What I Learned from a Hummingbird

Posted by Ron Ball

Sep 07, 06

Over the weekend, after a big storm I decided to work outside in the garden and do some weeding while the ground was wet. It makes pulling weeds easier. When I went into the garage, I heard a noise. It was a Hummingbird. He was stuck in the garage and couldn’t get out. This went on for over an hour. I’d go in the garage and he’d be doing the same thing. What puzzled me was that both garage doors were wide open and he couldn’t get out because of one simple reason. What was it and how can you apply it to doing EFT?

Apparently, the natural instinct of a Hummingbird when threatened or trapped is to fly upward. The Hummingbird flew up each time he attempted to get out. He would rest, then hover under the ceiling, fly around and then bump up against the garage ceiling continuously. At first, I tried a couple of ways I thought I might be able to help him get out, then I decided it was best to let him alone. Here are some of my observations about the Hummingbird.

• He wasn’t using all of his abilities. Hummingbirds can fly up, down, forward, backward and sideways. They can even stop in midair. Lesson for me: Use all of your resources and abilities to solve a problem and to get to your destination.
• He was expending a lot of wasted energy. Hummingbirds are very small birds with a high metabolism. They burn up a lot of energy flying, so they must feed almost constantly — usually every 15 minutes. Their heartbeat can go up to 1,260 beats per minute. Although this Hummingbird was expending a lot of energy, he wasn’t getting anywhere. Lesson for me: If you’re doing a job or activity, the more energy you put into it isn’t necessarily better. The quantity of hours you work may not get you where you want to go. There isn’t necessarily a direct correlation between time, effort and results. If the Hummingbird had changed directions, he could have easily been out in a few seconds with minimal effort. All of the energy he was expending was just wearing him out.
• He wasn’t trying anything new. He kept repeating the same pattern — going up, banging against the ceiling, resting and doing it again. Lesson for me. If you’re stuck in a situation, as long as you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same results. CHANGE DIRECTIONS. As I said, several times the Hummingbird was only inches from getting out.

Whether it’s something in your life, career or doing EFT, do these three things:

1. Tap into all of your abilities, not just a few. Instead of following your habitual response, use your intuition and try something new, especially if the avenue you’re going down isn’t getting you anywhere.
2. Get into the flow. Discover easy ways to create the results you want by leveraging the effort that feels right without getting frustrated or tired.
3. If you get stuck, go in a different direction Or, as Gary Craig says, open a different “door.” Go for the eloquently simple way to unlock the door.

And yes, eventually the Hummingbird did find a way to fly out of the garage. Later, I found instructions of what to do if a Hummingbird flies into your garage.