The tree is going to come down! Everyone move!” screamed Betty, the queen bee of the Rose colony. Right as the last bee made it out, the tree collapsed.
After a tedious head count, Betty was happy to find that all of her worker bees and drones were safe. “Bees, head to the meadow for lunch and let’s gather by the pond in an hour,” ordered Betty.
Betty stayed behind and stared at her hive. It was in pieces. She cried hysterically, yelling, “Why us? Where are we going to live now?” After a few moments of crying, Betty knew she had to find a solution. A rainstorm was coming and the bees needed to take cover.
“I’ve got it! We’ll find a hollow tree, take cover for the night, and begin building a new hive tomorrow,” Betty thought to herself. She rushed toward the pond to tell her colony about her plan.
“Bees, we are all distraught,” Betty exclaimed. “But we must move on. This afternoon, we’ll search for a hollow tree and begin work tomorrow.”
Everyone wanted to sleep in the meadow, but Betty knew the rainstorm would flood the meadow. There were many whispers, but she stuck to her guns. “Now bees, move! Let’s find a new site,” ordered Betty. Within a few hours, the Rose colony located a hollow tree and took cover for the night. The next morning, they all flew to the meadow for breakfast. To their surprise, the meadow had been flooded. Everything was washed out. There wasn’t a flower in sight! They quickly rushed back to their new tree and began building their hive. If it weren’t for their queen bee’s
persistence, the Rose colony would’ve been washed away by the storm.
MORAL: Stick to your guns, regardless of the whispers.
Personal reflection:
The Rose colony was hit with tragedy. A falling tree shattered their hive.
Everyone wanted to take it easy for the night and relax, but Betty knew she had to save her colony from the rainstorm.
She forced the colony to find a new tree to call home before the rainstorm hit. Though she certainly didn’t receive the popular vote, she stuck to her guns and did the right thing.
Sometimes, sticking to your guns won’t be easy. You’ll be viewed as the bad guy. You’ll hear whispers behind your back. And many times, your feelings will be hurt. But the only way to achieve your goal is to have a clear direction in mind.
When you change the direction of your plan to please others, you may be considered “cool” or “nice.” But then you may be the failure with a nice personality, rather than the successful person who achieved his goal.
Let’s say you’re vying for a promotion. As soon as you begin to improve your performance, others start calling you a brown-noser. If you succumb to the peer pressures and lay off, do you think you’ll be considered for the promotion?
On the other hand, if you ignore the whispers and continue to work hard, you’ll likely be considered an up and comer in the workplace!
When trying to achieve any significant goal, three things happen: You want something, you work towards your goal, then you encounter a roadblock.
What you do at that roadblock will determine whether you achieve your goal or fall short.
Now is the time to determine whether you’ll overcome the hurdle or stop short of your goal when you face a difficult climb. Which will it be for you?
Self-Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever had to undergo social criticism in order to do the right thing?
- Do you take the opinions of others personally?
- How can you develop tunnel vision and block all distractions?
