The Drip-Feed Effect
Have you ever seen those plant feeders? Those test-tube type glass cylinders that you put into the soil of a pot plant and which have the miraculous ability to deliver the right amount of water to a plant at exactly the right time?
I’ve often imagined what would be the human equivalent of that. Can you imagine a situation when the right amount of advice is given to just at the right time, leading you to make the decisions that, like a plant, allow you to flourish and grow?
As you ponder that question, here’s another one …. Have you ever been in a situation where deep down you know you need to take action but for some reason you don’t? For many, the answer is of course yes, and for many of us it’s because of the risk whether personal or financial.
Through childhood, adolescent, young adulthood, middle age and older age we often find ourselves presented with an abundance of choices. At the same time we may find ourselves in situations where we desperately want to act but something is preventing us from doing so. Whether this is connected to career or to relationships or the multitude of other arenas of life where we have to make decisions, sometimes quite simply we need that gentle push.
Now sometimes these decisions and choices are so uncomfortable or so monumental that you may find yourself immobile. Indeed, for many it is clear that unless you have gargantuan amounts of willpower, some decisions require you to surround yourself with the right people to support you along the way.
So where does the Drip-Feed Effect come in? And why am I talking about plants? That’s because …… you’ve guessed it…… my friend, and the Grande Dame of Striped Sisters has consciously and unconsciously used this technique to great effect on those who have been lucky enough to be in her orbit.
When I was stuck in a job that was going nowhere and was expanding in volume, my Striped Sister would come over to my work station and would pin yellow post-it notes on my computer shouting out, ‘You’re wasted here, go do something else!’ When I shrugged off this piece of advice a further post-it note would appear on objects on my desk. A fluffy pig that adorned my desk (yes really!) would become regularly adorned with a post-it note saying….. ‘Mel says you’re wasted here, go do something else’. Oh yes, that old tactic…….. said Striped Sister would not only repeat her helpful mantra but then would invoke the words of past colleagues as further ‘evidence’.
Of course after one’s initial shrug, and then a smile at your Striped Sister’s persistence, you begin to realise ……OK….more than one person is saying the same thing…maybe I should ….er…..take notice? And that is what it does, this drip-feed effect will eventually do its magic work and will assist you in taking those first and very often difficult first steps.
So if you are reading this and you are thinking that this resonates with you, then stop for a minute and really listen. Start giving this some serious thought and weigh up the words of those precious others who know you well and are telling you this for a reason. And as you ponder on those words that are maybe sowing the seed for some further action, know that the community of Striped Sisters are also supporting you every step of the way.
© stripedsisters 2021
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