Mother Fox On Goal Setting

Today I want to share something that was truly beautiful, and is related to goal setting…

Part of me says you had to be there, but when you read this, you be the judge.

There I am stuck in traffic, waiting for my turn at the stoplight, which as it happens is flashing red, so we all have to wait our turns to get where we’re headed.

When my turn comes up, I hit the gas. I’ve barely gone a few hundred yards and I notice there is a small animal ahead and to my right. Yep, I was right… it’s a fox!

My heart skips a beat.

I’m surprised. Concerned. Hopeful.

It’s almost like a perfect scene from a movie, where the director has carefully staged this moment.

So there’s the fox…

A beautiful, reddish-brown fox. She’s  nodding her head back and forth–and with it, shaking something that’s hanging out of her mouth–studying traffic, calculating how she is going to cross the road.

This is all happening in a matter of seconds. I see her, the fox, I have my thoughts, and immediately worry whether the car quickly approaching me from the left has spotted the fox too.

And yes, luckily, the car next to me also pauses.

And that is when it happens…

The fox sees her opportunity. She knows it’s her chance.

Bird in mouth, she crosses my two lanes, and then two more lanes of traffic which catch on to what’s going on  and also slow down she quickly approaches.

Yes-she made it!

And you can almost hear the crowd cheering.

I’m somewhat emotionally caught up just telling you this story for several reasons.

It’s a story of determination.

It’s a story of knowing what your outcome is and being clear on your goal.

It’s a story of motivation.

I was worried for the fox. I was rooting for her. Hoping she would successfully make it across the road, which of course meant others would have to notice her too and allow her to have a safe journey.

I can only imagine what was going on in her mind.

Perhaps she was focused on getting her little ones some food. And watching her with there holding a bird in her mouth, preparing to take a feast to her little ones, was a sight to be seen.

And so I was touched by the fox, I had respect, compassion, and a host of other feelings about this experience, about this determined mother knowing clearly what she wanted to go after and going for it.

Now you might question this and say it has nothing to do with goal setting strategies and that the animal was acting out of pure instincts.

Whatever the case might be, she reminded me of an important lesson and made me contemplate this valuable experience.

Her reminder was if you really want something, you get yourself in the right mind set, you understand what it is that motivates you, and you do what’s necessary to go after your goal.

See, the fox was on a mission. She was clear on her outcome. She knew what she had to do.

And she was determined to do whatever it takes to reach her destination.

She was highly motivated. Not getting her goal would mean that her little ones would starve. And that wasn’t an option in her book.

The fox knew what she wanted, she was clear on her goal. And she had a good reason why. No question about that.

In her book, that’s how you cross the road. And that’s exactly what she did.

Who would have thought you can learn goal setting techniques from a mother fox?

Ciao!

Taylor Coburn