Thomas Alva Edison was working on the invention of the light bulb for quite some time. One day, after creating a new prototype he called his young assistant to carry the light bulb to the lab for further testing.
The assistant was very nervous about this task. He took the bulb – and dropped it. It smashed into pieces. Prototype lost.
Edison started working on another one of these prototypes and when it was ready for testing, he called the same young boy to bring it into the testing lab.
The other employees shook their heads. They were upset that he gave this task the very same person who failed the first time. It seemed risky and not very wise.
Edison said: “I might lose this bulb again. Constructing one takes one day. Even if he drops the next two bulbs, it is just two days of labour. But if I don’t ask him for this task, he might lose his self-worth and it could take him for ever to get it back.”
Helping other people to find true self-belief is maybe the most precious gift we can give.
Here are some clues what might be helpful:
– Taking weight off their sholders:
When we realise we did something wrong, almost everybody of us goes into self-doubt and feels truly bad and sorry. If mistakes happen we tend to scold ourselves.
If you see someone fail, encourage them to give their best next time. No need to keep the eyes on what had happened. Help people to stay present and do better next time.
– At eye level:
We all know the feeling when someone talks to us like we were not equals, but on very different levels. It feels bad in most cases.
A person who is truly on a higher level will neither show it nor talk about it. There is no need to demonstrate for genuine superiority is something we feel instantly in terms of safety and gentleness and in a powerful heart, that shines through in everything this person does.
– No further talk about flaws:
Most times when we “break a light bulb” and fail, we beat ourselves up for it. What we need the least is someone who keeps talking about a mistake we already know about.
Even if every fibre in you wants to – again – mention a mishap, bite your tongue. Stop it from coming out. You don’t want someone to keep reminding you on old mistakes. So let’s not do this torture to others.
I think we start having a good life when we see everybody is doing the best they can. It’s a good idea to keep cleaning in front of our own door. There is always enough work to do there…
Thank you for handing graciously someone a second bulb.
It lets your own light shine. 😇
Much love,
Anselma
