Thursday, June 10, 2010

Learn to put the glass down

MY PAPER, WEDNESDAY JUNE 9, 2010, PAGE A16, VIEWPOINTS
http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya090610cnd_opf_files/mya090610cnd.js&ver=Gen
BY GEOFF TAN



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PHOTO: GEOFF TAN
MY PAPER, WEDNESDAY JUNE 9, 2010, PAGE A16, VIEWPOINTS

A Story has struck a chord with me, at a time when I am caught up in a dizzying whirl of activity.



PHOTO: http://acaiberriesdiet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/glass-of-water.jpg


A professor held up a glass of water and asked his class: “How much do you think this weighs?”

A handful of students gave different answers.



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He continued: “What would happen if I held it up for a few minutes?”
“Nothing,” the students said.

“Now, what if I held it up for an hour?”
“Your arm would ache.”



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“What would happen if I held it up for a day?”
His students replied laughingly: “Your arm will go numb, you may have severe muscle stress and paralysis, and you may have to go to a hospital.”

The professor then asked: “During all this, did the weight of the glass change?”
“No,” came the answer.



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He asked: “What should I do to stop the muscle pain?”
A student replied: “Put down the glass.”



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This story illustrates a simple truth about handling problems. Think about them for more than a few minutes and your head begins to ache. Hold those thoughts even longer and they will begin to paralyse you.

While it is important to think through your problems, it is even more important to put them down at the end of the day.



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While this is easier said than done, stories like this are invaluable. They jolt me into focusing on the big picture.

Back to the story: Some people choose to smash the glass. In Tokyo, stressed workers flock to a shop known as The Venting Place and pay to hurl crockery against a concrete wall.

Here are two light-hearted takes on stress. Motivational coach Anthony Robbins said: “Here’s a two-step formula for handling stress.

Step No. 1: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Step No. 2: Remember, it’s all small stuff.”


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My favourite is from author Barbara Enberg: “Stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”.

Cheesecake, anyone?
BY GEOFF TAN
The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings’ marketing division.


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HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Ache: 疼痛 - téng tòng
Paralysis: 麻痹 - má bì
Invaluable: 物价的 - wú jià de
Crockery: 陶器 - táo qì



PHOTO: http://library.stcc.edu/blogger/uploaded_images/kitten-64-797466.jpg



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