Striving Towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I recently came across a story that completely shifted my perspective on handling life’s challenges, and I had to share it with you.

A professor started his class by holding up a glass of water. He asked his students to guess its weight—they threw out numbers like 50, 100, 125 grams.

“I don’t know the exact weight,” he said, “but here’s my real question: What happens if I hold this glass up for a few minutes?”

“Nothing,” the students replied.

“What about for an hour?”

“Your arm would start to ache.”

“And if I held it for an entire day?”

“Your arm would go numb! You’d have severe muscle stress, maybe even paralysis. You’d end up in the hospital!”

The professor smiled. “Exactly. But did the weight of the glass change during all this time?”

“No.”

“Then what caused the pain and stress?”

The students were stumped until one shouted, “Put the glass down!”

“Exactly!” the professor exclaimed.

Here’s what hit me: Life’s problems work the same way. Think about them briefly, and they seem manageable. Dwell on them for hours, and they start to hurt. Carry them constantly, and they’ll paralyze you completely.

It’s important to acknowledge our challenges, but it’s even more crucial to “put the glass down” at the end of each day. That way, we wake up fresh and strong, ready to handle whatever comes our way.

Remember: PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY.