Expert Feature: Never Overlook the Great Business (and Life) Wisdom Contained in This One Sentence
The Wise Men Who Tried to Gather All the Wisdom of the World
There’s a fable about a great quest for wisdom that I want you to hear.
I want you to hear it, because it contains some important wisdom that we must never forget.
Now listen carefully to this story…
“Once there was a Middle Eastern man of power. And this powerful man was a father. One day this man called a meeting of the wise men in his kingdom. He told them, ‘I want you to gather all of the world’s knowledge together in one place so that my sons can read it and learn’
“The wise men nodded their heads and then went off to do as they were asked. After a year, they came back to this powerful man with 25 volumes of knowledge. The powerful man looked at the volumes and said, ‘No. It’s too long. Make it shorter.’
So the wise men went off for another year and then they returned to the powerful man. This time they presented him with just one volume of information. The powerful man looked at it and said, ‘No. It’s still too long.” (He’s lucky he was so powerful or they might’ve smacked him upside his head.)
Instead the wise men went off for another year. When they came back they handed the powerful man a piece of paper. On it was just a single sentence.
Do you know what that sentence was?
The sentence was: ‘This too shall pass.’”
(FYI: I learned this fable from a book called, “The Know-It-All” by AJ Jacobs.)
Important Wisdom in Good Times and Bad Times
This fable contains an interesting piece of wisdom: “This too shall pass.” This is important wisdom to remember in your business life and in your personal life.
Why?
Because if you’re having a hard time right now, it can feel like this is the “new normal”. It can feel like this is how things will be for now on.
And when you begin thinking and feeling that way, then you can lose hope.
But it’s not true. This season of your life will not last forever. It’s not the new normal.
If this is a difficult time in your business or life, the most important thing for you to remember is this truth: “This too shall pass.”
But it’s not just important to remember this wisdom when things are going badly. We especially need to remember this when things are going really well.
Why:?
Because if you’re going through a good time in your life right now, it’s easy to take it for granted. It’s easy to assume that THIS is your “new normal”. And that is not true either.
If this is a great time in your business or life right now, the most important thing for you to remember is this truth: “This too shall pass.”
Why This Wisdom is So Important
Why is it so important that we remember this wisdom? I think there are two key reasons.
1. When you’re going through a hard time, this realization gives you hope. Not only that, but it allows you to learn from this difficult time in your life. It helps you to get through it with something of value.
2. When you’re going through a great time, this realization gives you appreciation. It causes you to be more thankful and more present during this time of your life. It helps you to cherish this time while it’s here.
It’s too easy in life to miss the important lessons or overlook the greatest blessings.
The best antidote to this common problem is daily remember this important wisdom: “This too shall pass.”
Write it out on a “notepad” on your phone. Or, better yet, type it out in big font, print it out, and put it somewhere on your desk where you’ll see it every day.
It’s the wisdom that we all need to remember.
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:
The greatest stories that we all love are NOT only filled with “highs” and great times. They are filled with amazing “highs” and “lows”.
They are filled with moments when you think the hero might not make it. But it’s those challenges that transform the main character into someone that we cheer on.
If you want the story of your life to be a great one, then you should expect highs and lows. Don’t curse the “lows” in your life and don’t take the “highs” for granted. Squeeze everything you can out of those moments and always remember: “This too shall pass.”
P.S. If you liked this post, then you’ll want to check out the post below. It reveals a surprising reason why you might want to set more difficult goals for yourself.
Photo by Filter Forge
Related article
- Expert Feature: This Great Story Teller’s Writing Tip Reveals The Greatest Purpose For Goals (baybusinesshelp.com)
