One Dead Frog – One Deaf Frog – Anthea's Anthology

Happy New Year to all my amazing friends and family! 2011 was the year of the “Traveling Tripps” – we were gone a lot and loving everywhere we traveled.

Now that we are into 2012, it looks very much like we will be doing more of the same – by choice of course. We are so blessed to have this ability to travel, run a successful business no matter where we are, and spend valuable time with close friends and family.

Enjoying life and making a difference is something I’ve always dreamed of and it’s wonderful to live that dream.

For me this is the year of “joyful accomplishment”. I’m setting out to accomplish many things – great and small. In the journey toward those goals, I intend to be joyful not only in the triumph of success but also in the inevitable “obstacles” that will surely show up – they always do (sneaky little beasties) so best to anticipate them and know how to react in advance! They appear when least expected, but are always lurking out there somewhere to rise up and attempt to thwart our progress. I say “attempt” because it’s true that only I can give permisssion to these obstacles or setbacks to stop me in my tracks! That will not happen this year. I will be unstoppable. Invincible! And will not pause in my quests or get distracted from my goals by anyone or any unforseen “thing” that interferes. I will be joyful in all circumstances.

One of my “big” goals is to be the best cheerleader and encourager that I can, not only to my wonderful Shaklee team and to those in my circle of family and friends, but to myself.

Encouraging words lift us up and make a difference. This year I will joyfully and purposely become even better at encouraging others. Which reminds me of a great little story about frogs and how it also relates to people. People can tear down or build up with words and actions. We can discourage or encourage with a look or one word.

Let us all try harder to be “encouragers”!

The Frog Story

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit.

When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.

When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

This story teaches two lessons

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.

It is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can be so powerful. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times or to give up in despair.

Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” ~
1 Thessalonians 5:11