How we deal with adversity is key to our professional success.
There’s an old parable about a King who tested his subjects by placing a giant boulder in the middle of the road. He then hid in the bushes and watched as merchants, courtiers and citizens walked around the boulder, not bothering to do anything to fix the problem.
You can be sure there was plenty of complaining about the boulder in the road, but noone lifted a finger.
Finally, along came a peasant carrying a load of vegetables. The king watched as the peasant patiently laid down his load and set to work trying to push the boulder out of the road.
It wasn’t easy, but the peasant succeeded, and as a reward, he found a purse full of gold coins where the boulder had been.
There are a few takeaways here. The first: this King has way too much spare time.
But seriously, there’s a moral: every obstacle is an opportunity. You can either complain about the hardship, or change it.
Apply that to your professional life, and you might find the occasional boulder in your own “road.” What are you going to do about it? Complain loudly? Or be the change?
