The Frying Pan Fallacy

Author

Bradley Woods
February 14, 2026

In partnership with

There is a story about a young man who goes to a famous fishing stream. He notices an old-timer down the bank who is hauling in fish after fish. But the old man is doing something bizarre. He pulls out a broken ruler and measures every catch. If the fish is bigger than the ruler, he tosses it back. If it's smaller, he keeps it.

The young man is baffled. "Why throw back the big ones?". The old man shrugs. "Son, that ruler is the exact size of my frying pan".

Expanding Your Capacity

We laugh at the fisherman, but we do the same thing. The Universe tosses us a "Big Fish"—a million-dollar idea or a path to freedom—and we measure it against our current circumstances. We say, "I don't have the education, I'm too old, or my frying pan is too small," and we throw the dream back into the stream.

  • The Truth: You don't need a dream that fits your life; you need a life that grows to fit your dream.

  • Quality Questions: The quality of your life is determined by the quality of questions you ask.

  • Land of the Solution: There is an infinite intelligence that has the answer to any question you seek.

The Genus Curve

Research shows that 99.7% of babies operate at a genius level. By age twenty, only 2% are still there. What happened? We learned the voice of internal judgment. We learned to be "conditioned-based" thinkers.

The more you read my emails, the more success you will have because we are dismantling that broken ruler together. You are going to realize you are grateful for having clicked the links in my email because you are finally choosing to buy a bigger frying pan.

Success isn't about figuring out "how" right now. Your only business is "what". Let the Universe handle the "how" while you select the seed.

Stop playing small with your potential. Start your expansion here: https://www.bradleydeanwoods.com/af-mentor

What is one "Big Fish" idea you've thrown back because you didn't think you had the resources to handle it?

P.S. Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to "Harry"—the guy you’ve been dragging around the golf course of life for way too long.

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