The Dalai Lama often reminds his audiences, “that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” During the Great Depression, a man who was completely uneducated, who could neither read nor write, learned of a job opening as a public school janitor in New York City. He applied but was turned down due to his illiteracy. Naturally he was disappointed and upset.
However, a friend helped him get a position selling cigars on the street. The man became a highly successful cigar salesman and deposited his commissions in the bank with the aid of a friend who filled out the application forms and wrote out deposit slips. After two or three years, he had a savings account of $30,000, at the height of the depression. He decided to withdraw some of his money. The bank teller instructed him to “write out a withdrawal slip for the amount you want.” The said: “I can’t read or write.” Amazed, the teller said: “Wow, you’ve earned and saved $30,000 without an education! Where would you have been if you had been able to read and write?”
The man responded: “I would have been a janitor in Public School No. 17!”
When the Dalai Lama says - “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”- he means that we need to trust the Universe, remaining confident and calm even when events don’t appear to favor us.
However, a friend helped him get a position selling cigars on the street. The man became a highly successful cigar salesman and deposited his commissions in the bank with the aid of a friend who filled out the application forms and wrote out deposit slips. After two or three years, he had a savings account of $30,000, at the height of the depression. He decided to withdraw some of his money. The bank teller instructed him to “write out a withdrawal slip for the amount you want.” The said: “I can’t read or write.” Amazed, the teller said: “Wow, you’ve earned and saved $30,000 without an education! Where would you have been if you had been able to read and write?”
The man responded: “I would have been a janitor in Public School No. 17!”
When the Dalai Lama says - “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”- he means that we need to trust the Universe, remaining confident and calm even when events don’t appear to favor us.
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