The Mystical Monk of the Mountains | a parable about the secret to success
There once was a man who wanted to know the secret to success.
He scoured every library he could find. He spoke with countless millionaires who would lend him their time. He even spent years in school and earned himself a PhD.
He devoted every waking hour to discovering this great secret. But, the more he looked, the more frustrated he became.
He decided it was time to try something new.
“I am going to talk to a monk,” he proclaimed, “a man at utter peace with himself must know the answer!”
Now legend had it, there was a monk who had reached nirvana that lived high in the mountains of a foreign land. He kept to himself, hidden from the world and the troubles that filled it.
Destined to discover the secret to success, the man packed his bags, bought a plane ticket and flew halfway across the world to find the mystical monk of the mountains.
After an incessant two-day trek, the man finally arrived late at night and rented a hostel in the nearby town. He awoke before sunrise and began his journey to the top of the mountain. Hours came and went and the man continued to climb. Noon passed. One o’clock. Two o’clock. He still had not reached the top.
Finally, with an hour of sunlight to spare, the man climbed one final rock and took a firm first step onto flat ground at the top of the mountain. The peak was deserted except for one small hut, enough to shelter a man and his spouse at most.
Thankful to see a sign of life, the man skipped over to the hut. There was no front door, but merely a pathway to the back designated by 3 small wooden planks overhanging a cliff that dropped what seemed to be thousands of feet to the ground.
Warily, the man took his first step out onto the plank, grabbed the siding of the hut and peaked his head around the corner. Just as he had desperately hoped, there sat a cloaked old man cross-legged on the floor, fully immersed in meditation. The hut was open to the air, with a wooden floor similar to what you’d see on the back deck of a house.
Attempting to gain the attention of the monk, the man did what he could to make himself known. He tapped his feet and cleared his throat. He sighed deep breaths and cracked his knuckles. But the monk would not budge. There he sat, silently with his eyes closed, unfazed by the presence of another being.
After many moments of impatiently waiting, the man decided he would use his words to break the ice: “Sir, I have heard great things about your success in finding nirvana. I was hoping you could answer one question for me. Do you think you could do that?”
The monk did not answer.
So that man open his mouth once more, “I would like to know the secret to success.”
The monk immediately turned his head and stared the man straight in the eyes as he ascended from the ground. Finally standing straight up, the monk turned his body fully towards the man and took two overbearing steps forward, until he was within inches of the man’s face. There was a mixture of anger and hesitance in his eyes.
He paused for a moment and then spoke softly,
“Come.”
The monk took off with a new-found energy, like a divine spirit had filled him. He ran towards the pathway overhanging the mountain cliff and danced his way to the other side. He rounded the corner and bolted down a path the man had not recognized on his way up.
All the sudden, it was a race to keep up. The man, not ready for a physical challenge, lagged far behind at first. He ran as fast as he could, only enough to keep the monk within sight.
He watched in amazement as the monk floated onto each rock and boulder, one by one down the mountain, as if unaffected by gravity. Seeming to be taunting the slow struggling man, the monk leaped onto each step with such grace and ease.
After a few minutes, the monk had disappeared from the man’s sight. Faith alone now guided him, as he continued down the mountain hoping the monk would eventually be waiting for him at the bottom.
What seemed like hours passed by before the man finally saw the setting sun shining off of the monk’s clean bald head at the base of the mountain. With his last ounce of breath, he let out a sigh of relief. He had passed the challenge.
The man finally got to the bottom of the mountain, where the monk was standing on a short strip of beach. Panting, with sweat dripping into his eyes, the man waited for the monk to speak.
The monk stood calmly, staring out into the sunset. Minutes later, the monk finally spoke, “What is that you want?”
The man, a little frustrated that his time was being wasted, answered the question impatiently, “I told you, I want to know the secret to success.”
For the first time, the monk smiled and said, “follow me,” as he walked out into the water and stood waste-deep.
The man, hesitant and confused, did as the monk said and walked towards the tide. As he took his first step into the water, a chill rushed up his spine. It was a little too cold for his liking. He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued into the water.
A few more cautious steps later, the man was waste-deep and standing next to the monk, about two feet away.
They stood for another minute in silence before the monk spoke once more, “What is that you want?”
“Sir, I have told you twice already,” the man declared, clearly irritated. “What is standing in the ocean going to do? Please tell me the secret to success.”
The monk, understanding the man’s frustration, said calmly once more, “follow me.” He walked a few more feet into the water, standing neck deep this time.
At this point, the man was infuriated. He had questioned his decision of ever wasting his time and money to fly halfway across the world. About to turn around and go home, the man watched as the monk stood silently in the water facing the horizon.
Against his own will, he took a few more steps and reached the monk, walking on his tip toes along the ocean floor and his chin lifted to keep his mouth above the water. From out of nowhere, the man felt a strong grip on both shoulders pull him down. Before he could react, he was under water.
After a few seconds, it was clear this grip was not going to relent. It was now a battle for his life.
The monk was such small, fragile-looking character, yet his power was extraordinary. The man fought and fought but could not overcome the monk’s grip.
Still out of breath from the lengthy race down the mountain, he could feel his endurance quickly disappearing. He knew it was only a matter of seconds before he would pass out and drown.
The man was about to give up. He had squirmed helplessly for long enough and knew it was his time to go.
He sat motionless for a few seconds. Then a willpower that felt almost supernatural filled his soul. With one last effort, the man gathered his strength on the ocean floor. Bending his legs, he leaped towards the surface of the water. He swung his arms and screamed with all his might, breaking free of monk’s monstrous grip.
He gasped his first breath of air and felt as his lungs filled with fresh oxygen once more, something he thought he’d never get to feel again.
He was in a daze for a few minutes. With the setting sun shining in his face, his eyes were closed as he gathered his breath. By the time he recovered, the monk had already left his side.
The man looked towards the beach and saw the monk standing on the sand, watching him patiently.
Panic suddenly turning to rage, the man swam quickly to shore. He gathered his footing on the sand and ran towards to the monk.
“Hey!” the man screamed, “What the hell’s your problem!” as he pushed the monk to the sand and jumped on top of him. He grabbed the monk firmly by the throat and gritted his teeth. It was the monk’s turn to suffocate.
Fuming with anger, the man had the monk pinned down and helpless. But, no matter how much he wanted to, he could not squeeze his grip around the monk’s throat.
The monk laid their motionless and did not try to resist. His glasses had flown off when he had gotten pushed. The man looked into his eyes and saw a different person. Someone he related to. A human being.
Soon, the man had decided to let the monk free. He pulled his hand off the monk’s throat and rolled off onto the sand. He sat silently next to the monk, who had gathered himself together and found his glasses half buried in the sand within arm’s reach. The two of them watched as the final tip of the sun disappeared under the horizon. A myriad of emotions churned inside the man. Confusion, anger, frustration. Yet, he felt calm and at peace for the first time in a long time.
The monk asked again, “What is it that you want?”
The man’s answer was different this time. He no longer knew why he decided to make the journey across the world. Hey began to question himself, “I am not even sure anymore.”
The monk chuckled as he reached over, placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, and spoke once last time.
“There will come a moment when you want success as bad as you want to breath. Then, and only then, will you find success.”
The monk then picked himself off the sand and began the journey back up to his home in the mountains.
This parable has personally inspired me to work harder every time I read or think about it. I first discovered it in a motivational video released by the renowned speaker, Eric Thomas. It forever changed the way I think about work ethic.
I constantly ask myself, “How bad to you want it?”
I challenge you to stop right now and hold your breath for as long as you can. Push yourself to that limit: to the point where you think you are going to pass out. You’ll watch as your willpower disappears and the massive desire for fresh air takes over. That desire for air is every Friday you feel like going out. Every time you want to take a break and binge watch Netflix. Every night you let tell yourself you should call it quits and go to sleep.
You’ll soon recognize what it really means to want success. When you can safely say that you want success as bad as you want to breath, I guarantee the success will come. It’s just a matter of time.
Keep calm and grind on.
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