What's the "meniscus effect" and how can it help us in our businesses and in life?

byHowardFF

628 followers

Updated 5 years ago

I remember as a kid in science class our teacher filling a glass and then taking an eye-dropper to fill it to the point all of us thought it would overflow.

Yet she kept going, and going, and going. Drop by drop.

"No way!" we all exclaimed.

She was showing us something called a "meniscus," the curved upper surface of a liquid in a tube or glass. (So, thankfully, we're not going to talk about the knee injury meaning of meniscus!)

I'd like to share a motivational lesson I learned this morning during a simple task I do each day, and how it can apply to my business and life, and how it can apply to yours.

What was different about today...

Each day when I'm having my coffee, I write out 15 "affirmations," statements of a preferred future that keep me motivated and focused.

I use a fountain pen and my journal, but today I noticed my fountain pen was starting to run out of ink. I didn't have another ink cartridge handy, but I decided I'd start anyway, because it's my habit to do so.

Here's a summary of my thinking as I progressed through these 15 affirmations, and then I'll share what I learned:

• Affirmation #3 -- checked my ink, saw it was basically empty... "Oh, well, I'll probably write another one or two affirmations and finish later with a new ink cartridge."
• #7 -- "Pen still seems to be writing, so I'll keep going but I don't expect much."
• #10 -- "I seem to be getting there... Keep a light touch, Howard, be intentional and hold on loosely." (I know, I know... I silently chatter a lot when I write... but at this point I saw it as a mental exercise.)
• #15 -- "Wow! I finished all 15 affirmations. Time to quit!"
• "Wait... what if there's ink left for one more?"

And there was: The Meniscus Effect.

Just like the liquid that seems to magically go "over" the top of the glass and not spill, so also there was enough ink for me to finish when initially I didn't think there was.

What did I learn?

What blocks me from success is "ME"

Sometimes I look in the mirror and have these doubts:

• I'm not going to be successful.
• I'm too old to start something new.
• There's too much competition online to make money this way.
• yada yada yada (as we say in New York City)

I listen to the doubts and stop short, before the glass is full.

My mental state is often the biggest obstacle.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Instead, I can:

• Relax
• Trust the process
• Have fun!
• Go one step further than I think I can... Expect the unexpected!

"See how full you can make your glass today!"

Peace,