A Mind Stretched to a New Dimension

I went to a self-improvement workshop about 15 years ago. On the table in front of each participant, was two uninflated balloons. When the workshop started, we were instructed to blow up one of the balloons to about the size of a volleyball. We pinched the end of the balloon to keep the air in while the instructor talked about what we were going to learn that day.

After about five minutes, we were told to let the air out of the balloon. When the balloon was completely deflated, the instructor told us to lay it next to the other balloon that had not been inflated. He asked us to note the differences between the two balloons. Then he made his point.

Once you blow up a balloon, it will never look the same again. The balloon can never go back to it's original form. He said your mind is like that. Once your mind is stretched to a new dimension (through new knowledge or experiences), it can never go back to it's previous state.

He asked us to think about things we believed 10 years ago, that we don't believe now or things we didn't know 10 years ago that totally influence our lives today.

The two things that came to my mind was I used to think I had no control over where my life was going to go. The other thing I used to think was that my happiness was connected to the "things" I had in my life. Since then, the "balloon" was blown up in my life and I learned that I do have lots of control over where my life goes and that the value of my life has nothing to do with the "things" I have. My value as person comes from within me.

I learned that I need to keep "blowing up the balloon" to keep growing in my life.