OPPORTUNITY is Always Knocking

Here's one of my favorite short stories....

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many people loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

After a while, a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King explaining that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

Moral of the story: Every obstacle we come across in life gives us an opportunity to improve our circumstances, and while the lazy complain, others are creating opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity, and willingness to get things done.

I love that educators are in the "opportunity business." It is our JOB to provide meaningful opportunities for all of our students each and every day. With that, we also encounter opportunities every day to make our team/organization better. If you ever want something done, ask a busy person to do it! Why? Because busy people are often servant-minded and willing and able to work for the good of the cause and not just for themselves.

We face obstacles every day. Winners remove them. Winners enjoy the challenge. Losers blame others for the obstacles present in the first place. Which kind of person are you?

I hope you choose not to complain about the obstacle but rather to rejoice about the opportunity. This is a wonderful time to be alive and involved in public education....remove obstacles for others and make your classrooms, school buildings, districts, and communities better. Removing obstacles creates a "sense of accomplishment." Bring it on. Let's make a difference!