Once Upon a Business – Episode 85
The Boy and His Drum
Lisa Bloom: There was once a boy who loved to play the drum. His mother and father would often tell him to stop. But his auntie was the worst of all. She couldn’t stand the sound of the thing. Now, at some distance from where they were living was a place where lots of fruit grew. But nobody went there because a strange animal was said to live in a cave nearby. One day, the boy’s auntie, driven mad by his drumming, sent him to pick some of that fruit in the fruit grove.
Hi, I’m Lisa Bloom, the story coach. And you’re listening to Once Upon a Business. In each episode, we explore a story, a fairy tale, folk tale or traditional story so that we can discover the amazing lessons relevant for business and for entrepreneurs.
The boy didn’t want to go, but his auntie insisted. When he reached the place, he began to pick the fruit. Suddenly he heard a terrible sound. And there, coming towards him, he saw the monster. The boy was terrified, but in a moment of inspiration, he grabbed the drum he’d brought with him and began to beat it. The monster stopped in his tracks, looked at the boy and to his amazement, began to dance. All day, the boy beat the drum and the monster danced. Finally, towards sunset, it returned to its cave and the boy slipped away.
At home, his auntie was furious that he hadn’t brought back any fruit. He tried to tell her why, but she wouldn’t believe him. His father and mother, however, agreed to go and look. So the next day, they set off to see for themselves. When they got there, the auntie spotted that the boy had brought his drum. You’re here to pick the fruit, she said. And taking the drum away from him, she hung it up on a branch of the tree, out of reach. It wasn’t long before the strange creature appeared.
With one gulp, he swallowed the ante, followed by the mother and father. By this time, the boy had managed to leap up and reach his drum. He began to play. The monster immediately took up the beat and began to dance. As before, the boy played for his life. In fact, he played so fast that after a while the monster spat up his father and mother. At this, the boy’s drumming slowed down. Come on, said his father. Play your drum again and let your auntie out, too. Do I have to? Asked the boy. Yes, son, you must.
So, reluctantly, the boy agreed. Out came the auntie. When darkness came and the monster disappeared, they went home. The auntie didn’t say a word. But the next morning, she herself brought him his drum. The boy was very happy.
This was a story from Ashley Ramsden in the Storyteller’s Way. The first thing that strikes me about this story is how incredibly intolerant the boy’s parents, and especially his auntie are. It seems to be a story about forgiveness and doing the right thing. When the child has a chance to be rid of his aunt, he agrees to bring her back. But as always, there’s much more than that to this interesting little tale.
Right at the start, we’re introduced to the place where I lots of fruit grew, but nobody went there because a strange animal was said to live in a cave nearby. This idea that there’s something desirable and valuable that’s guarded by a monster, well, it’s a very common theme in many stories and you could see it as almost a rite of passage. The young boy needs to face the monster and survive.
From a business perspective, there’s an interesting parallel. When we start out, we have an idea or a desire, and we hope that it will bear fruit, that well be able to turn the idea into a viable business from which we can make revenue. Often, there’s a sense that we face a monster in doing this. The monster might be marketing, or it could be in production or delivery. There are certain big challenges that we need to overcome in order to realize the dream, just like the boy faces the monster in order to survive and also bring home the fruit.
But let’s talk about the main theme of the story, the boy and his drum. Clearly the boy has a great passion and talent, but it’s not recognized as that. The story tells us that his aunt is driven mad by the sound of it. Have you ever driven someone mad by your obsessive interest in something? I would imagine that many entrepreneurs and business owners can relate to this. I’ve definitely been caught in conversations with people who are completely mad over some random subject that I have no interest in. So I can imagine how the aunt felt.
Also, as a mother, I know that kids can be noisy, very noisy, and I wonder if my parents or family felt the same when they heard me practicing the piano every day for years during my childhood. Thankfully, they didn’t send me to face a monster over it. But there’s also that common saying, maybe you’ve heard it. Yes, she marches to the beat of her own drum, meaning she does things differently, that she strays from the norm and is firm in her lack of attention to what is expected. Her uncommon path.
Usually the term is used in praise, though sometimes people can use it sarcastically to criticize a person for being different. I sometimes felt that growing up, not so much in my immediate family, but beyond them, that my difference was not appreciated, that a desire for something other than the expected path was not quite legitimate. In this story, the boy literally marches to the beat of his own drum and he succeeds in taming the monster and his aunt. So high praise for individuality and choosing your own path.
And isn’t that the truth for entrepreneurs? By and large, we forge ahead on our own path despite the often lack of support or understanding. And we beat the monsters by making them dance. You see, the boy doesn’t slay the monster. He doesn’t come home with the head of the monster dripping blood across the threshold. To prove his worth and his strength, the boy makes the monster dance. How lovely. Perhaps the lesson is that when we follow our passion, find the beat of our own drum, and play it with or without support, we will make them dance. We will surprise and delight all those that may stand in our way, and we’ll return home with a basket full of fruit.
I’m Lisa Bloom and you’ve been listening to Once Upon a Business. You can find out more about me at story-coach.com. That’s story-coach.com. Once Upon a Business is part of the Mirasee FM podcast network, which also includes such shows as Making It and Neuroscience of Coaching. To catch the great episodes that are coming up on Once Upon a Business, please like and follow us on Mirasee FM’s YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.
Thank you. We’ll see you next time.