What's In Your Cup? Definitely A Must-Read
Hey everyone, today, I’m going to share a post I saw on Facebook. It’s a good one, and we can all learn from it.
What’s in Your Cup?
You’re walking down the street holding a cup of coffee when someone bumps into you and causes it to spill. Why did you spill coffee?
You might say “It’s because someone bumped into me“ or “I’m holding many things and it slipped”. Those are valid answers, but ask yourself again, why did you spill coffee?
You spilled coffee because coffee is what was inside your cup.
Had there been tea in your cup, you would have spilled tea.
Had there been water, you would have spilled water.
Whatever it was that was in your cup is what would have spilled out.
It then follows that when life shakes you up (which it will), whatever is inside of you will spill out.
It’s easy to fake what’s inside your cup when it is balanced. But it is difficult to stop it from spilling out its contents when life tests you.
Here’s the question:
If someone gets on your nerves or when life gives you a bad hand, what do you think will come out of your cup?
Is it patience? Understanding? Compassion? Humility? Strength?
Or is it bitterness? Anger? Impatience? Resentment? Judgment?
The point is that life provides the cup, and you choose its contents.
Thoughts
What a simple yet very insightful story.
I have pondered over these words and felt grateful for the contents of my cup. I found faith, optimism, calmness, and imagination. When I was at my lowest and felt weak in my darkest moments, these helped me navigate life with a hopeful heart. However, my "vessel" isn't perfect. Somewhere at the bottom, there are residues of worry and anxiety. These are some of the things I'm working on as part of my self-development journey.
How about you?
What are your heart's content that you are proud of? And not so proud of?
From A Different Angle
What do you do if you are on the receiving end of someone's spillage?
If that person's cup is full of love and cheerfulness, appreciate and give thanks, as you are to benefit from that positivity. You can even pass that on to others, or multiply your positive energy.
If it's not (perhaps the person is filled with hatred or is too negative), set boundaries and protect your space because not guarding yourself could drain you. Of course, you could help; this is a great thing to do- but only if you have enough because you cannot pour from an empty cup.
Just remember: your responsibility is your cup. Load up on the good stuff, so if someone bumps into you, you spill something that can leave others feeling better.
As we enter the third quarter of the year, may we rid our cups of emotions and thoughts that do not serve us- so we can fill them with beautiful things instead.
Reading this short story reminded me of this quote from Greek philosopher Epictetus:
“Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself”
Thank you for staying with me until the end of the post, and I hope you stick around.
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