Every Summer, Tom and his parents went to Mediocre Beach for the holidays.

Mediocre Beach was much like every other seaside attraction.

It had sand, water and nice clear skies, but it also had lots and lots of people.

In fact there were so many people that it was difficult to find space to lay down a towel on the sand.

People jostled for position in the shallow water closest to the shore and it had turned into a beach that wasn’t very enjoyable.

One day as Tom was elbowing through the crowd, he looked out to the deeper waters and saw a small group of people swimming.

They seemed so happy as they splashed about with plenty of room around them.

Tom looked at them with envy and then couldn’t help but yell out, “How did you get out there?”

“We just swam.  Come and join us, the water is awesome out here!” came the happy reply.

Tom was about to dive in and start swimming, when he felt someone grab his arm.

“Don’t do it,” the stranger said. “It’s too risky and you could drown.  You’re better off staying here in the shallows with the rest of us.”

“But it’s so crowded here and they look like they’re having so much fun,” protested Tom.

“What more do you want?  This is still a beach, it has water and sand, just be happy with what you’ve got.  I’m telling you, it’s not worth the risk.”  sneered the man.

“But they got there safely,” exclaimed Tom.

“Yes, but they’re the exceptional few who are very lucky.  The rest of us are destined to swim in the shallows with the masses.”

Tom thought about his situation for a moment.

Should he take the risk?

Or is he really destined to jostle for position with everyone else?

He nodded his head to himself and made a break for it, swimming with all of his might until he made it to the exceptional few.

When he got there, he was greeted with high fives and salutations.

He was rapt and surprised to find that the water was just as shallow there.  It seems as though they had found a sand bar all the way out there that allowed them to enjoy all of the elements of the beach without having to wade through the crowd.

“This is awesome!” said Tom.  “But why are there so few people out here?”

“Because most people are happy with what they know and are unable to bring themselves to take the risk required to join the exceptional few,” came the reply.

“But it wasn’t that hard, the risk wasn’t that great, I’m sure that they would make it if they had the courage and put in the effort.”

“That’s true, but most people put up with what they know, even if it’s never truly satisfying, because they choose not to take the necessary risk.  That’s why we are the exceptional few, not because of luck or fate, but due to courage and a willingness to work. ”

After writing a simple story like this, I have a couple of questions for you:

Are you stuck on Mediocre Beach or do you have the courage to join the exceptional few?

Will you choose a life of scarcity or one of plentiful resources?

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