Here are four valuable lessons from a
tea bag:
from email.
1.
You will notice that some tea bags have
very nice-looking labels, while others have very ordinary looking ones. Some
have delicate silk tassels while others have ordinary strings. But here's the
thing to remember: The quality of the beverage is determined by the tea inside
the bag -- not by the label or the string. What's true for tea bags is true for
all of us too. The titles, the clothes we wear and the cars we drive are like
the label and the string. They may make you look nice. But what really matters
is the kind of person you are, deep down within. Your beliefs and your attitude
-- that's what defines the person you are. The tea masters know that to make a
great drink, they need to focus on the tea. Not on the label and the string.
Focus on being a good human being. Fix your attitude. Get your values right.
And don't fret about the small stuff.
2.
Imagine you have the best tea leaves in
the world. And you put it into a bag that's impermeable. It won't work. You
just won't be able to make a cup of tea. For the tea bag to work, it needs to
be porous. You need the tea leaves and the water to come in contact. In our
lives too, we cannot survive and thrive in isolation. Be careful not to build a
wall around yourself that prevents people from reaching out to you. You need to
be able to touch other people too. Else, all that's inside of you will remain
wasted -- untouched by all the good around you, and unable to impact all that's
around you. The tea was meant to mingle with the water just as all of us were
designed to work with other people, with teams, with society at large.
3.
If you take a cup of lukewarm water and
put a tea bag in it -- you won't know how strong the tea is. To get the best
flavor, you need to put the tea bag into hot water. And then the real strength
will show. Likewise, the true character of a person actually shines through in
adversity. How does a person behave under pressure, when he is in 'hot water'?
The hot water test is a good one -- to judge the quality of the tea and the
true character of human beings.
4.
They know it will give them a chance to
show their true worth. So next time you see a challenge, a tough situation,
think like a tea bag and dive headlong into it. It may be the opportunity
you've been waiting for to show what you are capable of. Some of us are so
scared of the hot water that we stay away from it, too scared of getting
scalded. Afraid of failure. Don't let that happen to you. Give yourself a
chance to show the world what you are really all about! Next time you pick up a
cup of tea, enjoy the moment. And think of the lessons too.
