Once upon a time, a king received a pair of young Macaw parrots as a gift from a distant kingdom. These vibrant birds were the most beautiful he had ever seen, so he arranged for a special place in his garden for them and hired a bird trainer to care for and teach them to fly freely.
The king often enjoyed watching his parrots from his window, and soon he noticed that while one parrot soared through the sky, the other remained firmly perched on its branch, refusing to budge. The trainer tried his best to coax it into flying, but despite all efforts, the parrot stubbornly clung to its spot.
Concerned, the king summoned healers, trainers, and wise men from nearby lands, hoping someone could inspire the bird to take flight. Yet no one succeeded, and the parrot remained fixed in place, seemingly unwilling to leave the comfort of its branch.
Finally, in a last attempt, the king sent for a humble farmer from a nearby village, hoping his experience with simpler ways might make a difference. The next morning, to everyone’s surprise, the parrot was seen soaring high above the palace gardens. The king was delighted and called for the farmer.
When the farmer arrived, the king asked, “How did you make the parrot fly?”
The farmer, bowing respectfully, replied, “Your Majesty, I simply cut the branch it was sitting on. With no other option, the bird had to trust its wings.”
Moral:
Often, we cling to our comfort zones, fearing change. But true growth and success come when we let go of what holds us back and trust in our ability to rise to new challenges.