One of my greatest challenges used to be maintaining my beliefs in the face of doubt and criticism from others. I realised very early on that I couldn't make anyone think the way I do. You see, there is no right way. There is only the way that helps YOU cultivate a sense of inner peace. Your way will undoubtedly be different from your neighbours, but that does not make your way more or less right. This is a difficult concept for many to grasp. T Harv Ecker did so well when he said 'Being right won't necessarily make you happy'. It took me a long time to fully understand this. The best way for me to explain this, is through the story of the Blind Men and the Elephant- a wonderful metaphor about our beliefs that has been widely told throughout Jain, Sufi, Buddhist and Hindu lore:

There are many variations to this story, so please forgive me if I choose one that is different to the one you have heard.

In the Buddhist version, it is said that a king has some blind men of the capital brought into his palace where he asks each of them to touch an elephant and describe what they feel.

Each of the blind men is instructed to touch a different part of the elephant. When asked by the king what sort of thing an elephant is, each one is adamant that what they feel is like a pilar (the man who touches the leg), a fan (the man who touches an ear) or a branch (the man who touches the trunk). Much to the king's delight, a quarrel ensues.

The moral of this story is that all of the men are, in their own way, right. You see, there are two sides to any coin.

It is for this reason that I choose to lead by example. If someone else likes what they see, they will undoubtedly be drawn to me as a teacher, and if they don't they will look elsewhere.

I hope you enjoy reflecting on this as much as I have!