Endurance leads to Success: Part 2

When the cicada heard of this story, he said to the dove, "When I want to climb the elm tree, I fly and try to reach for higher ground. Sometimes I miss and fall to ground, but I slowly and surely make progress. Why does Pung have to travel thousands of kilometres without making any visible progress? The dove agreed: Pung was a fool. And so did every other animal in the kingdom.

So there it is. The fable of Pung. I hope you get the moral of the story because it captures the essence of endurance. If you don't, read on. I've identified two pearls of wisdom in this story:

1. When a person wants to have a short sail around the bay in his sailboat, he'll have to pack enough food for a few hours. When a person wants to have an epic journey across the Pacific Ocean, he'll have to pack enough food for a few months. If you are aiming for a great accomplishment in life, you need extensive preparation. This doesn't just mean gathering enough resources, it also includes waiting for the opportune time for action.

2. When preparing for your epic journey in life, you will criticised. That's why you need to be true to your conviction and believe that, in the end, you will get what you set out for. And you will. Only then can you brush off the criticisms lightly and endure criticism because you know you are a Pung bird and the others, well, not Pung birds.

That's it for today.

(The thoughts on endurance were inspired by 'Thick Face Black Heart' by Chin-Ning Chu)