Why you should never let your inner demon out

A donkey was tied to a tree. A demon came and untied it. The donkey started to run into a farmer’s field, as a result, the crops were destroyed. The farmer's wife who saw this got furious and shot the donkey dead.

The donkey's owner, who was the farmer’s friend was very upset with the farmer’s wife and so he shot her. The farmer came in just then and saw his wife dying. He went running and shot the donkey's owner. The wife of the donkey’s owner who saw this asked her sons to go and burn the house of the farmer.

The boys went in the evening and carried out their mother's orders. At that time, the farmer was not in the house, so when he came back, he saw his burning house. Raging with anger, the farmer went and shot the wife and the two sons of the donkey’s owner.

Having lost his wife, his home, his friend and family, the farmer was sitting with sadness filled in. In just a few moments, his life had turned upside down. As he sat there thinking about all this, he saw the demon passing by and asked why all this happened. The demon said, "I did nothing, I only released the donkey, but all of you reacted, overacted and released your inner devil."

The demon doesn't do anything but wakes you up by triggering your ego, which now turns into evil intent and goes harming others.

So, the next time before replying, reporting, rebuking or avenging an act of revenge, stop and think. Be careful. Many a times what the demon does is that it just releases the donkey in us.

Learn to respond, not react: Reaction is an immediate and emotionally negative action whereas the response is thought through and positive action. By reacting, you give up on your freedom to think rationally and allow emotions to take over you, which makes you more vulnerable to how people can manipulate you. It is important to remember that you need not react to every situation immediately.

Follow the 5 Stop and Start golden rule: Every time you find yourself wanting to tell people how right you are and how wrong they are, remind yourself of the 5 Stop & Start golden rule: Stop reacting and Start thinking; Stop talking and Start listening; Stop criticising and Start appreciating; Stop assuming and Start clarifying; Stop expecting and Start acting.

Believe in yourself: You are not what others expect from you. When you constantly try to meet others’ expectations, you end up living other’s dreams. Instead, keep it simple, do your best and allow the rest to happen. Remember, it is not what happens to you that matters the most but how you react to it that matters the most.