The Hawthorne Twig,The Rose and The Lily

A story is told of an aged Japanese philosopher who spent many days in the woods and hills near his village studying the laws of nature. Upon returning to his village in the evenings, he taught others what he had learned.

One morning as he prepared to leave the village, a friend asked him to bring him a hawthorne twig so that he might study the lesson the philosopher had given about that tree. Another friend asked the philosopher to bring him a rose so that he might study its beauty according to another lesson the philosopher had taught. A third friend asked the philosopher to bring him a lily so that he might study the lesson of purity that the learned man had given.

When the philosopher returned to his village at sundown, he found his friends waiting at the gate. To the first he gave the hawthorne twig, to the second, the rose and to the third the lily.

The first friend complained, "Here is a dead leaf on the stem of my hawthorne twig."

The second said, "Here is a thorn on the stem of my rose."

The third exclaimed, "Here is dirt on the roots of my lily."

Natural Attraction

The philosopher took back the twig, the rose and the lily. He plucked the dead leaf from the twig and gave it to the first friend. He removed the thorn from the stem of the rose and gave it to the second. He took the dirt from the roots of the lily and put it into the hands of the third. "Now each of you has what attracted you first," he told his friends.

"You looked for the dead leaf and found it. You looked for the thorn, it was there. You found the dirt on the roots of the lily. You may keep what attracted you first. I will keep the hawthorn twig, the rose and the lily for the beauty I see in them."

What Are You Attracted To?

As I read this story, I saw applications, both personally and professionally. What are you naturally attracted to-the dirt, the thorns, and the dead leaves of the people you live and work with? Or do you focus on the beauty of their efforts and contributions?

There is no perfect human being on the earth at this time. Everyone has a thorn or a personality quirk to overcome. If you can see past individual idiosyncrasies and respect the values and opinions of the person in the workspace next to you, you will become a person of influence in your organization. As you encourage your colleagues and co-workers, the atmosphere in your organization will change dramatically. It will become more positive, more innovation and more upbeat.

Real Life Applications

Just this week I talked to a young salesman whose company had been purchased twice last year, causing great turmoil for him and his customers.

For instance, the computer programs that scheduled delivery of product were jammed and this dedicated sales professional found himself hand delivering the product orders to his customers.

In addition to these and other professional challenges, his wife had been diagnosed with a disease that put her in a wheel chair.

In spite of these challenges, he looked me in the eye and in a cheerful voice said, "Actually, Karla, this was the best year of my life because all of my relationships improved: those with my customers, my wife, and my kids."

He was attracted to the rose, not the thorn, the lily, not the dirt. He found beauty in life and peace of mind.

RESOURCE
Karla Brandau, CSP is a speaker, trainer & successful entrepreneur. She is "A wealth of empowerment information" who provides "real help, not theory" to improve, enhance & energize your leadership skills. Visit her website for free energizers and program information - boost YOUR people skills today! www.timeforresults.com