One day, Confucius and his disciples were traveling through the State of Chu. While crossing a forest, they saw a hunchbacked old man standing under a tree, catching cicadas with a bamboo pole. With each deft stroke, he caught one, as easily as picking it up at will.
Confucius asked, "You are remarkably skillful. There must be a method to it."
"Indeed," replied the old man. "Cicadas are alert insects; the slightest rustle of leaves will startle them away. Therefore, the first step is to train your hand to hold the pole perfectly steady. If you can balance two pellets on its tip without them falling, you gain some assurance in catching cicadas. With three pellets steady, perhaps only one in ten escapes. When you can balance five pellets, catching them becomes as effortless as gathering them by hand."
He continued, "But that alone is not enough. One must also master concealment. Here I stand, resembling half a tree stump, my arm extended like a withered twig. Lastly, and most crucially, one must cultivate absolute focus. When I am catching cicadas, I think not of the vastness of the universe, nor do I notice the myriad things around me. My vision is fixed solely on the cicada's wings. Nothing distracts my attention. It is by accomplishing all this that I have attained such skill."
Hearing this, Confucius turned to his disciples and said, "Remember this truth from the hunchbacked elder: In any endeavor, only through unwavering perseverance and concentrated devotion can one reach the acme of perfection."