The Optimist vs. Pessimist - There must be a Pony!

The Story of “There must be a Pony” by Jim Kirkwood is a favorite of mine. There have been many variations of the cover story which appears on the front of the book as well as jokes which have been adapted from it. For me, it can reflect our way of being. Is the glass half empty or half full? How we choose to reflect on life can affect our successes and failures. A lot of the hesitation we might have is usually just our negative interpretations. By getting elevation and reflecting on the tasks in hand, recognizing that in reality there are no obstacles to success other than those that we may place in our own way.

The short story goes like so. A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other was their looks. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought it was too cold. If one said the TV was too loud, the other claimed the volume needed to be turned up. Opposite in every way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom and gloom pessimist.

Just to see what would happen, on the twins' birthday their father decided to undertake an experiment.

He loaded the pessimist's room with every imaginable toy and game a child could dream of. The optimist's room he loaded with horse manure.

That night the father passed by the pessimist's room and found him sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly.

"Why are you crying?" the father asked.

"Because I don’t understand why this is happening, my friends will be jealous, I'll have to read all these instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I'll constantly need batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken." answered the pessimist twin.

Passing the optimist twin's room, the father found him dancing for joy in the pile of manure, covered from head to toe in the unpleasant substance.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked.

To which his optimist twin replied, "With all this house crap around, there's got to be a pony in here somewhere!"

Are obstacles really in the way of your success?

What if there were no obstacles? Nothing to stop you from succeeding in your goals?  Better still, what if our belief that there are obstacles that are impossible to overcome, are actually just an illusion, a figment of our imagination, something our brain does to play tricks on us, to convince us we just can’t do it? We can’t succeed!

The reality is that most of the obstacles we place in our way are not real, or at least to the degree we think they are. When you look at young kids, they can be reckless, fearless, and inspirational in their seeking the spirit of adventure with a passion that we could all benefit from. They have not yet been conditioned for fear, failure, or fault. And conditioning itself is irreversible.

In coaching, we call it “transformation” because, unlike change, transformation is a more permanent state of mind or process akin to rewiring an electrical item instead of making a repair or change to its circuitry.

When coaching clients, a common expression is not “why isn’t it possible” as this in itself is an invitation for a host of reasons as to impossibly but instead we ask “what is stopping you?” Almost always, after talking through the potential for success available to clients, it is for the most part clear that there are no obstacles in the way and the only thing actually stopping you is yourself.

So, rather than thinking “I can’t do it, there are too many obstacles in the way”. Ask yourself instead,” is there anything actually stopping me from achieving my goal?”

Give yourself a break, and take a leap of faith. it’s fun!

Why do people use me as a business mentor or coach?

Peter Gourri at the Indian Consulate in New York City on January 19, 2021

Why do people use me as a coach, especially my corporate as well as other business clients? Well it isn’t just because I am a trained ICF coach, who also has extensive experience in business mentoring and coaching, leadership training and personal development. It is also because I make it my business to ensure that I have the up to date knowledge of business practices to ensure I have the abilities to make my clients more successful. 

I was delighted to have been invited by Consul General of India in New York City, Mr Randhir Jaiswal, in partnership with MPEDA and USISPF to an event celebrating Indian Seafood and its impact in the United States of America. It’s a lesser known fact that India exports thousands of tons of seafood, especially shrimp to the USA every year. After an excellent presentation, during which I had an opportunity to ask questions from subject matter experts in India and New York, there were samples of food to taste and enjoy. The food as you would expect was absolutely delicious. It was presented by the famous Michelin Star Chef Hemant Mathur of Saar

For me, being invited to the consulate wasn’t just having some fun engaging with others and tasting delicious food, although it was definitely enjoyable. It was primarily an opportunity to obtain knowledge about different aspects of international business. My background in business goes back to 1987 when I started off as a 17 year old outdoor clerk with a firm of Solicitors (Attorneys) in the Inner Temple area of the City of London. After hard work and a legal education, I rose to become a senior litigation and business lawyer representing small, medium and large businesses as well as individuals. 

My practice included providing business and legal advice and suing or defending against governments, institutions with diplomatic immunity to multinational conglomerates and all types of business. I also enjoyed representing nonprofit organizations and startups, providing them with practical advice on best practice and success. 

Because of my extensive background in business it means that I have very extensive set of skills not just as an ICF coach but also as somebody who has been there, done it and helped numerous individuals and businesses to transform themselves into greater success and contentment.  I’m able to give my clients practical knowledge based on that extensive expertise in business and individual success.

If you want to make your business more successful, or perhaps you want to have a startup or resolve issues which you can’t quite put your finger on as to why it is still around, drop me a line by clicking here. I have no doubt I will be able to help you.