Number

Last weekend I had a storytelling session with kids aged six to nine years old. They told the stories; I was there only to listen. It was the third of our four-part workshop on acting, the part that centered on the ability to communicate.

One of the kids – a seven-year old boy – told the story of the race between the rabbit and the turtle. It was not the most beautiful story in the session, nor was it the best told. But it was the most familiar to me; I had heard the story many times before.

You, too, have probably heard the story of the overconfident rabbit challenging the slowly turtle to a race. The challenge is more humiliating than daunting to the poor turtle, whose little steps are an obvious disadvantage. But the turtle accepts the rabbit’s dare.

As the race starts, so the story goes, the rabbit allows the turtle to go a few hundred steps ahead. Then with just one hop the speedy bunny outruns its crawling opponent by a good distance. A few hops more and the rabbit decides to rest, to allow the turtle to get a little bit closer. A close fight is more exciting, the rabbit thinks.

With the turtle still invisible in the distance, the rabbit soon falls asleep. The turtle, for its part, conscious of its own shortcoming, tries harder and consistently, never stopping even for a short moment. We know how the story ends — the turtle wins!

This story brings to my mind the words of the boss I highly respect. He asks a group of us who work for him to never stop giving our very best on the job. He makes the call amid the heightening competition in the industry we are in, as well as the various factors that are adversely affecting the industry itself.

We are the longest running enterprise in our industry here in Cebu, preceding our present rivals by a good number of decades, by almost half a century. In fact our competitors today are headed by people who once worked with us; most of them learned their ABCs in the business from us. In a way, we are the rabbits of the local industry. As one colleague asserts — we are Number One!

The parents of the kids in my acting workshop hound me after each session. They want to know if their kids did well in the exercises. I understand what each parent wants to hear – that his or her child outdoes the rest… that little Adam or little Sweetie is Number One!

It’s a hard climb to the top. Harder to secure your spot if you’re lucky to make it there. Today’s contenders are better educated, more skilled and more aggressive than ever before. They are more creative and resourceful, too, no longer content in remaining within the box of proven philosophies and traditions.

The problem with established practices is that they had worked in the past and, thus, hard to change. But the times are changing, always. And so are the consciousness, attitudes, tastes and preferences of people. If you are in business, you need to keep track of these changes in your customers.

Modern business philosopher Jim Rohn, however, finds one traditional practice among today’s successful business people: “They rest very little!” They are always improving themselves, their products and services. This habit is sure to work, as well, in everyone’s personal lives.

But we are told that “All work and no play makes Johnny tired and dull.” Today’s Johnny sees no problem there — he makes his work his play. By turning his job into a venue for exploring his abilities and testing his skills, Johnny finds work to be fun. His word for it is passion.

The story told by the little boy in my acting workshop drives home the message. “To be Number One – and remain as number one – never sleep on the race!”

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