Extra Points – Bad Coffee

I normally make my coffee and reheat some Paleo pancakes on weekdays after hitting the gym.  I figure I have to earn the chocolate syrup. We bought the little “adapter” for our machine that allows us to use ground coffee instead of the one-shots. We find that we get better flavor options, we run out less, and it’s substantially less expensive. One day last week, I filled the machine with water, pressed start and anxiously awaited my hot coffee (with chocolate syrup waiting on the counter). I heard a strange gurgling noise and was alarmed to see the results.  The coffee was a murky brown color and looked really unappealing. No coffee smell, no coffee look…yuk. My first thought was, “Great, I broke it.” Then I realized the problem. I forgot to add the ground coffee! What I had was really hot water with a little residue from the prior batch.  Without the grounds, you get no coffee.The same is true with you. If you don’t fill your mind and intellect daily with “grounds,” your results will also be murky and colorless. If you refuse to find ways to learn every day; to be moved every day; to seek help and to offer help each day; and to enjoy life everyday…well then you’ve literally have no coffee to stop and smell! This is an intentional act, just like I have to intentionally add the coffee. It doesn’t happen by accident or osmosis. It happens because you thoughtfully and deliberately seek it out and are open to learn and grow. That’s one of the concepts of being “unleashed.”

Next time your life or career seems dark, murky, and boring, remember to add the grounds and the chocolate!