These are trying times for everyone. We all have our ups and downs and neither appear to be consistent. To succeed today, we must all resign ourselves to hang in there for the long haul. Easily said … a little more difficult to accomplish. Maybe this classic parable written by my all-time favorite author, Anonymous, will better explain the big picture.
By the way, this is a great story to share with your children or grandchildren the next time things aren’t going just the way they’d like them to.
SEASONS
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly … so he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and returned, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The father then explained to his sons that they were all correct, because they had each seen only one season in the tree’s life. He told them they could not judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. That the essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life, can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons have passed.
If you give up when it’s winter, you’ll miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don’t judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through difficult times, and better times are sure to come.
Aspire to inspire … before you expire!
Happiness keeps you sweet,
Trials keep you strong,
Sorrows keep you human,
Failures keep you humble, and
Success keep you growing!
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.