Once upon a time, there lived a King...

The Poor Man and His Donkey...

The King and his minister used to tour the kingdom in disguise, to know the people's problems. Once, they saw a broken hut in a desolate location where an old man lived with a donkey. Both of them were in a bad shape.

The man was however a kind person and he treated the two visitors well, with whatever he could.

The curious king asked the poor man, 'how do you survive in this remote location? You are in a very bad shape. Your donkey too seems to be very frail.'

'Dear Sir, I have been living here with my donkey since long. Whenever my donkey feels healthy, I go to the nearest town where it carries loads, and earns a little money for me. But unfortunately, it doesn't feel like working most of the time. What can I do? Its my fate. I am completely dependent on this donkey.'

The king told the minister that he would want to help the poor man.

'Sure my lord. I have a plan,' said the minister.

That night when the man fell asleep, the minister asked the king to follow him silently. To the king's utter surprise, the minister took the donkey, took it to a cliff and pushed the donkey off the cliff.

The king was shocked, 'I asked you for a plan to help the poor man. You just killed his only source of income. How will he survive? '

'My king, lets get out of here first,' said the minister.

Few months later, the worried King told his minister that he wants to check the poor man's condition. "Please carry food and money this time. I hope he is still alive.'

When they reached the place, they could not locate the hut. There was a big farm with a resort in place of the hut.

'Oh no, see what you have done minister. My worst fears have come true. I don't think the poor man survived that tragedy.'

Just then a handsome looking man approached them. The disguised king asked, 'do you, by any chance, know a poor man who once lived here in a small hut?'

The man said, 'of course I know. I am that poor man who once lived here. And now I own this farm and I am doing pretty well. And aren't you the same who visited me one day?'

The minister said, 'oh you remember? Yes, it was us. How did this change happen? How did you become rich?'

'Well, after you visited me, a miracle happened which changed my life. That night both of you disappeared without telling me. The same night my donkey fell of the cliff and died. My only source of income was gone. So I had to find a way to survive. I tried new things, learnt new skills and finally succeeded. If the donkey hadn't died, I would still be dependent on it and living in the same broken hut'.

The king understood the minister's plan and thanked him with a smile.

"Let go of your dependency on certain people, things and situations. Step out of your comfort and realize your true potential.

Find out the donkey that is holding you back and throw it off the cliff."