Sunday Movie
Try again! Yesterday afternoon I watched The Burial, starring Jamie Foxx, with my family. This was truly a film about perseverance and going against the odds. It wasn’t until I began writing that I realized that it related to this post.
A couple of weeks ago I attended a fall festival at Patterson Farm, just outside of Charlotte, NC in Mt. Ulla. While there I had some kettle corn and it was absolutely delicious. This may have been the first time having kettle corn that wasn’t microwaved. Please don’t judge me. I nearly ate the entire bag by myself in one day. Though it was their small size, it was a pretty large amount. Fast forward to this past Sunday, I thought movie day with the fam would be incomplete without homemade kettle corn. I found a recipe online and luckily the only thing I had to purchase were popcorn kernels. I got back home and I was ready to make some kettle corn.
Be Prepared
For those of you unaware like myself, this process moves quickly. Before I knew it the test kernels were popping and I poured the remaining kernels in and they start popping and I still needed to put the sugar in. I take the lid off and now the kernels are popping out of the pot and my family is in the background getting a kick out of this and wanting to record, but luckily I got things under control before they could. At least I thought they were under control. I began pouring the popcorn out and to my surprise it was burnt. The smell started to fill the room and let’s just say that burnt popcorn and burnt sugar are an unpleasant combo. Some of the popcorn appeared edible, so I gave it a try and let’s just say if this happens to you, don’t try the popcorn.
Time to Try Again!
Initially, I wanted to give up, it smelled awful, tasted awful and I was frustrated, but a tiny voice in my head said to try again. My youngest sister made a suggestion that was very helpful. I tried again and was successful. The popcorn was delicious and it cost me a lot less money, so if you know me, that’s a total win in my book. While failure is not fun, it’s certainly valuable.
Consider the following tips for the next time something doesn’t go as planned:
- Pause and practice self-compassion. Treat yourself how you would treat a friend who is having a difficult time.
- Replay the steps you took to arrive at your outcome. If you just start over without doing so, you run the risk of repeating your previous outcome.
- Take note of what went well. These are the things that we want to ensure that we repeat. In some cases it may identify a talent and/or skill.
- Identify the opportunities. Even consider thinking of how you felt during the process as this can sometimes be an indicator of what needs to change.
- Consider asking for feedback from a trusted source. Sometimes an outside perspective can be quite helpful.
- Create a forward plan and try again!
- When it’s all said and done, reflect on what you’ve learned! There’s always a lesson.
- This is a strategy that can prevent you from staying in a cycle. Doing things the same way typically produces the same results.
- What other habits can I develop to keep me growing and moving forward?
Thank y’all for returning and I hope those tips will be of value to you. Remember to laugh at yourself always. That moment for me was funny and it was fuel that will push me along the next time I burn popcorn, answer a question wrong, put something together incorrectly, you get the point. Take a deep breath and try again! Take a look me, I’m now a kettle corn master!!!
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