In the book “Where the Red Fern Grows“, a boy is able to trap racoons by putting a shiny object inside an opening that is too small to pull a paw out if it’s holding anything.
This is similar to having a cookie inside a jar with a small opening. You can’t fit your hand through unless you leave the cookie in the jar. In this case, the easy solution is for the raccoon to drop the object and move on.
However, despite the obvious fix, a racoon was always trapped in the hole the next day. They give up their life holding on to something worthless.
The raccoon was too stubborn to let go.
Leaders, are you ever that raccoon?
Is that shiny object really important? Are you willing to give up everything for it?
Times are changing. Sometimes it’s okay to let go, to go forward.
Let go tonight,
Aaron@Biebert
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The short answer, Aaron, is “Yes.” Guilty as charged. It doesn’t end well for the raccoon either, does it?
Nope. It doesn’t end up at all. :-)
Thanks for stopping by.
Aaron,
Two things popped into my mind when I opened your post this afternoon. (Neither are by me, they are hanging in my Inspiration Corner!)
#1- You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.
and
#2 “If you wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.” -Toni Morrison
Have a righteous and strong day, Aaron.
~Amber-Lee
Amber-Lee, I love both of those quotes. Thank you for sharing. So true!
Have a great night!
I’m not stubborn, I’m just stuck in my ways!
:-)
Very interesting. How do you know the difference between persistence and stubbornness? Tough question.
Derrick, I think they are very similar, but that difference is persistence is “doing something” and stubborness is “not doing something”.
You aren’t stubborn if you keep at something, you are stubborn for refusing to do something. (i.e. stubborn for not letting go, persistent for always holding on).
Both can be a negative or positive.
Thanks for the comment Derrick. Hope my two cents help. :-)
I wonder about this concept/dilemma all the time! All I really know is the personal pattern I’ve seen. I’ll stick to anything as long as I can find the flow to it. I don’t mind a few boulders in the way now and again. But when more energy goes into pushing it away or running around it gets me nowhere, I figure it’s time to move on to something else. That’s usually when I find the answer to the problem to the lack of flow. The answer almost always it found when I’ve moved on and focused on a new project.
Thanks Aaron!
There definitely isn’t any rules that tell us when we’re not letting go of something we ought to be. That’s what experience is for.
Sounds like you’ve figured out a good balance. That’s key.
Thanks for the thoughts!