SPILLED MILK (OR OTHER NON-DAIRY BEVERAGE)
Picture this.
A person stands on a balcony with steps leading down to a park. In front of the person are three empty glasses, lying about as if knocked or tossed carelessly. The person appears solemn. Dejected. They gaze down, their upper back sagging. You're not even talking to the person, and you can feel the weight of the world resting on their shoulders. And yet nearby are two full glasses.
Here’s the question.
Do you think the person has noticed the two full glasses? And what about that view from the balcony? Have they really even noticed it?
We’ve all heard about the power of positive thinking, the law of attraction, and other spiritual and philosophical ideas. Which is wonderful!
And yet not all conversations need to incorporate the mystical.
Perhaps it’s just as important to notice the tangible and immediate impacts of your mindset.
Listen, it’s valid to feel upset when something crappy happens, for whatever reason that it happened. That’s just natural.
It’s what you do after that, that really matters. It’s The After that you have control of.
This isn’t about plastering on a happy face.
It’s about taking a pause and considering the full picture and recognizing there are opportunities for hope and positive action in The After.
Let’s go back to our dejected person.
They’re stuck in time, going nowhere, missing out on so much. They still have two full glasses. They still have a whole world just down the steps to that park.
What would happen if they were to take in a deep breath, and then let it out to become present? If they were to straighten up just a little and notice the two glasses nearby and notice the park that’s just steps away? And to notice all the details and the opportunities that still exist?
Because those opportunities do exist, the park and world beyond really are right there, and no matter what’s been spilled, there’s always another chance to experience life in a new way.
What will you choose?