Tripping Over Typeset

For 10 years, I poured water into my coffee maker exactly the same way. My Black and Decker sat in the same corner on my counter. Each time I opened the lid, held the pot in my left hand and poured the water in.

A year and a half ago we moved into our new home. Now my coffee maker sits in a different place with the tall refrigerator on the left and the stove on the right.

I did as I had always done. I held the pot with my left hand and poured it in with disastrous results. It would spill out and over the rim, the angle was tough to maneuver.  At first I blamed it on the coffee maker, “This thing is getting old!”—(I believe my coffeemaker took my words as truth and died within a few weeks of us moving to our new place.)

A friend gave me a new Cuisinart, which I love. But again I had the same problem…. I was all cramped in my pouring efforts. I complained and growled… “Why is this so difficult?  I had plenty of room before to pour this in!”

And then one day it hit me.

Rachel… just change hands!!!

For years, I had been holding the pot in my left hand because the wall was on the right, inhibiting my ability to pour from the right. Now, in our new home, the tall fridge is on my left inhibiting my ability to pour from the left.  But after pouring from the left for years, I didn’t think of changing my ways of doing things to bring about better results. Yet all I had to do was simply change hands!

So why is it that we are so hesitant to change in our lives?

I admit I am one that doesn’t like change. I like a schedule with the outline and time-table set. I’m a detail person and I like them all lined-up.

Some change is good like a cute new bag to haul my life essentials or changing my planner to a new month with a clean slate look. But what about those changes that mess us up and switch around the way we like things?

• relationships
• financial change
• job change, relocation and moving
• or— a God dream that takes you out of your comfort zone

In life we can get stuck in doing things our way and not be too open for change… even in small ways that could turn out for our betterment.

I started thinking about small changes as I would instinctively pour with my left hand and smack my elbow into the fridge.

It was a small change— switching hands— but it still took my decision and effort to make it happen.

Switching hands was a pretty easy fix and one that didn’t cost me a lot. It also had excellent benefits once I did it. But what about those areas which are more difficult —Those changes that are priced a bit higher on the time, energy and emotional toll of our lives?

What in our life needs to change but we’re hesitant to do something about it? And why?

• Fear holds us back.
• We don’t know how to make the change.
• We know the change but are resistant in bringing it about.
• We need help in making the change.

Here are some things I’ve discovered that have helped me.

• Set Goals and Track The Progress – I love the quote from Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” If we aim at nothing we’re bound to hit it every time. Setting reasonable goals and celebrating our wins is a great way to institute change and make it stick. When we accomplish small goals it leads us to move towards bigger goals where we see even bigger change.
• Let Others In On The Change – Having someone else keep us accountable helps in the transition of change. We now have our FitBits that keep us on track for how many steps we take. But there’s no app yet for attitude adjustments or for courage specific to our goal. Real people who love and care about us is a great “app” for keeping us on track towards change.
• Keep encouragement in front of us – I heard a great podcast at the beginning of the year that was talking about change. She said, “Put yourself back in front of information that is teaching and inspirational.” When we become discouraged about change we can sometimes shut down and give up. But we can boost our courage through reminders of why we are doing this in the first place. Scripture and inspiring quotes posted in strategic places can refocus us.  Also podcasts, blogs and encouraging videos and books of how others have accomplished their goals can remind us that we can do this as well.

Of course we’re not going to get it perfect every time. In fact, when I’m tired or preoccupied with other thoughts in my head I find myself going back to my same old way of trying to pour the water into my coffee maker from the wrong side. The awkwardness and annoyance of it all kicks in then I shake myself back awake, switch hands and begin pouring again.

Creating change in our lives can be difficult. Doing it alone is even harder.

So let’s start small and see where it takes us.

• What is one small change you can make today that will get you closer to your goal?
• Who can you bring into our circle that will give you encouragement and help you with reaching your goal?
• What is going to be your inspiration to keep going?

Jump into the conversation and share your thoughts with us!

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Linking up with: #InspireMeMonday #TellHisStory #HeartEncouragement