The Magic Pencil
Have your ever seen a magic pencil? I have, and what a sight it is!
As an English teacher, I began each year with instruction on self-esteem and positive thinking. From day one, I made sure each student had his/her most important school supply, a magic pencil!
Each magic pencil had special power because each one knew all of the answers. How is that possible? Let me explain with a story I heard and shared with my students each year.
Years ago, an elementary teacher gave each of her first-graders a pencil. She explained to them that she discovered the pencils in a special magic store. As she handed one to each child, she gave an extravagant explanation about the power of the pencil. She would tell each student, “This is your magic pencil. It’s very special, and it loves you very much. This pencil knows all of the answers in my class. Take good care of it, and trust it for the correct answers.” Every child’s face would light up with wonder and awe as the teacher made her way around the classroom to each desk offering each student his/her own magic pencil.
Once all of the magic pencils were distributed, the teacher asked the students to write down some information. She proceeded to give them information that was two years above their current grade level. They eagerly attempted to write it all down. When finished, they put their magic pencils away, and went to recess to play. When the day was finished, she encouraged them to all say to the pencils, “Goodbye, I’ll see you and believe in you tomorrow.”
As the children began the next school day, the teacher said, “Okay, children, today you’re going to have your first test. It’s over the information you wrote down yesterday.” Looks of confusion and fear covered the faces of the children. “Don’t worry!” the teacher said, “Remember? You have magic pencils! Your pencil knows all of the answers. It remembers them because it wrote them all down yesterday.” The children immediately smiled with relief.
The teacher gave them the test over the advanced material. As she graded the tests, she was more than pleased to see that all of the children had earned “A” grades thanks to their unwavering belief in the magic pencils.
After sharing this story, I asked my own students how each child aced this difficult test. Were the pencils really magic? It depends on what you consider “magic.” What was magic was the belief factor. The kids believed the pencils knew the answers. This belief freed their minds to recall the information easily as they had no self-imposed blocks. The belief factor is the key as it often unleashes the potential for “magical” achievements.
So, is the story about the first graders even true? I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. What matters, again, is your belief factor. What do you believe about yourself and your potential?
To form beliefs that can help you achieve your goals, you must monitor your thoughts. Take an objective look at your thoughts and begin to evaluate them. How many are negative? When you learn to control what and how you think, you can “magically” achieve the possibilities in your life.
Begin this process by becoming consciously grateful. When you become grateful each and every day for all that happens to you, you will find that you begin to gain control over your negative thoughts. It begins with this simple choice of gratefulness.
To remind you of the importance of building belief in yourself and your possibilities, I would love to send you a TBA Now “magic pen” with your order of Today…My Favorite Day! Use the pen often, and each time you see it, ask yourself about your own thoughts and beliefs, and give yourself permission to change those not working for you. Imagine the possibilities! You can do it!