What, a FORK!

Did you do yours?? You know, yesterday when you got home.? WE all have to do them right?? You know, chores.? One of mine, is doing the dishes and putting them up when the dishwasher is done. Occasionally, my wife will do them out of the kindness of her heart (See I recognized it Honey).? When you do something over and over, you get to expect things to be done in a specific way.? I recently noticed something when she helped put up the silverware.? We have a traditional silverware / drawer organizer.? It has space for two types of FORK, two types of spoon, and one for knives.? When it comes to the FORK spots, one is for the smaller FORK, commonly referred to as the “First Course FORK.”, and the larger “Main Course FORK.”? I call the smaller one the salad FORK.? Regardless of what you call it, my wife, or someone, put a salad FORK in with the larger Main Course FORKs.? Whoa!!? That is not meant to go there, it has it’s own place. Have you ever been told that?? Let’s take a look at what we can learn from a FORK!

Fit???????????????????????????????????????

Fit in?? Do you?? Like the small FORK, it fits in the compartment designated for the larger FORKs, but does it really?? We all want to fit in.? We want to be accepted and recognized for who we are and what we do.? Unfortunately, we don’t fit in with every compartmentalized divider in life.? Some people will always look at you differently.? It is a part of life.? Conversely, there are times when we look at some other utensil and we may think they do not belong.? Wait, what??? We don’t do that do we?? Are you sure?? How do you think a FORK feels when compared to a knife?? Sure, a FORK can cut it, but a knife was made for spreading and cutting.? And the knife is so much bigger than the smaller First Course FORK.? You may fit in the slot or the compartment (or department) however you need to feel comfortable in who you are and what you are meant to do.? Have you recently felt you did not fit in with a group around you?? How did it make you feel?? What did you learn from it?

Open????????????????????????????????

Open to try new things?? Are you?? This may take you out of your comfort zone and may challenge you to try different aspects of your role.? You can’t eat (or at least, not very well) soup with a FORK. Sure, you can try, and you may be able to, however if you are able, it will take much longer than if you used a spoon.? When was the last time you tried something totally outside your wheelhouse?? Why did you try it? Was it because you wanted to, or was it because you wanted to fit in with someone else?? Were you trying to get into their compartment?? Don’t get this wrong.? We all need to try new things; we just need to make sure they align with our desires and purpose.? When was the last time you looked at a FORK?? It is more open than a spoon, and that means it has more opportunities to be useful.? You can’t cut a steak with a spoon or eat spaghetti with one.? Are you trying to use your skills and abilities that are way outside your skillset?? Ask yourself why and then respond accordingly.

Respect??????????????????????????

Respect the others!? There is a reason that there is more than one piece of silverware.? In a full multi-course meal, there can be up to three FORKs!? I mean, come on, really??? Everyone has a job to do, and if we all do our job, it makes it much easier for us all?? If we try to do someone else’s job, that is when it gets to be a bit more challenging?? Have you ever been told to, “Stay in your lane or stay in your department?”? I have, more than once.? I’ll say it again. There is a reason that there is more than one piece of silverware.? Look at your team. If you were all the same, how effective would you be?? Would you be able to grow and get stretched?? Would the size or tenure of the knife impact you?? Do you consider yourself a smaller FORK or a dinner FORK?? ??Do you know your purpose and what is expected of you?? Knowing where you are at and knowing your role helps keep life in balance.? When you don’t know your purpose and are not confident in who you are, that is where it gets challenging. Do you know who you are?

Keep?????????????????????????????????

Keep being you!? You can grow and get better and stay true to who you are.? If you are a FORK, nobody is asking you to be a spork. You were created to be you and to be the best you that you can be.? You don’t eat spaghetti with a spoon, you eat it with a FORK.? Everything revolves around a FORK.? Just like a FORK can’t be a spoon or a knife, you can’t be someone else.? Don’t judge your abilities and your options compared to someone else. They may have started in a different compartment, and you were never meant to be them. You are meant to be you, and to be the best you that you can be. Look for ways to use your skills and abilities.? Volunteer or ask to be a part of other projects or tasks that interest you and you will add value, or you will grow.? Don’t be afraid to be you.? When was the last time you had an opportunity to do something different and you didn’t?? What kept you from participating or asking?? Don’t let your compartment or department hold you back.?

This is probably way more than you wanted to know about silverware etiquette or doing the dishes.? Some stopped reading when they got to chores, because nobody likes chores.? We all have to work together, and someone has to be the FORK and someone has to be the napkin.? Who wants that job? Everyone wipes their messes on it and expects it to keep things off of them.? Look where you fit in and be open to try new things.? You can be the best at what you do and confident in who you are, but occasionally, you will be put in a different compartment.? Respect the other utensils around you, and keep being you.? Don’t look at it as you are an outsider being put in, look at it as an opportunity that someone saw something in you and wants you to influence the bigger FORKs. Who knows, you may even get put in with the spoons, but that is a whole different story. On your journey, if you see a FORK in the road, take it!? For those who were wondering, when I recognized the error, yes, I put the smaller FORK back in the compartment it was meant to be in.?

Stay safe and stay well!

?

F – Fit in?

O – Open to try new things?

R – Respect others.

K – Keep being you!