Eagles or Chickens?

To all employees frustrated with the boss that pushes you too hard:

Have you asked yourself yet WHY they might be pushing you to work harder? Maybe to see your potential? Everything used to be all cozy and happy, but now no more! Well, before you complain about this again I want to ask if you're an Eagle or a Chicken?

I know, strange question. Clearly you are human! But think about it: when eggs hatch and these birds are raising their young, two very different approaches are taken. For an eagle, it starts with how they build the nest-they've been planning this from the beginning! The nest is built to be a comfortable place on top. But at a certain age, the young birds are ready to do more. Momma Eagle does ask politely. What she does, is flip the nest. See, the plan at the beginning is to at first make that nest comfortable, but what the young ones don't know is that underneath all of that fluffy stuff are many sharp rocks and more sticks. When this nest is flipped the nest is no longer a cozy place to call home: it's somewhere those eagles want to get out of! So they learn! They learn to fly, to hunt, to be independent.

Chickens. Chickens are very different. They raise their flock, but then take them to the rest of the fowl in the coop, and soon begin to just wonder away and leave the chicks to their own devices. Little by little they push the lines of comfort to get the chicks to be independent. It sounds comfortable...and slow!

So again I ask: are you an Eagle or a Chicken? Will you deal with the rocky nest and learn and grow to your full potential even though it's probably uncomfortable? Or will you complain about the discomfort and wish you were a chicken?

Off to the Races!

The first Saturday in May..does it mean anything to you? Any horse lover out there knows this weekend marks yet another amazing display of speed and talent at the annual Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs!

Horse racing..much like NASCAR everyone is ready to watch them make a few left turns and see who makes it over the finish line first. But, what if your not a horse lover? Then I suppose it's just another weekend in May! But as a learning crowd, lets look at it again.

There's certain enjoyment gleaned from seeing improvements, the underdog be near the front, and many many other things. Though there is most definitely something more that we can see.

At the start of the race everyone is equal; the same distance is set to cover by all horses and jockeys. Some horses trained more, some have better breeding, but each has a fair shake to take home the prize. Such it is with business! In the professional world there are many different degrees and previous jobs held, but each of us can reach that goal we dearly desire-whatever it may be. The goal may be different; some to just finish the race, some to beat another horse in particular, actually win. It simply depends on who is setting the goal.

In the derby, the finish line does not move and it doesn't creep up on an unsuspecting competitor. They run, full speed ahead to reach that goal. A big photo-finish and the race has reached its end! Months and years of training and pushing makes that goal realized.

So in your professional life who is setting the goal? It should be no one other than yourself! So set the goal, but also realize that whatever your finish line looks like, it's not going to creep up on you unexpectedly. You have to learn, grow, gain experience, and remember that the big picture is what you're trying to get to. When you get there you may not have a cheering crowd, but the satisfaction of reaching the goal you've been pushing toward is unlike anything else.

Keep training. Keep pushing. Keep on doing the hard things that may just not feel worth it right now. If you're getting closer to the finish line, don't be the one that tries the win the race while stopping or running backward!