Stinkin' Thinking

When I was a kid, I hated vegetables.  I was the one who was still sitting at the table after everyone was done, with an empty plate – except for the vegetables.  Lima beans, peas, even green beans – didn’t like any of it! Remember those yellow wax beans – what’s the point?

Anyway, I’m not a fan and we all knew how the meal would go, every time, with me whining about my vegetables after everyone was finished.  My brother stealthily found ways to dispose of his vegetables without actually eating them. I wasn’t that smart or cunning. 

While I was a big old pain every night for my mom as she coaxed and prodded me, even getting a little verbally assertive at times, I was creating more turmoil for me.

See, I liked the other food; the chicken or steak my mom cooked was great.  But while I chomped the good stuff down, I was thinking about what would be left – the vegetables. I carried with me the dread of what had to come like Pig-Pen carried the dirt and grime with him everywhere he went. And it ruined the rest of the meal – kind of tainted it the whole way throughout.

It wasn’t until I got a little older and a little smarter that I went right to the vegetables first.  I got the stuff I hated out of the way since I’d have to eat it anyway, so I could really enjoy the food I liked. And it worked! And everyone was happy!

Think of the vegetables as something very good for us, but something we don’t want to do. Calling that client we’re after, but afraid of rejection. Doing that workout in the morning, as planned, but too tired at the actual time to follow through. The critical conversation we need to have with our spouse or child, but afraid of the confrontation and fall out. Brian Tracy calls this the frog.  It doesn’t get prettier as the days go on – so eat it now! And move forward with a clear and exciting day.

It doesn’t have to be vegetables either; it can just be negativity – the news, the weather, gossip, social media – potentially negative inputs that have easy access to us. We carry the negative all day and enjoy everything else a little less because of it. Don’t eat this frog. Just get rid of it. 

As Zig Ziglar says, “Motivation is like a bath. You need it every day.” We need to clean our minds daily and deal with the necessary frogs quickly and efficiently – giving us a clear and exciting mindset all day long. Now that’s a winning attitude.

And I still hate most vegetables.