The Boy & the Nettle

Adapted from one of Aesop’s Fables

A boy, playing in a field, touched a nettle ever so gently and it stung him. Running home with tears in his eyes, he tells his father that he tried to be gentle. His father says that being gentle was what had caused the problem, and that if he had grabbed the nettle firmly, it would not have stung him. This is because the stinging “hairs” of the plant are squashed and cannot penetrate the skin in the same manner. From this the father deduces a moral for his son. The world is like a field, and you are bound to come across nettles in life. The trick is to either avoid them or grab them, thereby avoiding the painful sting.

Reflection

How often have you started a personal or professional project, big or small and lost motivation shortly afterwards, causing you to give up entirely? There are a few reasons (and far more excuses) for this; one big one being the lack of passion behind your actions. Everything you do in life, big or small, needs to be done with all your might, with extreme passion and commitment. There is no way a person can bw successful without the drive to experience results. Excellence is measured by action and anything short of that commitment won't get you far. A good friend of mine shared a great TED video with me this week "The Key to Success? Grit by Angela Lee Duckwoth" and she very smartly explains that IQ isn't the only thing separating successful people from those who struggle. It's grit. Not the salt to prevent snow from freezing, but rather the perseverance of effort, a long-term goal combined with a powerful motivation to achieve results. A child who is top of his class is measured by the result of his performance in the class, not by his IQ or background. Don’t ever settle for being average as an average performance is a limited performance. It's time to become more committed than ever before to your goals. As Lord Chesterfield says "whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well". The world is full of 'average' people, yet people in this world appreciate excellent results, so don't be that 'average' person, be brilliant in everything you do. Grab every opportunity with might and strength, don't let people stop or sway you. Keep you passion continuously alive and you are guaranteed to reach high levels of success.

May you have an awesome week, where all your actions translate into incredible outcomes.
Darren Zwiers

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson