 Why
The Squirrel Kept Winning
I had the good
fortune (or misfortune depending on your climate perspective) of living in
Minnesota for ten years. The Summers were beautiful, Fall was spectacular with
the changing colors of the leaves on trees and winter was,…well, damn cold.
My neighbor,
Harold was a nice old guy who had retired many years ago who hibernated all
winter but loved to garden during the summer. The only time I saw Harold come
out of his house was to put some bird food in the feeder he’d setup on his tree
in the front yard.
Every year, as
winter began to set in, I would see squirrels all around our front lawns
gathering food. They'd scurry around digging and prodding hoping to fill their
jowls with some food and return to their hole.
One day I saw
Harold putting some metal sheets around the base of his tree where he kept his
bird feeder. I didn’t understand why until another neighbor explained to me
that Harold was trying to keep the squirrels from eating the bird food. By
putting the metal sheets around the base Harold thought the squirrels wouldn’t
be able to climb up the tree. The next morning, the food was gone.
Later that week
I saw him wrap a jagged funnel around the base of the tree. It looked like
those funnels dog’s wear around their neck so it won’t bite or lick its wounds.
Well imagine one of those wrapped around the tree with the wide part pointing
down with jagged edged. It looked like something out of a Frankenstein flick.
Yet, the next day, the food was gone.
The following
week Harold figured he'd put the bird feeder on a string and hang it from the
tip of one of the branches. I believe his thinking was that the squirrel
couldn’t go out to the edge of the branch because the branch wouldn’t support
the weight thereby not allowing the squirrel to get to the feeder. Next day,
you got it, the food was gone.
This battle
between Harold and the squirrel went on for at least the 10 years I was his
neighbor. I wanted to tell Harold that his attempts were futile and that he
would never win this ‘War of the Feeder’; but I didn’t say anything. I just
watched. It was cheap entertainment.
As this was
happening, I started thinking about how unfair the match up was between a man
and a squirrel. I didn't feel sorry for the squirrel...I felt sorry for
Harold. Although Harold was stronger and smarter than the squirrel, he lacked
the one quality that would guarantee him victory, focus.
You see Harold
thinks about ways of preventing the squirrel from getting the food on occasion,
when he has time. The squirrel on the other hand has its mind on getting that
food 24 hours a day. The squirrel’s very survival depends on it. Survival
brings about, not just focus but an intense focus on solving a problem by
removing an obstacle. Unless Harold shows that same level of 24 hour commitment
and intensity, I have my money on the squirrel every time.
Success is not
about who is stronger. Success is not about who has more money. Success is not
about who has a better GPA. Success is about who is more focused and committed
to achieving their objectives. You, the reader, can compete with any person no
matter who they may be. The only thing you have to do is commit yourself to
focusing in on the very subject that interests you. When you focus in on one
thing, like the squirrel, all of your mind’s resources are directed at attaining
your objective and obtaining your rewards. With focus, you begin to take in
more information quickly because you’re interested in learning, you want know
everything. You are consumed by your focus to succeed!
Harold was not
an expert in stopping squirrels; it was a task that needed to be done and he
attended to it when he had time. The squirrel on the other hand became an
expert at bypassing obstacles and solving problems because he focused all its
attention on obtaining the end goal, food.
In today’s
market, too many people want to be generalist (i.e., good at a lot of things or
jack of all trades but master of none). But the market DOES NOT REWARD
generalists, they REWARD experts. The market wants people who are good at doing
a particular task; an expert. You want job security? Become an expert in your
field of expertise. How do you become an expert? Like the squirrel, you focus.
Harold was 92
and died the year we moved from
Minnesota.
I don’t know how long Harold fought the ‘War of the Feeder’ but as I drove off
on the last day I looked back and saw a squirrel scurrying around the front lawn
still trying to get to the bird feeder that still hung from the tree. Harold
was gone but the squirrel was still around, still strategizing and still
focused. The squirrel had won!
Please forward this article; share it with a friend who needs it.
Victor
Gonzalez, top Hispanic motivational speaker and author of “The LOGIC of
Success”. For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com
or by email
victor@thelogicofsuccess.com
Success Happens for a Reason
Copyright © 2004 by Victor
Gonzalez All rights reserved. This article MAY be reproduced in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, as long
as the author’s name, website and email address are included as part of the
article’s body. All inquiries, including information on electronic licensing,
should be directed to Victor Gonzalez, victor@thelogicofsuccess.com.
www.thelogicofsuccess.com
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