For whatever deranged reason, my youngest son has been seriously excited about getting braces. The orthodontist dropped a bomb when he announced that all his baby teeth had to come out first. Because he’d had a terrible time getting his previous teeth out, he was super bummed. The dentist has pulled three of them out for various reasons.
One of his teeth was especially stubborn and caused him a lot of pain. Trying to avoid another $100 extraction at the dentist, I told my son-in-law I’d pay him $50 if he could get the tooth out instead. The two of them attempted it for a couple of days, and they finally worked the tooth out. (I think my son was closer to passing out than I had realized. Yipes.) But the pulled tooth held a lot of answers for us. The root was fully intact, and it had a jagged spike out the side that was catching on the gum line.
Ouch.
Well . . . my son has slowly been able to get all but one of his remaining teeth out since the beginning of the year. But there is one unyielding tooth that has been a real challenge. He has been working on it now for almost four months.
At my own dental appointment I asked the doctor about my son. Since the insurance offers better coverage for his braces at the beginning of the year, the dentist pointed out that we have time for him to keep working on loosening his tooth. If it remains steadfast, then the dentist said he would pull it in time for the braces.
Then I had a brilliant idea. Since our out-of-pocket cost for an extraction is about $70, I made my son a proposal. “You work on getting your tooth out over the next three months, and if you pull it, I’ll pay you $40.” This way we both win. He wasn’t delighted because he just wanted it out, but he could see that I wasn’t going to pay $70 to do it sooner.
Let me tell you the inspiring events that came next.
Apparently he went to bed that night bothered about the tooth. He didn’t want to wait for another three and a half months to get it out, so he imagined how it would feel if it was gone. He felt grateful, as if it was already out. Mindset is everything.
He woke up the next morning with a thought . . . what if this tooth has the same weird shape as the last one? It was almost like he saw in his mind what his tooth could possibly look like above the gum line. With that idea in his head, he visualized how to “unhook” the tooth. He started twisting it a bit and felt it give. He was so excited that he jumped out of bed and ran in to look in the mirror. With just a tiny little twist, and a bit of a painful tug, it was out!
Isn’t it amazing how quickly he reached his goal once his mindset changed?
He went from believing the dentist was his one and only option to searching for a new solution. He “saw” it done, and he felt the relief he would feel, as if the tooth was already out. Then he felt gratitude.
This shifted everything. Now he was open and prepared to receive an inspired idea that essentially solved his problem.
Over the last couple of years since I have learned about the laws of thought, I have experienced similar situations many times. Here are some examples:
Moments when I’ve said something wrong and offended someone. I’ve seen (in my imagination) our misunderstanding resolved. And then I’ve had inspired ideas come that have smoothed things over.
Times when I’ve worked on a project that has caused me grief. I have imagined it completed, and the missing piece comes to me.
Experiences when I have needed someone’s heart softened at a company to allow for an opportunity or a refund or something contingent on their kindness. After feeling grateful — as if it’s already taken care of — I just happen to talk to the right person, and they are super accommodating.
Instances writing when it seems the creative juices have ceased to flow. Suddenly new thoughts and stories have come to my mind after I’ve visualized the outcome I want and have been grateful for the answer I expect will come.
So let’s return to my son. As long as he felt frustrated and helpless about his tooth, he was stuck. He had no answers. Remember? It had been four months that he felt he was beating his head against a wall. But the idea came and the tooth was out hours after he chose to create a new story.
The answers can come that quickly. This wasn’t just random luck for my son or for our family. These are principles we can trust.
What solutions are you seeking?
This can work for you, too. Simply “see” the outcome you want and feel gratitude.
But now that you know the secret . . . I’m not making any more $40 wagers. Just sayin’.