The Little Bird in Shit

Dear loving people,

 

In the game of life and especially for those who have decided to improve upon their situation, moving on in the right path can be a daunting task especially if you don’t have your bones and brains with you at all times and especially when you are unable to properly analyze situations in their contexts. So was it with this little bird...

A little bird was flying south towards the tropics for the winter.  In a short time, it was so cold and ice began to form on his wings; the bird froze up and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow that had been grazing in the field, came by and dropped some dung on it.  As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was.  The dung was actually thawing him out!  He lay there all warm and happy. It started reflecting on how life could be so good at times and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing fox heard the bird singing so melodiously and came to investigate. Following the sound, the fox discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him!

 Throughout your quest for success, you must realize that:

1.    Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy. Sometimes the shit they drop on you makes you better at the end. It has been said in some circles that your enemies are more valuable to you than your friends. Know your enemies even better than your friends, because in battle, while wanting your friends alongside you, knowing your enemy’s strategies and next moves provides the ability to launch a preemptive strike or at least to plan counter strategies to their next move on the battlefield.

2.   Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. There are those who will get you out of a little situation just to expose you to greater misfortune where you will be ridiculed or ruined while they stand by and laugh at you. Some of the times, you have to seek to understand the anterior motives of some particular hands of fellowship once it’s extended to you.

3.    And when you're in deep shit, keep your mouth shut! Rumi says “Listen! Clam up your mouth and be silent like an oyster shell, for that tongue of yours is the enemy of the soul, my friend. When the lips are silent, the heart has a hundred tongues.” While your mouth is shut, you will figure out better ways to get out of the shit.

Mistakes are inevitable. Whatever you do and no matter how good you are at what you do, you will eventually mess up. You’ll recover from it and put it behind you. No one likes making mistakes, but it’s part of a meaningful life experience and as much as they stink, every mistake teaches us a valuable lesson, if we choose to learn it.

The good news is that it’s not the mistakes that define you; it’s how you handle them. So while the missteps you make may be unanticipated, unplanned and unwanted, you can regain some control by responding in a positive way and preventing one isolated mistake from turning into a full-blown disaster.