It’s not the Teacher… it’s the patience and discipline applied by the apt pupil.
Consider the following parable…
An eager young man
There is an ancient story about a young man in a land far away. I heard it from one of my mentors a few years back, and it has become one of the most meaningful and inspirational stories in my life. This young man went to his parents and said, “I want to become a jade master.” A jade master is an expert on the opaque green gem known as jade. His dad said “Well son, the good news is that the world’s greatest jade master happens to live right in our country. The bad news is that in order to get to him, you have to make a few hundred mile journey by foot across mountains, deserts, rivers, and lakes. “I’ll go to him,” the young man said. And he did.
Difficult Journey
When he was able to make the journey, he crossed the mountains and deserts, forded the rivers, and crossed the lakes. Finally, he reached the old man’s house. He walked up and knocked on the door. The jade master came out and said, “May I help you?” “Yes.” The young man replied. “I’ve traveled hear hoping you would teach me your trade- teach me to become a jade master.” The old man said, “You’re pretty determined to come all the way out here. Come and I will teach you.”
Training Begins
When they got in the house, the old man threw a piece of jade to the young man and said, “Take this piece of jade and hold it in your hand. Take that broom and sweep my floors. When you’re done, I’ll teach you about the jade.” The young man did as he was told and returned, saying “I have finished your floors. Will you teach me about jade now?” “There’s not enough time left in the day.” Said the old man. “Come back tomorrow and I’ll teach you.” “But where will I stay?” said the young man. Old man says, “You were resourceful enough to get here. You’ll figure it out.”
So the young man went into the wilderness and spent the night. The next morning, he returned to the house and asked the old man “Will you teach me about jade?” The old man said, “Yes I will. But first, take this piece of jade, hold it in your hand and go chop my wood.” The young man did as he was told, came back, and said “I have finished the wood. Will you teach me about jade now?” “There’s not enough time left in the day.” said the old man. “Come back tomorrow and I will teach you.”
A Fraud
This cycle continued for three full years until one day, the determined young man had had it. “I’m finished! You are a con artist! For three years I’ve done nothing but toil for you and you’ve done absolutely NOTHING to teach me about jade! I’m going back to my hometown and expose you for the fraud you are!”
The Epiphany
With a kind smile, the old man said, “Fine. If that’s how you want it then go, but for your trouble at least take this piece of jade along with you.” Old man threw a piece of jade across the room and the young man caught. He looked at it and without blinking he looked at the old man and said, “This isn’t real jade.”
With a sparkle in his eye, the old man said, “No. I don’t suppose it is, is it?”
What’s the lesson here for you?
For three years, this young man had put his hands on the jade. Beginning completely ignorant, in the span of three years he became a master by putting his hands on it every day without even paying much attention to it.
It’s said that 95% of everything you are as a human being is the result of mental habits you’ve formed that you don’t even pay attention to.
When it seems as though you’re not making any progress, realize that the true road to mastery involves putting your hands on it every day and making incremental changes… day after day…after day… after day… after day. The feeling that you’re not making any progress is only a fearful attempt from your enemy to get you to stop because you are so close to yet another… breakthrough!
Time works magic… submit to it and the world is yours.