In celebration of National Frog Month in April – and as a nice follow up to National Procrastinators Week – our Leadership Quote of the Week is this favorite and frequently needed reminder.

In the opening of their book, Five Frogs on a Log, authors Mark Feldman & Michael Spratt posed this question:

Five frogs are on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left?

What’s your answer?

At a gathering of twenty-five adults and one child – I posed the same question.

Five frogs are on a log.  Four decide to jump off.  How many are left?

The answer came quickly from all of the adults who said, “One.”

The child, a five year old, sitting cross legged on the floor, quietly raised her hand.

“Yes, do you have a different answer?” I asked.

She shyly said, “I think the answer is five. You said they decided to jump. But you didn’t say they jumped.”

Some of us are just like those four frogs.

We’ve decided but just haven’t jumped yet.

No need to feel foolish.

There must be good reasons for being stuck.

When clients ask me to help them get unstuck, it seems the best way to help is to think like that five year old on the floor who had an open mind, full of questions that could lead to more than one right answer.

If answers to those questions don’t give you strong enough reasons to jump –

why not abandon the log?    Dump the idea.  Forget the guilt.

You simply changed your plan.  Or maybe you were just foolin’ when you said it.

If the reasons ARE still good but other things are more important right now –

what if you simply delay?  Or – ask someone else to help you?

If your answer is “I don’t have anyone who can help me”, don’t be foolish.  Think again.

If the reasons for jumping off the log are still real good and the reward big –

then it’s time to stop foolin’ around.

The most important question now is:

What is holding you back?

It’s a question that all coaches ask – in sports, in business – what is holding you back?

Whatever your answer, the next question is:

What can be done about that?

If your answer is “nothing”…go ask a five year old or a coach who can think like a five year old to help you turn the periods into question marks.

The answer to that is likely to loosen your grip on that log.

One way or another…wouldn’t it be nice to get off that log?

A wonderful boost for morale and productivity.

Post this week’s quote* in several prominent places and then…

1 – 2 – 3

JUMP!

Note: If you haven’t already done so, sign up for a Monday morning BOOST for you and your team – the Leadership Quote of the Week delivered to your email box each Monday morning.

Sign up here to get our Leadership Quote of the Week – delivered to your email box each Monday before 8:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

*Use this quote as background or wallpaper for your computer with just three clicks.

1. Click on the image above.

2. Right click on the image that appears.

3. On the pull down menu that appears, click on “set as background”. Voila!

There’s still plenty of room on the left side of the screen for all your shortcut icons.

Note: If you don’t like your new wallpaper, don’t want to replace it with a quote from the Business Class Quote Library and don’t know how to get rid of it…… Go to your control panel. Select “Display”. Select “Desktop”. And then choose from the designs offered.”

Or print the PDF version below. Just click on the printer icon in lower right corner of the image.

Problem with link? Try this.

One last note: In addition to bite-size bits for daily learning and reinforcement, we also offer on-site workshops and individual coaching, all tailored to the needs of the individual or organization. Contact Jan to discuss your needs: Jan@BusinessClassInc.com

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