Are you carrying buckets or building a pipeline?

The Parable of the Pipeline

Far away in a small village near a beautiful Valley lived two friends Pablo and Bruno, they were both young and dreamed of a better life for themselves.  They often discussed their dreams about how they would become the most successful men in the village.  They weren't afraid of hard work and they searched for opportunities to help realize their goals and achieve their dreams. 

One day an opportunity presented itself. The mayor of the village decided to hire two people to bring water from the spring up on the mountain across the valley back down to the village. They were to be paid based on the amount of water delivered to the village. Bruno and Pablo enthusiastically got to work every day from morning till evening. They carried buckets to and from the spring, they worked hard carrying water to the village.  In the evening they returned home with a day's wages. 

Bruno was satisfied with his work and the money he earned. He was sure that with this work he could achieve his dreams. Bruno thought that to increase wages he could use bigger buckets to bring more water each trip, he believes with a larger income he would soon be able to buy a cow and the house that he dreamed about.

Now Pablo was not satisfied. At the end of the day his back and hands ached and he was exhausted. He was looking for an easier way to earn more. One day and idea occurred to Pablo, he imagined building a pipeline to deliver the water from the mountain spring to the village with this pipeline, he could get more water to the village without carrying buckets back and forth from the spring to the village. 

He got very excited about the idea and begin to plan. Pablo of course shared his idea with his friend Bruno and asked him to join him and help build the pipeline.  Bruno thought the idea was crazy and all he could think about was what his money could buy today and how to get it quicker. He felt that building a pipeline would slow him down and delay him in achieving his goals. Instead Bruno got bigger buckets and went more often back and forth fetching water. He was sure that with this method he could make more money.

Pablo decided to build the pipeline on his own, he understood that it would not be easy to build it and would take time to complete the pipeline. Pablo knew that it could take several years to finish, but he set his mind on the his goal. Every day he worked and carried water like before but on weekends and during his spare time he would work hard to dig in the rocky soil and build his pipeline. In the first month there was little to show for his work.  Bruno and the villagers laughed and teased him, they called Pablo the “pipeline man”.

During this time Bruno's income doubled, he already bought a cow and a bigger house. His lifestyle changed and he spent time after work in the bar enjoying his hard-earned wages from delivering water.  What Bruno didn't realize was that his body was starting to feel the effects from carrying the heavy buckets every day.  His face looked worn and his body tired.  Soon he began to carry less and less water due to the wear and tear on his body.

Month after month Pablo worked.  Soon a year passed and then a second year, finally Pablo finished his pipeline.  He now uses the pipeline to deliver water to the village instead of carrying buckets.  Pablo was now earning more money than ever before. The water continued flowing to the village when Pablo wasn't working and while he slept, the water flowed.  Pablo was happy and proud of his inside persistence and hard work now his income flowed as long as the water flowed through the pipeline. 

Are you carrying buckets or building a pipeline?

 -  Story Credit to 'The Parable of the Pipeline' by Burke Hedges