The 5 Frogs
There are five frogs sitting on a log. Three of the frogs decide to jump off. How many frogs are left on the log?
If you answered “two”, you join over 90% of the people who answer this question wrongly. The correct answer is five, because deciding to jump off and jumping off are two different things.
Sometimes we decide we want to do something but then we don’t follow through on actually doing it. Think about how often people set New Year’s resolutions and work hard to achieve them… but only for the first few days or weeks. All too soon, life returns to normal, old patterns of behavior resurface and the goal is lost. We may even forget that we set the goal!
This is where commitment comes in. Are you interested in achieving your goal or are you committed to achieving it?
When you are INTERESTED in doing something,
You do it when it’s convenient.
When you are COMMITTED to doing something,
You do it when it’s not convenient.
In an upcoming course, we will explore several techniques for staying motivated and committed to achieving your goals.
In this scene from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda advises Luke Skywalker to be fully and confidently committed to his goal. Yoda summarizes his message in the famous line: “Do or do not… there is no try.”
