“Shake It Off And Step Up”

Consider this for a moment

Let me relate to you the simple parable of a farmer and his old mule. By John McGuire

The mule had fallen into the farmer’s well and was braying in distress. After carefully assessing the situation (the depth and fragility of the well, and the age of the mule), the farmer sympathized with the mule but decided that neither the mule nor the well, were worth the trouble of saving.

So he told his neighbours what had happened and enlisted their help to haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling dirt into the well, striking him on his back at the same time. Through his fear and sense of desperation, he began to realize that the dirt was not burying him. He noticed every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he would ‘shake it off and step up!‘

This he did, blow after blow.

‘Shake it off and step up!‘

‘Shake it off and step up!‘

He repeated to encourage himself.

No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought back panic, and just kept on ‘shaking it off and stepping up‘.

It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well, much to the amazement of the farmer and his friends!

What seemed like his downfall actually turned into a blessing! All this because of the manner in which he handled his adversity!

It’s the same with some aspects of our lives. When we get a little ‘bruised’ from the ‘verbal dirt’ or broader public and media negativity thrown at us, ’shake it off and step up!’

Every positive thing you do starts a chain reaction, the end result of which is impossible to calculate in its exponential value.

‘Shake off’ the old conditioning and negative influences and ’step up’ with faith, pride, conviction, passion and persistence.

Have a wonderful day.