Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg!
“on a particular day 8 years ago, I was a trainee and a participant at a certain training course.
I would get busy with the preparations as soon as I arrived, and then get immersed in participating in the training and meeting the needs of the other trainees.
During the breaks I would communicate with the rest of my team on my phone. And after the day is over, I would work on my laptop while managing and talking to other trainees. I was like a bee buzzing and jumping from one flower to another.
I was nervous, but I was enjoying being productive.
On the second day of the course, my coach came to me during the break to discuss the course and the things we are enjoying the most about it and what I have learned in it so far.
He told me ‘after watching you work; I have one advise for you. Don’t kill the goose.’
I did not understand what that meant, so he told the story of the farmer and the goose that laid golden eggs as part of the training course.
I was really in the beginnings of my productivity and career. I was happy to be productive and I was pressuring myself to stay productive at the cost of assets: health and time. I was acting like the productive machine inside me is going to last forever, and I was running around like I am being chased by something. I did not care to rest of maintain my productive machine, or and I did not understand that planning certain things could take months. I thought I can finish anything within days. I never said no to people, and I never said no to myself.
Was this the right behavior? Did I suffer consequences for it? Of course, I suffered from this repeatedly, but did I learn my lesson? I learned many lessons, the biggest being that in order to keep on giving and producing be in balance to be efficient.
I am still hasty, and I still tend to run around and pressure myself, but I am now more aware and have made better choices in my life and that brought me better results.
What about you? How do you treat your goose and its golden eggs?”
Aljazi Alhenzab, Founder of +974 Wellness.
