I’m a great believer in vision and goals. But, as with everything, there are limits. This was never truer than when I heard the story of the centipede.
One day, not so long ago, two teams of animals decided to compete to see who was best at football (soccer). It was a case of the large animals versus the small ones. Elephants, rhinos, hippos, lions and tigers versus rats, skunks, hedgehogs, frogs and, well, the centipede. Naturally, there was a lot of animosity and name-calling
“We’ll crush you small fry”.
“You big lumpuses,” said the Tiny Team.
The day arrived. The coach for the Tiny Team was very excited. “Go out – give it everything you got,” he said. “Remember – you can do it – believe in yourself.”
So out they went. And they returned at half-time, bruised, crestfallen, and down 3-0. The rhino (the elephant’s run always tended to peter out) – once he’d gotten up steam – was unstoppable. But the Tiny Team’s coach was a real motivator.
“Go on,” he said. “Don’t quit now – winners never quit and quitters never win. Visualise that ball going in the back of their net – next thing, you’ll see it happen!”
So out they went. The game had barely kicked off when the rhino got possession and charged straight at goal. He was in the penalty area and on-side. The goalkeeper – the frog – had simply jumped aside. All the rhino had to do was shoot …. when suddenly there was a green flash. The rhino, hypnotised, crashed over his own feet. The rest of the players were riveted watching him collide with the mud and into the goal post. Thud! Except … and the ball went in the other end. The score was now 3-1. A huge cheer went up.
“Who did that?” cried the Tiny Team’ coach in ecstasy.
“Got ‘em that time, coach,” yelled the centipede.
“Well done, centipede, keep it up,” beamed the coach.
“Right”, thought the tiger. A neat bit of paw and claw work later and there he was, open goal in front, when … whoosh … a green blur, and suddenly a goal at the other end. 3-2.
“Who did that?” cried the Tiny Team’s coach.
“Got ‘em again, coach,” yelled the centipede.
“Well done, centipede, keep it up.” That’s more like it, thought the coach.
Now the lion – who always saw himself as a cut above the rest – was really hacked off. He made it his personal business to score (usually he couldn’t be bothered). One roar and the small animals vacated the pitch on mass. He was just about to put it in the back of the net when … whoosh, green lightning … and the score was 3-3!! Unbelievable!!!
“Who did that?” roared the coach.
“Showed ‘em again,” chuckled the centipede.
“Well done, centipede, keep it up – we can win this one,” said the coach. Then a quizzical look came over his face. “By the way, centipede, where were you in the first half?”
“Putting on my shoes, coach,” replied the centipede!
You see, the best vision, the most sublime goals, the most wonderful exhortations and inspirations in the world won’t work unless … we really ensure we’ve taken care of the smallest details! Ask the centipede.
What small details might trip you up – at work, in your relationships, in your self development?Here are some typical examples:
At work – lack of punctuality, failure to keep promises, disorderly work habits and record keeping?
In relationships – lack of time spent with a loved person or friend, inattention to others’ needs, critical and blaming spirit, failure to generously praise and encourage.
For self development – lack of exercise, lack of sleep, lack of special hobby/interest, no ‘learning’ stretch built into future programme for your life.
Be honest with yourself – where do you need to tighten your focus? If you’re not sure, then ask someone you trust. Run the three areas in bold type above through them – do they think any of these points apply to you?
The Mapping Motivation Series 