3 Keys to Success a Heron Showed Me
A heron (video below) showed me these 3 keys to success
Seeing a heron during my walk in the park was an unexpected delight. As I watched it try to catch fish (it finally succeeds near the end of the video), it showed me three things that humans also must do to succeed.
It moved on to new territory when necessary to achieve its goal.
The heron did not stay in one place for long, at least not until it reached the location where it finally caught a fish. It walked around constantly, searching for the place where it was most likely to succeed.
As humans, we too often stay in jobs, relationships, or other situations that clearly aren’t working for us. Maybe they did in the past, but things have changed and they no longer meet our needs.
To achieve any goal, we have to be willing to make changes. When old patterns aren’t helping us achieve our current goals, it’s time to move on.
We need to explore new possibilities until we find one that is right for us. This is a never-ending process; there is no final destination that will permanently provide what we are seeking.
Life is a journey that inevitably takes us to places we never imagined we would go. All we can do is take one small step at a time in the direction we feel led to move and see what happens.
It was patient and persistent when it didn’t succeed at first.
The short video I’ve included below doesn’t show all of the heron’s attempts to catch a fish. It frequently stuck its beak into the water and came up with something other than a fish, or nothing at all.
It refused to give up. It kept trying until it finally caught a fish.
I’m sure I’m not the only human who can learn from its example. I often have unrealistic expectations of immediate success and get frustrated when my efforts don’t produce the results I want quickly enough.
Giving up too soon makes it impossible to succeed, though. As Mickey Rooney said (quoted here),
You always pass failure on your way to success.
We all need to be reminded that success requires patience and persistence. Failures are part of the process and cannot be avoided.
It focused on a single goal and did not let anything distract it from completing that task.
As you can see in the video, the heron was laser-focused on catching a fish. It walked steadily to the place where it ultimately succeeded. It looked at the water until it saw a fish, bent down, and grabbed it.
If you’re anything like me, you sometimes find it difficult to stay focused on one task at a time.
I used to hop on social media with the goal of quickly posting something and get distracted by posts from others I couldn’t resist reading, sharing, and/or commenting on.
I felt the need to stop whatever I was doing so I could respond immediately to a text or answer the phone when friends or family called.
When I know I need to focus on accomplishing a specific task, I now stay away from social media. I also use the “do not disturb” setting to silence my phone.
I am amazed by how many more tasks I successfully complete when I minimize distractions and focus on one thing at a time.
Identify the distractions that keep you from finishing what you set out to do and then find ways to eliminate, minimize, or ignore them. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much easier it is to achieve your goals when those distractions no longer interrupt your progress!
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoy watching this video of the blue heron as much as I enjoyed filming it. I also hope you notice the three keys to success it demonstrates, and use them to achieve your goals.
- Move to new territory when necessary.
- Be patient and persistent when you don’t succeed at first.
- Focus on a single task and don’t let anything distract you.
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