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>> IN NOVEMBER 1922,
ALBERT EINSTEIN WAS ON HIS WAY
TO JAPAN TO GIVE A LECTURE WHEN
HE WAS TOLD THAT HE HAD BEEN
AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE IN
PHYSICS.
PEOPLE IN JAPAN WERE ALREADY
EAGER TO MEET THE FAMOUS
PHYSICIST, AND THIS NEWS ONLY
INTENSIFIED THE EXCITEMENT.
EINSTEIN WAS SOMEWHAT
OVERWHELMED BY ALL THE
PUBLICITY, SO WHEN HE ARRIVED
IN JAPAN HE SECLUDED HIMSELF IN
HIS HOTEL ROOM TO WRITE DOWN
HIS THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS.
JUST THEN, A MESSENGER ARRIVED
WITH A DELIVERY.
EINSTEIN WANTED TO GIVE HIM A
TIP, BUT HE EITHER DIDN'T HAVE
SMALL CHANGE OR THE MESSENGER
WOULD NOT ACCEPT MONEY.
SO EINSTEIN INSTEAD SCRIBBLED
OUT TWO SHORT NOTES AND HANDED
THEM TO THE MESSENGER.
"A CALM AND MODEST LIFE BRINGS
MORE HAPPINESS THAN THE PURSUIT
OF SUCCESS COMBINED WITH
CONSTANT RESTLESSNESS," READ
ONE.
AND THE OTHER: "WHERE THERE'S A
WILL, THERE'S A WAY."
REPORTEDLY, EINSTEIN SAID TO
THE MESSENGER, "SOME DAY THESE
NOTES WILL BE WORTH MORE THAN
SPARE CHANGE."
AND INDEED THEY ARE.
THOSE AUTOGRAPHED NOTES
RECENTLY SOLD AT AN AUCTION FOR
NEARLY $2 MILLION DOLLARS.
BUT THE TRUE VALUE OF
EINSTEIN'S SIMPLE WISDOM,
SCRATCHED ON HOTEL STATIONERY,
CAN'T BE COUNTED IN DOLLARS.
TODAY THE TEMPTATION IS AS
STRONG AS EVER TO SEEK
HAPPINESS IN A RESTLESS PURSUIT
OF SUCCESS.
AND YET THE FASTER WE RUN,
THE MORE LIKELY WE ARE TO RUN
RIGHT PAST WHAT WE'RE SEEKING.
WE NEED TIME TO REFLECT AND
PONDER, TO SLOW DOWN AND THINK,
TO ENJOY THE PEOPLE AROUND
US--MOMENTS OF CALMNESS, OF
CONTENTMENT, OF PEACE--TO MAKE
SURE WE ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO FIND
SUCH MOMENTS.
BUT AS EINSTEIN WROTE ON THAT
OTHER PRICELESS PIECE OF PAPER,
"WHERE THERE'S A WILL,
THERE'S A WAY."
IT MIGHT TAKE GREAT STRENGTH OF
WILL, BUT WE CAN SLOW DOWN AND
BE PURPOSEFUL ABOUT HOW WE'RE
SPENDING OUR TIME.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE
COURSE, REFOCUS OUR PRIORITIES,
AND BE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT
THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES.
YES, THOSE BITS OF WISDOM ARE
WORTH MUCH MORE THAN SPARE
CHANGE.
THE GREAT GENIUS WAS ONTO
SOMETHING--SOMETHING PROFOUND
AND POWERFUL.
TODAY MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO
CONSIDER EINSTEIN'S ADVICE FROM
LONG AGO.
