A Little Bit of Common Sense Can Move Mountains -- or Boulders at Least

This will be my last post for the year.  Cathy and I will be visiting family and relaxing for the next two weeks.  My next post will be on Monday, January 7 2008.  Cathy and I wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and peace, health, happiness and prosperity in 2008.

Today’s post is a common sense story.  For all I know, it is an urban myth, but I like its common sense message, so I’m posting it here.

“When the city of St. Petersburg, Russia was being laid out early in the 18th century, city planners had to deal with a number of large boulders that had been deposited by a glacier centuries before.  There was one particularly large boulder that was in the path of on the principle planned thoroughfares.  The planners were frustrated in their attempts to move it.

“A peasant offered to remove the boulder.  The planners gave him the job, because they felt they had nothing to lose.

“The next day, the peasant showed up with a crowd of workers, all carrying shovels.  The dug a huge hole next to the boulder, propping it up with timbers as they worked.  When the hole was large enough, the peasants removed the props and the boulder dropped into the hole.  The workers covered the rock with dirt, and carted away the extra soil.”

I like this story because it demonstrates how the common sense solution is often overlooked.  The planners and engineers were caught in the paradigm of moving the boulder.  The peasant saw the problem from a different perspective and solved the problem.

Remember this story next year when you are trying to figure out how to solve a problem. 

Thanks for reading this year.  My new book Straight Talk for Success: Common Sense Ideas That Won’t Let You Down will be out early in 2008.  In the acknowledgments, I thank all of my blog readers, especially those who comment on my posts, because my last two books have started out as blog posts.  I’ll let you know when the book is available.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.SuccessCommonSense.com for common sense advice on becoming the career and life success you are meant to be and to get a copy of my new ebook Star Power: Common Sense Ideas for Career and Life Success.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.

Comments

[Ina Matijevic]

Merry Christmas and Happy New 2008 Year to You, dear Bud and to Your wife Cathy !!!

World is happy to have You!

Ina

[Madame Monet]

I loved this story about how they solved the boulder problem in St. Petersburg! Where did you ever find this story?

Madame Monet
Writing, Painting, Music, and Wine
winewriter.wordpress.com

[Resume Writer]

WOW! That story shows just how creative we can be if we keep our minds open to the possibilities. I'm from New Orleans and lost my home and possessions due to Hurricane Katrina. Thankfully, my "job" is running and managing my online resume writing service (http://www.theresumeclinic.com).

My parents, wife and I are in Nashville and not going back. I have faced the challenge of building my business, acclimating myself to a new city, all the while managing our and my parents' FEMA documentation and other disaster-related paperwork. It seemed at times that I had that "bolder" to move as well, but knew that faith and ingenuity would get it done.

Things are better now and life is stabilizing, but the experience has taught me that anything is possible if you are open to it. Thanks for the story!
--------------------
William Mitchell, CPRW
The Resume Clinic
http://www.theresumeclinic.com
Get a free resume critique: http://www.theresumeclinic.com/resuchek.php

[web tasarimi]

thank you for article

[Don Sabatini]

Nice article.