How Many Squares?

Try this quick exercise. 

Copy this figure onto a thin piece of paper, take a good look at it and then say out loud how many squares you can see?

So… how many squares could you see?  Did you say the number out loud?

Some people may only see the 16 small squares and maybe the one extra large square (4x4) on the outside.  Others may also see four 3 x 3 squares and others will see four or nine 2 x 2 squares.  Altogether I think there are 30 squares of different sizes, but if you did copy the figure onto a thin piece of paper, hold it up to the light and turn it around you might see twice as many!  To be honest the number of squares that there ARE isn’t really important and the question I asked was how many squares can you see? 

This was an activity that my uncle did with me once and the point of it is that different people will see different things, even when they are faced with the same situation.  Also, if you want to see change in your life (or the growth of your district) you need to really see the possibility of this change first.

When President Josei Toda became the second president of the Soka Gakkai, he said at his inauguration:

“In my lifetime, I will convert by my own hand 750,000 families through shakubuku. …  If my goal should not be attained by the end of my life, you need not hold a funeral for me, but just throw my remains into the sea off Shinagawa.”

President Toda could SEE 750,000 families practising Nichiren Buddhism, but it wasn’t enough for him just to see it, he also SAID IT OUT LOUD making a determination that he chose to share with the members.  At the time, most of the people in attendance couldn’t see that vision and thought he had misspoken or was showing off, but before his death, his vision of 750,000 families chanting across Japan came true.  On that day, President Toda saw 750,000 squares, whereas the members saw much less.

With any venture you are planning, whether it’s looking for a career change, a promotion, a new relationship, wanting a better relationship or improving and expanding your district, the first step is to SEE the potential for growth.  What are you capable of achieving?  Do you have small goals or big dreams?  Whatever you are hoping to achieve, try to think BIG and SEE what your life WILL look like in the future or SEE what your district WILL look like in five or ten years time.

If you want to see a change in your relationship tomorrow, you need to be able to SEE what that change in your relationship will look like today.  If you want to see a change in your weight tomorrow, you need to be able to SEE what that change in your weight will look like today.  If you want to see your district or division grow in the future, you need to be able to SEE what your district or division will look like at that time today.

Open your mind by chanting and really SEE what your future could look like and then make a DETERMINATION to achieve it. 

SEE IT, CHANT ABOUT IT and SAY IT ALOUD TO PEOPLE and one day you WILL SEE that future become a reality in your life.