How to Boil a Frog
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I was having a conversation with someone the other day, and he told me he felt stuck. Those weren’t his words – but that’s what he was saying.
When you’re stuck, what do you do to get “unstuck?
When it’s time to make a change, how do you do it successfully?
Most of us, unfortunately, just do what we’ve been doing and count on fate to cause things to change. Perhaps we wait for divine intervention; maybe the next moon cycle. We think, “What about the Farmers Almanac – does it mention anything about the rise and fall of the tides?” Sheesh.
We get stuck in this whirlwind of life: our job, our family, our children, our friends, our bills, our obligations…what else would you add; what else is in your whirlwind?
As we get older, as our responsibilities stack up, this whirlwind gets weighty; it gets powerful.
From our perspective, inside this whirlwind, it might even seem too powerful; like a boulder crashing and bounding down a steep mountain.
Admitting that our whirlwind might be too powerful is often the first step in initiating change; in realizing that we might, in fact, be stuck.
Not stationary, just stuck.
We all know somebody like that. Probably even a few people.
Maybe, we even know one of those people so well it’s like looking in a mirror…(hint hint)
But even after admitting that our whirlwind might be too powerful, considering making change or creating a disruption in this fragile balance we’ve arranged for ourselves seems daunting. Heck, it probably seems downright exhausting – like trying to push that boulder back up the mountain.
If we’re having this much difficulty making changes to the composition of that whirlwind, then there’s really no balance at all…it’s simply an illusion of balance.
One mixed blessing of life is that human beings are such amazing creatures that, given enough time, we can adapt to damn near anything.
Throughout our life, we have been conditioned (by ourselves, or by others) to adapt to the whirlwind. It normalizes, because generally it feels easier to adapt rather than change. This is false.
It’s easier than MASSIVE change.
But change is just another word for adaptation.
So what about considering this from another angle.
What about thinking smaller?
How do we boil a frog?
Did you know that frogs will jump out of a boiling pot when they’re tossed in; the heat of boiling water doesn’t just shock them and cook them automatically.
They hop right out.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but going from normal everyday temperature into boiling hot water doesn’t feel good; so they get out!
Ask any French chef the best way to boil a frog and here’s what they’ll tell you: The way to boil a frog is to put them in room temperature water, and gradually increase the heat.
They never notice it.
Voila!
The next time you want to get unstuck – or make a change – don’t try to push a boulder up a mountain.
Just boil a frog.
Gregory Offner Jr., ARM is a keynote speaker, disruption coach, and talented workshop facilitator. Greg brings insight and perspective that few others possess. Greg was the facilitator of NYSAE’s ExecConnect event this month.
