eat the big frogs

they don't usually taste good but it's nutritious

Hello, my dear companion!

How are you?

How has July treated you? Has it been better than the treacherous month of June? (I am happy for you if it was June was soft)

I am certain many of us have come across the term “eat big frogs” and many variations of it, however, if you have not, I will explain it to you. To eat big frogs is to do the difficult things. It was coined by the writer, Mark Twain with the full saying going:

“If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.”

I am writing to you about this quote because I believe that it will resonate and be effective when put into practice as it has been for me.

I assure you that you can bring a certain amount of peace into your life if you do not leave most things to the dying minute. I knew this but I truly settled into the reality of practising it this year. It occurred when I was reflecting on why I had been overwhelmed and burnt out by work last year even though it felt like I had time and a supportive team. One thing that stood out was that at the end of the year, the tasks left for me to work on were big frogs that I had procrastinated.

Sometimes, the high levels of anxiety we experience in our day-to-day life is as a result of our bad habits. For example, getting ready for a 10 am appointment at 9:30 am because we decided to stay in bed longer than we needed to, working late into the night because, during the day, we were scrolling through our phone or the panic that ensues when we have a close deadline.

I know that you believe that you are most efficient or effective when you are under pressure or filled with the anxiety of meeting a deadline, but think about this, the person who panics through that deadline is the same person who procrastinates through the weeks for many reasons. The only difference is that one is panicking and the other is not. The wisdom, the answer, the solution, and the effort are in you. It is simply about when and how you choose to channel and connect to that part of yourself, to push beyond the limits of your comfort. Complain about it, but start it and start slowly.

So, my dear companion, I encourage you to, at the start of each day, ask yourself what big frog you need to swallow to create peace for yourself in the future, then reluctantly swallow that frog.

With love,

A