There’s a story of a Sufi mystic who was wrongfully imprisoned. While in prison his wife weaved a special prayer rug for him and had it sent to him in his cell.

He prayed on his rug daily, as was his practice, and after a few weeks he started noticing that this rug had a peculiar pattern. He noticed that there was a design, a code, weaved into the rug.

It was the design of a lock.

He was able to convince the guards that he and the other prisoners can have some basic tools in order to keep themselves occupied by making trinkets the guards would be able to sell. Of course the guards agreed and gave them a couple of basic tools, but instead of making only trinkets the Sufi made a key according to the design of the lock.

I’m sure you know what happens next.

The point of the story is that we are all the Sufi. We are all locked in a cell and being kept from doing what we are supposed to be doing. We are held prisoner by our fear of failure, rejection, or danger. This is why one of the most important tasks in life is to know the design of your lock, what is it that is keeping you prisoner?

Get skin in the game, do the work.

Pierre

Thanks Wilma for telling me this story yesterday in our Enneagram training.