“Don’t give up,” the therapist spoke.

“Why not?” The man asked.

The therapist sighed, “because, tomorrow, you could get your coffee for free.”

He smiled and left the therapist office without saying a word. By the time he got home, it was late so, with a happy heart, he went to sleep.

The next morning, he went to the coffee shop and ordered his cup. With a smile on his face, he waited to be handed the coffee. Instead the cashier told him his price and held out their hand.

Confused, he got out his credit card and handed it to the cashier. When he was handed his coffee, he headed straight for his therapist’s office.

“You said I would get my coffee for free this morning, but I didn’t, why did you lie?” he  complained.

The therapist just sighed, “Did you at least ask to get it for free?”

He shook his head no.

“Well, how about you go down to the clothing store and maybe you’ll meet a really lovely person,” his therapist smiled.

With a smile on his face, he skipped down to the clothing store and started looking through a rack near the entrance of the store.

When all felt lost, a lovely person walked in, but shortly thereafter, someone else followed, reaching out for the person.

With a heavy heart he went home and spent the rest of the night eating and watching his favorite show.

The next morning, he woke and went to put on his bets pair of jeans, but to his surprise he found a rip right in on the seam. So he put on a pair of joggers, and went back to the coffee shop; the same as yesterday.

When his showed up at his therapist’s office, he began to complain:

“Therapist, you said I would meet a lovely person when I went to the store, but nothing happened!”

The therapist looked down, “Did you try to say hi to someone?”

He shook his head no, again.

“Well, then maybe after this visit, a new season of your favorite show will be released,” their therapist sighed.

With a smile on his face, he walked to the clothing story one more time to buy a new pair of jeans.

On his way home, he excitedly skipped back and forth up the stairs to his apartment. Quickly, he checked his favorite show. But to avail, there wasn’t anything new.

With a disappointed heart, he went to sleep.

The next morning, he continued his schedule of heading to the coffee shop and heading to his therapist’s office.

“Oh, therapist, you told me that my favorite show would release a new season but there was nothing there when I checked,” he complained.

His therapist just laughed, “Did you check all of your favorite shows?”

Like all times before, he shook his head.

“Well, maybe tonight you may master playing guitar,” his therapist told him.

With a smile, the man walked out of his therapist’s office.

 On his way home, he ran into his coworker; spilling coffee all over his new shirt.

Without apologizing the coworker walked away quickly.

With an angry expression on his face, the man stormed down to the clothing store and bought himself a new shirt.

On his way home, it started pouring down rain. With fast legs, he ran to his apartment complex.

When he got to the safety to his home, he checked his favorite shows, and to no surprise, nothing. So, instead, he grabbed his guitar and started playing. Heart full of hope and excitement.

But instead of new skills, he stated playing sour notes and plucking buzzing strings. He tried playing for another hour at least but disappointed, he went to sleep.

The next morning, he stuck to his usual schedule: Coffee shop, then therapist. And like before, he began to complain.

“Therapist, you have lied to me 4 times this week…on Monday you told me I would get my coffee for free, but I haven’t, on Tuesday, you told me I would meet a pretty person at a clothing store, but no one showed on Wednesday, you told me my favorite show would release a new season, but nothing new, and yesterday, you told me I would master guitar yet instead I played sour notes and buzzing strings. Therapist, why have you lied to me so much?”

His therapist just smiled.

“Young man, why must you only see the picture I have painted for you, and not the one you have painted for yourself?”

“What ever could you mean?” the man asked.

“How many times have you returned to the coffee shop, despite knowing you may never get the coffee for free…how many times have you gone back to the clothing store but not to look for pretty people…how many times have you checked all your favorite shows expecting a new season and how long did you continue to play guitar even after you realized nothing changed?”

The man hung his head.

“Others cannot paint the picture for you, they can start with the base layer and others can assist you on your journey, but you must finish the piece yourself, even when you feel hopeless and like you cannot continue, you must keep painting.”