A Donkey's Resolve

Do you really work well under pressure? Are you the type that craves the adrenaline rush? Is that what it takes to do your best work?

What type of worker are you? Do you prefer to work at your own pace or work in a fast environment with deadlines? Our personality traits and inner strength usually becomes apparent when we work under pressure.

For instance, some people think that if they cram for a test, their chances of passing it are very high. Other people find this method nerve wracking and without merit.

At certain times, pressure make us all feel like we are working for nothing; like our goals are further than we think. Our goals are as far as we can see them. If we can see them within our reach, then they are. If we think that we will never make it, then we probably won’t. Thoughts are powerful.

Whatever our capacity for pressure, I think that we have an internal system of weights and measures that give us the resolve to move forward in whatever we are doing. Life is full of daily pressures that take their toll on our spirit. However, there is always a bright spot or a moment of truth that comes through when we least expect it.

I found this parable a while back and it reminded me of how our will and determination can make us take a stand.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal wailed for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was too old and not worth retrieving. The well needed to be covered anyway and this was the perfect opportunity. So he invited all his neighbors to help him cover it.

They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then to everyone's amazement, he became silent. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit the donkey’s back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up. As everyone continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take another step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off.

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.

If you ever feel like you are alone and can’t shake your present impasse, remember the donkey’s resolve. Pain is a measure of your resistance to change. Take it from a donkey.