Agent Melinda May looks to Daisy (aka Quake) and says “Number one rule of combat. Take what you have and use it to your advantage.”
This is a line the show has repeatedly used, but last night, for whatever reason, the words hit me like a ton of bricks. So much so, I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled it down. I went to bed last night thinking about the concept and this morning I am creating social media posts and blogging my excitement.
Are you asking why?
I hope you are because if not, I'm going to tell you anyway…
My adrenaline-filled typing it fueled by several sources. The first being the reinforcement of the notion of people creating their boundaries. We are so busy creating reasons as to why we cannot accomplish something and how impossible a situation seems we forget to look around and use what we do have to the utmost advantage. I used to do this all the time. Seriously, looking back on it is rather nauseating. The I can’t – it’s impossible attitude I used to have is quick to build the walls and close me off from all other possibilities.
Where if we take what Melinda May suggests and look around. We may not have a solution but at the very least we can take a step forward and move closer.
Last year, I went to lunch at my favorite Ramen house here in Tulsa and upon a short visit to the ladies' room found myself locked in the bathroom. It was a single small bathroom. One you lock until you are finished. Well, there was a problem with the lock and when I went to leave the bathroom the door would not open. Realizing I did not bring my phone, and my daughter was probably still surfing social media, unaware of my extended absence. I tried messing with the lock for a good ten minutes to no avail. I pounded on the door, nothing. I thought, okay, what do I have I can use? I started searching my empty pockets, the cabinet under the sink, looking at the walls, the paper towel roll, the toilet paper roll. What the hell could I use to get someone’s attention and or free myself? Then a crazy yet brilliant Idea popped in my head. The toilet paper roll might have a spring.
I removed the toilet paper, revealing the plastic tension roll holding it and removed the spring. Going to the lock I searched for the screws attaching the knob to the door. I twisted the coil with the notion of using it to remove the screws.
Knocking on the door from the outside made me jump. I hear my daughter’s voice “Mom, are you okay?”
Needless to say, I didn’t have to remove the knob from the door. My daughter simply opened it from the outside and I was freed! We told the waiter about the experience, got a free sushi appetizer and a good laugh. My daughter and I were curious if my plan would have worked and when we returned home, we tried it out in our bathroom. Turns out, it would have worked!
While this is more of a utilitarian story, it still rings true. If you have a challenge you're facing, whether it be a locked door, or an evil genius looking to destroy the world, look around, figure out what you do have and use it to your advantage.
Come Find Me!
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