Stick Your Neck Out

View the Notes & Transcript Here ⬇︎

SUMMARY
We often find ourselves in “long shot” situations, yet the story you’ll discover in this episode  encouraging reminder of what’s possible when you start with who you are, honor your uniqueness, and stick your neck out to grow beyond what you thought was possible and beyond your reach—like a fish learning to climb a tree or a giraffe learning to ride in a raft—stretching your comfort zone and moving instead into your growth zone. Check out this episode of On a Positive Note to learn more!

OFFER
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CONNECT WITH THE SHOW
Email: jonas@hashtagpositivty.com
Website: onapositivenote.com

TIMESTAMPS
00:15 Joke about a giraffe in a horse race
00:33 Insight about long shots
01:26 Positive news story about a community that rallied together to save a herd of giraffes
03:22 Insight about sticking our neck out to help others, even when it means stretching our comfort zone
04:30 Reflection
04:46 Wrap up

LINKS & REFERENCES

• Corbley, A. (2020, December 7). “After intense flooding, giraffes are being brought to safety in custom rafts built by community.” Retrieved by https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/giraffes-rescued-from-flooding-island-by-boat/
• https://savegiraffesnow.org/ 

HOST
Jonas Cain is a Human Performance Consultant, Positivity Coach, Learning Experience Designer, and Facilitator of Fascination. Through his company, Hashtag Positivity, he helps emerging leaders and their influencers initiate and manage positive change for individual, team, and organizational growth.

MUSIC
“Safety Net” by Riot
“Lightning Bugs” by Geographer
“A Quiet Thought” by Wayne Jones

TAGS
Positivity, Inspiration, Emotional Intelligence, Psychological Capital, Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, SocialSkills, Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, Optimism, On a Positive Note, Positive News Stories, Some Good News

Transcript

Hi everyone! Jonas Cain here with Hashtag Positivity, and welcome to On a Positive Note, the podcast that offers hope through positive news stories, practical insights, and even a little levity.

JOKE
And on that note it brings us to today’s joke about a giraffe that entered a horse race. No one would beat on the giraffe though, because they all thought that it was a—ahem—long shot.

INSIGHT
Even though this is just a joke, it does point to the truth. After all, it’s all well and good to judge a monkey by how well it can climb a tree, but you would never judge a fish by that same criteria. Any time we’re out of our element and in an environment or situation that we are not made for, have not prepared for, and have never been in before, well, our success will certainly be a long shot—whether we stick out our long necks or not. And this is an encouraging reminder to always remember who you are, to honor your uniqueness, and to move beyond that it’s always going to call you to stick your neck out of your comfort zone and prepare you for your growth zone.

STORY
And on that note it brings us to today’s positive news story which comes to us from Kenya where a community has come together to save a herd of giraffes.

The family of eight giraffes became stranded on a shrinking island in the middle of a crocodile infested lake when intense flooding cut their peninsula off from the mainland.

What made this rescue so important was that these particular giraffes are the most endangered of all the giraffes, with less than 1,600 left on the earth.

To help save them, a group of conservationists, government officials, and members from the Community Wildlife Conservancy built what they called a “giraffe-raft” to ferry the animals across the lake to safety on higher ground.

But this operation was certainly a tall order to fulfill, because these giraffes stand as high as 20 feet tall and weigh as much as 2,500 pounds! Their high center of gravity alone made keeping the raft upright a particular challenge, especially if the giraffes got spooked by the sight of any nearby crocodiles.

But the team really stuck their necks out and persevered, and after several months of effort they finally got the first giraffe safety across the lake.

David O’Connor, President of Save Giraffes Now, who participated in the rescue efforts, said “It is a relief for all involved to have got her safely across to the mainland and we are sure she is enjoying the space in her new home!”

INSIGHT
Gandhi once suggested that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." And I believe that’s true, because what we do for those who can offer no favors in return is a direct reflection of who we really are, of what we value, and of our moral character.

And it’s also a reminder that giraffes aren’t meant to travel by raft. That herd was certainly out of their element, in a situation that they simply aren’t designed for, making success truly a long shot.

Yet this is also an encouraging reminder of what’s possible when you start with who you are, honor your uniqueness, and stick your neck out to grow beyond what you thought was possible—like a fish learning to climb a tree or a giraffe learning to ride in a raft—stretching your comfort zone and moving instead into your growth zone.

REFLECTION
How might this story inspire you to step up to serve others, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone and into your growth zone?

WRAP-UP
I hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, and I encourage you to leave a rating and subscribe to the podcast, as that’s truly the best way to let others know about this positive resource.

If you have any comments or stories that you’d like to share with our listeners, you can send an email to me directly at jonas@hashtagpositivity.com. And that email is also listed in the description of today’s episode.

Until next time, my name is Jonas Cain and this has been another episode of On a Positive Note.