Vetnuus | November 2023 32 « BACK TO CONTENTS I hope this article finds you and your families well and safe!!! Last month we discussed the concept of making a conscious effort to remain attentive and listen actively. Taking time to quieten your mind and listen. This month we look at the application of “Thinking outside your box.”The quote has become synonymous with creative thinking and being innovative, especially amongst businesses trying to outcompete one another. Obviously, this quality often proves beneficial to people trying to push themselves. Here is a tale to demonstrate the lesson: It all began in a small Italian town hundreds of years ago. A small business owner worked hard every day to provide for his family. He had a wife and a daughter to provide for, over and above maintaining and looking after his household he needed to stay productive for all of them to survive. As time went on, the business owner found himself in a large debt to a money lender who was willing to provide him with financial assistance, that the poor man thought would solve his problems. The loan shark was old, unattractive and was secretly interested in the business owner’s daughter and was also secretly hoping that the businessman would fail to pay back his debt. The father of the girl clearly did not know this at the time of taking the loan. After the agreed term of the loan, the poor businessman was struggling to make ends meet and the rich man was now very keen to get his hands on the young girl. This meant that he would offer the businessman a deal - the loan shark would forget about the debt owed to him if he could marry the businessman’s daughter. This proposal was clearly not desirable for neither the daughter nor the businessman and was met with absolute disgust. The rich man wanted his money back and was not keen to give up just yet after being so close to getting what he wanted all along. He wanted to fool the man and his daughter that he would give them a fair opportunity, and so he came up with a twist to his proposed deal. The loan shark would place two pebbles into a bag; one would be white, and one would be black. The daughter would then be told to reach into the bag and pick a pebble. The debt would be wiped if the daughter picked the black pebble, but the loan shark would marry her. If the daughter chose the white pebble, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter would not have to marry the loan shark. The latter was obviously the most desirable outcome for both the daughter and the businessman, and offered a glimmer of hope in a situation that they previously felt was disastrous. As the rich man picked up the two pebbles from the ground, the daughter paid close attention to his hand and noticed that he had picked up two black stones in an attempt to guarantee his victory. The daughter then had three choices: 1. Refuse altogether to pick any pebble from the bag and return to their previous disastrous situation. 2. Expose the two black pebbles and the loan shark for cheating, but remain in debt. 3. Pick a pebble that would seal her horrid fate even though it was unfair. The daughter’s mind was racing in the few moments it took to prepare the bag from which the pebble would be drawn. Thinking outside the box, the daughter decided to draw out a pebble and at the same time drop the stones “accidentally” on the ground into the midst of the other pebbles. She then told the loan shark that it didn’t matter which stone she drew, and they wouldn’t have to waste time trying to identify it on the floor, as they could all decipher which pebble she picked by looking at the colour of the pebble left in the bag. The loan shark did not want to be exposed as a cheat to the community and played with the fact that the daughter had picked a white pebble. The debt was wiped, and the daughter didn’t have to marry the loan shark. The takeaway of the story: Use your creative thinking to be constructive rather than come up with ill-founded limiting beliefs. You can always overcome a challenging situation by stepping outside the box to which it is confined. You may think you have limited options, but there are creative ways to get around it. Next month, we will continue looking at more ideas for improving our quality of life and overall performance both at work and at home. v Influential Life Coaching THE PEBBLES Dr Mats Abatzidis B.Sc. B.V.Sc. New Insights Certified VIP Life Coach mats.abatzidis@yahoo.co.za Founder of Influential Life Coaching http://www.matsaba.wix.com/drmatscoach Author of the published book “Life outside your comfort zone. Better and beyond all expectations”. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=searchalias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Abatzidis http://www.life-coach-directory.co.za/mats-abatzidis Vet's Health I Life Coaching
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTc5MDU=