In a remote jungle deep inside Southeast Asia lived a tribe of savages. Running wild in the jungles of this area were Proboscis Monkeys. This tribes favorite food was, you guessed it, Proboscis Monkey.

Many moons ago this tribe of savages nearly went extinct. Why? Was it because the Proboscis Monkey was faster and more cunning than the elder of the tribe? Maybe the monkey was faster and maybe it was something else.  Think about it? What was the something else?

Had the village accepted the answers of the elder chief for hunting and capturing monkey, surely the entire village would have perished. The reality was, this tribe needed change in order to survive. No pun intended, this tribe needed a village to save the village.

Turn to the jungle now. The Proboscis Monkey was fast. The Proboscis Monkey had learned to survive the elders hunting power in the jungle. As is the case, eventually change comes to all, including the Proboscis Monkey.

In a break from tradition and culture young and old came together in the village to brainstorm solutions to the possible extinction.  Wild ideas were tossed about. Some elders were not impressed with the new methods of hunting Monkey. Together the savages agreed to go along with the new plan to trap the Monkey with their favorite fruit.

Because the elders were willing to listen and change the tribe survived extinction. Here is how the tribe survived.

Every member of the tribe took a part in planting traps for the monkeys. In trees all over the jungle tribe members went about drilling one-inch diameter holes in trunks. Inside the trunks the tribe place a favorite fruit of the Proboscis Monkey.

Keep in mind that change comes hard for many, including monkeys.

The tribe hid in the shadows and waited. Soon the monkeys’ discovered the fruit inside the tree trunks. They would stick their narrow arms inside the trunk and grab hold of the fruit. While the monkey was clasped onto the fruit it was unable to pull its arm out of the tree. The monkey was trapped of its own will.

As quickly as the monkeys’ grab hold of the fruit the tribe member would jump out from the shadows and begin beating the monkeys’ over the head with a club.

All the Proboscis Monkey needed to do was let go to be free. All the Proboscis Monkey needed to do was change to live. Unfortunately, the tribe was able to kill the monkeys’ with their trap. If the monkeys’ had let go of the fruit they would have been free.

So, was the money faster or more cunning than the tribe? The answer is clearly no. The tribe was smarter, more nimble, and able to survive because they were willing to let go of their fruit known only the elder who thought his hunting methods were best for hunting monkey and feeding the tribe.

The moral is, let go of the fruit.

If you are locked in your ways and unwilling to change at work or in life, you are setting yourself up to perish. Times will change and so must you. Choose to be smarter and open minded to a new way of doing something for your own survival and those you watch over or are accountable to support.