One night a
small caravan of people was crossing the desert. The night was unusually dark;
it was quarter-moon. Suddenly, about midnight, a voice spoke out of the heavens
commanding the travelers to stop and dismount.
Once on the
ground, they were instructed to pick up rocks and place them in their
saddlebags. They were told that as a result of following these instructions,
that in the morning, when the sun came up, they would be both glad and sad.
Doing as they
were instructed, they remounted their camels. As they rode along in silence,
they pondered the strange experience and the meaning of the daylight surprise.
At the first
sign of light, the travelers dismounted and carefully opened their saddlebags.
Inside the bags they gladly discovered that the rocks they had picked up during
the night had turned into gold. But the gladness was short lived because they
quickly realized that they should have picked up more rocks.
Some people easily identify with this glad/sad situation. They see themselves at the midnight of life. When opportunity calls, they choose to pick up only a few rocks or none at all. Their life is an arduous journey. Greatness has eluded them before. Someone or some event has blocked their way to the top. Therefore, why dismount and pick up rocks? Why be on time for work; few co-workers do? Why give 110%; only fools do more than they have to? Why help another team member, they never helped you? Why suggest a solution to a problem, someone has obviously thought of the idea before.
The great
British mathematician and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, when asked about his
scientific greatness, confessed, “I seem
to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in
now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary,
whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” If Newton
acknowledged to only touching the shoreline of truth, what can we say about the
degree of our commitment to achieving our full potential?
As for time and talents, I think they are too valuable to be sacrificed in picking up shells when the great sea of opportunity lies before us. Success resides in the ocean, not along the shore. I am not a boater, but I know boats are safest when in the harbor, but that is not what they are built for. You weren’t built for failure. You are here to snare significant opportunities when they present themselves.
The
world-class performer is never satisfied. He or she never ceases to pick up
rocks or aimlessly wander along the shore; they never stop asking, “What if?”
or “What else?” They never stop
learning; they don’t stop short of their goal; they never cease to do: whatever, whenever, wherever and however to take care of a customer or
client —internal or external.
Success Summary
SUCCESS THOUGHT: Hindsight
and regrets have no place in your thoughts or conversation. Accept the fact
that you have a new day. Let that thought power you to your goal. If you will
pick up rocks and not a few and diligently search the ocean of opportunity,
then you will generate ideas and actions for success.
SUCCESS QUOTE: “The difference between what I am and what I
become is what I do.” — Anonymous
SUCCESS ACTION: Good
things usually begin with picking up a few “rocks, but great things invariably
begin with picking up a lot of “rocks.” Welcome the extra work; go the extra
mile and tomorrow you will be both glad and sad. You will be glad that you have
become a success and you will be sad that you did not start sooner and work
smarter.
BOOK REMINDER— I recently published an
e-book—"Mentor In The Mirror"—that is available on Amazon, Barnes
& Noble and iBooks. Go to my web site: www.waynenalls.com
for additional information and a review.
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