The water was pouring out of the backpack.
Just as the school bus was arriving.
And my son had been so proud of himself…
That morning he’d gotten right out of bed; washed his face, brushed his teeth, and gotten dressed.
Before I made my way downstairs, he’d even made his lunch, filled his water bottle, and packed his backpack.
Except… he hadn’t screwed the water bottle lid on tight.
And now… there was water everywhere but in the water bottle.
Everything in the backpack was wet.
Luckily we have a kind bus driver who was willing to wait a couple of minutes outside our driveway while we swapped for a different bag to hold his wet lunchbox and (now properly sealed) water bottle.
This would have been a great way to ruin our morning by getting all in a tizzy and yelling and gnashing teeth at the annoyance of having a backpack that turned into a bucket of water right at the Nth hour. It would have set the otherwise smooth and well managed morning my son and I were having on the wrong track if I had lost my cool.
Don’t lose sight of the wins you have along your way, even if there are bumps in the road. Keep yourself motivated by remembering that the backpack was packed early, even if it wasn’t perfect. That was a big list of things my boy did right before there was a little thing that went wrong.
And next time, the lid on the water bottle will be screwed on right.
Let’s talk if you need some help with your wins. If they feel too few and far between or you are losing sight of your wins, a coach can help you with that.