Today I spent some quality time with my wife Maria in reviewing my business and setting the objectives for the year to come. It has been an important moment because, despite all the things to do, I have taken the time to actually stand back and review everything I do or that I could do and lay it down in written format on a white board so that she could also review it and give me her opinion. She has been with me all along this incredible American journey and has enough good sense and business experience to advise me or at least help me better clarify my true objectives.

She is always able to make me focus on the important achievements and my abilities rather than on the setbacks and the difficulties, and this is priceless. But there is a little story that she sent me via e-mail today that I want to share with you.

Once upon a time somebody organized a frog race. The objective was to reach the top of a very high tower. Many people gathered to look and the peculiar competition and bet on the winners. The race began but the audience actually didn’t believe it was possible for the frogs to actually climb that high so they started telling to each other: “What a pity, they will never make it!” Some of the frogs that were attempting to the climb the tower heard these words, and felt discouraged, so they abandoned the race. Just one frog continued in trying to climb to the top.

But the people kept saying: “What a pity, they will never make it” so even more frogs abandoned except for this single stubborn frog that was still trying despite everything. Eventually all the frogs gave up except our lonely frog which stubbornly and with great effort managed to arrive to the top.

At this point everybody wanted to know how he had made it to complete successfully such a difficult task. But the frog didn’t answer… So everybody found out that this single triumphant frog was DEAF!

Moral of the story: don’t listen to the people who have the habit of being negative about things, they will rob you of your best hopes. Remember the power contained in the words you read or hear. So try always to be positive and always be deaf to anybody telling you that you can’t make your dreams come true.

Thank you Maria.

Roberto Mazzoni