The story of two frogs

We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view. — Mao Zedong

There is a story about two frogs. One was hopping along at the bottom of a deep rut made by a tractor.

The other frog saw him there and said, ‘Hey! What are you doing down there? It’s much better up here; there is more food.’

The first frog looked up: ‘I can’t get out.’

‘Let me help you,’ said the second frog.

‘No. Leave me alone. I’m OK. There is plenty of food down here.’

‘OK,’ said the second frog. ‘But there is much more space up here to explore and move around.’

‘I’ve got all the space I need down here.’

‘But what about meeting other frogs?’

‘They come down here sometimes, otherwise I can shout to my friends up there.’

The second frog heaved the frog equivalent of a sigh and hopped on.

The next day, he was surprised to see the first frog hopping up beside him.

‘Hey! I thought you were staying down in the rut. What happened?’

‘There was a truck coming.’

Most people wait for something extremely bad to happen in order to do something to get out of a rut. Successful people are proactive and act in advance – to prevent problems and create results.