Early one morning, just as the sun is rising and throwing its gentle light through the bars of the one window that graces his prison cell, Armand is awakened by a sound he has never heard before. He knows immediately that it isn\u2019t coming from the ocean that lies somewhere outside the prison walls; the sound of its waves and the wind that carries them to his ears have become his only friends, even though he can see neither of them due to the height of his cell window. His mind races; a faint smile comes over his face as he thinks I must be losing my mind. But there it is again, only louder; there can be no doubt about it: a distinct scratching noise is coming up from out of the hard dirt floor of his cell.<\/p>\n
A heartbeat later, the ground farthest away from the cell window starts moving, and, in another instant, it breaks wide open and from out of it pops, like a gladiola, a head with long hair and a beard.<\/p>\n
Before Armand can say a word, the man silences him and says, \u201cHush! Don\u2019t be afraid. My name is Edmond. I have much to explain, and we haven\u2019t much time! I\u2019m one of several political prisoners living here who has been digging an escape tunnel for over two years now. Just beyond the walls of your cell sits the ocean\u2014and our way out of this hellhole.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pauses long enough to make sure that Armand is getting the big picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve tunneled as far as we can without being caught, so now it\u2019s on your shoulders. Are you following me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Armand shakes his head as if to say no, but Edmond continues on anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me carefully\u2014that is, if you want to get out of this place alive. Here\u2019s what remains to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaking the dirt from his hair, Edmond rises slightly out of the hole he\u2019s standing in, raises his arm, and points his finger towards the wall in Armand\u2019s cell that has the window in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDig six feet down from right there, head due east, and less than two hundred yards from that spot is freedom for all of us!\u201d<\/p>\n
Armand says, \u201cYes\u2009\u2026\u2009yes, I will do it! Anything to see my friends and family again.\u201d
\nTo which Edmond responds, \u201cGreat! I\u2019ll check back with you by the new moon\u2014sooner if it\u2019s safe to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometime later, again just before sunrise, Edmond pops his head back up through the floor in Armand\u2019s cell and, using only his eyes, asks how things are going. Armand smiles broadly and says, proudly, \u201cI\u2019ve done it!\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmond quietly exclaims, \u201cGood heavens, that was fast!\u201d And, without wasting a moment, he climbs out of his hole, races across the cell, and dives into the opening of the new tunnel he had asked Armand to dig. Less than five minutes later, Edmond pops back up out of the hole with a look of sheer horror on his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy all that\u2019s holy, man, what have you done?\u201d<\/p>\n
Armand looks at Edmond, wondering what his problem is, somewhat shocked at his negative reaction. \u201cWhat do you mean? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember what we discussed\u2014what I told you to do? Do you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Not waiting for Armand to answer, Edmond continues. \u201cI told you to dig in the direction towards the ocean. The tunnel you\u2019ve dug leads directly back into the center of the prison yard!\u201d
\nArmand just looks at him for a moment and says, as if it makes all the sense in the world, \u201cYes, I know, but the digging was easier in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
KEY LESSON:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the real reason why it\u2019s so important to always go the extra mile\u2014to do what you don\u2019t want to do or feel like you can\u2019t do\u2014whenever it comes to your work to be free: there is no other way for you to make contact with, and then call upon, an indwelling limitless resource that will only reveal itself to you after you\u2019ve exhausted your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Early one morning, just as the sun is rising and throwing its gentle light through the bars of the one window that graces his prison cell, Armand is awakened by a sound he has never heard before. He knows immediately that it isn\u2019t coming from the ocean that lies somewhere outside the prison walls; the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574,511],"tags":[2763,2765,2766,1708,21,2535,2764],"class_list":["post-5356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-freedom-2","category-uplifting-quote-key-lesson","tag-going-in-the-wrong-direction","tag-going-the-extra-mile","tag-limitless-potential","tag-mediocrity","tag-resistance","tag-taking-the-easy-way","tag-wasted-effort"],"yoast_head":"\n