The Black Stamp – A Simple Message That Can Change Your LIfe…It Did Mine.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 - Joe Kiedinger

Picture this, it’s a beautiful, warm Spring day. Picture a four story brick apartment complex with four apartments on each level, two in front and two in back on every floor. In front of this complex is a brown stone staircase taking you to the first floor. The basement has washers and dryers and storage for it’s tenants. Can you picture it?

Looking at the building the first floor apartment window is open just to the right of the entrance. You can see the sheer curtains blow gently in the breeze. You can hear the sound of a screaming baby who is in a pack-and-play just inside the open window. Sitting on the top step, outside, is a young woman, in her mid-20’s. She is smoking a cigarette and cursing her life.

“This place is a dump! I can’t believe I married Jon. I don’t even have a car to get outta here. My life is miserable!” She mumbles to herself.

Sweeping the sidewalk is a gentleman in his mid forties. He is wearing a jumpsuit with the name ‘Joe’ embroidered on his upper left chest. He is the custodian and notices the young lady and her negative disposition.

He says to her, “Excuse me, young lady, but I couldn’t help over hear you. I can tell you have not discovered the Black Stamp.”

“The black what?” She said caught of guard.

“The Black Stamp. There are three metaphorical stamps that exist. The stamps I’m referring to are those rubber stamps used in the shipping business and legal documents. They are the end-of-the-line instructions. Some read ‘fragile’, some read ‘approved’ others may read ‘first class’ or ‘denied’, ya know the rubber stamps I’m talking about?”

“Yeah, so what about them?” Her curiosity rose.

“Well,” Joe went on, “some people, like yourself, take events and situations in their life and they ‘Red’ stamp them. The red stamp reads, ‘I don’t accept this, it’s no good.’ You are red stamping your baby, husband, lack of a car and this very apartment. These people are miserable. Because once you red stamp something or someone, there is no hope for the future. It’s final! It’s why your feeling so miserable.”

He continued, “Then there’s the green stamp. This one reads, ‘I don’t like it, but I’ll do it anyway.’ I call this the Christian stamp. It’s doing things based on duty, rather than for desire.”

“Finally, there is the Black Stamp. This stamp reads, ‘I accept this, it is good.’ When you learn to Black Stamp the people and events in your life this way, your life will be full, your anxiety will go away.”

“Five years ago, I used to be the janitor for this building, I discovered the Black Stamp. Now, I own the place!”

Moral of the Story: You have a choice on how you face struggles in your life. You may not have control over what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it. It changed my life, it removed my stress and I hope for someone reading this, you are a little changed as well.

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Begin to look through the lens of acceptance, the next time you choose to label something as bad. {{cta(’04af439e-b3f8-4a96-9cc3-66a8b175fe40′)}}

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