Have you ever received a pearl of wisdom? You probably have but might not have thought of it in that way. This might be a phrase that you are unfamiliar with. Webster’s dictionary defines the phrase pearl of wisdom as a wise word or statement. It also goes on to say that it is sometimes humorous. The example it gives is “A crowd of reporters gathered around the coach after the game to hear him dispense his usual pearls of wisdom.”
As a former college basketball coach, I am confused as to why that is humorous. Surely, what I said was wise, helpful, insightful, and by all means serious! But, if you want a humorous word from me that is also wise, then I’d tell you to never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
Cheesy, I know. But seriously though, you don’t want to learn that lesson on your own.
The wise word – or pearl of wisdom – that I want to give you today actually revolves around pearls.
As humans, we don’t like change and we don’t like growth because it takes work and is sometimes painful. However, if there is no irritation – if there is no effort or investment – then it is difficult for growth to take place.
This is where pearls come in. Have you ever thought about where that beautiful (way-too-pricey) pearl at the store comes from? A grain of sand or some other small object slips into the shell of an oyster. Because of the irritating nature of the sand, the oyster releases some fluid (I think of it like when we get something in our eye and our eye waters) and surrounds the irritant, eventually encapsulating it in layers of secretion. Thus, we end up with a beautifully round pearl that was started because of irritation.
So, the next time you go through a challenging situation or engage in conversation with an irritating person, remember the pearl and why they become beautiful. We too can become better (and beautiful, so to speak) through our experiences in life – even if they are irritating, at times.
Until next time, remember that success is a choice. What choice will you make today?