There was once a group of tiny frogs, and they decided to hold a race—not just any race. Their mission was to reach the top of a massive tower. It was so high that it disappeared into the clouds. Word spread quickly, and soon a crowd had gathered to watch. But something unexpected happened. Instead of support, the crowd began to shout: “They’ll never make it!” “It’s too hard for them!” “The tower is impossible to climb!”
Those words had a massive impact on the frogs, and little by little, they began to give up. Some stumbled, while others turned back. Many never even gave themselves a chance—not because they lacked strength, but because they listened.
They listened to fear, they listened to discouragement, and they listened to the doubts of people who had already stopped believing in themselves. And so, all the frogs gave up—all except one. One frog continued climbing higher and stronger, step by step. It didn’t stop. It didn’t turn back. And most importantly, it didn’t listen—because it couldn’t. You see, that tiny frog was deaf.
It didn’t hear the negativity. It didn’t hear the doubt. It didn’t know that it was impossible. So, it did the only thing it knew to do: it kept going.
There’s a powerful message in this little story, because sometimes the greatest advantage we can have is not hearing the noise around us.
Look at the example of Sita Mata in the Ramayan. She was exiled, kidnapped, and tested again and again. Yet she remained steadfast in her dharma and her purity. She was undistracted by fear or criticism. Did she listen to the words or the noise of the world? No, she didn’t. She listened to her inner strength and her faith in Ram Bhagwan.
Life is full of voices telling us what we can’t do or why we are not good enough. And yes, those voices come from the world, but often they also come from within—the voice in our head that says, “You’ll fail,” “You’re not ready,” or “What if you embarrass yourself?”
But here’s the truth: we have to choose what we hear, because what we hear becomes what we believe. And what we believe, we eventually become.
So, do we let fear define our future? Do we let someone else’s doubt become our truth? Or do we become like the tiny little frog?
Let us be deaf to doubt. Let us be deaf to fear. Let us surround ourselves with voices that lift us—with people who believe in us, even when it’s difficult to believe in ourselves.
And when the world says, “It’s too hard, you just can’t do it,” let us lift our heads and plant our feet—just like that tiny frog—and keep climbing. Because the top is not just possible for us; it is ours if we stop listening to those who have already given up.
- Jnanpurushdas Swami
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
