Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Three Frogs

There are three frogs sitting on a log hanging out in the pond. It is a nice sunny day, a gentle breeze blows. Enough flies wander by so the frogs have an occasional snack. One of the frogs says, "I made a decision. I am going to jump off of the log."

How many frogs are left on the log?

The answer is three. The frog said he made a decision to jump.

Making a decision to do something and actually doing something are very different. Of course, you are saying. That is obvious. Yes, it is obvious. And, consider this... how many times have you said something like, "I am going to get more exercise" or "I am going to start walking each day"? Better yet, have you ever said, "I am going to try and make better food choices"? If you want to put even more pressure on yourself you can say something like, "I really need to get more sleep."

The frogs can teach us a lesson which is vaguely reminiscent of something your Mother used to say, "Say what you do and do what you say." If we take this to heart, we should not utter the words, "I've made a decision..." or "I am going to try..." We could instead say, "I am walking every day!" and "I am eating more vegetables."

The vast majority of people in this country are overweight, don't get the recommended amount of exercise and don't eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. If you are one of those people: Option 1: Give yourself a break and stop pretending you are going to do something about it, or,
Option 2: Give yourself a gift and actually get up from where you are right now, take a walk and then eat a vegetable.

As Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try."


No comments:

Post a Comment