Finding the Cap | The Monkey, the Bottle, and the Wisdom of Sharpening
#intothewildwithrufus
Last week, while on an adventurous sojourn into the dense forests, I was in for a pleasant surprise.
A mischievous little monkey had somehow managed to steal a small PET bottle of Thums Up - (a strong, carbonated drink from Coca Cola) and he was trying to sneak behind a lamppost. As someone who has always admired monkeys in their impish ‘mischievous-play’ mode 😉, I sprang into action, setting my camera for that perfect shot of our primate friend holding his prize. 😊
But before I could even aim my lens, he had vanished into thin air!
Searching with renewed vigour, I soon spotted him high up in the branches, hugging his treasured find. Watching him hold onto it so proudly, I was spontaneously reminded of these lovely lines from Emily Dickinson’s poem, “The Pedigree of Honey” –
The pedigree of honey
Does not concern the bee;
A clover, any time, to him
Is aristocracy.
Now, even as he had perched himself comfortably in the canopy without an iota of distraction in the world, he got to work. However, instead of simply unscrewing the cap, he tirelessly bit and tore at the thick plastic bottom of the bottle, and with much difficulty, he finally broke through!
At last, the plastic finally gave way, but much to his shock, the cola immediately spilled out all over the leaves. It was sad to see that all his hard work going rewarded after all the toil!
He was simply left with a sticky mess of cola all around him, and an empty bottle!
The Video of the Incident
It is a surprisingly striking comparison on how we often handle the best opportunities that come our way in like fashion!
We get handed something incredibly valuable - a lovely friendship, a solid relationship, a great semester, a vibrant internship, a PhD programme, or an exciting online course that we have recently enrolled in.
However, instead of taking a moment to figure out the right way to approach it, we attack it from completely the wrong angle. We overcomplicate things, forcing our way through the hardest path instead of just looking for the “metaphorical cap” to unlock the treasure within!
This is exactly Stephen Covey’s principle in action, something we discussed on this blog almost two decades ago. (Quoting yet again from our past blogpost HERE)
• Time to cut a log with a dull saw: 30 minutes
• Time to sharpen the saw: 5 minutes
• Time to cut the log with a sharp saw: 10 minutes
• You just saved yourself fifteen minutes!
Never cut a log? Here is how it applies to your everyday life:
• Time left until your deadline: 5 hours
• Time to sharpen the saw, refocus, and get ready: 30 minutes
• Time it takes to finish the project when you’re refreshed: 4 hours
• You just saved yourself thirty minutes.
Sharpening the saw is about balanced renewal in all four dimensions of human need: physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional. As you renew yourself in each of these four areas, you create growth and change in your life, increasing your capacity to handle the challenges around you. All it takes is desire, knowledge, and skill.
Try keeping a checklist for these dimensions.
The Mental Checklist
(Check only the items to which you can truthfully answer ‘Yes’.)
• I read books and other publications regularly.
• I keep a journal or some sort of log, or engage in a regular writing process.
• I allow music, silence, or some sort of relaxation exercise to clear my mind on a daily basis.
• I challenge my mind through puzzles, problem-solving, or games.
• I have a hobby.
• I continue my education either formally or informally.
• I engage in meaningful dialogue at least once a week.
• I visualise projects and plans so I have the end result in mind to guide the process.
• I have a system to retrieve information when I need it.
• I use a system to plan and organise my time and efforts.
These are only steps towards your personal renewal plan. Take some time to think about the following questions -
1. If you could choose five things to do that would nourish your soul, what would they be?
2. What is cluttering your life right now?
3. What keeps you awake at night?
4. What are you doing so that your family remembers you?
5. What do you want to do more of?
6. Is there something you've always been curious about? What is it?
7. Is there a hobby or craft you’d like to take up? Which ones?
8. Do you have a quiet, safe place to retreat to?
9. Do you surround yourself with sincerely supportive people?
People are living, breathing organisms. You wouldn’t leave a plant or animal uncared for over a long period of time, and our internal human needs require just as much constant attention as our external, physical ones. Try assessing your progress now. If you're really brave, ask for feedback from the people you relate to the most.
Four Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life
1. Schedule some downtime every day: Write a journal or take a quiet bath before bed.
2. Leave the TV off at least one night a week: You’ll be surprised at the extra time you have. Leaving it off may even become a habit!
3. Don’t be a slave to the phone: Keep it far away from you, unless it is for very important business.
4. Have a clean-up bin: Pick up clutter and put it in a "sort-through-later" bin. A clean room can make your surroundings far more peaceful.
“Sharpening the saw” is all about taking a step back from the grind to renew yourself, reassess your tools, and learn a better way. If a woodcutter just keeps sawing with a blunt blade, they exhaust themselves and barely make a dent in the tree.
In our monkey’s case, he was hacking away at the bottom of the bottle with a blunt strategy. He didn’t pause to sharpen his saw - to take a breath, look at the bottle from a different angle, or figure out a smarter approach.
When we get too caught up in the stress of just getting things done, we often forget to step back and upgrade our skills. As we navigate our own daily routines - striving to make the most of every opportunity - it pays to remember our primate friend in the canopy. 😊
The next time you find yourself exhausting your energy on a difficult problem, resist the urge to simply chew harder at the plastic. Step aside, and give yourself the grace to look for the cap.
As the Welsh poet W. H. Davies so beautifully observes -
What is this life if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare!
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