An antelope discovered a hidden ravine filled with the sweetest, most tender clover in the entire savanna. Blinded by appetite, he gorged himself from dawn until dusk, refusing to leave the patch even to drink from the distant river.

Day after day, he ate without ceasing, growing wider, heavier, and slower, until his once-lithe legs could no longer lift his bloated frame. He lay sprawled in the center of the clover, too heavy to stand, convinced he was the richest creature alive.

A passing hyena spotted the immobile antelope from the ridge. The hyena did not need to hunt, chase, or fight; it simply walked down into the ravine and began to feast on the motionless feast.

As the shadows closed in, the antelope cried out in despair, “How could this happen? This grass was my greatest treasure!”

A wise old vulture perched on a nearby branch looked down and cawed, “What you thought was your wealth became your weight, and what you used to feed your greed became the grave that kept you from running.”

FINAL THOUGHT

“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” — Proverbs 23:20-21

Entrepreneurs: If you experience early success be wary of gorging on excessive capital, bloated headcounts, and unnecessary luxuries, immobilizing your company’s agility. 

Investors: It is wise to not over-allocate into speculative hype without maintaining liquidity or you find yourself paralyzed when market conditions shift. 

True business health requires disciplined restraint; if you become too heavy with excess, you will be too slow to escape the predators of a changing market.

— Early Boykins III