You know, we can learn a valuable lesson from the grasshopper, the elephant, and the way people think. This is why. If you want to have a grasshopper as a pet, all you need to do is catch that grasshopper in a jar with a lid. And like many of us, an imprisoned grasshopper will desperately try to escape using its powerful legs to break through the wall of resistance in search of freedom over and over again. At first, that grasshopper looked very persistent and determined to change his situation. And he would try again and again with no luck breaking free. Then something happens, the grasshopper stops, the persistence of the leak stops. At this point, we all know that the grasshopper will never try to escape by jumping out of the jar with the lid. At this point, you can remove the lid and your (pet) grasshopper will not escape because once the grasshopper has learned that his situation did not change over and over again, no matter what he has done in the past, he is convinced that he never will. will do. change in the future. And you will settle into your new life without any desire to go beyond that comfort zone.
Many of us know how elephant trainers teach elephants to stay in place. They take the baby elephant and put a strong chain around his ankle and, like the grasshopper, the baby elephant pulls and pulls until it stops. And even once the elephant becomes an adult, its beliefs do not change. The trainer could tie a thin rope around the elephant’s very ankle and it would not attempt to separate.
So there are similar parallels here in this simple life lesson between the grasshopper, the elephant, and people who have given up and adopted the same mindset as the grasshopper and the elephant, becoming comfortable and complacent with no sense of moving on, even if success is within reach. Mentally, this person sees you as unattainable and unattainable; it is very difficult for them to say. There are many issues with the grasshopper and elephant mindset when they are adopted by an individual, a group, or even an industry such as:
Ø The individual sees himself as unable to fit in with his peers or unable to take advantage of new technologies.
Ø They can prematurely assess the situation or the competition and determine and perhaps convince themselves of not being successful by saying to themselves: “I am too old”, “I do not have enough resources”, “I do not have enough experience”. , “I don’t want to get involved” or maybe “I was born on the wrong side of the tracks.” We all know the song, but we keep singing it.
The game of chess is another example comparable to the game of our life. If you want to be successful, this is how you play. Chess is a game of change and adaptation. You have specific rules that players must follow to set up the game board. You have rules about how and in what direction the chess pieces should move on the board. Then you have rules on how to capture a chess piece and finally how to win the game. Although in chess there are rules in the game and one must follow them; Nobody plays the same because there are millions of ways to win and millions of ways to lose, but the result depends on the interactive interaction process between the two players. Similarly, there are rules that govern change, and there are rules for adapting to change, but there is no single path a person must take that leads to the path of success. Why? Because we are all different, no two people are the same, even if they were identical twins. Change and adaptation depend on the mentality of the person, be it positive or negative. It can also depend on the biological makeup of that person and the psychological makeup and / or environment in which they live. So when talking about which situation will best promote efficiency in the workplace, it is best to think about what specifically will lead to greater competence and productivity of the individual employee. The environment for a thing or the culture of the workplace can help improve efficiency. So to avoid the grasshopper and elephant mentality as a human being, you must be able to accept, respond and adapt to change because if not, you will be stuck in that position without knowing the ability within you that is greater than external forces. . Throw away your mental blocks because it will only lead to regression, limitations, stagnation, and ultimately failure to achieve your goals. Remember that you can limit yourself, not your circumstances in life.
Permission granted solely by Dr. Derrick Darden, PhD
Blog site: http://dcdardentalks.com (Subscribe to receive fortnightly articles)
Reference:
Amen, D. (1992). Don’t Shoot Yourself in the foot (A program to end self-destructive behavior
Forever), Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, NY 10020
