Eat the Frog

Mark Twain once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

The “frog” is that one thing you keep putting off, and “eating the frog” means to just do it. Once that one thing is completed, you will feel a sense of relief and achievement. You will feel energized to complete more things, and your mind will be in a positive, active state. 

What are your frogs? Maybe your frog is an early morning workout. You want to get up and work out before your day begins, but you just don’t have the energy when the alarm goes off. If this keeps happening, the frog will get heavier and heavier, and your mind will subconsciously build up pressure, stress and self-doubt.

Don’t feed the frog — take action, and eat the frog!

• • • Step 1: Recognize the frog
    • Step 2: Eat the frog

Be disciplined. Make completing a rewarding task the priority every day. The more helpful tasks you complete, the more reward chemicals, like endorphins and dopamine, your brain will release. These chemicals will help you build good habits and stay focused, productive and motivated to achieve more.

Make the decision that every day you will work on being your best self. Commit to starting that thing you’ve been putting off. Do not worry about what can go wrong. Do not fear the unknown; tackle it head on. The best kind of progress takes place when you learn how to pick yourself up. If you continue to work through obstacles and accept that any progress is movement in the right direction, you will strengthen your mindset, confidence and will to succeed.

You have the power to do this. Now go eat that frog!