On this occasion I bring a transcription of the book La Vaca, by Dr. Camilo Cruz, who defines the work as "A METAPHOR ON HOW TO OVERCOME CONFORMISM AND MEDIOCRITY."

It has seven chapters, this one being the short version, the extended version has 9 chapters, but in this short version I have learned a lot and I want to share it with you.

Every day, following the steps of my friend @DarthCoin, I will share a chapter.

Prologue

I first heard the story of the cow on a flight from New York to Buenos Aires, from a lovely lady who, fortunately for me, was assigned the seat next to me. The flight leaves at around seven in the evening; by midnight you are only finishing dinner.

On these long flights, you either fall asleep or end up talking to the person next to you, trying to shorten the time somehow. So after talking about our professions, family, and how much we had to travel, and after the usual exchange of business cards, we began to talk about the work that took us to Argentina.

I have always been fortunate that when people hear that I am a writer, they feel motivated to share with me anecdotes, stories, and tales that have taught them something. Others tell me about the books or authors that have most moved or inspired them, which for me has always been an extraordinary source of new ideas.

So there, in the comfort of a modern Boeing 777, as we flew over some part of the northern part of our continent, at about one in the morning, I heard the story of the cow for the first time. I should add that since that time, and especially since I started sharing it in my talks, I have heard different versions of this story.

The interesting thing is that when she told it to me, the story lasted no more than two or three minutes. However, after having told it hundreds of times I have realized that it gets better and better. It is like a television series, in which every week new characters appear, the story gets longer by a few minutes, new lessons emerge and it becomes much more complex.

So after having shared it with tens of thousands of people in several countries, during one of my presentations someone approached me and asked me to send her the story of the cow by email.

On that occasion, it had taken me a little more than two hours to tell the story. So I decided to do something better than send her a hasty summary of this spectacular metaphor; I decided - once and for all - to write the tragic story of the cow. Of course, what I am presenting here is my version of the cow's story.

I must warn you that any resemblance to real events or characters is purely coincidental (although entirely intentional).

Personally, I believe that the story of the cow is a story about how to get rid of those habits, excuses and beliefs that keep us tied to mediocrity. I have always believed that the worst enemy of success is conformity. This metaphor illustrates the devastating effects that this can have on our lives and the great changes that can occur when we finally decide to get rid of all our excuses. However, I want the reader to decide what lesson he wants to derive from this story.

And although, it is likely that at this point, it is still impossible for you to understand the meaning of the following statement, if you find that you have not learned anything... That is your cow!