Dealing With Cockroaches

“Dad, come here, urgently,” my son shouted out from the kitchen suddenly.

Fearful that something terrible happened, I rushed into the kitchen. My son was cowering in fear, looking at a big cockroach that was crawling about in the kitchen. He was unwilling to move, stuck by inaction. I was exasperated. “It’s just a cockroach. Why are you behaving as if it is such a big deal.” He would hear none of it. “Can you please do something. Can you clear it from here.” I picked up my sandal, slapped the cockroach dead, picked it up by one of its antennae, and disposed it into the wastebasket.

The cockroach created fear and panic in my son’s mind, while it was just an icky harmless insect for me.

What was the problem here? Was it the cockroach, or was it my son’s “inability” to deal with the cockroach?

“Business is not happening.”
“Client’s expectation is unfair.”
“I am not sure if my boss appreciates my work.”
“There is politics in the workplace.”
“My professor is not helping.”

Many of us get paralyzed with fear and uncertainty, thinking that something is a problem. But in reality, these problems that we encounter are like cockroaches. They are not the real problem.

Our inability and unwillingness to deal with the cockroach- that is the real problem.

When we encounter any challenge or issue, it will cause discomfort and create fear in us. Running away or getting paralyzed will not eliminate the cockroach. Being calm and taking action, knowing that the cockroach is just an insect, and no match for you is all it takes.

Next time you feel something is bothering you, think of it like a cockroach and deal with it.