Canvas Changer Vs Diligent Painter

A man has 2 sons. 

One day, he presents them both a small, blank canvass. 

The first son paints an amazing masterpiece on it. 

He hangs it in the middle of their house, his father’s heart swells with pride. 

The second son, with the help of his brother, also paints a beautiful picture on the white cardboard. 

But unlike his brother he does not hang it in the house. 

He takes it to the market and sells it for a tidy sum. 

With the winnings, he buys a goat and also pays his brother for his help with the painting. 

He waits till the goat becomes really fat and sells it for a healthy profit. 

With that money, he buys a small farm at the outskirts of the city and starts growing rice. 

The second son soon becomes a successful farmer and in a few years owns all of the rice mills in the city. 

Hundreds of people work at his mills tirelessly, including his brother. 

The second son turns into a celebrated figure and eventually becomes the mayor of the city.  

The story is obviously exaggerated for effect, but the spirit behind it, is not. 

The world can be divided into 2 types of people - 

Type A - The ones who look to change the canvass (life) on which they are painting (living). 

These are the change agents, the rabble rousers, the Nelson Mandelas, the Elon Musks, the Mahatma Gandhis, the Sachin Bansals of the world. Political leaders, change agents, entrepreneurs etc. 

Type B - The second category of people would be those who try to paint the best they can in the canvass they have inherited.

These would be the committed, unglorified public sector bank servant, the honest employee follower, the obedient foot soldier, the domesticated parent without whom the canvass painter would not be successful.  

And yet…

In life, the diligent painters are a forgotten breed, it is the canvass changers who walk away with all the glory.

The famous dialogue from the #Hollywood movie #Troy is an apt metaphor for this thought -

"History remember kings, not soldiers"

Agree? What are you? A Canvass Changer or a Diligent Painter? 

#businessoflife #entrepreneurship #life #persistence #intrapreneurship #patience #stories #business