How many times have you heard Sir Alan Sugar (as he then was) utter the immortal lines:
“You are a one trick pony”.
But what does that mean? Let’s face it, when did you last see a pony do a trick? Not ever? By trick he means, of course, what ponies do: walk, carry kids or in the case of my 3 three stooges that I own (Fat, Fatter and Fattest!), get fat, eat loads, get medical complaints and cost me a big fat wedge when the vet comes out and starts sucking lemons: “Ooooh that looks nasty….”.
Imagine this: THE 10-TRICK PONY!
That is the pony that could walk, talk, turn dung into gold or better still could predict the winning numbers for the national lottery, drive my car, do the DIY (yeh sorry I am still stuck on how to get that done), run at 200 miles per hour, do magic tricks (is that 10 yet?). In essence a veritable smorgasbord of abilities that were hitherto unknown. Far fetched? Of course, unless you work at Pixar and want to give Eddie Murphy’s character in Shrek a quick shot of cocaine or a new wonder (Pixar) drug.
However, in Sir Alan’s jibe the unspoken part of what he is saying is that if YOU had more in the locker, a bigger bag of tricks or were more extraordinary, then ‘hey presto’ you could have progressed to the next stage or possibly win the Apprentice.
My point is this: We are not delivered into this world as “a one trick pony”, limited to do only one thing, work in one place, see only a select group of people, take up only one hobby etc etccc etcccccc. Wouldn’t that be sooooooooo borrrrrring!!
But isn’t that what a lot of people end up doing? They hold on to the past, their self-limiting beliefs endure and they think the happiness compass is circumscribed by a very narrow list of things. In other words there is too much rick attached to doing someting different.
This is not a rant (although I except that it is coming close to that) but I just wish that people would consider how many ‘pony tricks’ they can actually perform and if there is that itching desire to do something different, change their career or act up (not in a delinquent way thank you), then just go for it.
I do hope that when my time eventually arrives, I can look back without regret and imagine myself juggling lots of things and fulfilled by the realisation that at least I gave things a go.
Go on I challenge you to stamp on that stereotype and do something different (even for just 1 day).
4 Belmont Tearrce, South Brent, TQ10 9AU