Field mice or antelope?

Democratic political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala didn’t share Republican Newt Gingrich’s ideology.

But they called him one of the most effective politicians of our time in their 2002 book, Buck Up, Suck Up... and Come Back When You Foul Up.

Gingrich served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives. In 1995, Time named him Man of the Year for "his role in ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House.”

Carville and Begala said Gingrich was effective because of his ability to strategically prioritize.

Pull the right levers.

Pursue the big things relentlessly.

And ignore the little things that didn’t actually matter.

Gingrich still speaks and consults. And when he talks about strategy, he often tells a story about lions, field mice and antelope.

A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse.

But it turns out the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself. So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death.

A lion can’t live on field mice.

A lion needs antelope.

Antelope are big animals. They take more speed and strength to capture and kill, and once killed, they provide a feast for the lion and her pride. A lion can live a long and happy life on a diet of antelope.

The distinction is important.

Are you spending all your time and exhausting all your energy catching field mice? In the short term it might give you a nice, rewarding feeling. But in the long run you’re going to die.

So ask yourself at the end of the day, “Did I spend today chasing mice or hunting antelope?”