Vision In Action 4
Every leader patiently and jealously guard their vision. You need to patiently and jealously guard yours.
My name is Abiodun Fijabi and I warmly welcome you to Leading Right.
Have you heard the story of stone crusher before? For a village boy like me, I can easily identify with the story. There was one right near our mud house in the village where I grew up. He was old and so were his hands and arms. In my estimation, those hands and arms were no match for the stones he had to crush. The stone crusher certainly did not believe that. He exuded confidence as he walked briskly to his yard. The mountainous stone before him at present provided no threat. He had crushed stronger stone before and this one too would fall. He took his chisel and hammer and began to apply the first seemingly harmless strike. Many strikes after, the stone looked untouched. All the stone crusher had to show for his efforts were a few tiny chips of stone. You would think the crusher would be disappointed. No, not this one. He kept on striking and striking, oblivious of the arrogance of the stone.
I wondered if he knew what he was doing. His strikes looked like they were a child’s play. They were too feeble for the huge stone, I thought. Can’t he just make one big strike and get the stone tumbling down? If the stone crusher heard me he did not show it. He just kept at it, allowing no distraction. His strikes were consistent as he set his eyes on the goal of a split stone which people like me could not see.
Then one strike and the stone split. I called it the lucky strike and the crusher disagreed, replying me for the first time. “There is no lucky strike, “ he said. “Each strike is important. Each builds up of the strengths of the previous strikes. The stone split not because of one strike but of several, diligently, persistently and patiently applied.”
But what made him keep at it for that long, I asked. His answer was educative. “I just kept thinking the next strike would be the last strike that would split the stone.”
Do anything but give up on your dream. Consistently, persistently and patiently apply yourself to working towards your dream. Never forget, every effort counts. Each builds up on the strengths of the previous. And when you feel tired and are tempted to give up on your dream, put up the next effort and imagine it could be the last one to take you to your dream. If it fails, think of the next as the last. And then the next…until you reach your goal.
My name is Abiodun Fijabi and I warmly welcome you to Leading Right.
Have you heard the story of stone crusher before? For a village boy like me, I can easily identify with the story. There was one right near our mud house in the village where I grew up. He was old and so were his hands and arms. In my estimation, those hands and arms were no match for the stones he had to crush. The stone crusher certainly did not believe that. He exuded confidence as he walked briskly to his yard. The mountainous stone before him at present provided no threat. He had crushed stronger stone before and this one too would fall. He took his chisel and hammer and began to apply the first seemingly harmless strike. Many strikes after, the stone looked untouched. All the stone crusher had to show for his efforts were a few tiny chips of stone. You would think the crusher would be disappointed. No, not this one. He kept on striking and striking, oblivious of the arrogance of the stone.
I wondered if he knew what he was doing. His strikes looked like they were a child’s play. They were too feeble for the huge stone, I thought. Can’t he just make one big strike and get the stone tumbling down? If the stone crusher heard me he did not show it. He just kept at it, allowing no distraction. His strikes were consistent as he set his eyes on the goal of a split stone which people like me could not see.
Then one strike and the stone split. I called it the lucky strike and the crusher disagreed, replying me for the first time. “There is no lucky strike, “ he said. “Each strike is important. Each builds up of the strengths of the previous strikes. The stone split not because of one strike but of several, diligently, persistently and patiently applied.”
But what made him keep at it for that long, I asked. His answer was educative. “I just kept thinking the next strike would be the last strike that would split the stone.”
Do anything but give up on your dream. Consistently, persistently and patiently apply yourself to working towards your dream. Never forget, every effort counts. Each builds up on the strengths of the previous. And when you feel tired and are tempted to give up on your dream, put up the next effort and imagine it could be the last one to take you to your dream. If it fails, think of the next as the last. And then the next…until you reach your goal.
posted by Abiodun Fijabi at 1:26 PM
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