You can feel good immediately
A friend of mine, who was a great public speaker, was about to address a large audience in
Dublin.
The room was full and very noisy.
However, as soon as he stood at the podium, there was silence.
He had that ability to control the room and to create a sense of occasion.
As he faced the audience, he was breathing in a slow and shallow way through his nose. This kept him calm. It was a technique he had learnt many years ago.
For an hour, they were spellbound.
When the clapping finally stopped, he thanked them and walked to the car park.
Once there, however, his worries surfaced.
One negative thought came into his head and this attracted another and then another. He felt so down.
Then something amazing happened.
Shortly after leaving the car park, he stopped at a traffic light to buy a newspaper and asked the elderly newspaper seller, who was standing in the rain, how he was.
“Have never been better. I have my health. What more do I need?” was his reply.
This was from someone with few material possessions, who was getting wet and earning very little and yet was really happy.
And each day, as my friend bought his newspaper, the newspaper seller’s response was always the same: “Couldn’t be better”.
My friend realised then that he could be happy again.
The newspaper seller taught him that, if you have your health and decide to make each moment the best, you will feel good immediately.
That simple lesson changed his life.
