Well known motivational speaker, Les Brown often relates the following anecdote during his talks:
I was walking down the street and happened upon a man sitting on his porch. His dog was lying at his feet whimpering. "What's wrong with your dog?" I asked.
"He's lying on a nail."
"Lying on a nail," I said, "well, why doesn't he get up?"
"It's not hurting bad enough," the man replied.
"In life pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
~ Haruki Murakami
There will be many episodes in life when our whimpers go unanswered and the Calvary never comes. Logic dictates that since his owner had done nothing to relieve the puppy's discomfort, he would move to another spot on the porch to avoid the nail. Clearly, a need was met by his decision to remain in pain.
Our goals are attached to every behavioral choice and internal needs drive us toward them. Goals are something one attempts to do or achieve while needs are a condition requiring supply or relief; a must have in order to live, succeed, or be happy.
An internal need drives the dog to endure the discomfort of lying on the nail. Perhaps a desire to feel safe or by chance it's his favorite spot and his goal may be the sheer enjoyment of being near his owner.
Who knows?
But there he lies, atop that nail whimpering in pain.
"You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there." ~ Edwin Louis Cole
Practical critical thinking, safety, and survival skills are invaluable. In my Girl Scout days, my favorite lessons were the ones that taught self sufficiency. Possessing these tools is empowering though said knowledge and abilities are of little benefit if not employed when called upon to "save one's own soul".
No one can free us from a job we hate, bad influences, financial setbacks, or relationships gone wrong; only our choices can do that. When in pain, sitting in an unlocked cell resigned to misery with the keys in hand is self defeating. Life is too short to keep waiting for the Calvary. We have to be our own hero or heroine.
Determine the nails you are lying upon and uncover the unmet internal needs causing you to endure those dull aches. Once those needs are satisfied in more positive fashion, you can pursue your external goals with renewed strength and increased insight.
Can you identify the unmet internal needs driving your goals?
Are you willing to lift yourself off the nails causing the discomfort in your life?
What prevents you from being your own Calvary?
