Story of the Macaw...
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there was a king....
ALRIGHT, HOLD ON!
Before you think this is a waste of your time, I promise you there is a method to the madness.
I'm going to tell you all a story I read some time ago. I don't know about you, but I personally believe that fables with their moral punchlines help create a stronger impact than any motivational speech you might hear. Call it what you may, but the simplistic nature, child-like story-telling and strong moral fibre drive points home in an effortless manner.
Let’s Continue Reading....
Once upon a time, there was a king who had gone to visit neighbouring kingdoms. He was gifted a pair of baby Macaws by the king of the last kingdom he visited. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. So, upon returning to his kingdom, he called for a bird trainer and asked him to train the macaws. The king also arranged a place in the palace garden for the macaws.
He often looked at them from his palace window. As time passed, one day the trainer came to the palace and informed the king that although one of the macaws was flying majestically high in the sky, the other one had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.
Upon hearing this, the king summoned trainers and healers from the nearby kingdoms. They all tried their best but couldn’t make the macaw fly! He even asked his courtiers to try to find a way to make the macaw fly but they all failed. The macaw was not moving from his branch at all. Finally, after trying everything, the king thought that maybe someone familiar with its natural habitat could help. He asked his courtier to get a farmer from the countryside and take him to the macaw to see if he can understand the problem.
The next morning, the king was thrilled to see the macaw flying high above the palace gardens. He asked his servant to call the farmer to meet him. The servant quickly went and located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the macaw fly?”
The farmer replied to the king while respectfully folding his hands, “It was very easy, your
Majesty. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”
So, what do we learn from the above story?
Often, it so happens that one gets comfortable in the daily routine of life. Once you are excessively comfortable in your day to day lives, it is very difficult to push yourself into situations that try and test you in whichever way possible. You stop learning, growing both intellectually, socially and personally, and that’s when the negative effects start surfacing.
I have often heard people complaining more about what they cannot do than being grateful for what they have and what they can do. The usual complaints are lack of time, lack of stability, lack of passion, lack of faith, lack of trust and so on and so forth. All these factors contribute to a stagnancy in one’s life. It is at this stage that one turns into the Macaw bird that chose to not fly.
Let’s look at some of the probable reasons for not taking the leap: -
Insecurities and Doubt in Self that force one to not take a chance in life.
Fear of the unknown that forces one to be fixed in the place they are at.
Inability to completely understand and utilize the various talents and competencies that one possesses.
Let’s go back and take another look at the story. The first Macaw chose to learn all it could from the trainer and left its branch to fly high in the sky and achieve its potential, but the second Macaw chose to not pay heed to any of the trainer’s guidance. It did not leave its branch for it was comfortable there.
The branch symbolizes the various routines one sets for ourselves in life. Just like the farmer cut the bird’s branch so that it would fly, one needs to cut out the insecurities, fears, and anything and everything that stands in our way of taking flight into the world.
You can achieve much more than what you give yourself credit for. Do not let fear stand in your way of success. Do not wait in your secure and comfortable spot and watch others fly high. Choose to face the unknown and achieve success. Choose your branch carefully and cut it each time it poses as a threat to your growth.
