The Wisdom of the Snapping Turtle

When I was 8 years old, during one of my journeys into the woods, I successfully captured a rather large snapping turtle. I immediately brought him back to my grandparents' house, selected an appropriate box, and made him my official pet. As I was being particularly quiet, my grandfather came onto the back porch to determine what mischief I might be pursuing. I showed him my prize turtle and explained that it was now my pet. 

 

My grandfather took a pencil out of his shirt pocket and poked the turtle under his shell until he extended his head and promptly bit the end of the pencil completely off. Then my grandfather turned to me and asked me a question that remains with me even today. He asked, "Now that you know what your turtle can do, if you stick your finger in there and he bites it off, is it your fault or his?" 

 

As an 8-year-old, this was very simple. I knew that if I allowed my turtle to bite off my finger, it would be my fault. I am very pleased to inform you that as of this writing, I am still in possession of all ten fingers. 

 

Many of us as adults forget the wisdom of the turtle, and we get bit time after time. We don't fail because we don't know what to do. We fail because we don't do what we know. Sigmund Freud tells us that insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over, but continually expecting a different result. If you keep sticking your fingers in the turtle's mouth, you will continue to lose fingers. If you want a different result in your life, take a different action. Starting now.