This Old Dog

A long time ago, there was a gas station owner in a small rural town in the Pacific Northwest.  The owner worked at his station every day and each day he took his hound dog with him.  Being older, the dog was rarely active and usually laid around spending his days sleeping.  The owner of the station would frequently have friends stop by to visit him, just to say hello.  One of those friends dropped in more frequently than the others, probably twice a week.  But this friend began to notice almost every time he was there, he would see the old dog laying off in a corner.  More times than not, he would lift his head up and give a little howl and moan.  This went on for weeks.  Every time he would drop in to see his friend, there was the dog in the same spot, and sure enough, a few times during his visit the dog would raise his head and give a little howl and moan.

One day, curiosity got the better of the guy so he made it a point to ask his friend, “Every time I am here your dog keeps moaning, and howling.  I don’t get it.  Why does he do that?”  The owner replied, “He keeps laying on a pile of nuts and bolts.”  “Nuts and bolts?” he said, “Why doesn’t he just get up and move?”  To which the owner replied, “Well, he likes that corner of the shop, it is his corner.”  “But I don’t understand, if it hurts him to be laying on those nuts and bolts, why doesn’t he just get up and move to where it is more comfortable?”  The owner then said, “I am sure it hurts him…I guess it just doesn’t hurt bad enough.”

Ironically, you and I can be a lot like that old dog.  We don’t want to make changes in our life until it really starts to hurt on a deeper level.  A little bit of pain is simply not enough to make us want to do something different.  It does not matter if it is losing weight, changing careers, changing our habits or changing the style of clothes we wear.  Humans are creatures of habit, we like doing the same thing over and over again.  It usually takes something pretty substantial to make us break the cycle.  Years ago, I read in a book that: when the pain to stay the same, becomes greater than the pain to change, you will finally make the change.  If this is true, then this tells us that we have to reach a point in life where we become miserable with our present situation before we are willing to do anything about it.

As a leader, I have always tried to challenge people to step up, do what needs to be done.  If I hear of someone complaining or venting, I will usually ask them questions as to how they would make it different, or how it could be better.  I like to get people thinking and focusing more on solutions and less about problems.  Everywhere we look, we can always find someone who complains about this, that, or the other.  They are everywhere aren’t they?  Yet very few people seem to want to actually put forth solutions to those problems.  Like the old dog, I guess maybe it is just easier to stay in the same spot and complain about it.

Our society is starving for people to not just have answers, but take action on those answers.  The waiting line is always full of people who only want to complain… but the waiting line for the person who wants to take action and become a leader is always short and in demand.  Our society needs these kind of people, doers , not just talkers.  Organizations need them, nonprofits need them, businesses need them and even churches.  They are all seeking to find leaders who will take action and lead people, not just give lip service.  Even our homes need leaders, as kids always need an example to be set before them.  They will always need someone to guide them down the right path.  So if you find yourself in a situation that you don’t like, rather than complain about it, do something about it.  Get involved and make a difference.  This world rewards action with passion.

Have a great weekend everyone, be blessed.