The Flea and the Jar

If you put a flea in a jar and tightly screw on the lid, the flea will try to jump as high as it can.

But soon, the flea accepts its limit.

From that point on, even if you take off the lid, the flea will never, ever jump any higher than the perceived lid.

Humans work the same way. If you perceive a limit– if you’re continually slapped down, or if your actions seem to make no difference– you might just stop trying. If effort expended never achieves a desired result, effort stops. That’s when you feel demoralized and disempowered in your work.

But here’s the reality:

You always have options. You always have the ability to make choices, and move forward, and leap higher.

Moral of the story There is no jar. There is no lid. There is only a question of how high you’re willing to leap.