A simple story to motivate...

This story was told to me after being told to a friend by a very proud grandson, and it happened a long time ago — with family nepotism and the fuzziness of time not withstanding, it’s a great story. Before I begin, if you do not know what Panettone is, I would describe it as a sweet bread shaped like a dome; it can be found in both the America’s and most of Europe. They say Panettone was first baked in Milan, and if you know any Italians, you know it’s a national treasure.

Back in the day, there was a baker on every corner of every street in Italy, and along with other fine baked goods, they all arguably made the best Panettone in the country — and argue they did. There was one such baker who kept his thoughts to himself and just went about his business making a very fine sweet bread. But no matter how fine his Panettone was, with all the competition and the arguing, it was impossible for him to break into the coveted top ten.

One day, after many nights of discussion around the dinner table, the baker and his wife decided to move the family and the bakery to Brazil — he had heard there was a growing love for Panettone and most likely less arguing; a person can breathe out there, in the wide, open air.**

So they packed everything they had; children, pets, recipes, ovens, baking pans, family heirlooms and whatever else you would need to start up a fine bakery in a strange land. Once everything was packed, and with tickets in hand, they boarded a ship and were off. It was a smooth voyage until it wasn’t, and a huge storm sank the ship; the baker and his family barely survived with only the clothes on their backs. With little other option, they made their way back to Italy to start over.

And start over they did, until again the baker who still kept his thoughts to himself had built up another bakery making a very fine sweet bread. Again, the coveted top ten was hard to break into. And again, they sat around the table and decided to go to Brazil where the love for Panettone was still growing. And again, they boarded the ship with all of their belongings and set sail.

They made it to Brazil this time and the baker set up his bakery and went about making a very fine sweet bread. The family flourished and the bakery is now the second largest manufacturer of Panettone in the world.

After hearing the story, I had many questions regarding timing and logistics and ship sinking details but they were never mentioned in the original telling of the story. I had to take the story at face value — a simple story of perseverance, determination and the will to keep making very fine sweet bread.

And in the end, isn’t that all you really need in a fine motivational story.

iamgpe

PS — thanks for the story Anthony.

** from one of my all time favourite books by Dr Seuss — Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

I always like when someone suggests, "I won't be able to do it".

The other day I was in the middle of something and overheard someone say, "He won't be able to finish it tonight" — I was so energized by it!

And here comes the context...

I have acquired some property and building anything permanent is a few years off; in the meantime I want to set up a "Glamping" site so we can enjoy the call of nature in relative comfort, as well as have many of the amenities that make up modern life.

Glamping /ˈglæmpɪŋ/ :

noun: a form of camping in which participants enjoy physical comforts associated with more luxurious types of holiday.  Word Origin — blend of glamorous + camping.

This will involve a large festival tent, queen sized bed, a wood stove, bathroom facilities (including a shower with hot water), an outdoor kitchen and sitting area, as well as available solar power. The only thing that will be lacking is running water  — I suppose I will have to rough it.

As with everything you have to start at the beginning, and in this case the beginning is a platform for the festival tent to rest on. In this particular case the whole thing is meant to be semi- permanent, so the plan is to make the platform out of nine 6' by 6' sections, bolt them together, and put decking on top... this offers the option of dismantling the platform to move at a later date — It was a conscious decision to compromise some stability for portability. I needed 54 (2" x 4" x 6') pieces of pressure treated wood, a bunch of wood screws, a chop saw, and a drill to build what would make up the frame of the 324 square foot platform. Each section would consist of two 2" x 4" x 6' pieces and four 2" x 4" x 69" pieces (3" cut off a 6' piece).

The assembly process started at about six o'clock on a Friday night.

As you can appreciate the first couple of sections took time to assemble as we worked out optimizing the process; overall it wasn't a difficult activity but rather repetitive and definitely tedious. As my helpers began to fade into the background and as talk of having dinner started, I overheard someone utter the words, "He won't be able to finish it tonight". Ultimately, after a quick dinner, I found myself alone in the garage finishing the remaining sections. By ten o'clock all nine sections were complete, the person who suggested that I wouldn't be able to finish all the sections was long gone, and I was now ahead of schedule; attaching the nine sections the next day would be a relaxing activity.

Was any of this difficult? Not really, but it was an exercise in advanced planning, having the right tools, and the desire to get it done. What was said became the motivator to "get it done ahead of schedule".   

In the end, my little project offered up the components for getting something done —

• Planning (this includes a time and event schedule).
• The right tools (or resources).
• The desire to do it. 
• The motivation to get it done.

It seems motivation is the fuel that makes something happen, and for me, when someone suggests, "I can't do something", it seems to be motivation of the high-octane variety.

Don't ask me why.

iamgpe