How Do You Eat an Elephant

I love inspirational quotations and proverbs.  I post quotes and proverbs on my refrigerator so that the kids can think about them.  The proverbs are always thought provoking and bring about great discussions.

There is an old African Proverb that says; “The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time”.  I have found this proverb to be extremely useful in my life.   Sometimes the hardest thing for people with ADHD is to just get motivated enough to start whatever needs to be done.


It is easy to become overwhelmed when you have a million things to do.  It is easy to look at the “to-do” list and just cringe.  When I find myself sinking into despair, I try to remember to break the tasks down into small pieces of tasks.   I also fine that I cannot function without rewarding myself for small achievements.  So a couple of steps towards my goal get me a read of 10 pages in my current book or magazine.  That little bit of sugar, absolutely, helps the medicine go down.

Speaking of little steps, I learned a little housekeeping trick from my aunt.  When she taught it to me I thought that it was ridiculous.  I now use this trick every day.  The trick is this; when you find something out of place you do not need to stop what you are doing and put it away.  All you need to do is put it closer to the location where it resides permanently.  The next time you are going towards the part of the house where the out of place object resides, you grab it on your way and place it closer still to its final location.  Eventually, the thing is very near where it should be and you put it away.   I have a basket at the bottom of my stairs.  All the upstairs things go in the basket until the next time I climb the stairs.  I have found these little life skills, like proverbs, to be invaluable resources.  Try it out for a while and let me know if it works for you.

I can’t resist but leave you with a few more proverbs that apply to this discussion.

**A little rain each day will fill the rivers to overflowing. **

**Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. **

**Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it. ** 

My favorite book of quotations is The Book of Positive Quotations, 2nd Edition.   I bought it used from Amazon for $5.00.


And finally, unrelated to this discussion, but a staple at my house;

**He who forgives ends the argument. **


If you have the time, leave me a comment about your favorite quotes or proverbs.  Thanks for reading!!