Inspiring example of positive thinking

Here is an example of someone turning an extremely negative and unpleasant situation into a positive one, and in the process deriving personal benefit, besides being a blessing to others.

Back in March 1945, W. Colvin Willams was on foot, walking behind a tank in France. When the tank hit a mine it exploded and Mr Williams was blinded permanently.

Clearly, this was a terrible thing and I am sure that many will agree that one’s sight is probably the most precious of all the senses.

Let us imagine the situation briefly now…

Darkness; welcome to your new world of touch and feel…….

Loss of sight is “personal world changing” in so many ways and one of the most obvious would be living in constant darkness. A whole new way of living would have to be learned and many people would find that the situation had a severe impact on their minds, of a mostly negative nature.

But not Mr Williams. The situation didn’t stop him from pursuing his goal to be a counsellor. When he graduated from college, with honours, Mr Williams stated that he thought his blindness “will actually be an asset in my career. I can never judge by appearances. Therefore, I can always give a person a second chance. My blindness keeps me from cutting myself off from a person because of the way he looks. I want to be the kind of person to whom anyone can come and feel secure, to express himself”

I think you will agree that this is a wonderful living example of the transformation of a bitterly cruel defeat into a great victory?

After all, defeat is only a state of mind, and nothing more.

When we are faced with a very difficult situation, and one which we cannot undo, we have a simple choice – we can either choose to look at the positive, or we can choose to dwell on the negative.

Our outcomes will be a direct result of the thinking we choose.

The example of Mr Williams graphically illustrates the point.

I have no doubt at all that Mr Williams lived a rich and satisfying life, complete with the happiness and joy that comes from helping other people. Personally I find his approach very inspiring, as I’m sure you will too.

I think we will all agree that it would have been very easy for Mr Williams to have felt very sorry for himself and fill his mind with negative thoughts. He could even have held a “pity party”, though few would have attended.

D.H. Lawrence wrote:

Self-Pity

I never saw a wild thing

sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself.

Related posts:

1. Weaving Optimism And Positive Thinking Into Success
2. Lesson in positive thinking from a paraplegic
3. Positive thinking is not optional. Life says so.
4. Poor customer service by professionals, health insights and positive thinking.
5. Lateral thinking with a twist!