Saturday, March 1, 2014

Health central

Food for thought: Who do you have on your “team” in life? 

I know that I would be a mess without certain people: my friends, my family, my coworkers, just to name a few. Of course I need them for practical, everyday things, but I also need them for emotional support. When I have a bad day or I feel frustrated with how things are going, they are there to pull me out of the slump.  When I feel good and life is going my way, they are there to celebrate with me.

Today, I would like to share a fun story about the power of teamwork.  There is an old fable of “Old Warwick” which represents this “thought”… An excerpt from Chapter 14 of Change is Good…You Go First: This story originally appeared in the play Some Folks Feel the Rain. I hope you enjoy it:

“A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, "Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins he shouted:

"Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.

The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"

The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."

It is truly amazing how powerful teamwork can be. The lesson here is pretty clear, we all feel more powerful if we believe we are working with those around us for a common goal. I think the less obvious, and maybe more important message for some people is for us to cooperate, trying our best in any circumstance despite any personal conflict between individuals.