How choosing the right one can make all the difference.
There are essentially two approaches to getting on top of the hill and making things happen.
The first is to ensure that all obstacles and paths have been cleared, steps laid and safety fences put up before we start climbing.
We spend our time insisting that we will only be able to get to the top once all the above are in place, and we start looking for others to clear the path and make it safe for us.
In others words, we will only travel from A to B when the highway is built, and we will not travel on the trunk and dirt roads which will take us twice or three times as long and are much harder to drive.
The second is to look at the hill, the paths, see where others have fallen or have been stopped, and clear the path as we climb. We prepare the tools we need to clear it, we ensure we have the gear to make it over rough terrain, we make detours when we come across obstacles and we take extra precaution at the dangerous points. We climb regardless, we negotiate each bend and crevice, one step at a time, and think on our feet, while the rest are talking, meeting, arguing, laying down terms and negotiating at the bottom of the hill.
The second approach is usually the one that gets us where no one has been before. Simply because if the obstacles and paths have already been cleared, or the highways already built, everyone else would be on it already. It’s not rocket science.
And when we finally reach the top of the hill, the ones at the bottom will look up and go..."WTF? How come they're up there? How did they do it? If only you guys cleared the path for us, we would have been up there too. It's all your fault we're not up there before them!"
However, if we took the second approach and fell, they would go "See? They're so dumb! Hahaha. We're the smart ones staying right here. We will only climb when all our conditions are met and we won't be falling like them."
The thing is, even if we fell, we can pick ourselves up and climb again knowing now what to avoid, and we'll get nearer to the top each time, while the rest are standing and talking at the foot of the hill.
I prefer the second approach. Besides, it's much more fun and exciting and we learn so much more.
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