When my son was four years old, he loved going to our local swimming pool and I generally enjoyed taking him. If only we could have had the place to ourselves, because the other children were spoiled rotten (my little angel being the obvious exception… uh, yeah, sure).
We would bring his styrofoam noodle but he’d get bored with it and let it float around. A particularly nasty kid took it one day and after a while my son wanted it back. He asked. Kid refused, “No, it’s mine!”
I asked. Kid refused. Oooooo-kaaaay. I started to get frustrated.
The other mom put down her magazine long enough to notice the brewing altercation and asked the kid to return the noodle. He refused. He was about ten years old and a real piece o’ work.
Then the mom turned to me and said, “Oh, get over it. Why are we arguing over a $2 noodle? Why can’t you let this go? It’s probably not even your kid’s.” I was dumbstruck with anger.
This incident happened before I had self-coaching tools. I kept thinking about it for days: “Will she say that when he steals a BMW?” The rest of that summer was pretty uncomfortable. I dreaded seeing her there. She was always miserable. Her kids were running her into the ground. They were constantly arguing. I gave them dirty looks with even meaner thoughts. I festered and wrote our name with a big Sharpie on all our pool gear.
I became the Noodle Police.
And I was not happy.
I sometimes notice the Noodle Police in my thinking now or in my clients’. It’s that part that doesn’t want anyone to take our ideas. Or the part of us that doesn’t understand why we aren’t getting more traffic or more sales, no matter how many we actually have! It’s the part that is watching the numbers instead of creating new stuff. Or maybe we’re researching SEO keywords instead of writing an extra helpful post or building a survey to find out what our best clients want more of.
Since I learned to question my thoughts and not believe everything I think, I have thought about that woman. What if I was wrong? What if it wasn’t our noodle?
The Internet is a not exactly a law and order place, Friends. People will take your ideas, intentionally or just by catching the meme. And, yes, they might even turn one into a BMW. It’s not likely though.
Where do you really want your energy to go? Fighting over the crumbs of a spent idea or creating the next juicy thing that your clients are hungry for? You get to choose.
An empty pool might still be appealing for a few hours — I love it for recharging my creative batteries — but I certainly don’t want to hang out in an empty online world just because I haven’t made peace with my thoughts.
Those noodle thieves can’t take your inner genius OR your relationships. How about investing more energy in those?
image credit: ashleigh290
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, I love this, Laurie!! This reminds of right action and right attention — knowing when to say “when” and where to put your energy so you are most effective. Knowing where it’s important to be tenacious and where it’s okay to let go.
With business I think it’s a fabulous distraction to be the “noodle police”!! But the fact is, no one can offer an idea the way I can, just as I can’t offer it the way you do — and your people need to hear it the way you tell it and my people need to hear it the way I tell it.
Reading this post, I had a flurry of ideas of ways I want to be spending my energy and connecting with my peeps. Thanks for your always-intelligent posts, Laurie Foley!!
xo.
Nona´s last blog ..Wabi Sabi Wednesday – Facing the “Committee”
@Nona -Yes! And when we lose that defensive posture we just might find our most creative collaborators, too.
Love what you said about the distraction – so true. Thanks for your comment.
Laurie Foley´s last blog ..How I Made Peace With The Noodle Police
Laurie, what a great illustration of the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset! So often it’s easy to think that the scarcity/abundance thing applies only to money…but, no, it applies to noodles (and ideas) too.
Thought provoking and fun to read, as always!
@Lynn – That’s it: scarcity vs. abundance. Money, noodles, ideas… they’re all just forms of energy to me
.
Laurie Foley´s last blog ..How I Made Peace With The Noodle Police
You have a great point but, naturally, I have an exception. I wonder how to best protect my late husband’s “noodles” since the creation of more is not a possibility. I feel the responsibility to be the noodle police but I do realize that no one is going to take an online thumb-nail and turn it into a BMW. The noodles are scarce and I have a legacy to protect for my children, for my husband and – here’s the kicker – for me!
Tamara
@Tamara – Great exception. Wouldn’t want to ninja coach in the comments (no, never!)
so let’s talk because there are still ways to amplify that legacy, as you’ve already discovered. I’m emailing you now.
Laurie Foley´s last blog ..How I Made Peace With The Noodle Police
Oftentimes, we are not aware of how we waster our precious time and energies over things that are not worth minding. Perhaps it is the dictum of our pride to dwell on those matters. Life is too short to brood, it’s much more productive to use our creativity on matters that will make us better.
@Walter – I love your phrase “the dictum of our pride.” Well put.
Laurie Foley´s last blog ..How I Made Peace With The Noodle Police