“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right” – Henry Ford
Yesterday, I was with my little boy at the zoo and we spent a loooonnnngggg time watching elephants. It reminded me of an old story about how elephants are trained. (1)
As a baby, a rope is put around their leg to stop them from escaping. The baby elephant may try but can’t and after trying for a while, they realize it’s futile so they give up. The elephant keepers are able to use the same size of rope even when the elephant grows much bigger and way more powerful.
The same can happen with us adults. We may be holding onto beliefs that were given to us and we accepted when we were young.
Imagine looking at a massive adult elephant with a small rope around their leg. From the outside, we can tell that they could easily break the rope and escape but they don’t because they don’t believe they can.
What ropes are you holding onto? From the outside, we can easily see that you can do whatever it is you want. From the inside, ask yourself why you think you can’t, start tugging a bit and you may find that those 20 year old ropes may snap like threads.
It’s time to examine your beliefs, work out what serves you and what does not. Break free from any old ropes. You’re not a baby elephant.
Footnotes
1) https://theunboundedspirit.com/short-story-the-elephant-and-the-rope/