"We do not grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges"


Obstacles are generally considered to be negative as they delay our journey to reach the destination but actually they stimulate us and act as a catalyst.  People normally pray not to come across any hurdles or obstacles. But wise men take all sorts of obstacles positively and do not give up mid way because they very well know that combatting obstacles enhances one’s resistivity as well as creativity and ensures the continuity of the journey to success. 

Here is a story for you to get a brighter picture of this idea. 

Play the battle Drums

A king had many elephants, but one of them was very powerful, very obedient, sensible and skillful in fighting skills. In many wars, he was sent on the battlefield and he used to return only after getting victory to the king. Therefore, he was the most loved elephant of the king. Time went by and there came a time when the elephant started getting old. Now he was not able to perform as before. Therefore, now the king did not send him to the battlefield but he still remained a part of his team.


One day the elephant went to the lake to drink water, but his feet got stuck in the mud there and then went on sinking. He tried a lot, but he could not remove himself from the mud. People came to know from the sound of his screams that the elephant was in trouble. The news of the trapping of the elephant also reached the king. All the people, including the king, gathered around the elephant and made various efforts to get him out. But after trying for a long time, there was no way out. 


At that time, Gautama Buddha was passing by that road.  Gautama Buddha first inspected the site of the incident and then suggested to the king that the battle drums should be played around the lake. The listeners felt bizarre how the trapped elephant would come out by playing the drums. As soon as the drums of war started ringing, so did the change in the gesture of that troubled elephant.


At first, the elephant slowly stood up and then came out of the mud on his own, shocking everyone. Gautama Buddha made it clear to everyone that:


Moral :

There was no lack of physical ability of the elephant, only the need was to infuse enthusiasm within it. To maintain enthusiasm in life, it is necessary that humans maintain purposeful thinking and do not let despair dominate. In today’s tough times,

We all need to enthuse ourselves & people around us with hope & enthusiasm by playing the role of the drums.

In order to maintain consistency in life human beings have to overcome negative thoughts by positive approach. People often lose confidence in themselves after failure and hesitate to start over again but they should always keep moving.


If we analyse the story from a wider angle we learn the following :-


-An obstacle is an important part of our lives as every obstacle takes us to a higher level.


-We must greet obstacles with a smile and overcome them with confidence.


- The trust bond between the king and the elephant is exemplary.


- The selfless, consistent and sincere service of the elephant won the king’s heart. Therefore loyal employees always water their work with consistency and sincerity.



- Potential is always within us but under covers, we just need to uncover it layer by layer. Outer motivation acts as a catalyst for this process. In the case of the elephant, it had the calibre to come out of the trap but it lacked motivation. When the battle drums began playing, he came out on his own.


- “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” In our professional lives when we encounter hurdles, we should make turn them as stepping stones and reach the pinnacle. 


- You should focus on choosing solution over problem. Gautam Buddha played the role of a bright leader and focused on problem solving.

Success Kingdom has designed activities specially for challenge management and adaptation. If you want to prepare your team for the upcoming challenges, give us a call.


Stay bright, keep shining!