The Town Festival Fable
Pete the Palm Tree and Bogey the Bougainvillea bush lived near each other by the riverside. The Town Festival took place once a year, and the next one was coming up this Saturday.
Bogey had been preparing for weeks, getting fertilized and properly watered. Every morning, he fluffed his purple blooms. The Festival was Bogey’s chance to shine. To be ready, he set goals every day.
“I don’t care about some old festival,” Pete grumbled. “Why is Bogey doing all that work?”
Pete’s palm fronds drooped. They weren’t pretty and green like Bogey’s leaves. Pete didn’t look for water or think about fertilizer. He didn’t even want tree trimmers to snip off his old, dry fronds. Pete just let them drop. Pete felt lazy and didn’t want to do any work.
And then festival day arrived. Hundreds of people walked by, admiring the town’s horticulture.
One passer-by exclaimed, “Look at that incredible purple bush!”
Another said, “I think that’s a bougainvillea. I’ve never seen one that large and healthy-looking. Why, that must be 15 feet tall and 8 feet wide!”
Another woman replied, “Yes, those are the most beautiful purple blooms I’ve seen. I wonder why they don’t cut down that dilapidated palm.”
Her husband nodded in agreement. “It’s detracting from the festival. What a lovely bougainvillea, though!”
Pete was shocked. Despite what he’d expected, everybody noticed and admired Bogey. They saw how hard Bogey had worked to keep himself at his best. And they also observed that Pete hadn’t done much work at all.
“People don’t like me,” Pete moped. “They want to cut me down! From now on, I’m gonna work hard, just like Bogey!”
Pete smoothed his bark and fluffed his fronds. “Now, where can I get some water and fertilizer?”
Moral: For your finest results, try hard and do your best.
Do Your Best Fable Reflection
Pete the Palm Tree wasn’t known for his work ethic. He preferred to laze around in the island breezes.
Bogey the Bougainvillea bush, on the other hand, put his proverbial nose to the grindstone and made an effort in whatever he did.
The town needed some natural beauty for the Town Festival, and Bogey came through for them.
When all the townspeople saw Pete and Bogey standing side by side, it was readily apparent who had worked diligently to prepare for the Festival. Pete was droopy, dry, and not particularly green. But Bogey stood tall with hundreds of blooms flowering from his many branches. Bogey’s work paid off.
People noticed how Pete had done no work to get ready for the festival, and marveled at the results of Bogey’s sustained efforts and hard work. Interestingly, Pete seemed truly surprised that people noticed not only Bogey’s efforts but Pete’s own failure to try.
You might be like Pete and wonder why other people are working so hard. You might just show up and do the bare minimum to get by at work or at home.
Maybe you don’t realize the impact of your work ethic on your success. Your initiative and approach to your job is important, not only to your work but to your very existence.
When you do your best, you’ll feel better about yourself and your work. People around you will notice and maybe even comment on your efforts. Ultimately, you’ll be more successful if you make the effort to do your best in whatever you endeavor.
Self-Reflection Questions
1. Do you consider yourself a strong worker? Do you have a healthy work ethic?
2. If you believe you often don’t do your best, why do you think you behave this way?
3. Starting today, what can you do to put forth more effort and do your best?