When Abraham Lincoln became the president of America, his father was a
shoemaker. And, naturally, egoistic people were very much offended that a
shoemaker’s son should become the president. On the first day, as Abraham
Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, just in the middle, one man stood
up. He was a very rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not
forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.” And the whole Senate
laughed; they thought that they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln.
But certain people are made of a totally different mettle. Lincoln looked
at the man directly in the eye and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to
make shoes for your family, and there will be many others here because he made
shoes the way nobody else can”. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes;
he poured his whole soul into them. I want to ask you, have you any complaint?
Because I know how to make shoes myself. If you have any complaint I can make
you another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained
about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud of my
father”.
The whole Senate was struck dumb. They could not understand what kind of
man Abraham Lincoln was. He was proud because his father did his job so well,
with so much enthusiasm, such a passion, and perfection.
It does not matter what you do. What matters is how you do it of your own
accord, with your own vision, with your own love. Then whatever you touch
becomes gold.
Moral
No one can hurt you without your consent. It is not what happens to us
that hurts us. It is our response that hurts us.
“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of
the water that gets in them. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside
you and weigh you down”
