Time to Get a Bigger Frying Pan

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

“Blame no one. Expect nothing. DO SOMETHING!”

- Bill Parcells

Dear A,

Nick Saban tells a story about a man who went fishing and kept tossing back the biggest catches. When asked why, the man replied, “My frying pan at home is only nine inches wide.”

It sounds absurd - but most people live exactly like that. They don’t expand their capacity. They don’t grow their mindset. They settle for what “fits” inside the limits of their excuses.

The truth is, too many people don’t know how to win. The moment life gets tough, instead of rising to the occasion, they fold like an old lawn chair. They’re deathly afraid of competition, pressure, and accountability. When the spotlight is on them, they don’t embrace the opportunity - they hide from it. They bury their heads in the sand like ostriches, hoping the pressure will pass.

Rather than being the adult in the room, they slink away like cowards. And instead of owning their failures, they live in a constant state of “poor me.” For example:

• If they can’t get a good job, it’s society’s fault.
• If they’re not in a relationship, it’s because others don’t understand them.
• If they keep getting in trouble, it's because they are being discriminated against.
• If they have no savings, the reason is because the economy stinks and prices are too high.
• If they are not where they want to be in life, it's because the world is just too unfair.

Nothing is ever their fault. They resent the success of others and whisper that winners had some unfair advantage.

Winners don’t shrink their dreams to fit their excuses - they grow their capacity to match their goals. Translation: Get a bigger frying pan!

People like this drift through life without a roadmap. They have no standards, no guiding principles, no process. They wake up with no plan, and when they go to bed at night, they comfort themselves with the illusion that the universe is against them - oblivious to the fact that the universe is completely indifferent to their plight.

Winners understand something different. They don’t throw back big opportunities because their pan is too small. They find a bigger pan. They build capacity, embrace pressure, and sharpen themselves through competition. They hold themselves accountable even when no one else will.

If you want to achieve anything meaningful - stop blaming, stop folding, stop hiding. Upgrade your mindset. Raise your standards. Expand your capacity.

Everyone has problems. But, as Bill Belichick once said, "Adversity is universal. Get over yours before the other person gets over theirs." The universe doesn’t care about your excuses... and neither should you.

It’s time to get a bigger frying pan.

Stay safe and vigilant!

Luke Bencie