Nothing To Lose

I had friends over for dinner last weekend and before we sat down to eat one of them requested that I make a martini…shaken, not stirred.  I had all the necessary ingredients but one significant challenge.  I couldn’t remove the lid to the martini shaker.

Baby Steps

I had been trying to solve my dilemma since the week before.  Tapping gently on the counter top, tugging, pulling one end while someone else held the other, holding it under hot water – nothing seemed to work.  I did notice minor movement when using the edge of the granite counter top but it was short lived.  I didn’t want to do hit it too hard as I was concerned about denting it.

Frustration

I reached a level of frustration whereby I developed a craving for the martini myself.  So I made one for each of us – stirred.  What a disappointment!  Why anyone with the choice would order the libation made that way is beyond my comprehension.  By the second sip the disappointment was too great.  I picked up the shaker and gave it a good whack against the counter top.  It popped off with ease and nary a nick.

Fear and Opportunity

I’ve seen it written more that once that, “Fear of loss is a greater motivator than opportunity to gain.”  I’ve learned that is usually a truism for most people that I’ve observed.  However, this was one time when the opportunity to gain won out.  I got to a place where I finally thought, “I don’t care if I ruin the darn thing or not, at this point there is nothing to lose because I can’t use it anyway.”

Business and Life

At that moment I thought of how so often, in business and in life,  things just work out if you “let it go.”  A home lingers on the market forever until the homeowners are resigned to removing it from the marketplace and just living in it.  Voila, it then suddenly receives multiple offers.  A couple determines that they no longer can deal with the frustration of not becoming pregnant after attempting to for months.   They adopt a child and, soon after, a pregnancy occurs. 

It so often seems to happen.  Once you release the tension and negative energy in your mind, your biggest obstacles seem to disappear.

The drink, by the way, was wonderful!

What obstacles have you been trying to overcome without success?

Have you thought of giving up? 

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