Frannie The Focused Fish Fable

A story about staying focused on goals even when distractions are tempting.

Frannie's favorite activity was going for an afternoon swim with her community school. What does she discover when, one day, they leave her behind to fend for herself?

Frannie the fish loved swimming around in unison and feeling like a part of something important. She also felt very safe being with the other fish she grew up with.

The one thing that always caught her attention, however, was Joe, a goldfish from another school. Each time she passed Joe's school, she was tempted to stop and say hello.

On this particular day, Frannie decided to give in to the temptation. She darted out of her school and beckoned to Joe, who was swimming in the opposite direction.

"Hey there," said Frannie to Joe. "I'm Frannie! Do you want to be friends?"

"Hi Frannie, it's very nice to meet you," replied Joe as he continued to swim with his school. He then said, "It looks like your school is leaving you behind!"

Frannie stopped following Joe when she realized that she allowed the distraction to take her off course. She immediately started to worry about how she would reunite with her school.

"Oh no," she exclaimed, "How will I ever find them and get back home?"

Thank goodness that Frannie's school always passed by Joe's community on the way back home. Pretty soon, she saw them coming along and jumped for joy.

"There they are! They're coming back," screamed Frannie with excitement.

As soon as they got close enough, Frannie jumped back in with the group. She was very relieved to be back where she belonged. Now she could get back on track and stay focused.

Moral: It’s important to ignore distractions and stay the course.

Frannie The Focused Fish - Self-Reflection

Frannie loved being a part of her community school. She liked what they did together and was proud of their formations. She also enjoyed belonging to a team that was focused on set goals each day.

There came a time, however, when Frannie got a little sidetracked. Distractions started to take its toll. Eventually, Frannie gave in and lost sight of her school. That, naturally, led to a break in the flow towards her goal.

Distractions seem most attractive when the going gets tough. When the end is too far away to see, it's easy to get sidetracked and lose focus. Before you know it, you've taken several steps back and you're forced to start building from scratch once more.

It is so important to maintain focus, even when you're weary from pushing and pushing. Even the slightest distraction can make a complete mess of your progress.

Give yourself the opportunity to realize your truest potential. Anything vying for your attention now is likely going to be around when you achieve your goal. Be patient and pay attention to the mission at hand.

Once you've hit the target, take as much time as you want to relax and give attention to other things. Until then, stay the course. Your victories are much more fulfilling when you give everything you have to achieve them.

Self-Reflection Questions: 

1. What techniques can I use to be more effective at focusing?

2. How do I determine if a distraction has the potential to help me reach my goal quicker?

3. What advantages are there to keeping my mind on whatever mission I commit to?