You may have noticed it was Chinese New Year this week – this year is the Year of the Water Tiger. Maybe you have heard the expression above.
“gong hei fat choy”
And maybe you assumed that means Happy New Year. That’s the problem with assumptions though. Because it doesn’t. It means something along the lines of – wishing you prosperity in the year ahead.
And there are about 23 different ways of wishing someone Happy New Year. All have a different focus. All are positive wishes for the new year.
More about assumptions later.
Let’s talk about the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are the guardians of the Heavenly Gates. The story goes, that the Jade Emperor, looking for guardians, put out a challenge. All the animals on earth were invited and 12 turned up. The Jade Emperor said that their finishing position would determine their place on the Zodiac.
Rat, Ox and Tiger all got off to a good start, but by the time they got to the river, rat was tiring. He persuaded Ox to take him across the river, whilst Tiger – who was strong but not as strong as Ox, got delayed by the current a little. Rat had (correctly) assumed that Tiger would not be a good bet – he wasn’t perhaps as strong as Ox, and there was a potential of being eaten!
So, Rat and Ox made it across the river first, but just before the finish line Rat jumped down and sped ahead to win the race. Ox came second not far behind Rat, and Tiger a close 3rd.
So, in this story, Rat’s assumptions were correct. And of course, had he not collaborated with Ox, he would not have finished first.
Of course, often assumptions are incorrect.
For example, Tiger was made King of the Forrest by the Jade Emperor, ahead of Lion who was the most ferocious, but unreliable beast. And you may assume that when the Emperor chose Tiger – he was stronger and more ferocious than Lion.
But that assumption would be wrong. Tiger would run away if anyone so much as growled at him. So, the Emperor sent him to Martial Arts Classes!
So, I guess the moral of this story is – you have to collaborate to win.
Collaboration is the path to success
Women tend to be more naturally inclined to collaboration. True collaboration I mean. I guess it goes back to cave man days where the women would be left alone while the men went to hunt. There is clearly more power in working together as a group to gather food, look after the tribe’s children etc.
The power of collaboration is obvious. Where one is weaker the other is stronger, and together that works well. Women will collaborate for the greater good. Men often collaborate for personal gain (think about the Rat in the story). I am making generalisations here of course, but generally women work well as a group.
The downside of this is that often women feel under qualified, or less capable when working alone. It is not the truth of course, but if you believe it then it is YOUR truth. And that’s when the power of a group becomes all the more important.
The Lounge!
In the Live Love Laugh Lounge – no-one has to figure it out on their own, or walk their path alone. This is a place of collaboration and support. No assumptions are made here, nor expectations made. It is a place of non judgemental support.
If you find yourself at a crossroads in life, and like the sound of finding your tribe, where the collaboration results in win win scenarios, then connect with me on any social media channel and lets talk about how you can become part of the gang!