Safety Tidbits: 4-15-13

The Elephant Rope 

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. After several attempts to break free early in life, the elephant gives up. They grow up believing they cannot break free, not realizing they have the strength to easily escape their bondage. They are convinced the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These powerful animals had the ability to break free from their bonds at any time, but they were stuck right where they were – because of what they believed.

How many of us go through life, like the elephant, believing that we are forever tethered to our present situation? 

Have faith in your abilities… then go ahead, and test that rope! 

And a bonus quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

Click here for more safety tidbits.

Thanks for the share, WK!