A dog is tied to a rope that is 15 feet long.

The dog moves to a spot 25 feet away.

How is this possible?

SOLUTION: How is this possible?  Stop thinking with limitations.  We tend to think within limits, but the beauty of the world is that it is entirely possible that the limitations that we put on ourselves are self-imposed and not necessarily valid.

A classic example of not accepting limitations was eloquently written up in iRun magazine this past month (Issue 5).  On page 16 you will find the story of Noella Klawitter, a record-breaking runner who has only 5% vision.  Noella, a recreational runner until the retina disease that has cost her her sight set in, began running competitively after losing her sight.  Now think…if she had accepted the limitation of being blind and listened to a society that says “How can you run if you can’t see where you are going?” then Noella would not have become the champion that she is and Canada would not have this extraordinary paralympian to be so proud of.

So can you think of all the limitations that you have put on yourself?  All the things that you want to do, but tell yourself that you can’t do because you don’t have time, don’t have money, don’t have talent…and on and on.  Or what about friends who secretly want to achieve something, but have so burdened themselves with limitations that they just can’t see the way to their dream.

That’s what we love about coaching.  We get to show athletes how to set aside those limitations and reach their goals.  It is so rewarding and with some clients it is just downright inspirational!

So what is the solution to the riddle?  The dog is tied to a rope that is 15 feet long.  He is able to move to a spot 25 feet away because he doesn’t have perceived limitations.  He moved beyond the 15 feet to discover that the rope wasn’t tied to anything allowing him to go wherever he wanted to.

Five frogs are sunbathing on a log.

Four frogs decide to go for a swim.

How many frogs are left on the log?

SOLUTION: Five frogs are left on the log; there is a difference between deciding to do something and actually doing something!

We love this riddle as it so perfectly exemplifies the behaviour of so many of us -  we decide to do something, but never seem to get around to actually doing it.  We all know someone like this; maybe even you?  How about the soccer player who decides that he needs to work on speed for the upcoming season and when the season in over he is still saying that he’s going to do some speedwork.  Or how about the weekend warrior; he decides to run a marathon and then doesn’t do enough training to build the endurance necessary to complete the event.

That’s where we as coaches get to do our thing and help the frogs actually take the leap off the log.  Much of it is about motivation – getting the client excited about the goal they’ve set and then keeping them motivated through the challenges of the training required to achieve the goal.  The rest is about implementation – having a workable plan that will allow the athlete to achieve her goal.  That’s the beauty of coaching.  We have the ability to impact someone’s life in a way that is very powerful; we see them achieve their goal, experience success and in some cases become champions.  Coaching is a wonderful thing!

Our athletes aren’t the only ones who can miss out on the action necessary to take a decision to a doing.  Sometimes we, as fitness professionals, are equally as guilty.  Such as when we decide we need a new marketing campaign and months later we still haven’t done anything – although we do have a really great plan!

The secret of the five frogs riddle is implementation.  Whether you are the coach or the client, it always comes down to implementation.  Without action nothing is going to happen.  So whenever you come up with a great idea and then decide that this is the route that you want to go – be it as an athlete or as a fitness professional – remember the five frogs and then leap off the log!  Or as Nike has so eloquently coined, “Just Do It!”