It all started with that 5:30 a.m. wake up call to the first luscious cup of coffee. As I approached the coffee maker, I was met by a drip .... drip .... dripping sound and a splatter. As I looked up, I saw the culprit and had that instant sinking feeling in my stomach. Oh no, one of the kid's clogged the toilet. I ran up the stairs to evaluate the problem keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn't run into water running all over the floor. Fortunately, I found just a sopping rug and a very full toilet. Clear water thank goodness! So, what's any "mom-at-your-best" to do but decide that the situation wasn't urgent and wait for her husband to wake up!
OK, well I would have jumped right in with the plunger, but I hadn't had my first cup of coffee and I didn't want to start off my day in a moment of panic or cleaning a bathroom. Excuses ... excuses .... I resumed my morning routine and put this situation on hold.
Time to wake up my husband and let him know about the situation with the overflowing toilet. His usual mode is to react quickly and fix the situation. Unfortunately for me, he just laid there and told me to scoop out the water with a cup and toss it in the sink until the water level in the toilet was low enough to plunge. Brilliant idea! I took his advice and proceeded to follow his instructions and the whole thing was remedied in no time with very little mess.
So, how does this seemingly inane story about an overflowing toilet have anything to do with life? It became a great metaphor for me as my day went on and I proceeded to feel overwhelmed and "filled to the brim" with tasks that I needed to accomplish. There's the laundry, the grocery shopping and meal planning, the bill paying and the scheduling, and the housecleaning. Of course, I didn't do any of these things. Instead, I took the dogs for a much needed walk and then proceeded to work on my business. Task by task (like the cup by cup of water), I rolled up my sleeves and began to do my work. It can be overwhelming at times and seem like it's going nowhere. Time to get out the plunger and shake it up a bit. Let out the clog, whatever that means for you. In my case, the clog has something to do with a limiting belief I must be holding.
One of the things that plunged my clog, the clog that impedes my progress as a coach, was a conversation I had with a coach who helped me to "empty my toilet a bit" and figure out what I need to next. He listened actively to me as I explained the nature of my overflowing life and helped me to sort out and name "the clog" as well as map out the next steps that I wanted to take on my business. As a partnered with him, I was able to outline next steps and feel like I was starting fresh -- the "flush" was a great feeling!
Perhaps we all benefit by hearing each other's stories like this one. It shows us that ... yes, somedays are more difficult than others and some times things just don't seem to be going our way. Be encouraged that if the "toilet" in your life is overflowing it helps to find a trusted and skilled mentor or coach to help you sift out the water and plunge the clog so you can move forward in purposeful and meaningful action. How do you handle times when your life is overwhelming? What's your "plunger"?
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