Just Like Flipping a Pancake

So, funny enough, my last blog entry was about prioritization, which is why I haven’t written a new post until just now. Apparently, I ended up prioritizing many other things ahead of my website. I have some regrets, but it was all for good. For one example: Sleep > Everything Else. I’m not a “sleep when you’re dead” type of person. I love to sleep and I need a lot of it in order to function and feel happy and/or healthy. But no, I haven’t just been sleeping for the last 6 months. One of the things that had to take priority was the fact that I had started a new job. Being a stay-at-home mom over the recent years had simultaneously built up and destroyed my confidence in different ways. I actually didn’t realize the areas in which my confidence had declined until it came time for me to resume my career. I had a lot of time to think about how I was going to proceed with my job search and I spent a lot of time just thinking to myself about many different aspects of life. All of that time spent thinking was almost like unintentional meditation. (Is that a thing?) Anyway…

Have you heard the metaphor “like ripping off a band-aid”? It’s usually in reference to doing something that you’re scared to do. You need that quick burst of courage to get it over with. As I think through different examples, I’ve realized that sometimes I blend the definitions of “courage” and “confidence”.

Courage – the ability to do something that frightens one.

Confidence – a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.

Sometimes, I rely on that band-aid metaphor to muster up some courage. I realize that sometimes if you make a quick move, it can be less painful. But unlike courage, having a lack of confidence doesn’t always mean that you’re scared. You could just be floating around in ambivalence, or maybe you’re ok with flying under the radar. How far does it get you? Are you satisfied with that? If you’re like me, the answer would be no, and with that…perhaps you need something to help trigger your confidence. I need an image or something easy that I can think about when I need it. Like flipping a pancake.

Every once in a while, I like to make pancakes for my husband and kids at breakfast. For various reasons that I will not get into with this blog entry, I do not always enjoy cooking, nor am I good at it. But making pancakes for my family is one of the things I enjoy making. If you’ve ever made pancakes, can you think back to the first time you ever made them? I remember sliding a spatula under the semi-cooked batter and slooooowly and carefully trying to flip over the pancake. If you can guess what happened, the pancake oozed into a folded mess that no one wanted to eat. When the time is right, you can’t hesitate, you just have to flip it. I relate being confident to the metaphor of flipping a pancake. Sometimes you need to make a bold, swift move to achieve a better outcome. Will you always succeed? No, but you have a much better chance when you act confidently. Why did I try to flip the pancake so slowly? I didn’t want to ruin it. And go figure, I ended up ruining it. Flipping the pancake makes the pancake vulnerable. Confidence requires being vulnerable.

Over the last few months, I’ve been challenged with situations that would typically require confidence: Interviewing for a job, starting a new job, attending my 20-year high school reunion, confronting criticism, overcoming personal flaws, publishing a new blog post (especially after a long, unintended hiatus)…this is just to name a few. But, I’ve also learned that sometimes you just have to get over yourself. For example, I could choose to keep these silly thoughts to myself and continued to put other important tasks first, but I think that this stuff is important too. What if one of these posts actually helps someone see things from a different perspective? What if this pancake metaphor actually sticks with someone when they’re in need of a quick burst of confidence? Just flip that pancake. Just hit publish. OK so, yes, I realize that this metaphor is not going to miraculously give someone confidence, but it may help them consider the benefits of taking a confident step. If you take enough confident steps, you just may find yourself walking with more confidence.

I’m grateful for these little moments that serve as reminders for me and help me put things into perspective. I hope that some will do the same for you. Thanks for reading and for your support and encouragement of this blog. It helps give me the confidence to keep writing for you.

Cheers to a glass half full…of milk…to go with your pancakes. 😉

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