This morning I was on a phone conversation and not fully paying attention when making a fresh cup of coffee. Then, while visiting away, suddenly I hear a crash. My porcelain coffee and milk-filled mug when tumbling off of the unstable base of the coffee maker. Needless to say, when I realized what had happened, I was not a happy camper because cleaning the spill that poured into every nook and cranny was not a pleasant way to start my day.
At this point in the game, I had a few choices. First, I could have used a few choice words, and believe me, they almost happened, followed by fussing my way through the cleanup and letting it determine how my day would begin. Secondly, I suppose I could have left it for a while until I found my motivation for cleaning up, but I knew that would create a sorry task. And a third option turned out to be the most optimal. My choice became acceptance, acknowledging that sometimes things just happen, some things we can’t change, and this was one of them. That spill was not going to clean up itself…..darn it! Quickly upon accepting that fact, the energy surge within my body had diffused. I let go of the frustration by acknowledging that our days aren’t always filled with pleasant moments. I was able to begin then to focus on the end result. Letting go of the frustration freed me to get it done. After all, it’s the unpleasant tasks that also make up a part of our life, but that contrast can make the exciting things even more pleasant.
Why cry over spilled milk? With the emotional triage underway, the first small step is the most difficult one. Time to grab the paper towels and stop the flow into everything directing my strategy toward cleaning up, and every unpleasant task comes with a positive reward. Focused on the finish line, I told myself that even though this sucks, I would rather not have sticky stained-up cabinet fronts and floors. Armed with the proper cleaning assets, I dug in, thoroughly removing sprayed droplets from every crevice top to bottom. The result of my attentiveness was that my cabinet fronts and floor were given an unscheduled scrub, and shine leaving them looking pretty darn tidy.
I’ve learned that how I respond to something and how I choose to navigate an unpleasant task is ultimately up to me. I always have a choice in how I respond, and sometimes those choices are hard, much more unpleasant than spilled coffee. Taking the time to become aware of why we need to do a particular task and the reward of how it may feel when it’s complete can create a shift in perspective, serving to motivate us even further.
With my disaster cleaned up, cabinets, and floors shinier than ever, I took a big breath and brewed a fresh cup of coffee, but this time I stayed right next to it until the pour was complete. I learned from my abrupt morning start to pay attention, not to leave the coffee while pouring. The Botton line is that the mug I chose was too large for the machine’s base, and I knew that when I placed it there but chose to leave it, and well then you know the rest of the story!
Acknowledge - pause & process.
Acceptance - power & direction
Let Go - freedom
Prioritize - choices & getting it done
Perspective - lessons learned
Embrace - duality & the reward
Stuff Happens!
XO Donna
