How Full is your Bucket?　 (2010.12.31)

I always carry a piece of paper in my diary. It says “HOW FULL IS YOUR BUCKET?”
　


On the 6th of March this year, I got a mail from my female friend. She told me about a book in the mail titled “A bucket of happiness in our heart”. The book attracted my attension very much because she said that the book was interesting and energizing. So I bought the book and read it. The theory of the book SOAKED into my mind.

　- The Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket -
Each of us has an invisible bucket in our heart. It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it's empty, we feel awful.
Each of us also has an invisible dipper in our heart and we always use the dipper when we meet other people. When we use that dipper to fill other people's buckets -- by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions -- we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that dipper to dip from others' buckets -- by saying or doing things that decrease their positive emotions -- we diminish ourselves.
A full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy. Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic.
But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps our energy, and undermines our will. That's why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us.
So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill one another's buckets, or we can dip from them. It's an important choice -- one that deeply influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness.

How about this? What a simple, beautiful and essential theory! Of course we want to FILL the buckets, don’t we?

When I feel my heart is deteriorated, I take out my diary, open the front page and see the paper cut out from the book. It is like a message card and I can see important rules to become positive, such as “Try not to dip from other people’s buckets.”



The woman who told me about the book is special woman in my life. When I talk to her, I feel happy. She taught me precious things this year and I genuinely appreciate it. And on the very final day of this year, I hope that her bucket is going to be full over her life.

Thank you.