Don't settle for failure

The kittens are hard at play. Oblivious to my need to write and concentrate. Oblivious to the destruction they are causing in their pursuit of feline happiness.  To them, life is fun, full of new things to explore and taste. They are totally focused on the fact that they are kittens and they have been put on this earth for one thing and one thing only – to play. With a capital P.

The cliché – curiosity killed the cat….I can certainly relate to that one. Given where they get to in their exploration of the house and its contents. But did you know there is a second part to that saying? Well there is, believe it or not….curiosity may have killed the cat, but persistence brought him back.

No I’m not saying we should be cat like in our behaviours, not unless you enjoy washing behind your ear with your tongue. But we can learn a lot from simple yet complex creatures.

They have complete focus on one thing at a time. Sure they dash off when the next shiny things catches their eyes. But whilst they are looking at and playing with one thing, they focus their entire attention on it.
When they get bored – they move on.
They are not afraid to take big leaps
They get into impossible situations and then work out a way to get out of it. They don’t care if they land flat on their faces, they’re off and running, and they learn from their mistakes.
They see playgrounds where most of us would see a chair.
They sleep when they’re tired
They eat only when they’re hungry and stop the minute when they get full (how many of us do that?) – which probably explains why there’s not many fat cats around!!

So am I saying we should act like cats, without thought or consequence for our actions?
No, and that’s what makes us difference from other animals on this planet as far as we know. We are the only species that can think and act according to our beliefs and those actions that we have taken in the past. But that said, those things can also hold us back. Sometimes we are afraid to take those flying leaps, afraid that we may land on our noses and the shame and embarrassment of that….
But what I am asking you to do is to look at what you are afraid to do and then ask yourself if you would do that “thing” if you weren’t afraid of the consequences. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?