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What Do Cat Toys And The Frog In Hot Water Have In Common?
May 16, 2022
Recently my son came over to visit and we were going downstairs to put together a piece of gym equipment.
As we walked through the downstairs hallway, I commented to him that he needed to be careful not to trip over the many cat toys that the cats had used to boobytrap the hallway.
My son pointed out to me that only 5 of the 12 items on the floor were actually cat toys: 3 kitty kickers, a tennis ball, and a Gumby toy.
The rest were items they had stolen from elsewhere in the house - an airline neck pillow, three draft stoppers from the sliding doors upstairs, some physical therapy tubing, and 2 empty cardboard toilet paper tubes they had "rescued" from the recycle bin.
But here's the thing.
I'd gotten so accustomed to the cats stealing these items that I had begun to think of them as being theirs and not mine.
That got me to thinking about what other things in my life I have gotten used to that maybe I shouldn't have.
Like the proverbial frog in hot water, who doesn't realize what's happening until it's too late as the temperature gradually increases to boiling.
So although the cats had boobytrapped the downstairs hallway, there was a more significant trap that I had fallen into.
And you probably have too, without even realizing it.
What are you accepting in your life because you're just used to it?
Or because that's the way you've always done it?
By the way, that last one can be a killer at work.
"That's the way we've always done it" stifles change.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
There are very few things that cannot be changed.
You just have to release the belief that they can't be changed.
You know what beliefs are?
Beliefs are thoughts you've had so often, or for so long, that they seem like facts.
So if you can learn to get really present and notice things and see them as they are, you might be more open to changing things that might not be working as well as you'd like.
Things that you didn't think could actually be changed.
You have probably done exit interviews with employees as they leave your business.
You know that can get you a lot of useful information about things you might consider changing.
But notice that when an employee first joins your business, they are also bringing fresh eyes and that's another great time to encourage people to tell you about things they notice.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that they are new and that all that needs to happen is them learning how you do things in your business.
Notice that you will need to specifically ask them to tell you what they see, because as new employees they will be nervous about speaking up unless you tell them you want them to do so.
They may notice the cracks in the ceiling that you have gotten used to.
They may notice the cracks in your procedures and work flow that could be improved.
So do whatever you have to do to let go of judgment and defensiveness to really listen to what they say.
Because there's gold there if you can pay attention to it and be open to it.
So I invite you to wander through your home, your office, your work, your schedule, your routines and procedures, your relationships, and your life, and look through fresh eyes and see what you can notice.
Noticing what is happening around you that you have just been ignoring as background noise is the first step to optimizing your life.
The next step is thinking about what changes you'd like to make.
And then comes what for many people is the hard part - letting go of the part of you that thinks you can't change the system.
Because until you can let go of the part of you that thinks you can't do something, you are never going to do it, no matter how much you think you want to (or should) do it.
Just something to think about.
Meanwhile, I'm going to go reclaim my household items from the kitties and look for other pots of hot water that I might be sitting in and climb out before they come to a boil.
What is something in your life or your work that you want to look at in a new way?
I'd love to hear about it.