Parables of Success: Persistence

Recently, I was asked "What is the one most important thing that makes a person successful?”

This got me thinking, and I asked many people around me, including high-level corporate executives, politicians, bankers, accountants, teachers, lawyers and even trainees who just started their careers. Different people had different viewpoints — hard work, smart work, persistence, money, connections, networking, and so on.

In this and the following posts, I will bring out my points of view through parables.
Persistence:

There were two friends, Shy and Guy. Shy was shy, Guy was not. Once, as kids, they saw the king’s army passing through their village. They liked the grandeur so much that since then, they started dreaming of joining the army. As they grew up, the dream became their only goal. So, one day, they decided to go to the capital city and get recruited in the army.

"But we don't know the road to the capital?" Said Shy.

Shy was right; nobody from their tiny village ever been to capital of the kingdom.

“No problem. We will ask somebody" said Guy.

So they walked towards the kingdom, asking fellow travelers for directions when they were lost.

A few refused to tell them the direction, quite a few misled them, but some gave the right directions.

Finally, they reached the kingdom.

Shy said “We have reached. But now what? How are we going to get the job in king’s army?”

Guy shrugged. “We will ask somebody. There is no harm in asking!"

They asked, and people guided them to the royal army's recruitment camp.
                     
When they reached the camp, the recruiter said. “The royal army is not the place for peasants like you. Go back to your village and your farming.”

Shy was hurt. "I knew this was going to happen. People think lowly of us. Let us go back home".

“If someone thinks lowly of us, then that is their problem. Not ours! We can ask other recruiters." said Guy.

"They all will answer the same. I have decided to go back to village. Are you coming with me? “asked Shy.

Shy went back. But Guy stayed in the city.

He visited other recruiting camps, but got the same answer.

Then, one day, he approached the weaponry camp. He had heard that the local weapon master was looking for an apprentice.

The weapon master took a long look at Guy, and said, "I can’t take you as an apprentice. But you can join as an errand boy. If you work hard enough, maybe I will promote you to an apprentice later."

Guy become the errand boy to the weapon master. He worked hard, and soon became an apprentice. He learned weaponry from the master. After a few years, he asked the master whether he can become a junior weapon master. The master refused; he was grooming his son for the position. Guy understood.

Soon, Guy joined other weapon master as a junior weapon master.

After a few years, he decided to become a weapon master himself. But that was not easy. He was still an outsider -- who was going to buy weapons from him?

He approached the army. Many officers refused, and only a few soldiers bought his weapons.

Guy worked hard. He designed new, more advanced weapons. Still, no one was buying these new weapons.

But then, the neighboring country declared war on the kingdom.

So, Guy had an idea. He went to the king’s palace, and he waited for a meeting with the king.

The king was busy preparing for the war, and it was not easy to get the meeting with the king. But Guy kept going every day.

A week later, when finally he got a chance, he showed the king his newly designed weapons. The King loved them. He had not seen anything like these weapons before. Impressed, the king immediately appointed Guy as his weaponry counselor.

The kingdom won the war. They say that the attacker army had no chance against the new weapons.

On way back, the king, his counselors and the royal army passed through Guy's village. It was like several years back, when Guy was just a kid.

Shy remembered his old friend, and came to meet Guy.

"Guy, for so many years I have wanted to ask you one question. How did you become so successful?”

"Persistence, to a large extent, and hard work too. But persistence and hard work alone are not enough. I owe my success to asking for help whenever I needed any. After all, what is the harm in asking?" said Guy.

Screenshots: World of Warcraft / Blizzard Entertainment