A mum takes her son to Ghandi. She would like her son to stop eating sweets.

Ghandi tells the mother: ‘Come back in two weeks.’

The mother does as she is told. Even though it’s a long journey for her and her son.

When she meets Ghandi for the second time he tells the boy:

‘Stop eating sweets.’

The mum is perplexed.

Is that all the great Ghandi has to say?

‘Yes’, says Ghandi, ‘but two weeks ago I was still eating sweets.’

We can’t hope to influence a person for the better if we ourselves are not living up to the standards we preach.

You can’t tell someone to quit smoking if you yourself are a chain smoker.

You can’t tell someone watching porn is bad for the soul if you yourself appease your libido in front a screen.

You can’t tell someone to ditch alcohol if you also seek solace at the bottom of a bottle. If we wish to see positive change in the world we have to be that positive change first.