Mouse vs Hawk Part 2

When Ambition Overreaches

High above the meadow, a hawk circled. His sharp eyes scanned the ground for movement. A flicker in the grass—he saw it. A mouse. Small, but enough to quiet his hunger.

With a swift dive, he stretched out his talons and snatched the mouse from the earth. Success.

But as he rose into the sky, something else caught his eye. A rabbit. Bigger. Juicier. A feast compared to the mouthful he now carried.

His focus wavered. He loosened his grip. In trying to decide, he lost what he already had. The mouse slipped away, tumbling back to safety. The rabbit, startled, vanished too.

The hawk was left with nothing. Hungry. Frustrated. A reminder that ambition, unchecked, can blind us to the value of what’s already in our grasp.

Why this matters to us

The hawk’s mistake is common in business and in life. We secure opportunities, clients, or projects, only to let them slip because something “bigger” catches our eye.

Ambition is healthy—but when it turns into distraction or overreach, it costs us. Just like the hawk, we risk losing both the “mouse” and the “rabbit” because we fail to commit to the job at hand.

The takeaway

• Focus beats distraction: finish what you’ve started before chasing the next big win.

• Value what you have: don’t overlook smaller gains that compound into bigger ones.

• Ambition needs discipline: chasing growth without commitment leaves you empty-handed.

The hawk teaches us this: if you’re always looking for the bigger prize, you may end up with nothing at all.