It was just another noisy Thursday in frog world.
A group of young frogs was chatting by the side of the lake, discussing the latest news. As the frogs looked at the nearby TV tower, the city’s tallest structure, they thought how wonderful it would be to be able to climb to the top, and go where no frog had ever been. ‘The wind, the view . . . oh, to be on top of the tower!’ said one of the frogs, and the others croaked in agreement.
They decided that the following Sunday, they would all climb to the top of the tower.
On the appointed day, several frogs gathered to watch the group try and do the impossible. As the frogs lined up for the climb, you could hear the shouts from the crowd. ‘Don’t do it, it’s too dangerous!’ ‘No one’s done it before, what makes you think you can do it?’
Some of the young frogs heeded the warnings and dropped out before the climb started. The rest set off nevertheless, and as some tiny frogs slipped and fell, you could hear the shouts grow louder. ‘You can’t do it!’ ‘The tower is way too high!’
One by one, all the frogs gave up. Except one little frog. That frog paid no heed to the exhortations and kept climbing higher and higher until finally, it reached the top of the TV tower. The first frog ever to get there!
The frogs clapped and croaked in delight. When the little frog came down, all of them gathered around it.
‘How did you manage it? What’s the secret of your success?’ they asked. The frog just looked on, smiled and did not say a word. It turned out that it was deaf!
And so while the hordes had been shouting, ‘It can’t be done’, it hadn’t heard a word. It thought they were egging it on, and mistook their shouts for words of encouragement!
Can you lead your life like that little frog?
As you go about chasing your goals, your dreams and your ambitions, disregard the people who tell you it can’t be done. Turn a deaf ear to the critics and the naysayers.
Is there a course of study you want to pursue, but people are saying, ‘With your grades, you’ll never get admission’? Give it a shot.
Is there a new business idea that’s been jumping about in your head, but well-wishers are saying the market’s not quite ready for it? Go for it!
And do you want to be rich and wealthy, and make your dreams come true, but are being told, ‘Get real, no one in our entire family has ever made that kind of money’?
Ignore them all. Turn a deaf ear. And go for it. Chase your dreams.
Remember, what you achieve in life will be limited only by your ambitions, by the size of your dreams. So when people tell you it can’t be done, they are in a sense, just testing your resolve, your commitment to your goals. How badly do you want to climb your own TV tower? And while we are all excited by the size of our dream, most of us get scared by the hard work it entails. So when someone says it can’t be done, we find a convenient excuse to opt out. Giving up is easy. Getting to your goals is hard work.
There will also be moments when you are the one watching other frogs—friends, family and colleagues—trying to climb their TV towers. Be careful what you say to them. You could discourage them and stop them from working towards their goals. Or you could egg them on and help them achieve their goals. The choice is yours. As one wise man said, you can achieve any goal you desire only if you help other people achieve their goals! Now that’s a great leadership lesson to remember!
And yes, did I tell you whom the frog met atop the TV tower? A bumble bee! Now, according to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumble bee cannot fly because its body weight is too high compared to its wingspan. But luckily, the bumble bee never went to school and is unaware of the laws of aerodynamics. So it happily flies!
Be like the bumble bee and the deaf frog. Find your goal, your TV tower. Disregard the sceptics. And go for it. If you can dream it, you can do it!
As you go chasing your goals, your dreams and your ambitions, disregard the people who tell you it can’t be done. Turn a deaf ear to the critics and naysayers. Ignore them all. And go for it. Chase your dreams. Giving up is easy. Getting to your goals is hard work.