4Salim and the Clouded Lens

In an old neighbourhood, Salim worked in a small antiques shop. He was gifted at restoring old pieces and bringing back their shine, but behind his smile he hid a deep feeling of not being “enough”, and a belief that his effort would never be valued.

One day an old man walked into the shop, his eyes bright with experience and wisdom. He wandered among the pieces and praised them, then noticed Salim’s hesitation and excessive modesty, and asked why. Salim told him about his doubts about the worth of his work.

“You are wearing a clouded lens that doesn’t show you things as they are.”

The old man took him on a tour of the shop and stopped before three pieces Salim had restored himself. He asked him to tell the story of each piece and what he had done to repair it. With every piece, Salim began to see the effort and care he had put into it.

Then the old man said, “Do you see, Salim? Every piece here tells a story, and your touch brought it back to life; you put part of your soul into each one. How could beautiful work like this not be valued? You are wearing a clouded lens that doesn’t show you things as they are. You need to swap it for a clear one.”

Salim was convinced, and began to see his work in a new light. When customers came after that, he proudly told them the story of each piece he had restored.

In time he noticed people valued his work more and more, and his view of himself and his craft changed. He knew the true worth of his work lay in the mastery and passion he put into every touch, and that the negative belief he had carried was nothing but shadows of doubt that did not reflect the truth of his talent.