Lessons from a Snake

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like snakes at all. If I see one, I go the opposite direction, even if it’s just a garden snake.

Sorry to the snake lovers out there, but you won’t catch me near a snake any time soon.

But I recently stumbled upon a story about a snake that had a great message.

The story goes like this:

A man saw a snake in the road in the path of traffic and decided to move it out of harm’s way. When he picked up the snake, it bit him. He dropped the snake and then proceeded to grab a stick to move the snake the rest of the way out of the road.

A bystander saw this and said to the man, “That snake bit you. Why are you still trying to save it?” The man replied, “The nature of the snake is to bite, but that isn’t going to change my nature, which is to help.”

The moral of this story is simple: even if someone does something negative to you, don’t lose your true nature. Stay true to yourself.

In the workplace and in our personal lives, we are sometimes put in less than ideal situations. Someone not holding up their end of the project, a rude person we encounter in the checkout line, or maybe a coworker being pessimistic.

When you’re in these situations, don’t let the attitudes and actions of others rub off on you. Stay true to your nature.

Just like the man in the story, just because you are bitten, doesn’t mean your true self should change.

Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count.

About Molly: Molly Hallman is our Digital Content Manager, helping the marketing team with all things writing related, websites, social media, and events. When she’s not telling the Advoco story, she’s spending time with her dogs and her husband in pursuit of Greenville’s best hot dog (current favorite: the mac and cheese dog from the Greenville Drive Stadium.) Got a question for Molly? Send her an email!