We know exactly how we like our coffee.
Two sugars.
A little milk.
Maybe lemon in the tea.
Funny how much care we give the cup—and how little we sometimes give the life holding it.
I used to watch people with interest as they prepared their coffee or tea.
For some, it is a ritual.
For others, it is automatic.
You can almost tell who has been around awhile and who is still figuring out their formula.
Some people know:
Two sugars.
Perfect.
Others experiment.
One sugar?
Too bitter.
Three?
Too sweet.
Back to two.
Simple enough.
And eventually they get the drink exactly the way they like it.
GOT THE DRINK — NOW DO YOU HAVE LIFE?
Tea can become even more interesting.
Lemon or no lemon?
Sugar?
Honey?
Milk?
No milk?
And if that is not enough, there is the order in which everything gets added.
Some people are very particular about that.
Then comes stirring.
How much?
Clockwise?
Counterclockwise?
LOL.
We seem perfectly capable of adjusting a drink until the taste agrees with us.
So here is my question:
How are we doing with our personal and professional lives?
If something tastes sour year after year, are we making any adjustments?
Or are we pouring the same ingredients into the same cup every morning and wondering why it still tastes the same?
COURTESY, MANNERS…AND SMILES?
I run into people who still have not discovered just how much manners and courtesy matter.
Please.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Good morning.
Can I help you?
Those are not complicated phrases.
Yet they carry enormous weight.
A sincere smile does too.
I remember applying for a job at Disney many years ago.
One of the items on their hiring checklist was essentially:
DOES THE APPLICANT SMILE?
Think about that.
Not merely:
Can they perform the task?
Do they have experience?
Do they know the procedure?
But:
Do they smile?
Why?
Because somebody understood that the person performing the job becomes part of the experience.
That applies far beyond Disney.
People experience YOU while you are doing whatever it is you do.
THE POWER TO CHANGE IS REAL
I also meet people who have not fully discovered the power they possess to make adjustments within themselves.
Instead of changing something, they gripe.
Moan.
Complain.
Judge.
Then repeat.
Same ingredients.
Same cup.
Same sour taste.
And tomorrow?
They make another one exactly the same.
LOL.
At some point, we have to ask:
What can I change?
Maybe not everything.
Life certainly brings circumstances we did not order.
But we can change many things.
Our attitude.
Our preparation.
Our habits.
Our manners.
Our knowledge.
Our response.
Our willingness to learn.
Our willingness to apologize.
Our willingness to try again.
That is a lot of power sitting inside one person.
SLAVES VERSUS SERVANTS
We are not here to become slaves to our world.
There is a difference between being pushed around by everything that happens and deciding to become useful inside what happens.
I prefer the word servant.
A servant can choose to help.
A servant contributes.
A servant notices.
A servant improves something.
A servant can help themselves while helping another.
That is very different from helplessness.
We have an ability to observe ourselves.
To learn.
To adjust.
To improve.
To acquire wisdom.
To practice grace.
That is an extraordinary set of equipment.
Use it.
CHOOSE YOUR COURSE — OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
How do you want things to go?
There is a worthy question.
You will not control every wind.
You will not control every wave.
But you still have your hands on part of the wheel.
Results tell us things.
And lack of results tells us things too.
If something repeatedly does not work, investigate.
Do not protect the method simply because it is yours.
Change it.
If a belief produces better action, stronger character, and useful results, keep examining and strengthening it.
If another belief continually produces fear, bitterness, paralysis, or failure, maybe it is time to stop serving it.
Monitor.
Adjust.
Discard when necessary.
Refine the product known as YOU.
You already understand the concept.
You do it with your coffee.
RICHIE SPEAKS
If the coffee is too bitter, you do not stand in the kitchen yelling:
“Why is life doing this to me?”
LOL.
You adjust the cup.
Maybe life deserves some of that same participation.
Add a little courtesy.
Reduce the complaining.
Stir in some gratitude.
Try a new habit.
Throw out an old belief.
And taste again.
PEARLS INSIGHT
A sweeter life does not mean a trouble-free life. It means becoming more aware of the ingredients we repeatedly add to our days. Attitude, manners, gratitude, habits, beliefs, service, and personal responsibility all influence the quality of our personal and professional lives.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This Pearl connects naturally with belief, common sense, self-awareness, transparency, and personal responsibility.
Awareness notices the taste.
Common sense asks what ingredient caused it.
Belief affects what we expect from the cup.
Responsibility says:
“If I can improve it, why wouldn’t I?”
That is personal growth in everyday clothes.
FINAL THOUGHT
Life will occasionally hand you something sour.
That part is guaranteed.
But do not confuse one sour ingredient with the entire recipe.
You still have choices.
You can add.
You can remove.
You can adjust.
You can learn.
You can sweeten what is yours to sweeten.
We do it every morning with a cup of coffee or tea.
Maybe it is time to show our lives the same attention.
Taste.
Adjust.
Stir.
And travel well.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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