A man once opened a shop that sold incense sticks. He had a wide variety of fragrances and proudly placed a signboard outside that read: Fragrant Incense Sticks Available Here!
Business picked up quickly. One day, a customer walked in and said, “Your signboard is contradictory. If they’re incense sticks, of course they’ll be fragrant – what’s the need to mention that?”
Agreeing with the logic, the shopkeeper removed the word “fragrant”. Now the board simply said: Incense Sticks Available Here.
A few days later, another gentleman commented, “Why say ‘here’ Obviously, the shop is here – you don’t need to write that!”
Finding it reasonable again, the shopkeeper erased “here”. The board now read: Incense Sticks Available.
Soon after, someone else suggested, “Why write ‘available’ at all? Just writing ‘incense sticks’ is enough.”
The shopkeeper, once more convinced, shortened the board to just one word: Incense Sticks
Ironically, a teacher came by next and remarked, “When your entire shop is dedicated to incense sticks, what’s the point of putting up a signboard at all? Anyone can see what you’re selling.”
Taking this advice too, the shopkeeper took down the signboard altogether.
Over time, business began to slow down. The shopkeeper grew worried.
One day, an old friend visited after many years and quickly noticed his concern. When he asked what was wrong, the shopkeeper explained the decline in business.
The friend looked around and said, “You fool! You opened such a beautiful shop, and couldn’t even bother to put up a simple sign saying: Fragrant Incense Sticks Available Here”
Moral of the Story:
- Not every piece of advice is useful: Learn to distinguish between wise counsel and superficial intellect.
- Trust your own understanding and vision: Your decisions stem from your thoughts, goals, and experience. Constantly changing your plans based on others’ opinions can lead to confusion and failure.
- Maintain a balanced approach: Listening is important — but changing everything based on every opinion is unwise. Analyze advice, reflect on it.
- Clear communication and branding matter: People will only come to you when they clearly know what you offer. Visibility and clarity are essential for growth.
Always remember:
Everyone will have an opinion, but only you truly understand your journey. Let your inner wisdom guide you.
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