There was a short story I read as a kid. It went something like this: A wood-cutter goes to the lake in the middle of the day for a quick drink. As he bends down, his ax falls into the lake. He is staring into the lake with despair wondering whether he will get his ax back. Then, suddenly, an angel appears with a golden ax in her hands and asks him, "Is this your ax?". He weeps and say, "No". Then the angel disappears and re-appears with a silver ax and again asks, "Is this your ax?". He again says, "No". Finally, the angel comes back with an iron ax and shows it to the wood-cutter. This time, he is elated and screams, "Yes, that is my ax!". The angel is so pleased with his honestly that she lets him keep the silver and the golden ax as well as a reward.
The world these days isn't as simple as the days of yore. The trouble I find is not whether we will have the courage or the honestly to reject the golden and the silver axes when presented with those, but rather how would we know whether this is our ax. There are so many to choose from and so many to try. We may think that the one we were shown is ours, but it may not be. I am sure the stories of misplaced ambitions and skills are one too many these days. I am going through some of those dilemmas myself and this is what I have come to realize:
What will serve you most in a time of decision-making: Pick your own ax and get going. The silver and the golden one will follow. It can't be easy to know which one is yours but stay true to yourself and pick the one that seems right. Don't get fooled by the glitter. You can't cut wood with gold!
Detach yourself. Get rid of the expectations - from yourself, from other people, from life, things, everything. You can not control the outcomes of your actions. Face it. Don't give in to despair. Stay brave and stand tall. Failure doesn't make a smaller or bigger man, it just reminds you that you are a man!!! It happens to everyone. Face it.
