Are You Spending Your Days Chasing Mice Or Hunting Antelopes? Do You Even Know The Difference?

If you're the kind of person who's overstretched, tired and calls everything a priority, here's a story for you.

I didn't write it, didn't live it, and am not going to tell you much about it because I want you to discover it for yourself.

The former speaker of the US House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, when explaining the need to focus on the big things and let the little stuff slide told the following story:

A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse.

But it turns out that the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself.

So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death.

A lion can’t live on field mice. A lion needs antelope.

Antelope are big animals. They take more speed and

strength to capture and kill, and once killed, they provide a feast for the lion and her pride.

A lion can live a long and happy life on a diet of antelope.

The distinction is important.

Are you spending all your time and exhausting all your energy catching field mice?

In the short term, it might give you a nice, rewarding feeling. But in the long run, you’re going to die.

So ask yourself at the end of the day, “Did I spend today chasing mice or hunting antelope?”

This is a great approach.

It creates a clear mindset for prioritizing your time and resources.

When planning your goals for the next month or looking at your To-Do list, ask the killer question: “Which item, if done, will give me the BIG win and make the rest either easier or completely irrelevant?”

In other words, which one is the antelope?

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