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Three friends walked along the shore taking in the sea air, discussing the secrets of their success. The first said, “The secret to my success is persistence. Whenever I failed, I went back and doubled my effort. I kept working at it until I achieved my goal. Without heart, I never would have been the man I am today.”
The others nodded their heads, but the second said, “I agree that heart is crucial, but I think that being smart is more important. I’ve succeeded in my field because I’ve had great mentors. I took wise advice and I modelled my behaviour after people who were successful. The knowledge passed on to me by my mentors has been invaluable; mind is greater than heart.”
The others nodded their heads and the third spoke: “Yes, heart and mind are vital to success, but without the support of my family and friends I never would have been successful. They encouraged me to be the top of my field. They picked me up when I stumbled and lost sight of my goals. Their strength has become my strength; they are my soul.”
The three friends argued back and forth as they walked. The argument came to a head as they stopped in front of a fisherman, making ropes for his skiff by hand. He used a simple hand crank with three hooks and a tool to separate the strands. He paused from his work to listen to the argument for a moment.
Wordlessly, he wound a single strand of twine around his left hand and the other end around his right. He gave the cord a sharp tug and the twine snapped in half. He discarded the broken rope.
The fisherman tied two strands over two hooks and used the handle to intertwine them. When he had finished, his calloused fingers again gripped the rope. Sinews bulged in his forearms as he applied strain. The two strands parted, unravelling, and the twine snapped.
The fisherman tied three strands to the machine, one to each hook, and wound the handle. He slid the hand tool right up to the point where the three strands merged, using it to guide each strand and create a uniform rope. When he had finished, he took the first arm span of rope and gave it a tremendous pull. He gave a satisfied grunt and did the same with the next arm span, continuing until the entire rope had passed through his hands. He tied one end to the gunnel of his skiff and the other to the jetty.
Catching the eyes of the three friends watching him, the fisherman offered a curt explanation. “When it’s your livelihood at stake, make sure you do it right.”
A length of handmade rope still hangs behind my desk to remind me what is important for success.
Joseph Amundrud has taught for four years. He taught in New Zealand last year and is presently teaching high school math and social studies at Spruce View School, located 25 minutes west of Innisfail. Amundrud lives in Red Deer with his wife and young daughter.
