The great thing about learning is that it is not confined to certain times or a specific location. Learning can happen anytime, anywhere.
I like to highlight this fact by, once a month, looking at things we encounter on a daily basis and seeing what important lesson we can from them.
In today’s installment of “Five Things We Can Learn From Everyday Objects” we are going to look at something that is recommended by expects, but less than 50% of American’s do daily, and 10% never do.
5 Things We Can Learn From Dental Floss
1. We May Bleed A Little At First
I could never be a dentist. If there are two things I don’t like it is blood and putting my hands in strangers mouths. Dentists experience both of these very frequently, especially the blood. Even when they are doing things to help a patient, the patient bleeds. I’m sure you’ve been to the dentist and felt your gums become bloody while the dentist is flossing your teeth. Do they do that because they like to see you suffer? No. They know that we may bleed a little at first, but the result is well worth the trouble.
When we are chasing our dreams, we will all bleed a little at first, but the result can be well worth the pain.
2. We Can Be Surprised By The Impact Some Things Have
Flossing may not seem like a big deal, but it is. If fact, research shows that flossing daily may actually add 6.4 years to your life. See, if you do not floss, you are more likely to develop gum diseases such as gingivitis. And if you have gum diseases such as gingivitis, you are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease as those without gum conditions. Crazy that such a seemingly small activity can have such a huge impact.
Next time you think a small action with your family or at work is inconsequential, think again.
3. Just Do It
Do you floss before you brush your teeth or after? Guess what? It doesn’t matter. You can floss before, after, or both, what really matters is that you just do it in the first place. The main thing is that it gets done.
Spend less time worrying about the timing of your actions, and more time acting.
4. Even Great Things Take Time To Catch On
Dental floss was invented in 1819 by Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans. However, floss was not commercially available until 1882. So, dental floss was around for 63 years, before people cared enough to make it available for everyone to purchase. I think we can all agree that it is a great invention, but it’s popularity didn’t explode overnight. And even now, it could still catch on even more, as evidence by the stat I referenced earlier that less than 50% of Americans use it everyday.
Think about Levi Spear Parmly and dental floss next time you are frustrated that your product is taking its sweet time to take off.
5. Take The Time Now Or Pay Later
It is easy to see why less than 50% of Americans floss everyday. It is kind of a pain. Plus we usually save it for the end of the day when we are tired and just want to go to bed. But if we just spend a few minutes at the end our day, we can save a lot of time and money in the long run. Take the time to do it now, or risk the expenses and health complications that come with gum disease.
We are all tired, and just want to do to sleep, but taking that one small action now can save us time, money and stress.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
