Creating Momentum When You Feel Stuck
The 17 second rule
Hi everyone,
I arose feeling really good the other day.
Really good…until I remembered that our dishwasher stopped working two months ago and Thanksgiving is almost here.
I deflated just as quickly.
The tedium — of having to wash the old fashioned way, dry the old fashioned way, and put it away before the next pile-on of dirty dishes takes over — was clearly beginning to wear on me.
I may not know much about why dishwashers die, but I do know this about a monkey mind when it doesn’t like something, or get its way:
An untethered mind can drag you through the muck of worst-case scenarios and not let you go.
As did mine in epic fashion that morning:
Why does this technician keep coming back with the wrong part… fixing some things and not others?
Why is he now not responding to our calls???
How could we have been so duped by the company that sold us the extended warranty?
How are we going to manage cooking and cleaning a full Thanksgiving meal with no dishwasher?
It’s been two friggin’ months!!!
And on and on.
Until the monkey in my head stopped for a split second — long enough to allow in a peephole of light.
A guiding light.
A remembering.
Oh wait, these are just thoughts. They don’t feel very good.
They’re stressing me out… bringing me down.
First world problem!
This is solveable.
I also remembered the 17-second rule:
When you hold a positive (elevated) emotion for 17 seconds and repeat it for a total of 68 seconds, you reach a critical threshold — a tipping point — that attracts more thoughts and emotions like it.
In short, it creates an opening that can give you back your power.
Or, as in the case of our poor old dishwasher, it can restore your sanity, expand your perspective, and lead you out of madness into a more creative and productive solution.
Indeed, we took a deep breath, called a trusted local appliance store and bought a new machine.
(Sometimes you just need to quit banging your head against a wall trying to do the right thing and suck it up.)
While the outcome of this saga may not have been what we wanted, taking an action step — on our terms — has put a spring in my step that I haven’t felt in weeks.
What issue or thought in your life could use a little 17-second boost and reboot right now?
Ahhh 🏡🙌🏼
Video
How to turn your thoughts into results
Interview with Neuroscientist, Jeffrey Fannin, PhD
…
Wonder what’s behind the 17-second rule? Here’s a simple explanation I found online. (3 minutes)
In case you missed these…
Speaking of situations we don’t like and didn’t ask for
And elevated experiences that change the game
I love this! It’s just got off the phone with my dear old friend and we laughed about our own aging and taking care of our moms and life! All the little things that I woke up feeling negative am about like not being able to get hold of my my mom’s hearing aid salesperson, the frustration of not having calls returns, etc.. melted away when I spent some time telling some positive stories of my grandkids and how we could see things with different perspectives now and we aren’t perfect and we’re learning to let go of expectations for our kids and we laughed!! Yes laughter for me is positive energy and I want to attract more of that!