Taking flight

Imagine a plane making an emergency landing in a remote village. The pilot leaves to seek help, while villagers gather around the unfamiliar machine. They have never seen an aircraft before. After examining it carefully, they conclude, 'This must be a highly sophisticated bullock cart!' So, they bring several bulls, tie them to the aircraft, and begin pulling it. They are delighted. The 'cart' can carry tomatoes, pumpkins, grain and even several people.

A man from a nearby town arrives and laughs. 'This is not a bullock cart. It is a lorry. I am a lorry driver. I know how these machines work.' He enters the cockpit, experiments with a few controls, and manages to start the engine. The plane begins moving.

The villagers are amazed. 'What a wise man. He has transformed the bullock cart into a lorry.' Later, a trained pilot arrives. He looks at the machine and says, 'This is neither a bullock cart nor a lorry. It is an aircraft.'


He enters the cockpit, starts the plane, rolls down the runway and takes off. The same machine had three possibilities: it could be dragged like a bullock cart, driven on the ground like a lorry, or flown in the sky like an aircraft. The difference was in the understanding of the person operating it.

Our lives are similar. We possess extraordinary intelligence, creativity, energy and inner strength. Yet, many people use only a small fraction of their potential.

Leadership is not merely about doing more; it is about understanding the instrument called the self. Do not ask only, 'How can I work harder?' Ask, 'Am I using the full possibility of my life?' Perhaps the aircraft is ready. What is missing is the pilot.