The Little Frog

Are you doing what you always wanted to do?

There's something that Miles Monroe once said that struck me. He said the richest place on earth is - not the diamond mines of South Africa, not the Federal Reserve but - the cemetery. Now at first I was disturbed but he went on to explain. A cemetery is a place where people are laid to rest. People who had great dreams and potential but never got around to fulfilling it: Books that were never written, songs that were never sang, discoveries that were never made.

So the question is: Why don't people live their dreams?

I recall a famous story about little frogs that goes something like this...

There was once a group of little frogs that held a big race.

The goal was to reach the top of a very tall tower.

A huge crowd gathered round to SPECTATE and cheer .

And the race began...

Honestly, no one in the crowd believed that any of the contestants would reach the top.

So as the frogs were running, they heard voices from the crowd.

It's too high. They can never reach the top. It's too difficult. It has never been done.

The tiny frogs began to collapse.

Some in a fresh drive began climbing higher and higher.

But the higher they went the louder the voices became. It's too hard! They won't make it!

The frogs grew tired and dropped out of the race...

Except for this one frog who went higher and higher.

This one wouldn't give up.

And he pushed on till he reached the top of the tower.

Naturally, all the frogs wanted to know his secret.

Turns out, the winner was DEAF.

Now in life we all have dreams.
And where there are dreams, there are haters.
Voices looking to discourage you from the calling God placed in your heart. It will never work. It has never been done. You don't have enough money. You don't have the support. You're not of the right gender. You're not of the right race. Why can't you just be like everyone else?

We can choose to hear the voices and drop out of the race. Or we can choose to stay true to the dream God placed in our hearts.

And by the way... when you give up on your dream, lots of people suffer. Many could have benefited from it... but you will never know.

Obstacles will definitely show up. Potholes will appear. Doors will be shut. Phones will go unanswered. People will try to convince you how it's impossible.

But those who will be deaf to the negativity... they are the ones who will succeed. Those who will be blind to the prospect of failure... they will get to live their dreams.

This is your chance... show us what you've got.

THE POWER OF A PARADIGM

According to Steven Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a paradigm is the lens through which we see the world.

Paradigm  - Dictionary definition: A set of assumptions, concepts, values and practices that constitute a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.

Let me break it down in a less boring way.

Imagine yourself wearing a pair of glasses. Would you see clearly? Picture yourself driving with a broken windshield. Would you go far?

A paradigm is like a pair of glasses or a windshield. It is the eyes we use to see the world. And how we see the world influences how we act.

For example, I was always TOLD that dogs are vicious monstrous creatures. To make things better, we had two huge German Shepherds growing up. I would NEVER leave the house if they weren’t in their kennels. I would imagine that if I ever met with them, they’d tear me to pieces. This fear grew with me till adulthood. It was so profound that if I saw a dog lying on the road, I’d go back to wherever it is I was coming from.

A few months ago, I visited the countryside and there were dogs everywhere. One day, while I was home alone, a huge puppy came running towards me. I thought, “This is it! Goodbye cruel world.” But she just licked my hands and smiled. I couldn’t say that I got over my fear of dogs that day but after constant exposure that fear faded.

 

Now there are many things that we are told as children or even adults. Many times people didn’t actually say it but you could see it through their actions. You are too slow, you’re not smart enough, you are too fat, you are not strong enough, you’ll never amount to anything, you are not as pretty as she is, why can’t you be like him… And the list is endless. 

These distorted views end up affecting our lives from our relationships, to our careers, our finances and even our happiness. 

However, the good news about paradigms is that they can be changed. It all starts with looking at your beliefs. What are they and where do they come from? Are they true? 

People project their own flaws onto you. For example, a person who chooses to talk to people of a certain class, race or social status, only shows how shallow THEY are. It has nothing to do with you. A parent who favors a child over another because they are athletic, shows how flawed THEY are. Has nothing to do with you. A teacher who says you'll never amount to anything, shows how incompetent THEY are. It has absolutely nothing to do with you.

When we were children, we took everything as gospel truth. As adults we can CHOOSE to IGNORE the negativity and only believe the TRUTH about ourselves. 

We can CHANGE our paradigms. We can dig deeper into who we really are as opposed as to what people want us to be.

And it all starts with changing our beliefs. Here’s one… You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different.