April 3, 2010

Plunge or percolate? As well as coffee-making choices, these can also be life choices at times.

While visiting my sister in Sydney, I was trying to negotiate her coffee-making facilities. She was quite amused about the fact that I needed to ask for instructions on how to use her coffee plunger. “Don’t you ever plunge?” she questioned me, to which I replied, “No, I percolate.” This got me thinking about how these coffee brewing techniques can also apply to attitudes and reactions to life events. Do you tend to plunge or percolate?

In life, to plunge is to make a quick and decisive move. It is to leap into unknown territory. At times, it is good and necessary to plunge from the familiar ground of our habits and comfort zones. If we are not prepared to take some potentially scary plunges, we are unlikely to create dramatic changes or intense personal growth experiences.
I don’t believe that plunging is always helpful or necessary though. At times, we may be tempted to leap before we look, or to jump from the frying pan into the fire. While over-thinking a decision is not beneficial, some of us have a tendency to make decisions without considering the implications of those decisions. In this instance, we would be best off to let a plan percolate in our minds and hearts for a while, before taking the plunge.

There is rarely the urgency to rush into a decision that we sometimes believe. Contrary to the fear that some salespeople try to instill in us that we will miss out if we don’t act immediately, taking a little time to listen to your deepest feelings about a choice will rarely mean missing out. Actually I am a strong believer that what is meant to be will be. If you “miss out” on an opportunity because you didn’t rush into it without stopping to listen to your heart, then I believe that it was not the right opportunity for you anyway.

That being said, however, endless procrastination is an entirely different matter from taking a little time to ponder before you plunge. Procrastinating is often a result of trying to figure out every possible outcome to a decision- a task that is completely impossible. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, we can never predict what consequences will arise as the result of any decision.

The best informed choice can be made by deciding whether or not you are prepared to live with the likely consequences of your decision.

For example, if your choice is about starting a family, deciding to have children is obviously likely to limit your personal time and freedom. If you are willing to accept this, and your heart is telling you that parenthood is truly what you desire, then take the plunge!

Sure it is a big decision, and a scary one, but it will not get any less scary by delaying it if you already know that it is what you really want.

There will never be a perfect moment in your life for a baby to arrive, or for any other big change to take place. If you wait until every aspect of your circumstances are in complete order before taking the plunge, you will likely be waiting a very long time! A wise friend told me that if people waited for the ‘right’ moment to have kids, almost nobody would have any children!

On the other hand, to percolate seems almost the polar opposite of plunging. On contemplation, I realized that at times, I do indeed tend to percolate in a less than positive way.

Percolating can mean allowing negative thoughts or energy to build up and simmer, unexamined and unacknowledged. This creates suppressed emotions which build steam and are eventually likely to erupt.

With further consideration, though, it occurred to me that percolating can at certain times be very constructive. In the instance of a positive thought or intention, or the germ of an idea or creative inspiration, sometimes we need to allow these to percolate and build steam and momentum. An initial thought or idea may not have sufficient power to push us into action, but if that idea is nurtured and allowed to grow and build, eventually it becomes so powerful that it literally bursts forth and drags us into motion.

Whether we choose to plunge or percolate, positive action is a matter of following our highest goals, and allowing our hearts to lead us where we need to go.

If your heart is urging you to take immediate action, then don’t be afraid to plunge. If you feel the inkling of something wonderful, but do not feel an urgent need to take action, then percolate a while. Let that inkling build into something truly inspiring, and then be ready and willing to plunge.

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