Coming From a Different Angle: When Things Get Sticky
Updated: Dec 3, 2021
I think every person on the face of our lovely Earth has some kind of pet peeve, right? Maybe for some it’s people chewing with their mouth open, and for others it’s when you’re trying to tell somebody something important and they can’t seem to get their face out of that electronic brick in their hand. Both of those do test my nerves, but one thing that absolutely kills me is when you’re peeling tape or a sticker off of something and it just keeps ripping. Leaving that white, papery, sticky film behind. Man is that annoying, or what?
Not too long ago, I was tasked with peeling these “for sale” price tag sticker things off of the face of a picture frame. You know, the ones with barcodes and stuff. Who the hell came up with the idea of putting those stickers on the glass part of the frame anyway? Right smack in the way of where the picture is gonna be seen. I can’t stand that. If you can’t manage to get it off just right, it’ll leave an ugly blemish on what was supposed to be a beautiful picture. Man that kills me. You buy this frame to show off a beautiful picture, but the very frame you bought has these stickers that mock you in a way that I find ironic. As I sat there picking at the sticky residue on the glass, I was getting quite enraged to tell you the truth. I tried to remain calm, but I’d be lying if a few "What the f- " 's didn’t squeak out of my mouth.
There were three of these huge stickers on the face of the glass. "Wooden Frame!" this and "$9.99!" that. Not a single one peeled off cleanly. Can you believe that? Not a SINGLE ONE. I swear these things were glued on by some employee late at night in order to sabotage me. Or maybe these stickers just had an adhesive backing similar to that of Phil Swift’s Flex Tape. Regardless, my frustrations grew to say the least. I was quickly jumping around back and forth between the stickers scraping, clawing and doing just about anything else I could just to peel up the remaining pieces that were left on the glass. Soon I had a breakthrough. Instead of scraping away frantically, I would relax for a second and closely look over the frame. I would dissect the stickers and find a promising area that looked as though it could come up easily. I’d come at the sticker from a different angle, and the piece I had been eying would come right up as if there was never an issue at all. That’s when I had a realization.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Probably something along the lines of “Dave, don’t even try to pull some philosophical bull**** out of thin air. You were just simply peeling up stickers, dude.” Honestly, your hesitancy is warranted. But just hear me out.
Each time that I would sit back, take a deep breath and assess the current state of the stickers, that is when I found I had the most success in peeling up the sticky, mangled mess that I had created. The same can be said when you find yourself in life’s sticky situations. Whether it be conflict with those you love or an important life decision, patience and maturity will lead you where you wish to go. Acting frantically and irrationally may work to some extent. However, taking a step back, assessing the situation, and coming in with new ideas and a different mindset might just lead to success beyond your wildest dreams. Take note of what you had done wrong before, and let that guide your approach the second time around. These blemishes on the picture frame are symbolic of life's problems. Sometimes you have to work through life's blemishes in order to be able to value the picture for how beautiful it is. Things don't always go as planned, but when you give yourself the opportunity to pause and take a look at the big picture, perhaps the solution to your issues was right in front of you the entire time. Sometimes it just takes a moment of peace in a world of chaos to find that tackling life’s obstacles from a different angle than what you've tried before is all that needed to be done.
When things get sticky in your relationships, your career, or any other facet of your life, have patience and take the time to assess the best way to solve the situation. It will only lead to more success. And It might just lead to a more beautiful picture in your picture frame too.
