Do you remember some of Aesop’s fables; “The Hare and the Tortoise” (the old and revised version), “The Lion and the Mouse”…? Which was your favourite? I love the Lion and the Mouse a lot! It teaches about our dependence on each other, irrespective of the size and status. Great lessons were learnt through these fables while growing up. But lately, “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs” crossed my mind as many thoughts kept flooding in. Here’s a recap of the story.
A poor farmer had a goose that laid a golden egg each day. He would sell the egg and use the proceeds to feed his family, however, he wasn’t satisfied with just one egg a day hence, killed the goose, hoping to find so many golden eggs… Of course he didn’t! The goose turned out to be like any other goose, killed for supper; dead and gone!
I thought of a different version; note the words in italics as you read and please share your version of the story with me.
…so the farmer saw that the goose laid one golden egg every day and paid “special attention” to it; he “fed” it with “special vitamins” and “built” a “cosy coop” for it to live in. He “decided” not to pick the golden eggs for a period so they could “incubate” and hatch.
This was a well thought out “plan”, which he was able to achieve with the “collaboration” of his wife and little daughter.
About 28 days later, the eggs began to hatch and as they were being piped, lo and behold, the goslings were all golden! The farmer was so happy. He “nursed” all the goslings till they were able to lay golden eggs as well. He made so much profit, became very rich and built a large factory that produced golden eggs.
We all have that Goose that lays the golden eggs. It could be in the form of a skill or a talent; you sing well, write well, have the charisma of a politician and are able to convince or lead people. Why don’t you treat that skill like the farmer in my version? Here’s what I think you should do based on what the farmer did:
He paid “Special Attention”: Realise that you are gifted.
He “Fed”: Do things that will hone your skills, I guess the farmer went without food for some days.
He gave “Special Vitamins”: Mind what you consume (food, thoughts, books, social media etc.).
He “Built”: Focus on self-development.
He chose “Cosy Coop”: Be particular about your environment, stay with the right people.
He “Decided”: Be mindful of the choices you make.
He “Incubated”: Be patient, sometimes good things need time to blossom.
He “Planned”: Develop a strategy for yourself.
He engaged in active “Collaboration”: Teamwork and partnership, we cannot do life alone.
He “Nursed”: Keep grooming your skills.
I do hope you were inspired by this article. I’m expecting your version of this story.
Written by: Udochi Anokwu