Friday 19 October 2012

Strength in your Weakness

I read the story below somewhere and I have decided to share it with you. Even in our weaknesses, strength lie therein. You never can tell how useful that weakness you feel so bad about can become. Infact it could be your motivation for success.

Don't let me sermonize keep you from reading the story.


A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament.

Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches.

The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match.

Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out.

He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him.

The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.

"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defence for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

"Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame god, the circumstances and our self for it but we never know that our weakness can become our strength one day.

Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weakness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it!"

- Courtesy: Vicky Nandavar

Friday 12 October 2012

Fables and Stories Series: 2. The Fish Baking Story


A little girl was watching her mother prepare a fish for dinner. Her mother cut the head and tail off the fish and then placed it into a baking pan. The little girl asked her mother why she cut the head and tail off the fish. Her mother thought for a while and then said, "I've always done it that way - that's how grandma did it."

Not satisfied with the answer, the little girl went to visit her grandma to find out why she cut the head and tail off the fish before baking it.

Grandma thought for a while and replied, "I don't know. My mother always did it that way."

Headless and tailless - I cut off head and tail to make the fish fit in my baking plate
So the little girl and the grandma went to visit great grandma to find ask if she knew the answer.

Great grandma thought for a while and said, “Because my baking pan was too small to fit in the whole fish”.

(Ack M Hamanova)


Moral:

It is good to challenge some belief systems and assumptions.

It is good to question some activities that have become routine. Even in business and everyday living, why do you always fill that form? Why do you have to do that first? What is the reason behind that taboo?

When you understand the reason and logic behind an activity you can then improve on ways of tackling such.

Friday 5 October 2012

The BRT Experience

IOn week days' mornings I normally go to work in Lagos BRTs. If you live on the mainland and work on the island and you don't drive your car to the office you will understand the ease of going in the BRT.

I have had so many experiences riding in the BRT and I will be sharing one of the experiences.

On a particular morning so as to avoid getting late to work, I took "standing" stood as I did not get a seat. I was hoping to get a seat later if some of the passengers seating down alighted at their bus stops.

To be truthful, my expectation was so low as I have not been "lucky" getting seat if I initially stood instead of seating. There was always one passenger beating me to the available seat.

On that fateful day, as the bus approached Stadium bus stop, I noticed a passenger three seats from me pressed the bell to alight. I was initially happy but the happiness did not last as there were four or five people in front of me that had more chance of getting the seat, yet I hoped.

I moved forward like I was about to alight too using the entrance door and so the people in front of me made way for me to pass. Not taking away my eyes off the about-to-be-vacant seat, I purposefully moved forward till I got to the seat. The bus arrived at the bus stop immediately I got to the seat and the passenger that pressed the bell to alight stood up to get down and I had the chance to sit down beating the people with the better chances to the seat.

It looke dso simple. Like the passenger that wanted to alight was waiting for me to get to the seat before standing up from it but I can tell you it was more than luck. It was planning, ability to see ahead, it was strategic positioning for oppurtunity.

Life is not going to wait for you. you have to make yourself available to grab any oppurtunity it's gonna throw your way.

Plan ahead, always think three to five years ahead. Don't be too focused on "now". Look beyond your immediate surrounding, dress beyond your present circumstance. Overall, always prepare to grab the next available seat oppurtunity.