The First Thing You Need to Know Before You Get Anything You Want
All the hows will be meaningless until your whys are powerful enough. — Darren Hardy
There was a story of a student asking his Master about how to achieve success in life.
“Master, if there is one thing I need to know that will help me find success, what is it? Please tell me.”, asked the student.
And the Master tells him, “Of course, I will. If you pass the test I will give you. Get that 3 inches wide, 10ft wooden plank over there, lay it out on the street. And walk over it from end to end.”
So the student did.
“Now, put the plank above the two boxes. That is 1 foot above the ground. Walk over it.”, the Master instructed.
The student was skeptical but since there nothing to lose he follow the instructions and accomplished it.
“Well done, my faithful student.” , said the Master. “Now this time, get the wooden plank and put it on top of the two 6-foot posts at the gate entrance. Then again walk over it.”
The student, puzzled, asked the Master. “Master, what is this all about? Will I get the answer by doing this?”
“My student, until you follow my instructions, you will never find the answer.” the Master replied.
Though angry and impatient, the student followed the Master’s last instruction. He climbs and put the wooden plank on top of the two 6 Foot post.
When he is about to start walking, he notices that the wooden sank sag in every step he makes. He started breathing heavily when the Master shouted at him.
“What are you taking so long? Are you afraid?” the Master taunted.
“No, I am not! I am just being careful.” the student defending himself.
It took a while before he reaches the other end. When he went down, he faces the master and said,
“Now what? I thought you will teach me the first thing I need to know about success.?”
“Not so hurry, my faithful student. Here’s the last test. You see that two trees beside the temple. It’s been there for a century now. It has witnessed the lives of the first generation and up to now. This time, I want you to get on top of it. Put plank in place and walk over it and only if you reach the other end, I will tell you the answer.”
The student turns his head to where the 100-year-old trees are located. Based on his estimate, the trees are about 85 ft in height, as high as the 25-floor building.
“No, I won’t do that. It might kill me. The wind is strong at the top. The wooden plank is so thin to support my weight. I barely walk on the post and now you are asking me to walk over that tree. You must be crazy?. I don’t have a big reason to do that”, the student answered in disbelief.
“And that is the answer to your question.” said the Master.
“I don’t get it. You mean the answer is walking over the plank?”
“You don’t get it. You don’t have a big reason. You don’t have your BIG Why. If you do have, it is not big enough to keep you moving”
The Master noticed that his student does not get what he means, he continues the speaking.
“Imagine your child is on top of the tree. He can’t get down because the tree is burning and will fall in a few minutes. And the only way out of the burning tree is to reach thru the nearest tree. To do that, you must lay the plank and walk over it to grab to the child into safety. The question is, would you do that?” the Master finished his talk.
“Of course, I will! He is my child. I can’t afford to lose him.”
Then comes silence.
The student looks to the Master. Contemplating on what the Master said the one thing he needs to have success in life.
The BIG WHY.
This is a story adaptation of the concept introduced by Darren Hardy in his book, The Compound Effect. p. 63 to 65.
Feel free to provide your comments and feedback below. A few claps are also well appreciated. =)
