Fly On The Window

"Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

I happened upon a story recently on a blog site called "The Rat Race Trap" in which a story is repeated from Price Pritchett (You Squared).

The story goes;

There’s 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.

The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little 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 in on 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’?

Many of us do this same thing, day in and day out. We pull an idea into our mind; a word, a vision or a dream. We set out on a particular path and find that we are not getting any closer. The struggle to push on has us trying harder and harder with less and less success.

We try with ever increasing futility, wondering why we are getting no where. Maybe the answer is in setting a new path for ourself. It could be that a new direction is required.

When you find yourself hitting the window, stop. Step back and look around to see other possibilities. The wind never blows exclusively in one direction. It changes constantly with variations that can take you new places.

Keep trying, but keep trying new ways.