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 What
Killed Jack Rabbit?
Subject: Success, Sales, Leadership, motivation
By Victor Antonio G.
On the way
home the other day, I was scanning the radio stations trying
to find something to take my mind off the long drive and the
annoying traffic. I live in Atlanta, so when I say annoying
traffic, I really mean it. On one station I came across a
gentleman with a persuading voice who told a wonderful story I
thought I'd share with you.
One day a
hunter and his dogs were in the woods hunting for rabbits.
They combed through the woods beating the brush trying to stir
up some prey. As they approached a clearing, all of a sudden
the dog gets a scent and takes off running towards the open
field. Out of nowhere pops up this long-legged jack rabbit
that begins to ‘haul tail’ quickly. You could tell it was a
jack rabbit by its long power hind legs.
The jack
rabbit zigged and zagged trying to out maneuver the hunting
dog that was in hot pursuit. As it hopped and ran, it had
plenty of opportunities to jump into the many gopher holes in
the field to get away from the dog. But it didn’t.
It had many opportunities to jump behind big rocks and other
heavy brush to get away but it didn’t. In the end, the
dog caught the jack rabbit.
Later on
that morning, the dog caught another scent. Sure enough, it
was a small, furry bunny that seemed to be three-quarters the
size of the jack rabbit. The bunny, having seen the dog coming
its way, darted through the bushes. The dogged leaped into the
bushes after the small creature. The hunter felt somewhat
sorry for the animal because he knew what its fate would be.
Moments
later, the hunter heard the dog yelping and barking. The
hunter quickly ran towards the sound beyond the bush and came
across his dog digging ferociously. The dog was doing
everything and anything to get under this huge log but with no
success. The hunter looked under the log and figured out that
the bunny had jumped into the small ditch under the log and
apparently made its way to the other side and escaped. The
dog, too stupid to notice, was digging; still under the
impression the bunny was there. The bunny survived.
At the end
of the day, we are left with some interesting observations and
questions. Why did the bunny survive? Why didn’t the strong
and agile jack rabbit? Was it pride? Was the jack rabbit
too proud to use nature’s natural hiding defenses and escape
mechanisms? Or, did the jack rabbit simply fall prey to
its over reliance on speed and strength, and his under
utilization of common sense?
The bunny
on the other hand, knowing it couldn’t out run the dog, relied
on its cunning to outwit the dog. The bunny used its
instinctive mode of survival; evade and outsmart the hunter.
As I get older, I realize that winning is not about out
running or out-powering your competitors. Winning is about
being smart. Winning is about out-maneuvering and
out-planning your competition.
The next
time you find yourself in a competitive situation in business
or in your personal life, keep this story in mind. You can
rely on your power or speed to take on your opponent.
Or, you can analyze the terrain and situation in order to find
a strategy of escape, not from success, towards success. This
may sound strange, ‘escaping towards success’, but it makes
perfect sense if you give it some thought.
Stop
wasting your time fighting battles you can’t win. Stop trying
to force a situation that isn’t meant to happen.
Remember the saying about ‘living to fight another day’. Learn
to pick your fights and battles. Know when it is time to back
off and not force the situation. Learn to be strategic in your
way of thinking.
For those
of you who may be thinking, “But, I hate running! I like
being the underdog!” Remember, pride, not intelligence
killed Jack the rabbit.
Please feel free to forward this article to a
friend or colleague.
Victor
Antonio G., one of America's top business motivational speaker and author of “The LOGIC of
Success”.
Copyright © 2005 by Victor
Antonio G. 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 Antonio G.
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