There are a handful of creatures that have survived relatively unchanged for millions of years– birds, frogs, salamanders, bees, and crocodiles. Why did they go on when the biggest baddest things ever, dinosaurs, didn’t?
It wasn’t because they had a plan and had everything figured out in advance. It was because they had options and remained flexible. Everything that survived, it either had wings or was amphibious.
So a crocodile is a tough predator, sure, but it’s comfortable both on land and in water. So if there was something wrong with the land, it would go in the sea. If there was something wrong with the sea, it would go on the land. And when the meteor hit and raised ash into the air, the crocodile was comfortable hunting in total darkness.
A lot of times we tend to think of success as the final showdown, shooting the photon torpedoes into the exhaust pipe. But in real life it’s more about probability. What’s the probability of winning the lottery? Low. So don’t play the lottery or spend your time on lottery-like activities, like sending in a resume which is literally one of thousands that likely won’t even be read.
Instead, starve out the enemy over a calculated period of time. Force them to cross a swamp. Instead of trying to kill every stray ant, plug the hole where they’re entering.
As far as remaining flexible–don’t be so sure of what you want that you wouldn’t take something better. Have you ever been looking for a jacket before leaving your house, and you have a specific one in mind you’re trying to find? And in the course of trying to find that one jacket, you’ve passed over others that would have solved your problem just as good? Just wear the first one you see. Get the hell out of the house. That is the most important thing.
This ability to be flexible and ride loose in the saddle, to act in the moment and not think about it much before or after, is a very tough thing for me, but I heard they did a study with runners, and they told them to run at 85% of their full capacity. They found that when told to run just at 85%, they actually ran faster than they normally would trying to run at their full 100%, because of the lubricating effect of relaxation on performance.
So anyway, sorry for rambling. If you’ve been following along with the positivity challenge, depending on when you read the first email where I mentioned it, you should be now nearing the end of your 21 days. Give it a few more for good measure. But I bet some “why me” reactiveness, resistance to situations, has already begun popping up less or with less intensity. Or at least… I hope that’s the case.
Thanks for reading, you crocodile you.
Ryan