Subject: Tigers Don’t Eat Rabbits
Welcome to Celebrating the Journey!
produced by Margo Chisholm
The Freedom Coach
Monday, November 29, 1999
Issue #7
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No new subscribers this week. Everyone was too busy
eating turkey! I invite each of you who enjoy CTJ to
forward it to friends, family and coworkers. Share what
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maize or some other staple food to a hungry person
somewhere in the world. Please take this opportunity to
help feed the world.
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TIGERS DON’T CHASE RABBITS*
In my work as a Life Coach, one of the topics my clients
most frequently bring to me is not having enough time.
“How can I manage my time better?” they ask. I don’t
believe in time management. Time is. We can’t change
how it is. We CAN change how we use it.
One of the most common ways of “losing” or “wasting”
time is by being distracted from the task at hand. We
create a realistic To Do List or Focus List or Project List for
the day (a list that is consistently unrealistic is a topic for
another newsletter!), complete with how long it will take
to do each task, even leaving ourselves enough time for
life to intervene. And yet, time and time again, we get to
the end of the day, and not to the end of the list. Why?
We’ve been distracted. Let me tell you a story about tigers.
Tigers are marvelous animals: strong, cunning, mighty
hunters, pretty much the ruler of their domain. In order
to maintain their strength and cunning, they need to eat
well, to successfully hunt those animals that will provide
them with good energy and nourishment: large animals
that are not too difficult to kill. However…tigers love to
eat rabbits. Tigers think rabbits taste simply marvelously
delicious, and whenever a tiger sees a rabbit, he wants to
eat it. However…rabbits are very small and very fast and
very hard to catch. They change direction on a dime, and
as good as they taste, don’t have much meat on their little
bodies. Yes, tigers love rabbits. But when a tiger chases a
rabbit, even if he catches it, it takes a long time, expends a
great deal of energy, and doesn’t provide much meat. A
tiger actually uses more energy chasing the rabbit than he
gets from eating it. And it takes away from the time the
tiger would be stalking prey that would much better serve
his needs. Chasing rabbits greatly distracts the tiger from
doing what he needs to do to survive. So…
TIGERS DON’T CHASE RABBITS!
My own favorite rabbits are checking my email and
answering my personal telephone during office hours. I
love reading my email, and a ringing phone is hard to
resist. But they distract me from what I need to focus on
in order to reach my dreams and live my vision. So…I let
my rabbits run by. I have set times that I check my email,
and I don’t answer my home phone during business
hours.
COACHING:
What are your rabbits? Make a list of the ways you allow
yourself to be distracted. Then go through the list and set
boundaries and create standards that will eliminate those
distractions from your life.
A boundary might be telling your friends and families not
to call you during business hours. A new standard could
be, “I am a woman who does not take personal calls
during office hours.”
Examine your rabbits and take whatever actions are
necessary to commit to not chasing them. You’ll be
amazed at how much time you “create” by not chasing
your own rabbits.
SUCCESS FORMULA:
Met Needs + Raised Standards + Discipline + Boundaries = No More Rabbits
QUOTES:
If it needs adrenaline, it’s not a task it’s a problem.
Thomas Leonard
Desire becomes intention when action is taken.
Isabel Parlett
What we vividly imagine, ardently desire,
enthusiastically act upon, must inevitable come to pass.
Colin Sisson
Lord, grant me the courage to do those things which are
truly important, the discipline to delegate the things that
are merely urgent, and the wisdom to know the
difference.”
Phil Humbert
HUMOR:
This is the transcript of an ACTUAL radio conversation
between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the
coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995.
Canadians: “Please divert your course by 15 degrees south
to avoid a collision.”
Americans: “Recommend that you divert your course by
15 degrees north to avoid a collision.”
Canadians: “Negative. You have to divert your course by
15 degrees south to avoid a collision.”
Americans: “This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say
again, divert YOUR course.
Canadians: “No. I say again, you must divert YOUR
course.”
Americans: “THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS
LINCOLN. THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE
UNITED STATES’ ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE
ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE
CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I
DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE BY 15
DEGREES NORTH. I SAY AGAIN, THAT’S ONE FIVE
DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE
UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS
SHIP.”
Canadians: “We’re a lighthouse. Your call.”
Give yourself the gift of not chasing rabbits this week!
Namaste, Margo
*The source of this story is Steve Straus, The Coach, who
can be reached at steve@StrausUSA.com. The attachment
to this newsletter is a graphic image of the story. Enjoy!
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Copyright © 1999, all rights reserved, by Margo Chisholm
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The author of this article is Margo Chisholm. You may
contact her at (970)704-9336 or at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.
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My purpose in publishing Celebrating the Journey is to
provide you with resources, motivation, inspiration and
energy for YOUR journey to creating success and freedom
in all areas of your life. CTJ will use stories from my life
and others’, coaching tips and resources, quotes and
humor to deliver a learning experience that can enhance
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Margo Chisholm is available for individual and group
coaching. Every dedicated athlete has a coach. Why not
have a coach for the most important game of all: the game
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—
“At every moment of our life we have an
opportunity to choose joy.”
Henri J. M. Nouwen
Margo Chisholm
Coach, Speaker, Author, Therapist
Partnering you in having success,
freedom and joy in all areas of your life
970-704-9336 fax 970-704-9346
margo@tothesummit.com
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