There is a great story that I have heard time and again about a man who has to catch a chicken in order to eat.
Ultimately the man states teh following”
“When I pray for a chicken to eat, I go hungry. When I pray for the speed to catch a chicken, I eat like i’m wealthy.”
Such are the ups and downs in life. I have seen all kinds of fluctuations in my 10 year career. Folks come and go. Sometimes we get mass influxes of patients and other times, we get mass outflows of patients. When we get down, I notice myself praying for the things I want more. More patients to help, more money, more things… More chickens.
In those moments I catch myself saying things like, “I wish I had….” or I could use more….”
Such comments come from a mindset of lack.
On the other hand when things are going well, I find myself being more thankful and asking for the skills necessary to continue growth. “Lord, please teach me to open my heart to serve more people.” “God, please bless me with wisdom to encourage the people we serve.” “God, please grant me the courage to speak up and tell the truth.” … I ask for the speed to catch a chicken.
Lately we’ve been in a funk. There was a mass exodus from the practice the past three or four months. I don’t understand why someone who wants to be healthy would stop doing something that is delivering on exactly what they want. We people (myself included) are funny like that. The moment things get going well, we stop the very thing that gave us what we asked for. We lose the 20 lbs we wanted to take off and we quit the gym. We forget to preserve the improvements we make and that leads us to a downward trend. We date, fall in love, get married and stop the necessary actions to fulfill, preserve and maintain our marriage. … Then we wonder why the 20 lbs comes back or how we ended up in a divorce. The real work happens AFTER we attain our goals…
That’s when we start asking for more chickens rather than continuing to ask for the speed to catch one.
