A Joyous Perspective on Gathering Wisdom: From the non-living things of life.

 

We can get unexpected life coaching from any source...

This helpful fact has struck me significantly during the past week, and I found myself putting together a few life lessons I've gathered from nonliving resources. Here are a few I found the most interesting. 

 We recently purchased a different vehicle with a hands-free option for using your cell phone. Unlike our other car, which automatically connected, this one asks me when I get or make a call, "Do you wish to connect? Yes or No?" Instead of appreciating my sporty little truck's thoughtfulness in confirming my intentions, I find it somewhat irritating.

Lesson One: Irritation shows me that I need to take the time to listen.

Funny how people think I must be a great listener. After All, listening is what I am supposed to be doing for a living. But more often than not, listening is something I have to focus on and assess myself many times during my day. One way I've learned to assess myself is through the discovery of irritation. And I have discovered that when I get irritated, I am probably rushing in a way I will regret. Irritation over little things usually means I'm expecting the rest of the world to read my mind and not delay me. If the one second it took to touch the save button felt like a nuisance, I was probably not very peaceful and attentive inside. Immediately I realized the message from my truck was not about whether to switch to hands-free at all; it was a signal to check my frame of mind. If that yes/no button was getting to me, I might need to slow down and check myself.

My vehicle's blind spot indicator also reminds me of another powerful life lesson:

Claim only part of the road as your own. Seeing where other people are and honoring their position leads to respect and good communication. But veering into the other driver's lane without even looking is like insisting on being right: The injury you cause might be your own. Every time we're tempted to take over, we could instead wonder what might be there that we can't see. It's good for our safety to consider other people. 

My vehicle is much less impulsive than I am.

It has successfully taught me to set my intentions before moving forward because it will only start if I first put my foot on the brake. This took me a while to learn because I didn't associate starting to drive with pressing the brake pedal. Of course, the first thing I learned to drive was a tractor. But now I see how mindful this step is. I'm off to a better start if I take a moment to be here now before going someplace else. 

To pause before going forward is the best way to proceed.

Like my vehicle, my computer is a wise coach too...

It reminds me that because gigabytes of RAM are available, it doesn't assume everything should be held in memory. My computer reminds me I have options every time I close out a document; it always asks me if I want to save, cancel, or don't save. Do I really want to remove or delete it? I should save everything, but do I really? Everything may not belong in memory.

Having Memory capacity means only some things need to be saved.

Case in point: Grudges exemplify how putting things in permanent memory can be counterproductive. Resentment and self-criticism are things that don't deserve the save button. You may be tempted to create a file over every wrong committed by others or yourself, but if you've learned your lesson, what's the point? Do you really want to use up storage on those negative thoughts? Turning your thoughts away from blaming and bitterness is crucial in self-mastery. Besides, resolving the issue directly makes more sense than holding a grudge. 

Next time you're tempted toward resentment, a button should appear with choices of resent, transcend, or take constructive action.

Finally: Your computer coach also reminds you to refrain from disconnecting without quitting first.

Computers scold us if we shut things down abruptly. A little window immediately drops down to remind us there are proper steps to take before quitting anything. Computers dislike unfinished business and want you to tidy up before exiting. They know that anything involving separating or shutting down should engage in an intentional process. Don't just dump it, or you might regret it. Even computers realize that burning bridges is never a good idea. As much as you're able, finish up your interactions on friendly terms, and you won't have to worry about losing something important.

While computers and smartphones have many fail-safes and warnings, there is still one that needs to be invented: We need a pop-up before we send any email or text that says 

"This message could be easily misunderstood. Should you call them instead?"

That would be a beneficial bit of technology. But until then, we should make it a habit to ask ourselves.

Remember, Wisdom is invaluable wherever is comes from.