I recently came across an anecdote on Cognitive sciences by Dennett and Hofstadter called the ‘The Sphex story’.

When the time comes for egg laying, the wasp Sphex builds a burrow for the purpose and seeks a cricket which she stings in such a way as to paralyze but not kill it. She drags the cricket into the burrow, lays her eggs alongside, closes the burrow, then flies away, never to return. In due course, the eggs hatch and the wasp grubs feed off the paralyzed cricket, which has not decayed, having been kept in the wasp equivalent of a deepfreeze.

Pretty intelligent creature, isn’t it ?

Interestingly, the wasp’s routine, is to leave the cricket on the threshold of the burrow, go inside to see that all is well, emerge, and then drag the cricket in. If, while the wasp is inside making her inspection, the cricket is moved a few inches away, the wasp, on emerging from the burrow, will bring the cricket back to the threshold, and will then repeat the preparatory procedure inspecting the burrow. If again the cricket is moved a few inches while the wasp is inside, once again the wasp will repeat the entire process never thinking of pulling the cricket straight in.

So, what initially looked like intelligent behavior, now looks more like a rigid pattern of behavior.

Do we also behave like the Sphex at times, with processes and patterns that were seemingly intelligent once, becoming more rigid now? What would help us shift out of this behavior?

I think the answer lies in building an Entrepreneurial Mindset — one that’s comprised of thinking outside the box, forward thinking and growth oriented?

1. ‘Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice’ — Steve Jobs

Trust your intuition to stay true to your thoughts and ideas. Feel empowered to convert those ideas into actions. Have the courage to take responsibility for the success or failure of the actions.

2. ‘Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago’ — Warren Buffet

Understand the larger picture while being able to Look up & Forward. Challenge the status quo, for new breakthroughs, keeping a clear vision of the future. Build your perseverance to overcome obstructions, setbacks or failures, which are guaranteed !

3. ‘Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development because success is something you attract by the person you become’ — Hal Elrod

I’ve often spoken about fixed & growth mindsets in the past… the view that you adopt deeply impacts the way you lead your life! The Growth Mindset enables you to grow as individuals, with the thirst to keep learning new things and develop new skills to realize your full potential.

‘Whether you think you can or think you can’t — you’re right’ — Henry Ford