While I\u2019ve talked about change as being good, it\u2019s also important to remember that it\u2019s not easy. Occasionally it\u2019s helpful to be reminded that we are who we are, and while we\u2019re working on change we also need to recognize that our habits have been formed over a very long time, so it\u2019s going to take a while to modify them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Sometimes you hear a story and it sticks with you. I honestly don\u2019t remember the first time I heard this, but it was a long time ago. It\u2019s one of those stories that has grown on me over time. This is a great example of somebody who recognizes who he is, and despite his desire to be otherwise, he\u2019s doing what he does best.<\/p>\n
The Scorpion and the Monkey<\/strong><\/p>\n On a warm summer morning in Africa, a scorpion and a monkey were sitting on a riverbank. The scorpion said that he would like to get to the other side of the river, but he didn\u2019t know how to swim. The monkey cheerfully offered to allow the scorpion to ride on his back, since the monkey was a very accomplished swimmer.<\/p>\n The scorpion declined the offer, saying \u201cIt\u2019s not prudent for me to ride on your back across the river. I am a scorpion, so when we get to the middle of the river, I will sting you and you will die\u201d. Astonished, the monkey replied \u201cThat makes no sense, if you sting me in the middle of the river, not only will I die, but you will drown as well\u201d.<\/p>\n Back and forth the two argued. The scorpion against the trip and monkey in favor, despite the risk. Finally, the monkey said \u201cI know you can control yourself, you won\u2019t sting me. Climb onto my back and I will take you across the river\u201d.<\/p>\n The scorpion reluctantly agreed, and out into the current they went. The monkey was a very capable swimmer, and despite the fast current they were soon at the middle of the river. At that very moment, the scorpion raised his tail and struck the monkey in his neck, driving his deadly poison into the monkey.<\/p>\n With his dying breath, the monkey pleaded \u201cWhy did you do that?\u201d to which the scorpion replied \u201cI am a scorpion, and that is what we do\u201d.<\/p>\n —–<\/p>\n While it\u2019s kind of a depressing story, the moral is really worth thinking about. Far too many times I\u2019ve set out to do something extraordinary, often beyond my comfort zone. I repeatedly tell myself that I can do this. I give myself pep talks. I make a plan. I used my focus, commit, execute, and complete mantra to zero in on what needs to be done.<\/p>\n And then, in the heat of action I revert to my former habits. It\u2019s frustrating. In fact, sometimes it downright demoralizing. Yet it happens time after time. At times like those, I think about the monkey and the scorpion and wonder if they ever could have gotten across the river.<\/p>\n One thing that I\u2019m trying that seems to be showing some hope is taking baby steps towards new goals. Rather than trying to swim the entire river, I set out to swim 20 feet from the bank, then I return. If the metaphorical scorpion on my back has been kept at bay, I\u2019ll try 40 feet the next time. If things seem questionable or I\u2019m not sure that I can move forward, I\u2019ll back up and repeat the prior steps. \u00a0But I\u2019ll keep at it until I\u2019m making a little progress every day.<\/p>\n I like to think that the scorpion would be able to change his habits given enough time and interest.<\/p>\n This approach seems to be working for me on a couple of fronts.<\/p>\n So, do you have a habit that you\u2019re having trouble modifying. How about trying to change it just a tiny bit at a time? You never know…it might work!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While I\u2019ve talked about change as being good, it\u2019s also important to remember that it\u2019s not easy. Occasionally it\u2019s helpful to be reminded that we are who we are, and while we\u2019re working on change we also need to recognize that our habits have been formed over a very long time, so it\u2019s going to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[58,128],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-perfectionist","tag-motivational","tag-parenting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n