Don't Be a Spider Monkey

​The spider monkey is extremely hard to catch due to its speed and agility. However, you can trap the monkey with a box and a fruit. That's all it takes. Place a piece of delicious fruit inside of a box designed to fit the monkey's arm. Once he grabs the fruit, he cannot let go, even though his clenched fist will not fit through the hole. The monkey is snared by its small thinking and desire for the immediate gratification of the delicious fruit. Ultimately, this is the undoing of the spider monkey.

Teresa and I enjoyed a wonderful beach day in Ocean City, NJ. While eating lunch on the beach, the conversation between the nearby lifeguard and beach patrol guy caught my attention. I was not being nosy, just curious as I like to hear how people think. The lifeguard was a talker, barely giving time to his friend. That's a huge lesson there as this podcast rolls on. He shared how he's been with the city for years as a guard and even served the city council for a term. He was a giving, intelligent, and upbeat guy. But he was blind to his overtalking and small thinking. He mentioned how he'd been passed over for a promotion and possibly rubbed others the wrong way. He could not understand why. I knew from this short conversation. His desire was to get ahead, but he had to play the game as good as he knew how. Then he mentioned that his life has been changed as a new dad with a baby daughter. My heart went out to him. He's about 30-years-old, in great physical shape, lives on the beach, and has an incredible life-saving skillset. But he's broke and stuck with his arm stuck in the spider monkey box.

As I shared with Teresa privately, this lifeguard has incredible value and worth on the open market verses being trapped in a corporate structure or job. He just doesn't know it. He has benefits and security and again, his arm in the spider box. I said to Teresa... "Imagine if this guy took his skillset, learned some people skills, and taught parents like us how to keep our kids safe at the beach and how to teach our kids life skills that could one day save their life. I'd pay big time for that. He could make 3 times his current income if he was willing to accept a different way of earning income."

This is what holds many from starting their solo cleaning business. They have their arm stuck in the spider monkey box with fear, a false sense of security, and small thinking. Take a chance!

I promoted 3 books that can all be found on my Resources page for recommended reading - "Mindset", "The Magic of Thinking Big", and "The Art of Dealing with People".