THERE’S A STORY I ALWAYS LOVE TO SHARE with my audience each time I’m honored to speak at an engagement on choosing a career path. It’s a story of a competition between a dolphin and a monkey. They were both asked to come and showcase what they know how best to do. So, the moderator gave the game rules for both competitors.
Dolphin was the first to display what he’s got. In no time, the game began. So, dolphin started out, showing everyone his wonderful diving skills as he dives through the waters at one side and emerging at the other side.
Everyone was thrilled at his skills, with a resounding applause. In a short while, it was monkey’s turn. “Mr. Monkey, it’s your turn to show us what you’ve got!” the moderator asked. Without much ado, monkey was already on the tree. Spinning with style from one tree to another, with one hand holding the tree branches and his tail dangling and wiggling.
Everyone watched with amazement and got so dumbfounded at the skills with which monkey was swapping from one tree to another. In less than five minutes, monkey had gone round the forest of about hundreds of trees across the river bank. No doubt, everyone was thrilled and astonished at the skills both the dolphin and monkey displayed while they were doing what they enjoy doing the most.
Again, the moderator stepped in to announce the second stage. This time, he asked that monkey would exchange role with dolphin. That is, monkey would come down from the trees, and jump into the waters like dolphin did in the first stage. For a moment, monkey thought to himself; “What competition type is this? But I sure will apply the same skill with which I jumped the trees.”
With a resounding shout from the spectators, monkey jumped into the waters, and for the first five minutes, monkey was nowhere to be found. As the spectators watched, the resounding shout went drastically down like an electric current that had just lost stability. “What could have happened?” The spectators began to murmur.
And now, their anxiety was raised. There was a sudden calm as they all watched with dismay. A few minutes later, monkey raised up his head in a struggle to prevent his mouth from being filled with water. To cut the long story short, monkey was rescued from drowning completely.
Now, dolphin was afraid to step out of the waterbody, knowing fully well that he was going to mess up. Nevertheless, he mustered courage. The moment dolphin jumped out of the waterbody, he began to struggle, as he gasped for oxygen. The once excited spectators became so disappointed. Because they had expected dolphin to perform excellently as he had performed in the first stage of the competition. But to their dismay, dolphin too could not make it.
You see friend, just as the story illustrated above, in the animal kingdom, not all animals can fly, not all animals can jump, and not all animals can crawl. Not all animals can sing like birds do. Not all animals can swim. As a matter of fact, every animal has been wired or designed specifically for a purpose or a function. Everyone has got a role to play in life according to life-design.
In the same vein, in the human race(career wise), every man belongs to a particular ‘kingdom’ where he abides and reigns.
As a social being, when man remains and abides in his domain-his area of strength by design, he cannot but be celebrated. People are always amazed at the way he does his things. People would want to identify with him. But the moment he shifts away from his natural abilities, he naturally begins to struggle like a fish taken out of waters!
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SWMI™ © 2017
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