Busy Beavers Build Piles Of Sticks

"Well, you're just a busy beaver, aren't you?" You've either heard or used this cliche, but what do you know about beavers? Let me tell you about something I learned.

One night on the Discovery Channel, I watched a scientist determine how beavers knew where to put the sticks to build their dams. It's by the sound of water, he discovered. A recording of running water would soon have the beavers busy covering the tape player with sticks. He could get them to build useless piles of sticks anywhere he wanted.

What a great metaphor! Aren't we often building useless piles of sticks? We keep busy, responding to whatever drives us, but without doing anything truly productive. My personal favorite is making redundant to-do lists, or adding something already done to my list, just to check it off. Talk about a useless pile of sticks!

Efficiency Versus Effectiveness

It's worth noting that the beavers were very efficient at piling sticks on tape recorders. It didn't help the dam construction one bit, of course. Efficiency clearly doesn't equal effectiveness, but is it so obvious in our own lives?

Sometimes when we look deep enough we find that we are busy building nothing. For example, a man can be efficient at his job, and think he's effective, maybe because sales are up. Then he sees that he doesn't like the job, and isn't building the future he wants. The company may love him, but his effort is producing nothing more than a pile of sticks, as far as he's concerned.

Even the tape player gets to be part of this metaphor. Don't we sometimes follow our own internal "tapes," and do useless things as a result? We don't have to though. It's time to take a look at our daily routines. It's time to be an effective beaver instead of a busy beaver.

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www. Self Improvement Now .com

---

Empowering Other People

Everything you will ever have and accomplish in life will... Read More

Informational Interviews: Tips for Success

As a work-life and career coach, I regularly work with... Read More

Private Effort Means Success In Public

If we eat too much at home, the public eventually... Read More

The Gift Of Success

Often just one self-help principle can increase your power to... Read More

Evaluating Your Associations (Part Two)

Two weeks ago we took a look at the power... Read More

What Is Your Legacy of Success?

Success! Easy to talk about, but difficult to achieve. Or... Read More

The Winner Walk

The Winner's Walk is a key strategy in the sport... Read More

Take Yourself to the Top!

Everybody wants to get to the top, whether it is... Read More

Harness Mind Chatter and Make it Work for You!

"When you talk to yourself, you listen. No matter what... Read More

How To Get Out Of The Way Of Your Own Success

Success is something that happens all by itself once you've... Read More

Unlock Your Potential Through Self-Awareness

Signs of DiscontentYou don't need a degree in psychology to... Read More

Your Telephone Voice Makes Your Success

We speak every day without fully recognizing the impact our... Read More

Affirm, Visualize, and Receive - Is Planning Really Necessary?

"Don't get caught up in the how of things. If... Read More

Conquering Bad Habits

Most of your behavior is determined by your habits. Everything... Read More

The True BMI of Success - What is the True Definition of Success?

The TRUE BMI of SUCCESS (B)e a (M)illionaire (I)ndexWhy am... Read More

Identify Those Things That Have Prevented You From Being Successful And Learn How To Avoid Them Now

Have you been struggling for years to accomplish some goals... Read More

The Arenas of Success

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in... Read More

Tiger Woods Secret to Success

Did you see or hear about 'The Masters' golf tournament... Read More

The Formula For Failure and Success

(Excepted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the... Read More

Is Success About Money?

Success could be just about making money, but I think... Read More

Top 7 Traits of Extremely Wealthy People

Wealthy people share common traits. That's why they are wealthy.... Read More

Bill Gates: Why He is the Richest Man in the World

Bill is a man for the people, of the people... Read More

It Takes Competence to Change!

This article is about a subject that few people think... Read More

Opportunities for Success: A Nickel in the Road

Exercising is not one of my favorite pastimes but I... Read More

Overnight Success - the Truth is Revealed

Overnight success seems to be happening to a lot of... Read More

Plan On Opposition to Your New Ideas. It?s Normal!

Lets face it, no one enjoys rejection. But the reality... Read More

Success and Failure: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Failure is GreatYou are probably asking yourself what could be... Read More

Purpose in Amsall?s Success Mindset Tripod

Here are the 3 elements of the "Purpose" leg in... Read More

Lessons from My Garden

What does "Lessons from My Garden" have to do with... Read More

Top 6 Business Success Strategies

"The principal purpose of business is to create a customer."... Read More

17 Extraordinary Human Capacities

People have a tremendous capacity for outstanding achievement. There are... Read More

Prosperity Practices

By popular request, I thought I would put together this... Read More

Masterminding Your Way To Greater Success

Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in... Read More