A farmer went to his neighbour, a wise man, and asked for a rope to tie his donkey in front of his home. The neighbour informed him that he had no rope, and gave him an advice "You just need to imagine that you are tying the donkey by wrapping your arms around his neck" said the wise man. The farmer did what he was told, and the next morning, he was surprised to find the donkey in the same place.
Very pleased, he gave him a gentle pat on his back and tried to guide him to the field to work, but the donkey did not move at all. He tried with all his might to move the donkey, but to no avail. Frustrated, he went back to the wise man and asked his advice. "Go back and imagine that you are untying the donkey." said the wise man. "But there is no tie, sir." said the farmer. "Yes," shouted the wise man, "There is no tie in your mind, but the tie is still in the donkey's mind." The farmer then went back to the donkey, did what the wise man told him to do, and the donkey obediently moved.
- Some people are just like the donkey, they are tied by ropes of negative thoughts. Unless they break free from such hindering thoughts, they'll never be able to move forward.
Hamza Balol is a Chicken Soup for the Soul fan and he got the chance to read more than 4,000 short pieces from this best-selling series since he joined their daily newsletter more than 11 years ago. He currently works as International Purchasing Coordinator for a medical company in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for more than 13 years. You can contact him at