, I see some beautiful flowers, I see a lizard ..., and if you look up you will see the blue sky."

These were the things my daughter saw looking at and over an undeveloped plot of land in our estate. I suddenly realized that while many of us adults (including me) saw the dangers in the undeveloped piece of land (hoodlums may hide there; it doesn't make the area look beautiful; and how about snakes etc), the little girl saw the bright side. She was grateful for the little things that make life meaningful but which we often take for granted. My little girl taught me to pay attention to my environment, see the good things even in the most awkward of places and circumstances, and be thankful to God.

So my question to you is "what do you see" in that new idea, a new venture or project, a new career move, a new opportunity or even people? While I acknowledge that there is always a risk in everything we do and we must be mindful of that, at the same time we should not exaggerate the risk and be blind to the opportunities. In any case there is also a risk if you do nothing.

 John F. Kennedy once said that “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word crisis. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger — but recognise the opportunity.”