There was once a lonely bull who lived in a small,
derelict paddock. The grass didn’t grow well there and the fence was
rundown and falling apart. Every day the bull would look beyond the borders of his
paddock and wish that he could be galloping around in
the lush, green grass that grew on the other side of the
fence. Then he would curse the fence that kept him in. He
would remind himself that if the fence wasn’t there,
he would be free to do whatever he wants and to
realise his potential as a bull. What he didn’t realise is that the fence wasn’t the
real problem. You see, the bull was large and muscular, but the fence
was old and falling apart. He could have easily forced his way through a weak
section and be released from his small, depressing life
in his small, depressing paddock. But when he was a young calf, he wasn’t as strong as
he later became and the fence was new and much
stronger. Many years earlier, he tested himself against
the fence and was unsuccessful. Ever since that time he thought to himself, “If only the
fence wasn’t there, life would be better.” If only he had tested his strength against the fence
again, he would have been able to break through. But he never did. That bull died a lonely death, never able to run free due
to a limiting thought process that he had held onto from
a young age. I wrote this story as a reminder that we can be like this
bull. We hold onto messages like: ― “You’ll never be able to change.”
― “You failed when you were young, why should
things be different now.”
― “You’re nothing but a loser from a long line of
losers.”
― “It’s the obstacle’s fault that you’re not successful.”
― “This depressing life that you’re living is all there
is.”
― “You’ve got every excuse to fail, don’t even
try.”
Maybe it’s time to test yourself against the fence again. Maybe it’s time to break free from the past. Maybe it’s time to fulfill your potential rather than
waste it in a lonely paddock for the rest of your life. Go on, give it a try!

The Giraffe