Some birds move early.
Some move carefully.
Some overthink, hesitate, grab too much, or make sure everybody eats.
Sooner or later, the kind of bird you are shows up in the way you live.
The first bird on the scene spots the worms.
It sizes things up quickly.
Which one is the juiciest?
Which one is the plumpest?
Which one can I get before everybody else wakes up?
Then down it comes.
Breakfast.
After a few of those, the early bird moves on with the rest of its agenda.
Meanwhile, the other birds start arriving…
and by now, the worms have been warned.
LOL.
There is something to being early.
Opportunity often looks different before the crowd gets there.
But the early bird is not the only bird worth studying.
DIFFERENT BIRDS AT WORK
How about the diligent bird?
That bird eats pretty well too.
It goes about its business carefully and responsibly.
Methodical.
Task-driven.
Steady.
Efficient.
It may not be the first bird on the lawn, but it knows how to work the lawn.
It keeps looking.
Keeps moving.
Keeps doing what it came to do.
And eventually…
breakfast.
There is a lesson there.
You do not always have to be first.
Sometimes consistency gets fed too.
COME WHAT MAY — I WILL EAT TODAY
Then there is the tenacious bird.
This bird has already decided:
I WILL EAT.
Come what may.
It keeps hunting until it finds something.
If the worm gets away, it finds another worm.
If the ground is hard, it moves.
If the weather changes, it adapts.
No excuses bird.
Probably in excellent shape too.
LOL.
Tenacity is powerful because it removes one question from the day:
“Will I keep going?”
That has already been answered.
Yes.
MMMM… WHICH ONE SHOULD I GO AFTER?
Now we have the analysis bird.
Poor thing.
Undernourished.
It sees three worms and immediately begins:
Which one is statistically most promising?
What are the pros?
What are the cons?
What if the left worm is better than the right worm?
What if the middle worm has more protein?
Should I wait for additional data?
Meanwhile…
the other birds are eating.
And the worms are tunneling deeper into safety.
LOL.
Analysis has value.
Thinking has value.
Planning has value.
But there comes a moment when thinking has completed its assignment.
Now action has to report for work.
The analysis bird begins eating better the day it stops trying to create certainty before movement.
SHOULD I OR SHOULDN’T I…?
The hesitant bird is different.
This bird may actually know what to do.
It may have the right thinking.
It may have the ability.
It may even have the worm directly in front of it.
But then:
Should I?
Shouldn’t I?
What if I miss?
What if everybody sees me miss?
What if that other bird gets there first?
By the time the internal meeting adjourns…
crumbs.
The hesitant bird often has enough ability.
What it lacks is trust in itself.
A little confidence would improve the diet.
Sometimes you have to swoop.
ITS ALL MINE
Then comes the greedy bird.
This one eats.
And eats.
And eats.
And makes sure everybody notices that it is eating.
It has developed a system designed to make certain it wins regardless of what happens to everybody else.
It may even violate a few bird laws along the way.
LOL.
Greed says:
“If I can get it, I should have it.”
Wisdom asks:
“How much do I actually need?”
There is a difference.
The greedy bird sees only what serves its own interest.
But there is something greed often forgets:
The whole forest is watching.
And some hawks have very good eyesight.
LOL.
There is always a cost when appetite becomes bigger than character.
ENOUGH FOR ALL
Now here is a bird I like.
The caring bird.
It eats what it needs.
Then looks around.
Anybody else hungry?
It does not take more than its share unless it has earned it properly or it has been freely offered.
It understands something simple:
All the birds have to eat.
That belief influences how it moves through the world.
It keeps a good nest.
Helps its own.
Knows the neighborhood.
Community type bird.
Strong without being greedy.
Capable without being selfish.
Fed without needing everybody else to starve.
That is a pretty good bird.
SQUAWKING AIN’T TALKING
Birds of a feather flock together.
Take a look around you.
Yes, they do.
Look at the people around you.
Are they early birds?
Diligent birds?
Tenacious birds?
Analysis birds?
Hesitant birds?
Greedy birds?
Caring birds?
And while you are looking at them…
look at yourself too.
That is where this gets interesting.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is the Richie version:
Do not spend all day studying the birds and forget you have wings.
LOL.
If you are overthinking…
move.
If you are hesitant…
trust yourself a little more.
If you are greedy…
leave something on the ground.
If you are diligent…
keep going.
If you are tenacious…
keep hunting.
If you are caring…
make sure you eat too.
Every strength can become a weakness when it loses balance.
FINAL THOUGHT
The early bird may catch the worm.
But the better question may be:
What kind of bird are YOU becoming?
Because opportunity is only part of the story.
Character decides what you do once you find it.
PEARLS INSIGHT
This Pearl is really about self-awareness, initiative, persistence, decision-making, confidence, greed, generosity, and personal character. Different people approach opportunity differently, and understanding our own habits can help us act more wisely, avoid paralysis, strengthen discipline, and contribute without becoming selfish.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with the Pearls themes of awareness, purpose, common sense, belief, and action.
Awareness helps you recognize your bird.
Belief gets the wings moving.
Common sense helps you choose the right worm.
Purpose keeps you flying in the right direction.
Character decides whether you leave enough for anybody else.
And action?
Action gets breakfast.
LOL.
So take a look around.
Then take a look within.
And whatever kind of bird you discover…
teach it to fly a little better.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you