Please share with me a story about how to face the interactions with people as I start to work in this new job.
Once a long long time ago, there was a very young woman. She lived in a jungle. The jungle was deep and dark, and there were many danger as she perceived them. She had some skills for survival, but not many, she was very young yet. She was only 10. She was old enough to care for herself, but not old enough to thrive. To celebrate, to truly value the intricacies and beauties of her life. Her life was full of fear and attack, and basic encumbered survival.
As she moved through the jungle, she tread carefully. She saw all as a danger to her. One day, she came upon a tiger, basking in shade of a cool tree on a warm day. The stripes of his coat, matched the stripes of the tree. She stumbled upon him suddenly and responded automatically out of fear and defense. The tiger smiled, he saw her fear. But he had a big heart and he knew deep down, she very strong. He stood up and stretched, and showed her his lovely stripes. He sat again, and waited…and waited…and waited…
She too waited…
He left it open to her to make the next move. She could run. She could fight. She could submit. She could ask for help. She could choose to trust. Or she could choose not to.
What does she do?
Think about the Tiger. He waits.
Simply waits…
Think about how you perceive the Tiger. Is the Tiger attacking? Or is he welcoming? Is he relaxed, or is he in a defensive stance?
Fear is only where you see it. It is only where you create it. When you choose not to see fear, you will have no fear to have to react to.
The tiger simply waits. He does not want to fight. He wants to interact. How he and the young woman interact is up to the young woman.
If the Tiger and the woman become partners in a journey of discovery, imagine how much each can learn from the other, because they lead such different lives!
-Tribe of Tiger, Feb. 11, 2009