www.1001TopWords.com |
No More Frustration: The Thorns of Opportunity - Part II
The quest for the ultimate victory. In part one I shared with you how not knowing what you don't know, much like the "thorny" gardener, can rob you of your time, and keep you from enjoying and living the life you want. You also learned how a seemingly accidental event can instantly change your life, as you experience the magic of an "ah ha" moment. Do you ever find yourself saying "Why bother!" or asking "What's the point?" I mean you put in the time and effort only to end up with a result you don't like or worse yet, a result you know others won't like. How many projects have you left incomplete, simply because you didn't like the results? Read on and learn why the frustration of incomplete projects doesn't have to happen. In this story you will learn that perfection often has little to do with being perfect. Today I am going to tell you about the third field of roses and how the gardener of that field tended to the 1000's of rose bushes in the third field. Much like the "thorny" gardener, the third gardener was constantly clipping buds from the rose bushes. Working from sun up to sun down it took every ounce of energy the third gardener had to clip the 1000's of rose buds. Weeds were constantly a distraction. There was never enough time to tend to both the rose buds and the weeds. Still, the gardener tried. So, why is it that the third gardener was clipping the rose buds? Unlike the "thorny" gardener the third gardener was well aware of the bud's purpose and very much wanted the rose to bloom. In fact the third gardener focused every waking moment on making sure the rose bloom had every opportunity to bloom to perfection. You see the third gardener was not focused on the thorny bush nor was the gardener inspired by the possibility of a field filled with 1000's of colorful blooms. The third gardener, the "perfect" gardener, was not focused on having a field of roses. The "perfect bloom" was the focus of the "perfect gardener." With all of the "perfect" gardener's effort it was still true, more often than not, that the field was filled with nothing but thorny bushes, without a single bloom. If the "perfect" gardener" wasn't examining a bush and clipping it's buds, the gardener was tending to the weeds. On many occasions you could find the "perfect" gardener digging up a rose bush to make room for a new and improved rose bush. You see, only the best rose bush could produce the perfect bloom. After all the "perfect bloom," was the "perfect" gardener's dream. To even be considered as a contender the bloom must have a certain shape, quality of color, the right number of pedals, and that one of a kind and alluring fragrance. The "perfect bloom" started with the "perfect bud." The "perfect" gardener was always asking, "Could this bud produce the perfect rose? Few buds survived being clipped. As life would have it, in a forgotten part of the field; in an area where the soil was riddled with rocks and was dry more often than not, stood a thorny bush. This bush was different and it was not easily seen. The little bush was surrounded and nearly smothered by the many weeds. Still, without the attention and care of the "perfect" gardener the rose bush in the forgotten part of the field, would grow. Stunted by the limits of it's environment the little bush was easily missed as it continued to grow. That is until that one special moment, that special morning when the bush would produce a single bloom. It was a morning like every other for the "perfect" gardener. While bending over to clip a bud the morning breeze changed direction and with the changing breeze the "perfect" gardener was suddenly able to notice a fragrance so perfect and sweet. The fragrance was captivating. Immediately without a clip the "perfect" gardener stood in surprise. As the gardener scanned the field of thorny bushes, the gardener quickly realized, there was not a single bloom to be seen. Franticly the gardener began to search the field for the source of the alluring fragrance. The "perfect" gardener went from corner to corner, and even zigged and zagged across the field of thorny bushes and still not a bloom was to be seen. At wits end, and the gardener's frustration peaked a break was needed. The gardener move quickly away from the field. As luck would have it, once again, the morning breeze would change direction. The alluring fragrance would have the gardener change direction and eagerly begin to survey the surrounding areas of the field. The anticipation of finding the source of such a fragrance was almost to much to bear. To the gardener's left, near a pile of discarded rose bushes, and hidden amongst the weeds was a color that seemed out of place, a color that didn't seem to belong. Moving quickly to see, the morning breeze would confirm the gardener was en route to the source of the captivating fragrance. Breaking into a full stride the gardener moved toward the clump of weeds. Once the gardener was upon the clump of weeds, the rose, the "perfect bloom," was now plain to see. Quickly pushing the weeds away, the gardener kneeled to take in the magnificence of the perfect bloom. As the "perfect" gardener held the perfect bloom a question came to mind; "how?" How could such a perfect rose bloom be found on such a bush? In fact the rose bush was more like a short crooked twig with many thorns and a few leaves. Standing slowly the gardener looked in disbelief. It was difficult to know how a bush, which was thrown away, could survive as it did. The morning had come and gone as the gardener now looked at the field of thorns. The questions were many. All the work, and all the time, how could this be? The gardener would spend the next few mornings amongst the weeds enjoying the perfection of such a bloom. As the perfect bloom began to fade the gardener asked "what is next?" With a smile the once "perfect" gardener started tending the weeds. No longer would the gardener hurry to clip the buds, no longer would the gardener hurry to examine a bush, and no longer would the gardener discard a bush. This season the gardener's heart would fill with joy as the field of thorns became a field of blooms. No longer would the gardener wait for such a perfect bloom. The once "perfect" gardener could now see the perfection in each of the many blooms. The perfection the gardener once tried so hard to create now was easy to see. James Smith
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Its The Little Things That Count Have you ever been in the situation where you have become so focussed on achieving a goal that you have done so at the detriment of everything else in your life? What Life is All About? When we look at lives in any places in this world, we may come to the similar red line. Those lives consist of phases that take living creature from a step to a further one. Be it human or plants or animals, their lives are all the same. It's a growth from youth to old then die. The Memorable First Days! The first few hours in this world, when we as babies drop out to mingle with the natural beauty and wonders, the first day in our life is the most important day of our life. The Power of One It was one of those once-in-a-life-time moments. The entireWorld celebrated Christmas Eve, 1968, by sitting glued totelevision sets. Apollo 8 was in Moon orbit, broadcastingfirst-ever, live television shots of the Moon's surface. Manhad yet to set foot on the Moon, so this Moon orbit wastruly an historic moment. The Procrastinating Perfectionist Are you a procrastinating perfectionist? I once read an article dealing with the fear of failure and success. The author described it as the following: "The curse of the procrastinating perfectionist". The Meaning of Life - Not Just Another Dust in the Wind Theory I grew up in the south in the 1960's. Married when I was 18 and joined the Army when I was 23. I traveled to Germany then back to the states where I lived in Connecticut for a while and then Tennessee for 10 years. I am now living in Maine. Divination A LOST WORLD OF SOUL Two Drops Of Water Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 17, 2002 Whats Your Reason For Waiting? The fever had been high late into the night, but at 2:30 A.M., it broke. The little girl's mother breathed out in relief. She'll be O.K. in the morning, she thought. Lifestyle Changes ? A Conscious Choice! There Must Be A Way Out! He was pushing a cart containing crates of soft drinks and followed closely by his two little boys when their momentum was halted. Noticing the situation, I ? who was on my way to see my printer's - stopped to see what would happen next. Before them stood this mud-filled pothole spanning the entire breadth of the road, providing, apparently, "a-no-way-out" situation for this bunch. His little boys turned to him with an anxious look that read; "Now we're stuck". A Pre-existing Condition Direct Answers - Column for the week of December 2, 2002 Dread Disease Dragged Out My Best In denial, I was slow to accept Multiple Sclerosis. Who, after all, would embrace a diagnosis of the dread disease of no known cause, and for which there was no cure? The Great Challenge of Life Here's the great challenge of life - You can have more than you've got because you can become more than you are. Synchronicity Synchronicity: the coincidence of events that seem related but are not obviously caused one by the other (Encarta Concise English Dictionary) What is My Life Purpose? Why am I here? From the Hint of a Rainbow to... The grey sky of morning contained an ominous quality. The clouds were so thick they were almost tangible. Then I saw it. Faintly sandwiched between the clouds was the hint of a rainbow. Barely visible were the bands of color, with a straining, subtle expectancy as the dim colors arched upward. It was the beginnings of a rainbow. The hint of a possibility of something beautiful, magical and rare. Re-Developing Your Vision One of the most important things we can do for our businesses, schools, and organizations is to have vision. Vision being a clear picture of a desired end result that you are aiming for. In Tall Grass My best friend, Ryan, told me last night he got his girlfriend, Rebecca, pregnant. He is 22 and she is 20. He told me he was probably going to marry her "because that is what I should do." Let me give you a little background. The Research Sector Kevin had worked as a barber at The Clipper Joint for the past five years. He has dreams of opening his own barbershop one day. He is beginning to feel that it isn't really fair to have to pay Joe, the owner, 60% of his cut. It just doesn't seem right to him. He is the one with the clients. He is the one cutting heads for 7 hours a day. Why should he have to give up anything? |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |