I’m sure I can get there if I only work hard enough…

Today I want to share a brief story with you written by author Robert Williams:

I’m listening to the desperate sounds of a life or death struggle going on just a few feet away. There’s a fly, a small fly, burning out the last of its short life’s energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane.

The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly’s strategy; try harder. But it’s not working. His frenzied effort offers no hope for survival.

Ironically the struggle is part of the trap. It’s impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass.

Nevertheless, this tiny insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.

This fly is doomed; it will die there on the windowsill.

Across the room, ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could reach the outside world it seeks with only a fraction of the effort now being wasted. It could be free of this self-imposed trap.

The breakthrough possibility is there. It would be so easy. Why doesn’t the fly try another approach, something dramatically different? How did it get so locked into the idea that this particular route and determined effort offer the most promise for success? What logic is there in continuing until death to seek a breakthrough with more of the same?

No doubt this approach makes sense to fly. Regrettably, it’s an ideal that will kill.

Trying harder isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. In fact, trying harder is a big part of the problem itself. If you stake your hope on a breakthrough on trying harder than ever, you may kill your chances for success.

As you read that story what comes to mind for you? Any strategies you want to re-evaluate?