Don’t Give Up

I read this story the other day and it struck a chord.

One afternoon, a fox was walking through the forest when he saw a bunch of grapes hanging from a branch above his head.

He was thirsty, and the sight of them made his mouth water. ‘Just the thing to quench my thirst,’ he thought.

He took a few steps back and made a run for it, jumping to reach the grapes – but he missed. He tried again, and they still were out of reach.

The fox turned up his nose and decided to give up. ‘They’re probably sour anyway,’ he told himself, and he walked away, leaving the grapes undisturbed.

How often do we do that to ourselves? When’s the last time you made a couple of attempts (especially at something you’ve never done before) and failed … and then gave up?

And not only do we give up, but then we decide that the very thing we wanted so much just a little while ago is no longer worthy?

It’s a self-defense mechanism, but this thinking can become a habit, holding us back from trying new things if we think they might be too challenging.

It’s OK to miss, and it’s also OK to decide that something isn’t for us, but it shouldn’t stop us from trying new things! We are only shortchanging ourselves.