Business lessons from a smelly fruit

Business is the main meal and the fuck-ups are the appetizers that we never ordered, but are forced to eat. It’s only after we fully accept and consume them that we experience the nutrients that follows the failures. 

There are beautiful lessons to learn if you open yourself up and embrace these delicious unwanted appetizers.

Here is another way of looking at it. 

While in Bali for a yoga retreat, my friend Scott went on and on about a tropical fruit called durian and how delicious it was but we didn’t have any while at the retreat. 

One, its hard to get, two, it wasn’t allowed on the resort because of its unbearable odour. 

It wasn’t till the day we were on our way back to Ubud that our friend Keduk surprised us. We stopped off at the side of the road and exited the van. He bought us durian but it was tied to the back of the tail pipe because he didn’t want to stink up the car. 

If you Google durian fruit smell, here is what comes up:

“its odor is best described as…turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock.”

In business, its not as important to avoid fuck-ups, as it is to accept their inevitability and learn how to respond when they arrive.

Business fuck-ups are kind of like the durian fruit. looks uncomfortable to hold onto, smells like shit, but tastes amazing when you dive in and is one of the most nutritious fruits on earth. 

Whats even more interesting, if you don’t want to walk around with smelly durian breath, the trick is to pour water in the empty durian shell and drink it. 

The same properties that make you stinky, are the same properties that will freshen your breadth. 

Hmmmm…maybe this stinky little tropical fruit is not just a metaphor for business failures, but for our entire life.