The Sword Crafter’s Parable
Attributed to Robin Sharma. Adapted by Leopold Llonch
In Medieval Europe, there was a Sword Crafter who created great swords that were light, fast and unbreakable. He was the best at what he did at that time.
A great king heard about this Sword Crafter and said, “I must meet this man.” His people searched throughout the Kingdom and found the sword crafter in a small village, and brought him to meet the king.
The Sword Crafter was very humble and gracious to meet the king. The king, in return, was also very gracious and welcoming. Then the king asked the Sword Crafter his favorite question – “what is the secret to your extraordinary excellence at your craft?”
The Sword Crafter said, “It’s very simple. Ever since I was a child, I was exposed to the craft of making swords and I fell in love with it.” This craft spoke to me and to my spirit.” One day I made the decision that I would be the best Sword Crafter”.
I searched for other Sword Crafters who were excellent and asked them about their craft. I also read books on my craft and if something didn’t relate to sword crafting, or if it didn’t have the words Sword Craft in it, I didn’t spend my time with it.
Then I practiced each individual step of the process until I mastered it before I moved on to the next step. That is the secret of my mastery.”
The great king was satisfied with the Sword Crafter’s story and hired him to craft the swords for his knights.
There are two morale’s here. The first one is that whatever work you do, give the very best of yourself. Whenever you give the best of yourself to your work, you’re self-advancing your own skills and soon others will take notice.
The second morale is that when you do find your purpose or your passion, focus on what you love and remove all distractions except the ones dearest to you such as faith, family, and your health.
Life is a journey that requires us to find what fulfills our joy and happiness and it’s not an easy path, but a narrow and steep one. The hike up that path requires foresight, commitment, and hard work. There is no other way to achieve a fulfilling life.
There’s not enough money printed in the world, and not enough gold or diamonds mined to replace the joy and fulfillment of a hard task completed and the rewards gained from such achievements.
Make it a Great Day!
Leopold