It was a Wednesday afternoon, a typical working day right in the midst of the week. The computer screen that I had been staring at since morning, took a toll on me as my eyes were severely strained. I decided to look out of my cubicle on to the company warehouse and what I witnessed was something that I never did before.
An eagle swooped inside through the warehouse gate, with a pigeon tightly grasped in its claws. Astounded by the heavy machinery and the sounds inside, the eagle’s grip loosened and the pigeon managed to save its life.
The eagle did enter the warehouse following its prey, but it had no idea where it was. The bird that was used to flying at great heights, rose towards the ceiling of the warehouse. Flying majestically with occasional screams, it flew just as easy as a breeze.
The pigeons, crows and sparrows that usually chirped around went absolutely silent. The workers in the factory watched the bird with awe as it flew a complete round with its magnificent wingspan. One round, two rounds, three; the eagle just wouldn’t stop. This went on for hours and eventually, everybody got back to work.
I kept an occasional eye on the beast, which relentlessly carried on with its furious flights.
The next morning when I made it to the office, I was greeted by a screeching scream. THE EAGLE WAS STILL FLYING! (Well maybe it slept at night, but come on)
But I noticed something was different than the day before; the sparrows, pigeons and crows that were silent yesterday were chirping again. As if they were convinced that the eagle was forever going to stay up near the ceiling.
Almost as if a machine, the eagle kept flying for 4 days!
On the 5th day, the eagle was no longer flying. It sat on a pillar, no longer screaming and just gazed down at the floor for hours. And then, as if it had just saved a bit of strength for a final flight, it took off.
But this flight was a different one. It didn’t soar up but rather GLIDED DOWN. Down it fell right at the entrance of the warehouse where it had entered through. And as if the sunlight was the light from the heaven, it gazed up and finally took off, out from the building and the façade! Back to where it belonged!
LESSONS LEARNT
It was a remarkable sight. The birds that were smaller, slower and had ordinary flying skills than the eagle, had no problems in getting in or out of the warehouse. For it wasn’t the abilities or skills that were in the scheme of things, it was the perspective and the mental roadblock that made the difference.
Time and time again we fail to acknowledge the fact that we all are different men. Our likes are different and we excel in different fields. We are quick to spot ourselves struggling real hard to carry out a particular task, a task or an activity that the whole world seems to carry out easily!
And then, how do we respond?
Most of us just like the eagle tend to try harder what we already know. We begin grinding real hard and while we do so, we deal ourselves the real damage. The harder we try the more we dent and lower our self-esteem.
We lose confidence in carrying out even the other activities which we are quite good at. Never once do we look at the situation non-judgmentally. We often get attached to what we already know rather than paying attention to what we are lacking and need to learn.
The eagle didn’t struggle because it lacked the capability to make it past the warehouse gate. It was the eagle’s perspective about itself that became the ultimate mental roadblock.
For 4 days the eagle tried hard everything it knew. Flying fast, gliding quick and long continuous flights but to no avail. Only after being forced by the limitations of a mortal soul (hunger) did it stop and look at the situation with a fresh perspective.
The pride that had so long made the eagle almost invincible, didn’t seem to be of help in this scenario. Only after the eagle swallowed the pride and took a glance at the situation in an unbiased manner; IT DISCOVERED THE WAY OUT!
There is nothing like a perfect being. Not even in dreams.
We all have certain qualities and fallacies. Some of us are right at the top of a particular stream, say in engineering or technology; juggling with the jargons and in total control. But at the same time, struggle in even the basics of investments and financial education.
Some are absolute beasts in a sport or two; fit and in perfect shape. But struggle abysmally when it comes to socializing or building networks and maintaining relations.
If you are one of them, then that means only one thing. YOU ARE HUMAN AND IT IS TOTALLY ALRIGHT TO BE IMPERFECT!
Everything can be learnt from scratch, at any point in this life.
Firstly, identify what you are good at and what you aren’t. Once you pass this roadblock, it allows you to take the next step, i.e. begin acquiring the basics or skills from people/institutions around you.
Remember, skills and abilities are secondary. One can access them only after one has truly been honest to oneself about the reality they are and the reality they want!
It took 4 days for the eagle to overcome its mental roadblock, how many do you need?
