Did that frog really boil?

You know the story: a frog placed in a pot of tepid water will not perceive the danger of temperatures rising and will end up boiled to death in a situation it could have escaped.

Biologically, this premise is false. A frog’s primary thermoregulation strategy is to change environments to maintain its body temperature. It would naturally jump out of the pot at the first sign of discomfort.

Mythologically, the story is true. Like all myths, the boiled frog reflects a truth in ourselves: how often we disregard increasing dangers and put ourselves in danger.

While the frog is biologically triggered to mitigate its discomfort, our mighty human brains allow us to ignore it. Unlike lower life forms, our pre-frontal cortex can rationalize individual suffering, especially for the collective good. This complex, advanced brain region gifted to Homo sapiens has the ability to override our natural survival strategies.

And then there’s Ego…that sliver of psyche that wants to run the show, relegating all other aspects of self to wallow in the shadows (see Ego and its Mythic Role). Your Ego couldn’t care less about your discomfort, as long as Ego looks good.

Here we find the truth of the myth: This distinctly human mix means WE—not the frog!—are likely to endure subtle increasing discomfort that ultimately threatens our survival.

But we’re smarter than a frog, right??? Ask yourself:

• Where are you neglecting your own needs, as if you could continue indefinitely without the most basic self-management?
• Are you withdrawing from activities you value, becoming more and more isolated and checked out?
• Is your hope for the future—yours, ours, the planet’s—fading with every news hit?

My friend, get out your thermometer. The water is heating up and it’s time for you to jump out of the pot. You may be on the slippery slope of burnout.

If we don’t get out of the boiling waters, our dreams die. Our hopes. Our plans. Our unique internal flame. Dies.

The gift you brought to the world at this time, matters. Your contribution, your internal flame, matter.

If you recognize the temperature rising around you—if you are experiencing any of the 12 phases of burnout—lift your head, put one webby frog foot in front of the other, and begin your climb out.

What do you already know you could do today to reconnect with your internal flame?

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Whole-being well-being expert, Liz Garrett, translates scientific and metaphysical principles into PRACTICAL APPLICATION leaders use to change their lives, their relationships, their work and, ultimately, the world.