The Barnacle Story – “You Can Be Yourself”
August 23, 2009
A few weeks ago, I did a Webinar on Storytelling and social media. Afterwards I got this lovely note from one of my listener’s Brian Johnston who wrote to say that something I said was really an awakening for him.
“Annie, you said something in your webinar today that was a spiritual moment for me. You said, “Be yourself and people who don’t like your stuff, product or services will go away.” I love that! I have spent too much time in business trying to connect with people who are not interested in me . My personality ever since I was a child has been black or white and I tried not to piss people off but then found myself very unhappy. At this point, I am DONE with that and things are working out pretty darned good. I realize that I am here to serve my creator, my wife and my kids. Plain and simple.”
I love this. So Brian’s comment along with my own personal love of this topic, spurred me to write this story of the week about daring to be yourself. Thank you Brian.
Year’s ago I read a story by Richard Bach called Illusions and his little tale of a barnacle on a rock, always stuck in my mind. I no longer have the book or remember the story exactly, so I’m going to make up one of my own.
“The Barnacle Story” – take a risk and jump off the rock
Once upon a time in a far off land, there was a colony of barnacles that lived happily and peacefully together on The Rock.
They had always lived this way and they always would. It was the ancient way of their barnacle ancestors and nothing was ever expected to change about this. That was until the one ‘rogue’ barnacle decided that he was bored and needed a change.
Some say that in every time and every era, there is always ONE who dares to do things differently. This outlandish barnacle took the risk to ask himself, what else is there besides this rock? This is in itself a very dangerous question since any time you think outside of the status quo, you risk being disenfranchised from the world around you. And this is exactly what happened to our dear little barnacle.
One day he woke up and said I’m tired of living on this rock and just being like everyone else, never daring to do anything differently or taking any risks. Life is safe here but so what?
You see the legends of the barnacles passed down from generations, told horrible tales of barnacles that tried to leave the rock behind and swim out on their own. Especially since barnacles don’t have fins and really can’t swim, this seemed especially dangerous right? Right.
But our beloved barnacle did it anyway. There comes a moment, maybe only once in your life when you have to take a risk and jump off the rock.
So he held his nose (yes I know barnacles don’t really have noses), but he held his sort-of-nose and jumped, right into the fast moving current., Yikes!
And for awhile he was bashed about by the rapidly rushing current. As he was watching his ancient rock fade quickly behind him, he began to doubt his foolishness. Did I do the right thing?
This too is an inevitable moment in the life of an adventurer. We finally get up the nerve to take the risk and then we doubt ourselves. This is the moment when we need all of our buddies and allies to surround us with support. So luckily for our little barnacle, this is exactly what happened.
Just then a big powerful snake came swimming by. Yes I know, there really aren’t snakes in the ocean, but at that time there were ok? So this snake swimming by paused long enough to shout, Don’t stop little barnacle. Just keep going….and let go.
Those were the magic words – let go….and he did.
He rolled over on his little barnacle back and allowed himself to float and instead of fighting the current, he allowed himself to be carried by it. Ah, what a difference that made!
And eventually my friends, our beloved barnacle arrived on the shores of a new land, safe and sound. And he made new friends including a starfish, an eel and a porcupine sea urchin, which he never would have done if he’d stayed on the rock!
He was happy in his new land.
And the moral of this story is clearly, “Take a risk and jump off the rock!”
Thanks to Brian and the beloved barnacles of the world for generating this story.
Ask yourself today, ‘Where do I need to take a risk in my life? What rock do I need to jump off of?’ And let me know what happens ok?
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Annie- You rock!
It humbles me to think…. something I said, generated an idea for an AMAZING story! This affirms my strong belief/faith in a higher power!
Talk soon,
Brian Johnston