Wednesday Words of Wisdom #135
A man was walking through Drum Manor Forest with his brothers and a few friends when he got hit in the chest with a poison arrow.
His brother immediately dials ‘999’ for the emergency services.
The ambulance arrives and the paramedic tells the injured man, ‘We’ve gotten here just in time. We can remove the arrow and give you the antidote to the poison and you will be well again’.
The stricken man refuses treatment, stating, ‘I won’t be treated until I know the identity of the scoundrel who shot the arrow. I won’t be touched until I know if he was from Cookstown, Kildress, Dungannon or Greencastle. I don’t want tampered with until I know where he was when he shot the arrow. Don’t interfere with me until I know what the arrow is poisoned with. I refuse help until I know the exact time I was struck down.’
The man dies.
Despite having everything he needed right in front of him to survive, he focussed on so many unnecessary details that wouldn’t help him anyway and he let life slip from his grasp.
OK, so maybe this story didn’t really happen but I thought it struck a chord better than me just telling you how it is straight down the pipe.
You are the man in the woods.
You are not stricken with an arrow but you have your challenges, the obstacles that you must overcome.
The paramedic is a figurative one, it represents the obvious solution that hides in plain sight. The simple thing that you can do right now to prevail.
The questions the man asked are all of the little things that you worry about and look to to solve your problems when deep down, you know that they will have no real bearing on your scenario.
Here’s a thought for you to chew on this Wednesday.
You already know what you need to do, at least to get started anyway.
You don’t need to do any more research, you don’t need to wait for the ‘right time’, you don’t need anyone else’s advice, you simply must ‘do’.
The man in the forest dies.
You need not.
Do what is needed and walk from the forest intact.