#38: Shake it off

Hey friends,

I came across this story about a farmer and his donkey, and it changed my outlook to problems.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him out. Finally, he decided it was probably impossible and the animal was old and the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to try and retrieve the donkey. So the farmer asked his neighbours to come over and help him cover up the well. They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, when the donkey realized what was happening he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down and let out some happy brays. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up. (Shifting)

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone's amazement, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is always going to throw dirt at us. And when it does, we can react to it in different ways, let it bury us alive or shake it off and step up. We can think of every problem as a stepping stone. When we get into our different wells, the way to get up is by shaking the dirt off and taking a step up.

Have a great week!

Daniel

---

My Favourite Things This Week

1 - Article - The Domino Effect by Emmanuel Agboola is one of the best things I've read this week. The idea of doing one right thing that sets us up for the next right thing was interesting to me. During the week, I've been going about my day thinking—"what's the next right thing to do." Read the article here.

2 - Article - This article by Rohan Iruthayaraj came at the right time. The solutions to most problems we have are simple, but not necessarily easy. It is simple to identify the solutions to getting fit is by eating less junk food and exercising more. But following this simple solution is not easy. The lesson from the article is to take the simple solutions—break it into simple, easy steps and follow them over time.

---

Notes of the Week

— Sam Altman on the importance of quality.

---

Quote of the Week

Yesterday, you said tomorrow. Just do it.

— Nike