Have you ever heard the story of the man who sat in front of an empty fireplace and said “give me heat” and all of a sudden… nothing happened? That’s right, no heat came from the fireplace. Can you believe that? He was so angry, bitter and despondent when the fireplace did not produce what he had asked for. He became jealous and spiteful of those who had fires billowing with red, orange and blue flames that he would curse the families with warm households. What about the man who put in 2 pieces of wood and asked for a bonfire? Ever heard of him?
Those stories intuitively seem silly, right? I mean, why would a guy ask for heat and just think he would receive it? To think that a person would sit in front of a cold, empty fireplace and ask for warmth, without putting wood in it, well that’s almost laughable, right? So why is it not funny when the same thing occurs but in a different scenario or interaction?
We must give energy and effort in order to see results in all things. The success of everything we do is based on giving – be it time, money, energy, or materials. When we give something of value, we receive something in return, whether we ask for it or not. That’s just how the world works; cause and effect. Nowadays we are very fortunate because we can usually find a service that specializes in producing the results we are looking for, so we don’t have to spend the time and money doing the initial research, thinking and trial and error. Can you imagine still rubbing sticks together every time you want a fire? I guess it would at least be a calorie burner…
The best part of this entire give/get process is that what you receive in return is usually much greater than what was put out in the first place. Even when you give to yourself, the benefits are exponential. Give yourself good nourishment, consistent exercise, education and renewal, and in return your body will thank you and give back more energy, a lean toned figure, a more positive outlook, and more years of a fulfilling life.
Be the person who puts the wood in the fireplace and stokes it on a consistent basis – giving it fresh oxygen and life so it can give back warmth, light and maybe even a marshmallow to roast every once in a while. Don’t starve the fire of fuel and oxygen because soon enough the flame will flicker out.
