Hi, I want to tell you about a recently lived experience and it is about how to get rid of those habits and beliefs that keep us tied to mediocrity.
It all started when I narrated to my now partner, that I no longer feel so comfortable in my work, that I feel exhausted, that undertaking the management postgraduate that I am doing I realized the many flaws that the organization where I am has.
I explained to him that one of the flaws for me is that my work is an organization with a vertical structure which has the concept that authority comes from one to whom many obey. These structures are hierarchical, with levels of graduation of responsibility and power in one direction and decreasing levels of autonomy and authority in the order, there is little collaboration between workers and my decisions cost to be taken into account.
I also mentioned that the organization lacks emotional intelligence, that there is an environment of loneliness, frustration, despair, we feel disconnected, misunderstood and angry.
He stressed that the evaluations of competencies and goals achieved were expressly at the convenience of the older boss and did not constructively evaluate the employee.
The interesting thing about this is that my partner, listening carefully to my release, proposes a project to me where I would have time, quality of life, monetary prosperity and many other benefits, obviously that created fear, doubts, just thinking about leaving my job that offers me some comfort but not the quality of life that I want for my future, so I went into a state of panic and I responded with a very common phrase, “I don't really like my work environment, but you have to give thanks that at least I I have".
Not wanting to give up on me tells me I'm going to give you time to evaluate it, think about it, meditate, and I also recommend that you look for the history of the cow, maybe it will help you.
Thoughtful and curious, I looked for the story of the cow by Camilo Cruz, who I believe is about those habits and beliefs that keep us tied to mediocrity.
The story of the cow
The story tells that an old teacher wanted to teach one of his disciples why many people live tied to a life of mediocrity and fail to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from succeeding. However, for the teacher, the most important lesson the young disciple could learn was to observe what happens when we finally break free from those bondages and begin to use our true potential.
To teach the young apprentice his lesson, that afternoon the master had decided to visit with him some of the poorest and most desolate places in that province. After walking a long time they found what they considered the most humble of all the houses.
That half-collapsed shack, which was located in the most distant part of that hamlet, must have been -without a doubt- the poorest of all. Its walls miraculously stood upright, though they threatened to topple at any moment; the makeshift roof let the water seep in, and the garbage and debris that accumulated around it made the house look decrepit. However, the most surprising thing of all was that eight people could live in that 10-square-meter shack. The father, the mother, four children and two grandparents managed to settle in that place.
Their old clothes and their dirty and smelly bodies were proof of the state of deep reigning misery.
Curiously, in the midst of this state of scarcity and total poverty, this family had an unusual possession in such circumstances: a cow. A skinny cow that with the little milk it produced, provided that family with little food of any nutritional value. But more importantly, this cow was the only material possession of any value the family had. It was the only thing that separated them from total misery.
And there, amid the garbage and disorder, the teacher and his novice disciple spent the night. The next day, very early and without waking anyone, the two travelers prepared to continue on their way. They left the dwelling and before starting the march, the old teacher said to his disciple: "It is time for you to learn the lesson you have come to learn."
Without the young man being able to do anything to avoid it, the old man took out a dagger that he was carrying in his bag and slaughtered the poor cow that was tied to the door of the house, before the incredulous eyes of the young man. Master, said the young man: “What have you done? What lesson is this that merits leaving this family in total ruin? How could you kill this poor cow, which represented the only thing that this family possessed?
Ignoring the young man's questions, the old man set out to continue the march, and teacher and disciple left without knowing what fate that family would face at the loss of their only possession.
Over the next few days, over and over again, the young man was confronted by the dire idea that without the cow, that family would surely starve.
A year later, the two men decided to return to those trails again to see how lucky that family had been. They searched for the humble inn again, but found a large house instead. It was obvious that the death of the cow had been a blow too hard for that family, who surely had to leave that place and now, a new family, with greater possessions, had taken over that place and had built a better house.
Where would that man and his children have gone? What would have happened with them? All this passed through the mind of the young disciple while, hesitantly, he debated between knocking on the door and finding out about the fate of the ancient inhabitants or continuing the trip and avoiding confirming his worst suspicions. What would be his surprise when the man who had given him a home a year ago came out of that house. How is it possible? asked the young man. A year ago in our brief visit here, we witnessed the deep poverty in which you found yourself. What happened during this year so that all this changed?
Ignorant of the fact that the disciple and his teacher had caused the death of his cow, the man related how, coincidentally, on the day of his departure, some thug, envious of his cow, had savagely slaughtered the animal.
The man continued to tell the two travelers how his first reaction to the cow's death had been one of despair and anguish. For a long time, the cow had been her sole source of livelihood. Owning this cow had earned him the respect of his less fortunate neighbors, who envied not having such a precious asset.
However, the man continued, shortly after that tragic day, we decided that unless we did something, most likely, our own survival would be in jeopardy. So we decided to clean up some of the land in the back of the shack, got some seeds, and decided to plant vegetables and legumes that we could feed on.
After some time we started selling some of the leftover vegetables and with this money we bought more seed and started selling our vegetables at the market stall. So we could have enough money to buy better clothes and fix our house. In this way, little by little, this year has brought us a new life. The teacher, who had remained silent, paying attention to the man's fascinating account, called the young man aside and in a low voice asked him:
Do you think that if this family still had its cow, it would be where it is now? Surely not, the young man replied.
If you see? Their cow, outside of being their only possession, was also the chain that kept them tied to a life of mediocrity and misery.
As they no longer had the false security provided by feeling that they owned something, even if it was just a skinny cow, they had to make the decision to look for something else.
In other words, the same cow that was a blessing to their neighbors, had given them the feeling of possessing something of value and not being in total misery, when in reality they were living in the midst of misery.
Reflecting like this is when you have little. What little you have becomes a punishment, since it does not allow you to search any further. You are not happy about it, but you are not totally miserable. You are frustrated with the life you lead, but not enough to want to change it. Do you see how fatal this situation is?
When you have a job that you hate, that does not meet your minimum financial needs and brings you absolutely no satisfaction, it is easy to make the decision to quit and look for a better one. However, when you have a job that you do not like, which meets your basic needs but does not offer you the opportunity to progress; that offers you some comfort but not the quality of life that you really want, it is easy to settle for what little you have.
So that's how I opened my eyes and discovered what my cow was, I still haven't totally given up on my work, because I'm not so radical and I don't have a good economic mattress that allows me to live without stress, but I took a step starting a new business, where is a learning organization.
Maybe it was fate, but on a personal note nothing is coincidence, I wanted to get out of the stagnation and personal frustration where I was, thanks to training me doing the postgraduate course which is an experience that has changed me personally for the better and meeting with the right people helped me a lot and opened My mind now has infinite opportunities to discover and the limit of my success is only set by me.
