As we continue our discussions on Potential (click here to download our monthly character worksheet), students will learn about how to develop their abilities to reach their goals. This lesson is taught with help from a story about an ancient business owner. Before going on a long trip, he took three of his top employees and gave each of them money to care for while we was gone. He gave one man 20,000 coins, the second man 10,000 and the third man 1,000 and told them each to do their best with the money while he was gone. After being gone for a long time, the business owner returned and asked the employees what they did with the money. The first employee said he took the 20,000 coins, invested them in goods, sold the goods for profit and had 40,000 coins now- doubling his money. The second employee took his 10,000 coins, invested them, and had 20,000 coins now- doubling his money. The third employee, unhappy with his smaller starting amount, simply buried the money and still had 1,000 coins. The owner was very angry with the third man and he was fired.
How does the story relate to Potential? In life, we aren’t all given the same abilities. Some people are natural athletes while others aren’t. Some people are charismatic while others are shy. Some people are academic while others don’t possess ‘book smarts’. A vital lesson taught in Karate is that although we may not have the same natural ability as the person next to us, we can all reach our potential. Our natural abilities may mean we need to work harder or strive for different goals but everyone can succeed. Using the excuse that “someone has it easier” isn’t an option if we want to excel. You just need to find your path based on your strengths and weaknesses.
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