CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT, CHANGE

CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS

AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT, CHANGE

Stes de Necker

Someone asked me a very interesting question some time ago and that was, ‘What inspired you to come up with this saying?’

And this is what I told him:

My wife and I stayed on a farm for most of our lives and my two children also grew up on the farm.

My daughter always had this holy fear for spiders (almost an arachnophobia) and nothing anyone could do or say could change her mind. Many a time I was called to come and remove a spider from her room before there could be any talk of sleep.

I studied and read up on everything I could find about arachnophobia and the ways and means to do something about this fear of spiders.

I tried all the clever suggestions and advice, but nothing worked! Nothing I could do or say would change her mind.

One winter’s evening we were sitting in front of the fireplace and she was sitting on my lap, when a small little spider made his way up one of the logs which I used for making the fire. And true to tradition, I first had to do something about the spider before she would remain sitting with me.

And it was then when this insane idea got into my mind. What if I was to try and make up some ridiculous story, personifying the little fellow into something lovable she could relate to.

And there I started creating this sob story about a ‘Mommy Spider’ and a ‘Daddy Spider’ and their little ‘Baby Spider’, who lived on a farm, the same as ours, and their daily struggle against the threats and dangers on the farm.

I elaborated on the unfriendly environment and everyone and everything that were out there with the sole purpose to kill the spiders. Of all the birds that were after them for food for themselves and the babies and the large insects which use spiders to feed their larvae.

The story continued until I could see that she was very close to tears and then I stopped. She was always a very romantic little girl and I could see that I definitely hit the mark.

And low and behold, the next thing she did was to get off my lap, went over to the little spider and started consoling him about the cruel and unsympathetic world he has to live in!

She promised this little fellow that she would look after him and take care of him and that there was no more reason for him to be afraid of anything.

And to this day she has never harmed a spider! 

The interesting thing however, was the fact that I myself learned a very valuable lesson in the process which I apply in my own life every day. And that is the amazing results you can expect when you change the way you look at things.

Regardless if it is a problem or a challenge or whatever circumstance you must face in life, ‘change the way you look at it, and that what you are facing, change.

And usually for the better!