A group of frogs were travelling through the bush, and four of them fell into a really deep hole.
All the other frogs gathered around the top of the hole. When they saw how deep the hole was, they realised the magnitude of their plight and yelled down to the four frogs that there was no way that they could get out. As far as the observers were concerned they were as good as dead.
The first frog was the optimist and she was telling the others that there was a way out of this hole. That they were champions and that they could do it.
The frogs at the top kept yelled at her telling her that she was an unrealistic dreamer and that they were doomed.
With that overwhelming opposition that frog soon gave up on her vision for their release, stopped looking up, crawled into a corner and died.
The second frog was an intelligent frog with a PhD in cliff scaling and she was doing her best to convince the other frogs that the laws of physics and frog rock face elevation science that are published in the latest frog research suggested that they could make it.
The frogs at the top of the hole, however were yelling in unison to their unfortunate brothers and sisters about what she was doing wrong and that there was not sufficient evidence in the literature to support her successful ascent.
The second frog, in turn gave up on her body of logical, rational evidence, dejectedly hopped into a corner and also died.
The third frog was a paleo frog. He was rippling with muscles and even though he hadn’t scaled such a high wall before he had won a gold medal at the cross-fit games.
He was sure that he could do it but every time he did his super box jump leap up the wall of the pit the crowd overhead yelled at him voicing their limitations he built in more doubt in his ability. Bit by bit he succumbed to the limitations from the nay sayers and ultimately he too gave up on the possibilities of being free from this hole.
He committed hare kari by doing a Sumo Deadlift High pull and dismembering himself.
The fourth frog was a well rounded frog. He had a deeply held commitment to the metaphysical premises of the universe and the power of the froggy in this world. He understood the science of frog physiology and the fact that frogs are born to jump and he was willing to take action in his own unique way. He embraced the truth of the true froggy champion.
The other frogs kept yelling at him to stop, just give up, accept your fate they insisted you are as good as dead like the others. If the others couldn’t do it neither can you.
But with every yell of the naysayers he jumped even harder and finally made it out.
On emerging on the top of the deep pit the rest of the frogs were aghast. How could this frog do the impossible? How could this frog defy the currently held limitations of froggyness?
They started to change their group think about the power of frogs.
They constantly fired questions at this little frog but he didn’t respond – then they realised that he didn’t hear them.
This little frog was DEAF.
He had taken all the croaking, grunting and waving of webbed feet from the mob as being support. He had referenced his internal truth.
Being deaf to the pleas of the naysayers is a great attribute, one that is often needed by anyone who is ahead of the game.
When you take on the position of this deaf frog you pursue your vision of excellence. You define your metaphysical premises and live your life by them in a congruent and non-contradictory way AND you tackle the tough political questions of the day without fear or favour.
The lessons that come from this could be two-fold. For the ‘frogs’ at the top of the hole it is to be careful with your words. Are they supportive of others? Just because you don’t think something is possible there is no reason to take the possibility away from someone else. To the ‘frogs’ in the hole – don’t listen to the naysayers in your life. Their utterances are their opinion and don’t necessarily have and bearing on your performance.
Sometimes it pays to be ‘deaf’.
