One of my daily goals is to rise from bed, hit the bathroom, dress, grab our dog Oliver, and ease out of the bedroom without waking CeCe. CeCe is a very light sleeper so when I pull this off, my day goes so much better. I always pull the bedroom door closed behind me so there will be no light from the den and she can’t hear Oliver and me as we play his favorite game.
Today, I am succeeding on all fronts as I have completed all of my morning tasks, dressed for my workout, grabbed Oliver off the bed, and CeCe is sleeping away. Victory is at hand! As I grab the door and pull it closed SCREECH!!! Oh no, CeCe has started putting a door stop under the bedroom door to keep it fully open during the night. This must be the 20th time I have forgotten about it.
Each morning is like my personal Groundhog Day with that darn door stop playing the starring role. Not to mention, I’ve stepped on dog bones and toys in the dark that were less painful. But here’s the kicker: this little obstacle has unwittingly become my Yoda, teaching me the Jedi ways of breaking bad habits. It’s my daily reminder that to grow, sometimes you’ve got to be willing to trip over that rubbery little reminder at 6 a.m.
I have to admit, it’s a quirky little life lesson in disguise. It takes uncommon discipline and practice to eliminate old habits and develop new ones. It’s not easy, and it’s one of the reasons so many people never achieve their full potential.
All of us have door stops in our lives — some we have had for a long time, and some we have developed in the last year or two. That’s part of life. The key is to identify it and create a plan to remember to remove it.
Sorry CeCe, I forgot about the door stop, again.
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