Tagalog Version (Click Here)
*This story is a work of fiction.
Once upon a time, there existed a magic box that can give 10 million dollars worth of treasure to anyone and everyone who are able to reach it. While it only gives treasure once per person, it never ran out of it so there was more than enough for everyone.
Unfortunately though, that magic box is located in a secluded mountain up north, far from all civilization.
The legend and location of that box is known far and wide, and the information about it is being shared freely by those who have reached it and claimed their share. This story is about the people who have heard the legend.
Among the people who know about the legend, some owned cars or trucks and good mountain gear. They rode their vehicles and they reached the magic box in just a few days of driving and hiking.
Others didn’t own cars, but they had enough to ride the bus or train that travel to and from the mountain. It took them a bit longer to reach the treasure and the journey wasn’t comfortable, but they still did it.
Several others didn’t have cars and they didn’t have enough to pay for a bus ticket either… so they started walking. Day after day, mile after mile, they walked along the road, through fields and forests, up and down valleys, and swam across rivers. They walked for hours every day under the hot sun and pouring rain, and while it took some months and others spent years walking, they eventually made it and received their share of treasure.
There was a fourth group however. They knew the journey was difficult and that it will take a long time before they receive their treasure… so they never bothered trying. Sure they saw their friends and family succeed, including those who walked for months and years to climb the mountain, but they didn’t think it was possible for them. Instead of aiming for their rightful share of treasure, they simply lived to be content with what little they have and thus, their life never changed for the better.
Now tell me… which of those people are you most like?
You most likely understood the meaning of this story. That magic box that gives treasure is the thing called “success”, and earning it is always a long journey that generally takes years or decades. A lot of people have achieved it, and many have taught others what they’ve done to earn it through the books and articles they’ve written. For those born with all the privileges and opportunities in the world, the journey might be shorter and more comfortable. For others, it’s a decades-long arduous trek. Either way, the magic box of success is still there, giving treasure to everyone willing to achieve it.
Will YOU take the journey to earn treasure and success?
The story doesn’t end there, however.
There’s a fifth set of people who also never attempted the journey to reach the mountain and claim their treasure. These people, however, were NOT content with just sitting down and waiting for people to throw them a few coins. They decided to do something or create something useful which they can exchange for treasure.
Some decided to pick fruit from forest trees and sell them at the market.
Others chopped wood or gathered bamboo to craft furniture.
Others used wood, sand and stones to build houses and mansions.
Others learned to plant and harvest vegetables and they sold them at the market.
Others learned to cook meat and vegetables to create amazing food.
Others learned to use their skills to earn treasure. Some created paintings, some wrote and played music at grand events, and some learned to help and manage the businesses and companies started by those who went to the mountain for their treasure (they were called managers and CEOs).
Many others did something different to create value, but the end result was the same. They earned treasure in their own way.
What are you doing to earn “treasure”?
There’s one more part to the story that you should learn by the way.
Among those people who earned their treasure, whether it’s those who took the car or bus, those who walked for months through harsh and dangerous terrain, or those who worked to create useful things that they sold for treasure, they did something else with a part of the treasure they earned.
They bought a good car and hiking gear and gave it to their children and grandchildren. That’s so THEY will have an easier time obtaining their share of treasure. Some of them also gave a bit of treasure to those who don’t have money to take the journey. Never forget that the “car privilege” the first group had have been EARNED by their parents and grandparents first. That kind of privilege doesn’t appear from nowhere you know.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading that little story. Don’t think too hard about the economic implications of it as it was meant to help you learn a few lessons that can help you in life. The magic box of treasure is waiting for you. When will you try to earn what’s rightfully yours?