Willpower, the Bathroom Fan, and Life Lessons

I am a student of life. In addition to my formal education and being a voracious reader, I receive lessons from the universe in a variety of forms – the lyrics of a song, a quote referenced in a movie, a particular phrase uttered by a person walking by, a billboard, a bumper sticker – I believe life provides us with direction in many ways. These lessons roll around in my head and heart until I make sense of them and how they can best serve me and those I interact with.

A while ago, a lesson came in the form of a routine bathroom cleaning. I realized while cleaning the bathroom that the cover to the ventilation fan was in serious need of dusting, so not thinking much about it, I stood on top of the closed toilet seat and proceeded to unscrew the hardware that kept the cover to the fan in place. I then went about the business of dusting the cover so that its level of cleanliness could match that of the rest of the bathroom. 

When I went to return the cover to its rightful place in the ceiling I quickly realized that although unscrewing the hardware was a piece of cake, trying to screw the hardware back in might present a challenge. There was a metal plate that had to be positioned just so on either side of the fan cover to allow a very small screw to go where it needed to go. So after getting myself dirty, while making the bathroom clean, I stood precariously on top of the closed toilet seat and tried to screw the cover of the exhaust fan back into place. 

It would not cooperate.

I tried to make this happen for a good thirty minutes — all the while teetering back and forth, arms outstretched overhead, trying to reattach the cover. After much frustration (and, as I recall, some choice words), I finally listened to the calmer part of myself that simply stated, "Try again tomorrow," and released myself from the faulty sense of urgency I had attached to completing this project – which was no small act as now the only thing between having a freshly cleaned bathroom and not, was the darn fan cover!

The next day, I tried again – arms outstretched overhead, teetering on the toilet seat. Again, it would not cooperate. Again, I listened to the calmer part of myself that simply stated, "Try again tomorrow." 

This went on for several days. It became a running joke with my husband. Every time I walked by the bathroom I thought about the fan cover and how impossible it was to try to get the cover back on. Then one day, the following phrase came to me while standing in the doorway of the bathroom and looking upward towards the fan: "I am willing for this to be easy."

I got up on the toilet seat, reached my hands up over my head and screwed on the exhaust fan cover. 

You would have thought I had completed a marathon! I jumped off the toilet seat, did a happy dance, informed my husband of my great accomplishment, and let out a huge sigh of relief.

After my excitement about completing the task wore off, I realized that I had contributed to it being less than easy each time I approached the task by thinking it was going to be difficult. I couldn't help but consider the larger implications of this realization: If you want ease, stop thinking it has to be difficult! Instead, will it to be easy. I looked up the words "will" and "willing" in the dictionary to see what they had to say about this latest learning:

WILL — noun

1. The power of choosing one's own actions
2. The act or process of using or asserting one's choice
3. Purpose or determination
4. The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action
5. Diligent purposefulness; determination
6. Deliberate intention or wish

WILL — verb

1. To decide, bring about, or attempt to effect or bring about 
2. To determine

Powerful stuff to be sure!

Now when faced with what appears to be an obstacle or challenge, I mentally will it to be as I desire. Although it does not always make matters easy, I believe the shift in my thinking creates an opening for me to have a more positive experience than I would have otherwise. And sometimes, that makes all the difference.

Wendy Phelps, Consultant
Win Win Workplace Solutions