OPEN DOORS

OPEN DOORS
In the mid 1980s the Malaysian government embarked on a project to renew the country’s aging prison facilities. The news was received with mixed reactions, as expected. Soon, the first of the new prison designs was completed and the government was willing to show off the facilities and their state-of-the-art security.

There was a popular blacksmith in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, who boasted that he could open any lock no matter how sophisticated within just five minutes. His boastful claims grew wings when he got interviewed on a local radio program.
Soon the government was under pressure to truly test the claim of security against this common blacksmith. A date was agreed upon for the blacksmith to be locked up while he makes true his claim of being able to open the locks.

On the agreed date, the blacksmith arrived at the prison facility dressed in a worn out jacket. He insisted that he wear the jacket into the prison. Since it did not look extraordinary in any way, his request was granted. The warders led the voluntary prisoner into his cell while outside, the prison officials, building contractor, government representatives and the press waited to see how the showdown would end.

The sound of locking grids and iron bars echoed through the empty prison as the lonely prisoner was left to his fate and possible fame. The warder turned the key, took a look at his time and said, ‘5 minutes’ as he walked away.

No sooner has he turned his back than the blacksmith removed his jacket to reveal hidden tools sewn into the seams of the worn out dress. He worked with such confidence; there was no need to hurry. He had successfully picked every lock and this was not going to be an exception. The minutes ticked away. The sweat broke out on his face. His time would be up in 45 seconds. Yet not even a click of a lock falling into place. 5 minutes went to 10 and then 15. A sense of anguish and dejection came over the lonely blacksmith while outside the excitement began to show on the faces of the contractor and the government officials who claimed they have won the bet.

After 30 minutes all was satisfied this was the greatest lock ever invented by man. And the warder went back to release the defeated blacksmith. As they made their way to the waiting crowd, the blacksmith asked just how possible it was he could not open the lock with all his master tools. The warder smiled as he told him the prison door had not been locked in the first instance!

A door that is locked in your mind can only be opened in your mind. You are what you think you are. You can never go beyond the capacity of your thinking. How positive is that thinking? No matter the resources at your disposal, if you fail to see the possibilities in your mind, it will all amount to nothing. It is not simply more people, or more time or more money or more I.T.

What we need more than anything else is a possibility mindset; one focused on more productivity, one that sees a better vision of today and a glorious one of tomorrow. We need to see open doors in our minds as we make that marketing call. We need to see the possibility of exceeding our targets no matter how daunting it may seem at first. If we can see it, we can do it! It is only when we have seen the end that we can continuously navigate to where we hope to find ourselves.