The Sunday Mail
Lovemore Mufo – Bridge writer
As you grow you adopt the culture of the family were you come from.
This also applied to a pencil maker who always took each pencil aside for personal conversation before placing it into the box. He outlined for the pencil the five things it needed to know so that it becomes the best pencil it can ever be.
“Firstly,” he said, “You will be able to do lot of great things but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone else`s hands.”
Putting this in our real life it simply means we can accomplish much more together than on our own.
The first step to achieve anything great in life is to be humble, just like the pencil you have to be carefully guided and moulded by people who are bolder and brighter than you are.
We are who we are because we are a part of a community that raised us.
We do not come into this world just knowing it all but we learn and grow by our exposure to those around us and hence it is always good to surround ourselves with people who just care about us.
“Secondly” he said, ”You will experience painful sharpening from time to time, but it`s vital if you want to become a great pencil.”
Sometimes we endure particularly stressful and painful times as life does not always treat us gently and kindly. There are losses, illnesses, disappointments and even physical limitations but we must recognise these realities and learn to deal with them wisely. The times of stress and pain can actually be opportunities for real growth and gaining new skills. We become better persons as life sharpens us up from time to time.
“Thirdly” he said, “You are equipped to correct your mistakes even though there are some mistake which are harder to erase than others.”
We are all able to deal with problems and we can, with some effort and skill, go back and correct many of our mistakes.
Unlike the eraser on the end of the pencil, we cannot eliminate all past errors but we can revisit them and seek to make amends. In life, learn to avoid those situations that you cannot cope with.
We, of all creatures, have the inner power to change directions.
Fourthly, the pencil was told that the most important part of it is always what is inside. Just like pencils, we all come in different shapes and sizes and different colours but what is more important is what on the inside. Just be yourself and know that a true measure of any woman or man has absolutely nothing to do with the outward appearance.
Beauty is from within, intelligence is from within. Humility, compassion, honesty, character, charity, love and hope are all from within. Our inward strengths guide our outer lives and there is an unchanging quality about them.
And finally, the pencil was told, whatever surface you write on, whether it`s soft or hard, rough or not, you have got to leave your mark so just keep on writing.
Wherever you find yourself, whatever circumstances just be like a pencil, leave a mark. Give where you can give. Dance where you can dance and above all be all that you can be and never give up, always keep writing.
Everyone is like a pencil, created by the Maker for a unique and special purpose. In life just keep on going, keep on moving on, hold on to your vision. Johan Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
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