Most people do not fear failure.
They fear leaving their comfort pond.
Yet everything they seek lives beyond its shoreline.
There once was a frog living in a pond.
He came into the world knowing very little.
Like all creatures, he learned what he needed to survive.
He learned how to swim.
How to eat.
How to hide.
How to avoid danger.
How to move with purpose.
Eventually he found a mate.
Raised a family.
Passed along what he knew.
And before long he became an expert.
At the pond.
HE KNEW HIS POND.
He knew every lily pad.
Every reed.
Every shallow spot.
Every safe hiding place.
Every bug worth eating.
Every shortcut.
Every danger.
The pond had become his world.
His little kingdom.
His comfort zone.
His certainty.
The frog had conquered his world.
Or so he thought.
THE GREAT RAIN.
One day something happened.
A heavy rain came.
Not an ordinary rain.
A life-changing rain.
The water rose.
The pond expanded.
The boundaries disappeared.
The shoreline vanished.
The frog climbed onto a rock he had never seen before.
And for the first time in his life…
He saw beyond the pond.
WOW…THERE IS MORE?
The frog was stunned.
There were streams.
Fields.
Trees.
Hills.
Other ponds.
Other creatures.
Other adventures.
A larger world had always existed.
The frog simply did not know it.
The pond had never been the whole world.
It was merely his portion of it.
Suddenly, the frog had a choice.
Remain where he was.
Or leap.
THE LEAP.
The leap is always the hard part.
Not because it is difficult.
Because it is unfamiliar.
The frog knew the pond.
He did not know the world beyond it.
Yet something inside him stirred.
Curiosity.
Wonder.
Possibility.
The same thing that stirs inside every human being when they realize there may be more to life than what they currently know.
So he jumped.
And life jumped with him.
PEOPLE LIVE IN PONDS TOO.
Human beings build ponds.
We call them routines.
Habits.
Comfort zones.
Neighborhoods.
Jobs.
Belief systems.
Predictable patterns.
Nothing wrong with ponds.
Ponds provide safety.
Ponds provide familiarity.
Ponds provide comfort.
The problem comes when we begin believing the pond is all there is.
Many people stop growing because they stop exploring.
They stop asking questions.
They stop wondering.
They stop risking.
They stop leaping.
Henry David Thoreau observed:
“Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”
What a statement.
Perhaps the song remains unsung because the frog never left the pond.
WHAT DO YOU FEAR?
Years ago someone was asked what they feared most.
They answered:
“Nothing.”
Then after thinking for a moment they added:
“If I fear anything, it would be having life and not having the courage to live it.”
That struck me.
What good is a gift left unopened?
What good is a journey never taken?
What good is potential left unused?
The purpose of life is not merely survival.
The purpose of life is participation.
THE BIGGER POND.
I have noticed something interesting.
Every time I thought I had life figured out…
Another pond appeared.
When I became comfortable, another opportunity emerged.
When I thought I understood people, life introduced me to more people.
When I thought I understood God, creation revealed another mystery.
The larger world keeps calling.
The adventure never ends.
WHY RISK IT?
Because growth comes from change.
Change comes from choices.
Choices require courage.
And courage usually appears after the leap.
Not before it.
Most people wait to feel confident.
Life says:
Jump first.
Confidence follows.
PEARLS FROM THE POND.
Over the years I have learned a few things:
“We were not put here to be defeated.”
“Life rewards participation.”
“The treasure is often hidden in people.”
“Awareness changes everything.”
“The purpose of life is to discover the purpose of life.”
“The road less traveled often leads to the greatest discoveries.”
“Everything you need to know is already within you. Flush some of it out.”
And perhaps my favorite for this story:
“The moment is the gift.”
Because every moment contains the possibility of another leap.
WHAT THEN?
The frog was given a larger world.
So are you.
There are books you have not read.
Places you have not visited.
People you have not met.
Questions you have not asked.
Adventures you have not experienced.
Truths you have not discovered.
The pond served its purpose.
But it was never the destination.
It was preparation.
So when life sends the rain…
When your shoreline disappears…
When you suddenly discover there is more beyond your little world…
Take the leap.
You may discover that life has been waiting for you on the other side all along.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you