There is a folk tale that says that if you put a frog in a pot with boiling water it will jump out and flee immediately upon sensing the threat. But if you put it in a pot with cold water, light the fire and slowly raise the temperature, it will not escape, with all the consequences of the case.
Some argue that these experiments were actually carried out, around the XNUMXth century, and showed that the story has a real foundation. Today we are not so sure that this is true and I do not pretend to check its veracity, but the story itself is interesting because it leads us to reflect on how we deal with changes when they occur gradually.
In fact, it may be that at some point in our life we ​​have found ourselves doing things that we previously thought were impossible for us, because they don't fit our value system. In these cases, two things can happen: 1. We found ourselves in an exceptional situation and had to make an exceptional decision or, 2. We changed so slowly that we didn't realize it.
Today we give in a little, tomorrow a little more and so we are slowly removing the mental stakes that we had set for ourselves. Obviously, this is not always bad, in fact, it is a great strategy for making changes, because it makes the process less traumatic, but it is important to always remain vigilant, especially if someone else is controlling the water temperature and maybe it might get carried away, so by the time we realize it it might be too late.
How to avoid turning into a boiled frog
- Do you occasionally think about the past tense? It doesn't hurt to look back from time to time to see how we used to be and how we are now. This introspection exercise is very useful because it will not only be a warning sign that will tell us the temperature of the water, but it will also allow us to know where we are on the path, how we got here and how much remains to go. .
- Do you like yourself? This is not a rhetorical question, when you go back in time, ask yourself if you like the new person you have become. Have you become a safer and happier person or, conversely, are you more insecure and unhappy than before? If you don't like what you see, maybe it's time to reconsider how you got here and what you need to do to avoid following the wrong path.
- What control do you have over your life? It's not a trivial question because people often get involved in situations like that of the frog and end up not realizing that they are gradually losing control of their life. It is common for another person, which may be a spouse, parent, or even the boss, to take over. In this regard, evaluate the last most important decisions you have made in your life and think about how much the people around you may have influenced these decisions. Remember that it is one thing to consider the opinions and needs of others, and quite another to subordinate your life to their wishes, ignoring your own.
