Eating Elephants

You have heard the answer to the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” Of course, the answer is, “One bite at a time.” The purpose of question/answer is to help one realize that regardless of how large your problem, challenge, issue, goal may be, you solve or arrive at the desired result, the same way, one bite at a time.

The fact that is hard to remember is that the process of eating is the same for whatever size meal you may have before you. Whether you are eating a peanut-butter sandwich or an elephant, you take the food item, and bring it to your mouth, take a bite, and begin chewing. Since the process is the same regardless of the size of the meal, it is logical to deduce that the size of meal should not be a factor in the decision of one starting the process.

Now I understand that the size of the meal can be intimidating if you are expected to consume all that is set before you. However, since we are not using the analogy to discuss the eating of food, the goals we are trying to achieve or problems we are attempting to overcome typically do not require a solution be reached in one sitting. We may in fact want to have the goal met or issue dealt with quickly, but this does not mean that it has to be. More than often, that is simply our impatience forming our expectations and not a well informed understanding of the situation we are desiring to change.

Finally, both you and I will end up taking several bites as we sit at several meals throughout our lifetime. We might as well be taking bites out of those goals and issues that are before us. We all exist in time. We will use this time for something. This moment-by-moment time is the same for everyone regardless of how we use it. Therefore, start biting!!