Today, a squirrel was out on our birdfeeder – the tricky one that is supposed to keep squirrels away.

This squirrel clearly did not have any clue that he wasn’t supposed to be able to eat the food from this feeder.  He balanced, he hung down by his feet, he crawled to the top and tried again.  Eventually, he figured it out.  He hung by his back feet and used his front paws to grab onto the edge of the feeder.  After filing his cheeks full of goodies, he climbed back to the top and sat happily enjoying the fruits of his labor.

As I watched him, I was reminded of the importance of goals, confidence, and persistence.

He started with a crystal clear goal – he wanted the tasty snack from the feeder.  Achieving the goal definitely wasn’t straightforward, but he persisted with the patience and confidence that he would be able to accomplish his mission. 

Along the way, he wasn’t distracted by other squirrels telling him his goal was too big or unattainable.  He didn’t ask for advice, read books or listen to a podcast providing instruction.  He was OK with his failures, learning from each one and coming back to try again.

The next time you have something you want to achieve, remember the squirrel – set a clear goal and charge forward with persistence and patience.  Along the way, learn from your mistakes and appropriately balance the time you spend looking for instruction and listening to the opinions of others.