The Toilet Bowl Principle: “Flush-tration”
Once when presenting a seminar on creating order in life, I introduced the idea of “out of order signs” in our lives by asking the audience if anyone knew what the “jiggle effect” was. One lady raised her arm and said, “I do.”
“Oh? So what is the jiggle effect? I asked.
“This is the jiggle effect.” She said, as she slapped the flab hanging under her raised arm.
Well, the jiggle effect caused instead a giggle effect! But it wasn’t quite the explanation I had in mind. However, my answer was not as funny, since my head was in the toilet, so to speak.
Let me explain. The jiggle effect I am referring to is based on my Toilet Bowl Principle. If you’ve ever been in a bathroom and jiggled the handle on the toilet in order to get it to flush properly (function), you know what I mean by the jiggle effect (amazing where inspirational ideas can come to a person!)
The jiggle effect represents an analogy for how we get a faulty handle on our problems and it means: We work it out just enough to get us by only to have the same problem recur because we haven’t addressed what’s out of order on the inside.
Sometimes we do what gets us by and neglect to do anything on the inside to address the part that’s dysfunctional, and we overlook the out of order signs.
Out of Order Signs
Out of Order
Not in Service
Toilet Plugged —Sign on restroom door
We lose our order in life, and not in service to our True Self when the following “Out of Order” signs are posted within, and compromise our well-being:
WORN OUT PARTS: We become absorbed in a part of our lives that dominates the whole of us. This is unnatural as any part cannot be greater than the whole.
OVERFLOW: Too much coming in and not enough going out. We have taken on too much. Just like a boat taking on more water than we can bail out, we’reomed to sink.
TAPPED OUT: We find ourselves drained of our inner resources. We have little in reserve. We’re running on empty.
MISALIGNMENT: Our actions do not support our values. Our goals are not aligned with our interests. We are not “walking the talk” because our once straight road is now crooked. We are out of line.
NOT PRESENT: We fall back on the past or worry about the future in dealing with the present. We lose the life of the moment.
EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN: Our emotions take over and we come to believe the facts of life are the same as our feelings about life. If we’re feeling bad, we may believe life is bad.
RESISTANCE: We do not acknowledge what needs to be done and instead resist change. We see change as something being done to us.
BURNED OUT: We lose our natural wellness as we become overwhelmed, stressed, and de-energized. Cynicism and apathy begin to appear.
PAIN: When pain sets in it is a signal our physical body, or our emotional state of mind requires maintenance. Now do I have your attention!?
We should learn to read these signs of dysfunction. What creates disorder for you? Are there signs you are ignoring? Check your vital signs of a different kind for a healthier you.
When you don’t know what to do, you don’t know how to act. As a result we can act out of fear and resistance. We’re “acting out” because we simply don’t know any better. Fear and resistance create disorder. However, remember life favors life. Nature overlooks nothing and, in fact, is duty bound to the order of success factors and repetitive in doing what works. These are natural habits of success.
Nature too has a way of expelling the parts that don’t work as it is in constant movement toward the perfection of what it is to become. When we focus on the natural tendency of order in life, we can be aware and adapt orienting strategies for self-directing our lives to regain and sustain our proper course. Then you can relax and post the in order sign: “Under new self-management: Gone Fishing!”
Now let’s read some other signs that can help keep us in order.
Self-Directives for Order
For promoting order, practice the following actions based on natural principles.
1. Stay In-formed: Remain open-minded.
Information (in-formation) fertilizes our seeds of potentiality that grow new possibilities.
2. Recognize Patterns: Implement Pattern Recognition
Remember what you repeatedly do can become patterns of behaviour. Pattern Recognition is a valuable technique for identifying the details of your own life, and for recognizing the ways of others.
3. Mind Your P’s and Q’s: Design your destiny.
Return to your personal why to reaffirm what’s important to you and trust that the How will come.
4. Remember your ABC’s: Create Alignment, maintain Balance, and practice Consistency.
Our actions (the what you do) are aligned with our values and principles (the why you do) in establishing meaningful life goals. A balanced life has its moving parts in order with no part dominating the whole of our lives. Practice the acts of the nautilus seashell and stay true to form.
5. Promote Cooperation: Be a part of, not apart from.
Inner work requires cooperative effort for efficiency and effectiveness for the greater good, a higher level of being and doing for a more ordered, wholesome self.
6. Re-Organize: Make room for the new
Clean out the clutter in the mind. Simplify your life by throwing out worn out ideas and useless thoughts that only take up room and no longer serve your purpose, or fit your lifestyle.
7. “Inner-gize:” Give the rush a rest.
Practice managing your ‘inner-gy.” Keep your performance fuel tank fulfilled with mental clarity, emotional calm, and physical energy to drive your purpose. Remember to “give it a rest.” And don’t rush the rest. All in good time.
8. Know Pain: Pay attention to the tension.
Pain is the greatest attention-getter, whether physical or emotional, that something’s not working right. Here’s an acronym to recall what must be done when pain sets in: P.A.I.N means Paying Attention Is Needed. Heed this calling and check it out.