The Bird Catcher and the Viper

A bird catcher collected all his equipment and went into the country to see what he could catch.

After a short while he spotted a thrush sitting high up in a tree, singing a beautiful song.

“I must have that creature,” the bird catcher said to himself.

He kept a close eye on the bird, whilst preparing his nets and contraptions. His whole concentration was on the thrush.

As he was making his final preparations he trod on a viper, sleeping peacefully in the undergrowth.

The snake, annoyed at being trodden on and woken, bit the bird catcher.  As the poison took effect the bird catcher lamented “Woe is me! That while I purposed to hunt another, I am myself fallen unawares”.

Be careful not to concentrate too long on one thing, to the exclusion of all others.

The Ass and the Purchaser

A Man who wanted to buy an Ass went to market.

Coming across a likely-looking beast he arranged with the owner that he should be allowed to take the ass home on trial to see what he was like. 

When the man reached home, he put the ass into his stable along with his other asses. 

The newcomer took a look round, and immediately went and chose a place next to the laziest and greediest beast in the stable. 

When the master saw this he put a halter on him at once, and led him off and handed him back to his owner again. 

The latter was surprised to see him back so soon, and said, “Why, do you mean to say you have tested him already?” 

“I don’t want to put him through any more tests,” replied the other: “I could see what sort of beast he is from the companion he chose for himself.”

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

A Town Mouse went on a visit to his friend in the country. 

The Country Mouse was rough and ready, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. He laid out a meal of beans and bacon, cheese and bread, which was all he had to offer, but he was glad to offer them to his friend.  

The Town Mouse nibbled a bit here and a bit there but didn’t think much of the country fare, and said:

“Why do you put up with such poor food as this? Is this the best the country has to offer? Come you with me and I will show you what grand food I have, and what a life I lead. When you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood a country life.”

No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse’s residence late at night.

“You will want some refreshment after our long journey,” said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice.

Suddenly the doors of the dining-room flew open and the house dogs ran in.  The two mice had to race quickly to the safety of a mousehole.

After a while the mice resumed their feast.  No sooner had they started nibbling at the lovely food than the door to the dining room gently opened and they heard the mewing of the family cat.  “What is that?” said the Country Mouse. “It is the cat, come to try and catch me.” answered the other. 

Again, they had to flee to the safety of the mousehole.

“Good-bye, friend,” said the Country Mouse, “What! going so soon?” said the Town Mouse. “Yes,” he replied; “Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.”

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Before making any changes check that the sacrifices you have to make are worth it.

Mercury and the Woodsman

A woodsman, felling wood by the side of a river, let his axe drop by accident into a deep pool. Being thus deprived of the means of his livelihood, he sat down on the bank and lamented his bad luck.

Mercury appeared and asked him why he was upset. After the woodsman told him his misfortune, Mercury plunged into the stream, and, bringing up a golden axe, inquired if that was the one he had lost.

"No" said the woodsman, "that is not mine"

So Mercury disappeared beneath the water a second time and returned with a silver axe in his hand. Again asked the woodsman if it were his.

"No" said the woodsman, "that is not mine"

When Mercury dived into the pool for the third time and brought up the axe that had been lost.

"Yes!" cried the woodsman, "that is my axe." He thanked Mercury profusely for his help.

Mercury, pleased with his honesty, gave the woodsman the golden and silver axes in addition to his own.

The Workman, on his return to his house, related to his companions all that had happened. One of them resolved to try and secure the same good fortune for himself.

He ran to the river and threw his axe on purpose into the pool at the same place, and sat down on the bank to weep.

Mercury appeared to him, just as he hoped he would, and having learned the cause of his grief, plunged into the stream and brought up a golden axe, inquiring if he had lost it.

The man seized it greedily, and declared that truly it was the very same axe that he had lost.

Mercury, displeased at his deception, not only took away the golden axe, but refused to recover for him the axe he had thrown into the pool.

Wherever possible honesty is the best policy, but also deception will generally be found out and won't achieve your aim.

The Fox and the Crow

One bright morning as the Fox was following his sharp nose through the wood in search of a bite to eat, he saw a Crow on the limb of a tree overhead. This was by no means the first Crow the Fox had ever seen. What caught his attention this time and made him stop for a second look, was that the lucky Crow held a bit of cheese in her beak.

“No need to search any farther,” thought sly Master Fox. “Here is a dainty bite for my breakfast.”

Up he trotted to the foot of the tree in which the Crow was sitting, and looking up admiringly, he cried, “Good-morning, beautiful creature!”

The Crow, her head cocked on one side, watched the Fox suspiciously. But she kept her beak tightly closed on the cheese and did not return his greeting.

“What a charming creature she is!” said the Fox. “How her feathers shine! What a beautiful form and what splendid wings! Such a wonderful Bird should have a very lovely voice, since everything else about her is so perfect. Could she sing just one song, I know I should hail her Queen of Birds.”

Listening to these flattering words, the Crow forgot all her suspicion, and also her breakfast. She wanted very much to be called Queen of Birds. So she opened her beak wide to utter her loudest caw, and down fell the cheese straight into the Fox’s open mouth.

“Thank you,” said Master Fox sweetly, as he walked off. “Though it is cracked, you have a voice sure enough. But where are your wits?”

The Ant and the Dove

An ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and

being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of

drowning.  A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked

a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.  The Ant

climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.  Shortly

afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid

his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches.  The Ant,

perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.  In pain the

birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove

take wing.

The Goatherd and the Wild Goats

One cold stormy day a Goatherd drove his Goats for shelter into a cave, where a number of Wild Goats had also found their way. The Shepherd wanted to make the Wild Goats part of his flock; so he fed them well.

But to his own flock, he gave only just enough food to keep them alive. When the weather cleared, and the Shepherd led the Goats out to feed, the Wild Goats scampered off to the hills.

“Is that the thanks I get for feeding you and treating you so well?” complained the Shepherd.

“Do not expect us to join your flock,” replied one of the Wild Goats. “We've seen how you treat your faithful heard, and we don't want any part of it.”

Make sure you look after those already supporting you, if you treat them poorly it will reflect badly on you.

The Cat and the Fox

Once a Cat and a Fox were travelling together. As they went along, picking up provisions on the way — a stray mouse here, a fat chicken there —  they began exchanging stories about times they’d escaped hunters to while away the time. And, as sometimes happens when friends talk, it turned into an argument and the talk began to get personal.

“You think you are extremely clever, don’t you?” said the Fox. “I’m much cleverer than you - I have many escape tricks at hand!”

“Well,” retorted the Cat, “I have only one, but it is, let me tell you, worth all yours combined!”

Just then, close by, they heard a hunter’s horn and the yelping of a pack of hounds. In an instant the Cat was up a tree, hiding among the leaves.

“This is my trick,” the Cat called to the Fox. “Now let me see which one of yours you are going to use.”

But the Fox had so many plans for escape he could not decide which one to try first. He dodged here and there with the hounds at his heels. He doubled on his tracks, he ran at top speed, he entered a dozen burrows — but all in vain. The hounds caught him, and soon put an end to the boaster and all his tricks.

Use common sense, and keep your plans simple and effective.

The Ass in the Lion’s Skin

An Ass found a Lion’s skin left in the forest by a hunter. He dressed himself in it, and amused himself by hiding in a thicket and rushing out suddenly at the animals who passed that way. All took to their heels the moment they saw him.

The Ass was so pleased to see the animals running away from him, just as if he were King Lion himself, that he could not keep from expressing his delight by a loud, harsh bray. A Fox, who ran with the rest, stopped short as soon as he heard the voice. Approaching the Ass, he said with a laugh:

“If you had kept your mouth shut you might have frightened me, too. But you gave yourself away with that silly bray.”

You can pretend to be something you are not for a while, but sooner or later you will give yourself away - always stay true to yourself.

The Lark and Her Young Ones

A Lark made her nest in a field of young wheat. As the days passed, the wheat stalks grew tall and the young birds, too, grew in strength. Then one day, when the ripe golden grain waved in the breeze, the Farmer and his son came into the field.

“This wheat is now ready for reaping,” said the Farmer. “We must call in our neighbours and friends to help us harvest it.”

A couple of young Larks were very afraid, because they knew that if they didn’t leave their nest in time, they’d be in big trouble. When their mother came back with food, they told her what they had heard.

“Do not be frightened, children,” said Mother Lark. “If the Farmer said he would call in his neighbours and friends to help him do his work, this wheat will not be reaped for a while yet.”

A few days later, the wheat was so ripe, that when the wind shook the stalks, a hail of wheat grains came rustling down on the young Larks’ heads.

“If this wheat is not harvested at once,” said the Farmer, “we shall lose half the crop. We cannot wait any longer for help from our friends. Tomorrow we must set to work, ourselves.”

When the young Larks told their mother what they had heard that day, she said:

“Then we have to leave right away. It is safe to say that when a man decides to do his own work and not get help from anyone else, there will be no more delays.”

When the Farmer and his son cut down the grain the next morning, they found an empty nest.

The Traveller and the Purse

Two men were travelling along the road when one of them picked up a well-filled purse.

“How lucky I am!” he said. “I have found a purse. Judging by its weight it must be full of gold.”

“Do not say ‘I have found a purse,'” said his companion. “Say rather ‘we have found a purse’ and ‘how lucky we are.’ Travellers ought to share alike the fortunes or misfortunes of the road.”

“No, no,” replied the other angrily. “I found it and I am going to keep it.”

Just then they heard a shout of “Stop, thief!” and looking around, saw a mob of people armed with clubs coming down the road.

The man who had found the purse fell into a panic.

“We are lost if they find the purse on us,” he cried.

“No, no,” replied the other, “You would not say ‘we’ before, so now stick to your ‘I’. Say ‘I am lost.'”

If you’re going to be selfish, don’t expect people to help you when you need them.

The Lion and the Statue

A Lion and a Man chanced to travel in company through the forest. They soon began to quarrel, for each of them boasted that he and his kind were far superior to the other both in strength and mind.

The man took them to a clearing where there stood a statue. It was a representation of Heracles in the act of tearing the jaws of the Nemean Lion.

“See,” said the man, “that’s how strong we are! The King of Beasts is like wax in our hands!”

“Ho!” laughed the Lion, “a Man made that statue. It would have been quite a different scene had a Lion made it!”

This is a bit like the saying ‘history is written by the victors’. 

True impartiality is difficult to come by and we need to be aware of the sources of information we use.

But also, it helps our understanding to seek out diverse and varied references in relation to our beliefs/biases - to ensure as much as possible that we have a reasoned and balanced perception. 

The Astrologer

A man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the future in the stars. He called himself an Astrologer, and spent his time at night gazing at the sky.

One evening he was walking along the open road outside the village. His eyes were fixed on the stars. He thought he saw there that the end of the world was at hand, when all at once, down he went into a hole full of mud and water.

There he stood up to his ears, in the muddy water, and madly clawing at the slippery sides of the hole in his effort to climb out.

His cries for help soon brought the villagers running. As they pulled him out of the mud, one of them said:

“You pretend to read the future in the stars, and yet you fail to see what is at your feet! This may teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself.”

The Crow and the Pitcher

In a spell of dry weather, when there was very little to drink, a thirsty crow found a pitcher with some water in it. 

But the pitcher was deep, and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the crow could not reach the water. 

It felt as if it would die of thirst.

There must be a solution to his problem, so he stopped trying to reach the water and had a think.

Then an idea came to him. 

Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them, one at a time, into the pitcher. 

With each pebble, the level of the water rose a little higher until at last it was high enough so he could drink.

If you have a problem, don’t keep trying the same thing expecting it to work eventually.  Take a break, think, look at it from a different angle, in some cases asking someone else with greater experience might provide a solution.  

But most importantly - don’t give up.

Hercules and the Farmer

A Farmer was driving his wagon along a muddy country road after heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill.

The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it cursing his bad luck, calling loudly on Hercules to come to his aid.

Hercules appeared saying: “Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses.
Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself.”

So the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, at first the wagon moved slowly, but then more easily, and soon the Farmer was happily riding along.

You must be willing to help yourself before expecting help from others.

The Elephant and the Monkey

Elephant and monkey were good friends, however one day they quarrelled.

The powerful elephant said, "Being strong is better than being agile."

The monkey said ,"No! Being agile is better!"

They couldn’t agree, so they went to the wise owl so he could sort out their argument.

They asked the owl," Is it better to be strong or agile? Please tell us."

The owl was wise and he thought for a while.

Then he said to them " See that big river over there? I want you to cross it."

"When you reach the other side, you will see a tall coconut palm, pluck two coconuts for me and bring them back here - then I will answer your question."

They both got to the river - the monkey was afraid because he couldn't swim. The elephant said, "I will carry you." So they both safely reached the other side.

When they got to the coconut palm they saw that the fruit was right at the top.

"Oh, dear!" said the elephant. "I cannot reach the coconuts!"

"I can!" said the monkey. He jumped up the tree and climbed to the top. Then he picked two coconuts and came back down.

When he had plucked two coconuts, the monkey came down.

The elephant was waiting for him. On the way back, the elephant again carried the monkey on his back across the river.

Soon they were back with the owl.

The owl said ," If the elephant was not strong, you would not have crossed the river safely."

"And if the monkey was not agile you would not have been able to pick the coconuts."

"So you see, being strong and being agile are as good as each other, and if they work together you can achieve more than if they work separately."

The elephant and the monkey looked at each other, laughed and walked off together.

Potatoes, Eggs and Coffee - Which Are You?

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that life was miserable and that unfortunate things kept happening and she didn’t know how she was going to manage.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one followed.

Her father took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on the fire.

Once the pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he took the pots off the fire.

He took the potatoes and the eggs out of their pots and put them in a bowl. He then poured the coffee into a cup.

Then he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she replied.

“Look closer” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted they were soft.

“Now break an egg” he said. After pulling off the shell, she saw the egg was hard.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same situation - the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in, hard and unrelenting, but came out soft and weak.

The egg went in fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid inner, until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being put in the boiling water they changed the water itself and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.

The only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to circumstances. Life is all about learning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Remaining Calm

This week it’s less of a fable and more a leadership lesson from history
Abraham Lincoln how to stay professional and not to let your emotions rule you

Abraham Lincoln was the epitome of a calm leader, and he accomplished many things.

However, with his great achievements he also had a reputation for remaining calm, even when those around him severely tested his nerve or annoyed him. He was the consummate professional, he didn’t get angry.

Apparently he managed this by keeping a lid on his emotions at the time he was annoyed, and then at the soonest possible moment wrote a letter to the person who had annoyed him, putting on paper all the feelings he had pent up at the time. These letters were never sent! He filed them away until he’d calmed down, at which point he would dispose of the letter. If he knew that the person was aware they had annoyed him, he would write a second letter saying he didn’t bear them a grudge.


You don't have to do a Lincoln and write a letter, but it is useful to find a way to release your emotions without screaming at others. Whether that's going for a walk, playing squash or relaxing with a good book, finding an outlet for your pent-up anger and disappointment will make your relationships at work much better. Although there is a lot to be said for physically writing down how you feel about a situation and then destroying it - it can be quite satisfying and doesn’t upset everyone.

Next step is to learn how to have difficult conversations with people to make sure the likelihood of a situation arising again is reduced!!

Are You a Corporal or a General?

The story goes that one rainy day a man on a horse came across a group of men. They were soldiers attempting to raise a wooden beam. The men were struggling to get the beam into position. The only person not working was an officer who was shouting encouragingly at the men.

After watching their lack of success for a short while, the many on the horse asked the officer why he didn’t join in and help, to which the officer replied, “don’t you realise, I’m a corporal?” Politely the man replied ” I beg your pardon, Mr. Corporal”.

The man then dismounted his horse and went to work with the soldiers to get the beam into position. When they’d finished, the man wiped the perspiration from his face, and said to the soldiers “If you should need help again, call on Washington, your commander-in-chief, and I will come”. The passer by had been none other than George Washington!

I don’t think anyone would have questioned General Washington if he had simply ordered the corporal into the mud to help his team, or even if he’d just added his voice to encourage the men to achieve their task. Instead he assessed the situation and did what was necessary to support his team in achieving the goal. In this case it meant doing exactly the same as them, his rank was not a consideration.

I’m sure the Corporal considered himself a good manager, and was encouraging his team. He may well have thought that to do the same work as the soldiers would make him seem like a weak leader and undermine his authority.

However, Washington understood that to be willing to get your boots dirty in order to help get the job done is what a true leader needs to be able to do.

So what are you? A Corporal or a General?

The Farmer

Once upon a time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours were sympathetic. "Such bad luck," they said.

"Perhaps," the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "What great luck!" the neighbours exclaimed.

"Perhaps," replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbours again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"Perhaps," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbours congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

"Perhaps," said the farmer...

We’ve all had experiences where what seems to be bad luck has a positive result. Believe that trials will soon pass, and that good may yet come of the experience