When John Wilson was twelve years old, his chemistry class participated in a routine experiment involving boiling water. Unfortunately, a lab assistant had mislabeled a bottle, so instead of boiling water, John boiled a much more reactive substance. The substance caused the container to explode, shattering many glass bottles. Tragically, John Wilson left that science experiment completely blind.
Most people would be devastated, sink into depression, and lose hope. But John just got on with it. He quickly learned to read Braille, became an accomplished rower, swimmer, and actor, and studied law at Oxford University.
At age twenty-seven, he found himself in Africa. He noticed that blindness was far more prevalent there than in the Western world due to a lack of medical resources. He reflected on how his blindness resulted from an accident and grew angry that millions of others were blind simply due to insufficient resources. Something had to be done, so John established several organizations that helped prevent blindness in tens of millions of people.
If Sir John Wilson could turn his deeply unfortunate experience into a project that helped millions of people, what might be buried in your challenging experience, waiting to be uncovered? Observe the mixture of anger, frustration, and compassion that John felt and how he channeled that energy into something useful. Now, tap into the emotions that your challenges elicit. Feel the emotion deeply. Just as the kintsugi artist fills the cracks of broken pottery with gold, use the energy that comes from your challenges to create something that matters to you. Choose the work that fills the cracks with gold.
This article is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Choose Your Work
Footnotes
The pain loses its sting when you absorb its lesson: Buddhists use the metaphor of two arrows to describe how we experience negative events in our lives. The first arrow, representing the event itself, causes physical pain. The second arrow, symbolizing our emotional reaction to the event, brings additional suffering. The Buddha explained, “In life, we cannot always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. The second arrow is optional.” For a more in-depth explanation of this quote, see “The Parable of 2 Arrows,” The Daily Coach, September 27, 2023,https://www.thedaily.coach/p/mastering-parable-two-arrows.
As the Zen proverb states, Who knows what is good or bad luck? This Zen proverb is commonly shown through the story of the old Zen farmer. “Are These Bad Times or Good Times? The Story of the Zen Farmer,” Mindfulness.com, February 9, 2023, https://mindfulness.com/mindful-living/are-these-bad-times-or-good-times-the-story-of-the-zen-farmer.
When John Wilson was twelve years old, his chemistry class participated in a routine experiment involving boiling water: Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (New York: Viking Penguin, 2009), 156
Dan Dobos writes about decision making, personal growth, human potential, fulfillment and helping people choose the work that they are meant to do. He is the author of Choose Your Work.