Simple Yet Rich

Albert Einstein famously said: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” He acted on this premise throughout his life and even with the complexities involved in developing his Special Law of Relativity, he was able to distill his findings simply into the world’s most recognized equation: E = mc2. On the most basic level, the equation says that energy and mass (matter) are interchangeable; they are different forms of the same thing.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a marketing guy and teacher or maybe simply because I’m Polish, but I do strive to keeps things simple – reminding myself that if I can “get it”, anyone can. That said, I like to use stories to make a point. Stories are timeless and they create an authentic connection. People remember stories and even short stories - like some mathematical equations - can present a point of view in a deeply rich and poignant fashion, where the depth and richness of words, which we all have access to, can be selected and manipulated with care, into a life-changing narrative where our own story can unfold into the life we seek.

What do you seek? To begin the draft of our own story we must stop to think about what it is we really want in life? I don’t mean society’s goals like the two cars and home in the suburbs and two point two children. I mean what is it that we ultimately need and desire to make our life whole and happy? What outcome are we seeking from all of the effort and work we put into our day-to-day living. What is the goal? Is there a strategy to harness our good will and effort and transform it into some semblance of personal reward or success? Is the effort we expend translating into return? How do we gauge return? How do we even know if we’re on the right track? The answer is that intuitively we all know if we’re moving in the right direction, we just know. But is that enough?? As Will Rogers said: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll still get run over if you just sit there.”

One way to begin a narrative is to think in terms of a metaphor - a comparative illustration of our story through example; it can provide a dramatic and often rich perspective. Attend:

?The Bend in the Bow

Outside of the village, about a mile or two in an open meadow the “elder of the bow” would bring the youth and misdirected to a training mission. Out in the open they would practice and pretend about what life may present and how they might react and hopefully take advantage. The elder was the most patient and observing person in the village. This task was alternated every year to one of the wise ones who would earn the right to teach the young how to achieve their desires. Whomever was selected was revered as teacher, mentor, and prophet; they were honored for their patience and insight. The “elder of the bow” was one of the highest honors in the village.

This season the honor came to Jurica. She was the daughter of the chief and a princess in love with life. She knew completely the scope of the tribe’s heritage and destiny. She understood that the passing of the bow was not only symbolic but life changing. To know the “bow” was to know how to steer and direct one’s life. It was an exercise designed to create an epiphany for the student, while providing the essential passing of the “baton” to new and younger generations. Using the “bow” was simple conceptually, but perfection was anything but simple; it required strength, will and courage. As in life, what we seek most requires that we have the fortitude to pursue it and the skills to attain it, whatever “it” may be.

Using a bow to shoot an arrow at a target is not complicated but not everyone has the strength and vision to hit the target. It takes a great deal of concentration to deliver the arrow to its intended destination. Jurica would ask her students to prepare a mental image of the target before they ever really opened their eyes to see it. She taught them to be still and silent and to “feel” the arrow and how it would sit on the bow. She asked them to project the desired outcome in their minds and then let their arrow “fly” home, where it was supposed to be, drawn to be - its ultimate resting place. As they pulled back on the bow, they could feel the tension and their muscles would shake trying to control and pull the bow back to its fullest and most lethal position. As they aligned the target in their sights, they would strain to hold the bow back as far as it could go. This tension would guarantee the fastest and strongest release. At maximum pull the target would not only be hit but penetrated.? The arrow would pierce through and exit on the other side. The other side was metaphorically called the future. With practice the students would routinely cut through and reach the other side.

The lesson was always the same: Stay and be focused. Use your strength to propel the strongest and fastest arrow. Pick your target wisely.

?Once we know that we are destined to achieve what we want, we then must be careful and diligent in picking the target. Hitting the mark is only significant if we hit the “right” mark. For most of us the goal is to see what it is we want to “hit.” The tools and training to hit “it” are simply a matter of practice. The only reason that we don’t reach the goal today is because we don’t see it. It is somehow hidden around the corner out of sight and therefore out of mind. And sometimes it is right in front of our eyes, and we look past it not recognizing its closeness.

If we can remember that we’re given the innate talent to accomplish whatever we desire, then all we need to do is to have the desire. The desire comes from within and is not a pre-packaged, contrived, and generic goal. It is personal, profound, unique, and always within our ability and reach. Dig deep and listen to your heart, it’s telling you where to aim. And use your inner vision to virtually see your calling and then, and only then, when you believe it possible, you will make it happen…bull’s-eye.

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