Resolving a Difficult Situation at Work by Maintaining the Mindset of a Cultivator

(Minghui.org) I work in the media, and I’ve been responsible for handling a certain client’s contract since 2018. This is a major client and we’ve worked together for eight years. Every year in May, at the annual Asia Night Awards, our media is responsible for planning and coordinating the night’s program and filming three videos for the awards ceremony. The early stage filming takes six months (from September to February of the next year): from preparations, every shoot, making appointments, confirming the venue, to hiring a photographer, arranging vehicles for the shooting, and so on. The subject of the filming includes the CEOs of four major insurance companies in New York to CEOs of seven major hospitals, including doctors, patients, and employees of the clients. I have to be present during each interview and filming to ensure things go smoothly.

On March 9, 2023, I suddenly received a message from practitioner Don in Argentina, who edits the video. He said there was a problem with his computer and the footage of the CEOs of four insurance companies and three hospitals shot from October to November of the prior year were gone. To make things worse, he hadn’t created any backup files. He said he took his computer to the best company in Argentina but they couldn’t retrieve the files. I immediately contacted the other departments to find out if anyone had any backup files, but was told no one had any copies. How could this happen? It felt as it the sky had fallen and I was stunned.

I thought Don would be able to complete the final editing of the videos when he returned to Argentina and we should be able to publish the videos in March. I felt tremendous pressure over this unexpected complication. Professional photographers and editors must have backup files. Why did no one do this? This is basic knowledge. This meant we had to re-shoot the missing footage. When I thought of having to redo the huge task of coordinating everything and explaining to my client as well as all the CEOs, would they understand the situation? Also, time was pressing. I thought it was too hard. I couldn’t imagine how I would finish the task.

I tried hard to calm down. Aren’t I a practitioner? Nothing happens by chance in cultivation. I needed to adjust my mindset. I decided to study the Fa and send righteous thoughts. I also reflected on what attachments I had. 

I discovered that I resented Don and blamed him for the situation. But, after all, he didn’t deliberately forget to create backup files, so he must be upset and blaming himself. 

If I had reminded the other practitioners to create backups, this wouldn’t have happened. There were things I hadn’t done well or thought through thoroughly. I was also afraid of having to do more work and thought that re-shooting meant increasing my workload. I had to put in extra precious time. My selfish thoughts were exposed. I was determined to get rid of these attachments.

Changing My Mindset

One morning, while meditating, I suddenly remembered what Master said in Zhuan Falun: 

“When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible.” 

I felt Master was encouraging me! I also thought of Master’s teaching in “Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference,” (Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VIII):

“In this world, the ordeals that Master faces, as with the accompanying pressure, come in numbers greater than tens of thousands each day, yet no one has managed to make me waver, and that cannot be done.”

What does this bit of tribulation I encounter count for; isn’t it a good thing, an opportunity to improve in cultivation? I immediately felt lighter. I felt confident that I could coordinate everything and get the re-shoots done. I’m infinitely grateful to Master for giving me hints!

I contacted the CEOs, doctors and patients and said they needed to be interviewed again. I gained their understanding and thanked them for cooperating. After scheduling the interviews, I arranged for the photographer to do the shooting. I worked efficiently and things progressed especially smoothly. Don flew from Argentina to New York to attend the shooting. He lost a lot of weight and appeared to have gone through huge amount of pressure due to the incident. I did not reprimand him and even assured him everything would work out all right.

It turns out that Shen Yun had performances in New York’s Lincoln Center in April. Every time I went for a photo shoot, I brought fliers to introduce the show to the CEOs and doctors. A doctor at NYU Langone Health said, “I thought this was a show from the Chinese Communist Party. Every year when I saw the ads promoting Shen Yun, I felt repulsed. Now that I know what this is about, I’ll go and see it if my schedule permits.” With other practitioners’ help, we were able to re-shoot all of the missing footage.

In May, amid applause, the client’s event concluded successfully. All the guests were full of praise for the three videos we shot for the awards ceremony and the program. The client’s executive officer also thanked NTD TV for the hard work and said he looked forward to working with us again next year.

I was moved and grateful to Master. Everything is as Master said in Zhuan Falun: 

“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts while the transformation of gong is done by one’s Master.” 

How wonderful it is when we regard everything from the perspective of a cultivator.