Reinventing Yourself
The following article was written by Nancie Koerber, Owner of the “Pony House Inn” Springfield, Oregon
“If we keep doing what we have been doing and expect things to change…. That is the definition of insanity.”
Early in life, I realized, to just survive, I had to be willing to change. If I wanted to really make progress, I had to change even more. I did not need to change everything, but often just making a shift in my thinking made all the difference in the world. It made it so that I saw things differently and did not miss opportunities. The following story is a perfect example. I call it:
“Getting your hand out of the coconut.”
It is a true story of how poachers catch a monkey in the jungle. You see, if they were to chase the little guy through the jungle, they could never keep up. No way can they swing through trees with no tail and jump to the next tree grabbing a branch without prehensile paws. We humans are not designed for such travel. It would be a fruitless endeavor.
Too often we find ourselves in similar situations in life without the proper tools, funds, education etc. to get the job done. So, we give up in defeat.
What a smart poacher does if he wants dinner that night is to find a coconut and cut a hole just large enough for the monkey’s paw to slip into. He cleans out the coconut meat and makes another small hole in the adjacent end just big enough to put a small piece of rope through. He slips the rope in and ties a knot inside. He then places some smelly treats the monkey will like into the coconut. The poacher then ties the rope around a tree.
At this point the poacher goes somewhere nearby to nap, but not too close to scare the monkey. As the poacher sleeps a monkey smells the treat in the coconut and approaches. With great excitement, he places his hand in the coconut to get the treat. Since the monkey has the treat in his hand, he has made a fist and has no interest in letting it go, thus, he cannot get his hand out of the coconut.
The little monkey pulls and screams which awakens the poacher who slowly creeps up on him with a net and like magic has caught his dinner for tonight.
The monkey was caught because he would not let go of what he wanted. If he would have just let go, pulled his hand out and changed his thinking. He could have had it all, treats and freedom. This would have required him to change his thinking first.
Here are a few options for the little guy if he was willing to change his thinking just a bit:
- Shake the treats out quietly, eat them and leave.
- Untie the rope, take the coconut to the top of the tree and shake treats out and then call the poacher over to tease him. How about if he even threw the empty coconut down on the poacher just for fun.
When things change around us, the first step is to “Get our hand out of the coconut” and see what other options we have. We do not even notice options when we are in a frenzy with our hand in the coconut. This concept is essential for our success.
I have been so inspired to watch business owners everywhere be willing to stop and rethink their business to reinvent how they work. When COVID-19 is contained, those who got their “hand out of the coconut” will have individually and collectively learned to work smarter and more effectively, to bring value added to our communities in new ways.
Take a moment and assess the great strides you and your team have made in these changing times. Join us on my blog and tell us how you have reinvented your world for the better.
