What does 'put your heart into it' really mean?
The secret of 'magic' in work
10 year old Raya sulked as she was dragged to the lunch table by her grandmother Viraana. Having just finished her online school, she looked tired and quite frustrated. They were joined at lunch by a friend of her grandmother - Noi.
Noi knew Raya since birth and often spent time babysitting her. Like a wise old owl, she read her face in minutes.
Noi : “Was it a boring day in school, Raya?”
Raya : "Hmm, same old boring art work we have every Friday. I find it so boring..”
Viraana served Raya a bowl of her favorite soup. Raya’s eyes lit up as she looked at the delicacy. She slurped a few spoons and hugged her grandmother.
Raya : "Nana! Your soup is the best! No one else can make this soup so well. You have magic in your hands!”
Viraana smiled and looked at Noi who nodded in agreement.
Noi ( tried to get Raya’s attention back to Art ) : “.. looks like your art teacher does not inspire you much?”
Raya ( sighed ) : "Whatever I do, she keeps telling me I can do better. But I do everything just like she asks me to do. Not single instruction missed!”
Noi : ( nodded sympathetically ) “ I think I know what she means. If I tell you as is, you may not understand it correctly. So…”
Raya - ( with a sparkle in eyes ) “…it is story time!!”
Both Viraana and Noi laughed. Viraana knew Noi had a way with kids and it always worked. She too was eager to hear the story now.
A magnificent Jade Buddha Temple was under construction. The King had enrolled famous architects, finest artisans and a huge battery of laborers for the temple. It was a personal commitment from the royal treasury that no expense would be spared for this place of worship.
As the design and layout was agreed upon, the stone cutting began. Huge chunks of rock were rolled in with the help of elephants and bulls to the construction site. As the stone cutters began chopping down the rock into smaller pieces, passersby stopped to see the activity.
A monk was passing through the site and asked one of the laborers what he was doing
The man growled back - “Cant you see, I am chopping stone into smaller pieces!”
The monk was taken aback at the intensity and so he proceeded to ask the next one
This man did not even look at him as he retorted - “I have got mouths to feed and am cutting stone so that I get money to feed them! ”
The monk then patiently proceeded to the next one with the same question
This man did not even hear the first time and when prodded twice, he put his hammer down and said “ There is a Jade temple for which pillars are to be sculpted. I am chopping this stone into pieces so that the right size pillars can be built…”
Noi looked at a lost Raya as she concluded the story. She realized Raya was looking for a takeaway to link to her situation -
“ You see, Raya, all three laborers were doing the same thing - chopping stones. Each was using the same tool - a hammer and probably put in equal amounts of hard work. But who do you think will cut the right rock pieces?”
Raya pondered for a while and answered, with a little hesitation- “The third one?”
“Yes!, but why so?” - Noi tried to probe Raya’s thinking.
Raya : “Maybe, because he was so deeply involved in the work?”
Noi: “Likely so, Raya. The third one was focused on the process of cutting the stone so that the pillars would be beautiful. In that process, he kept his mind on cutting the stone in the right way, made sure the sizes are correct. Does it mean he has no need for money or no mouths to feed?
Not at all! But by focusing on the work in front of him, rather than the other things on mind, he brings his best self to it.
When you bring your best self to whatever you do, you find better ways to do the same thing. Your creativity rises and your quality improves. To others, it seems as if you have something special in your work. Often, naïve people call it magic!”
Raya : “Like grandma’s soup! Is it?”
Viraana : “Oh stop it, girl! I just make it because I know you like it”
Noi : “Yes, Viraana. And when you make it, don’t you put your heart into it? ”
Viraana ( in mock anger ) : “I put my heart into every dish I make”
All three laughed heartily.
Raya : “Of course, Nana! I see Noi Nana’s point now. I tend to do Art for the sake of it. Our art teacher makes it sound boring and maybe that is why I switch off…”
Noi : “Next time, think how your Nana might do it. Maybe you will find the energy to focus then?”
Few weeks later, Noi heard a knock on her door. When she opened the door, she saw Raya and Viraana waiting with a bundle of papers. Noi ushered them in.
Raya : “Nana, I wanted to show you something. See here my paintings from last week…”
As Raya unsheathed the poster, Noi was speechless to see the intricate artwork
Noi : “…this is so well done, Raya. I am proud of you…”
Raya : “Thanks to you, Noi Nana! You lit a spark in me, I know what it means to pour heart into something. Magic happens! ”