Jack Canfield (author, Chicken Soup for the Soul) always has something clever to say in his books, and a recent eCoach lesson reminded me of his talk about "Big, Ugly Frogs" in Success Principle #8: Do First Things First
"The goal is to stay on schedule and complete the most important item first. In his excellent book, Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, Brian Tracy reveals not just how to conquer procrastination but also how to prioritize and complete all of your action items.", [Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer, The Success Principles]
I discovered Jack had first written about this in The Power of Focus, quoting Danny Cox, "If you've gotta frog to swaller, don't look at it too long. And if you've got more than one to swaller, swaller the biggest one first!" IOW, resist the temptation to pick the easiest, lowest priority items on your list and leave the most important, difficult ones for later in the day when your energy level is past its peak.
"...most of us leave the biggest and ugliest frog for last, hoping it will go away or somehow become easier. It never does. However, when you accomplish your toughest task early in the day, it sets the tone for the rest of your day. It creates momentum and builds your confidence, both of which move you farther and faster toward your goal.", [Ibid.]
Funny thing -- our kids were watching The Muppet Movie last week, not long after I completed my lesson on frogs, and I couldn't help but think that dear old Danny must have invested in one of Doc Hopper's frog leg franchises LOL
Doc Hopper: [pointing to a billboard showing a bucket of "Doc Hopper's French Fried Frog Legs"] Isn't that splendid? Just splendid! Just take a look at it.
Kermit: All I can see are millions of frogs with tiny crutches.
Doc Hopper: Listen, we're a small business but we've expanded. Expanded! Just like you frogs expand. Don't you frogs expand? [puffs his cheeks]
Kermit: That's a myth.
Doc Hopper: What?
Kermit: Myth! Myth!
Myth: Yeth? (for those who haven't seen the movie, this is a running gag about frog myths and various people answering to Kermit's frustrated cries of Myth!)
Bernie: You, you with the banjo, can you help me? I seem to have lost my sense of direction!
Kermit: Have you tried Hare Krishna?
As a born & bred Southerner (from Jim Henson's homestate of Mississippi!), I've seen my share of deep fried frog legs on my brother's dinner table back home, but I can honestly say they never appealed to my palate (even if they do supposedly taste like chicken :P) Canfield suggests getting a big plastic frog to place on your desk when working on top priority projects as a reminder to co-workers and others that means absolutely NO interruptions!
To get the image of "swallowing" a frog for breakfast out of mind (which, frankly, makes me gag - if you'll pardon the pun ;-) I think I'd prefer to have Kermit the Frog sitting on my desk in the spirit of Henson's creative wit & wisdom :D Good for both motivation and inspiration!
It should be no surprise to learn that Jim Henson was raised with the practical knowledge of Universal success principles and passed 'em along through his alter-ego, Kermie :o) I think he'd agree with today's Note from the Universe (courtesy of Mike Dooley at www.tut.com):
If it's hard,
there's something you're missing.
Bottom line: It may not seem so easy being green at times, but when following your passion in Life, spending a few extra moments interacting with the frogs along the way can ultimately take you places you've never dreamed possible!
Kermit: Life's like a movie. Write your own ending.
All of the muppets singing together: Keep believing, keep pretending; we've done just what we've set out to do, thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you!
Penne Ard 
2007 Some Rights Reserved. The author is a nontraditional homeschool mom and Founder/Facilitator of The Secret CO-OP Model Learning Centre at Powerful Intentions. Permission is granted to make and distribute copies of this article, provided the Creative Commons licensing guidelines are followed. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Founders College administration, faculty, or students.
