The sun was still rising as I stood behind a wolfpack of indecisive teenagers this morning at Starbucks. They were loading up with Frappuccino's and muffins.
The sleepies were barely out of my eyeballs. I was annoyed. All I wanted to do was fly in and out to get a rare treat of a morning decaf vanilla latte. The only obstacle between me and my latte was this group of kids. They didn’t stand in a straight line so those behind them, me included, didn’t know where to stand. Their general presence caused confusion for the rest of us grownups. They "ummmed" and "hmmmed" and "uhhhed" their way through their decisions, while each changed their order at least twice.
I could see the frustration in the normally patient Bucks barista’s demeaner.
And then something clicked. I had a change in my brain.
I thought:
I “get” to stand behind these kids.
I “get” to witness their freedom to order whatever they want without the watchful eye of a helicopter parent.
I "get" to observe them exercising their young voice maybe for the first time.
I "get" to see their confidence slowly build as they, on their own, make a decision and flex a new mental muscle in young adulthood.
They were experiencing joy. I was experiencing pain.
I had a talk with myself.
It’s too early to be annoyed.
You have the whole day ahead of you. Don't let something so small set your day.
It’s Friday.
You’re not wearing a bra.
You are exercising your own Free Boob Friday freedoms.
Turn that frown upside down and change your mindset about this moment.
Look at what you’re witnessing. You "get" to be a part of this moment with these teenage sugar slamming strangers. This is awesome.
Giving your negative energy to this wolfpack of teenagers is not going to serve you, them or the universe.
As soon as I changed my brain on this, my shoulders dropped, my annoyance ceased and some magic happened. I was happy I caught myself in the moment because allowing myself to care about that so deeply and with so much angst could have kicked off my day in the wrong way. Starting the day the right way is important to me. We can't always control the circumstances around us. We can, however, always control our mindset and our reaction to the circumstances around us.
Mindset is a powerful thing. We have more control over it than we know. I was happy to recognize this in the moment this morning. I am even happier to be sharing it with you.
Mandi Graziano is an author, sales coach, and hilarious public speaker. Her book Sales Tales: The Hustle, Humor, and Lessons From a Life in Sales came out last October. The audiobook of Sales Tales comes out in April. To work with Mandi, see her writing or contact her visit www.mandigraziano.com.
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