People Are Like Popcorn Kernels

Do you like popcorn? I’ve been thinking about popcorn theory, and with September being Self-Improvement Month, it feels like the pop-fect time to bring it up.

“Popcorn theory” is really just a metaphor for change and progress. Put a pot on the stove and expose every kernel to the same heat, and they still won’t pop all at once. People are the same way. Some pops look like a career change or a move across the country. There are also seasons when staying steady is the right call, but eventually the heat does its work, and the break happens on its own timing.

When that moment arrives, it’s worth noticing the conditions that made it possible. Kernels need heat, oil, and (yes!) a little salt. We usually need time, resources, or support before we make a move. You can’t rush that, but you can prepare by saving a bit more, or asking for help, so you “pop” in your own way, right on time.

Learning is part of those conditions, too. Like the idea that we aren’t able to understand something until we’re taught. We can’t do, or even know about something, until we learn it. Take Inside Out, the movie, for example. Joy doesn’t understand the value of Sadness until really late in the game, when Riley can finally admit that she misses home. You can’t really miss home, or feel your emotions fully, if you never leave it. Joy didn’t know that, but that’s how we grow. Conditions change and we learn new things.

Of course, sometimes life turns up the heat for us and the conditions force the pop. A surprise. A setback. Someone gets sick. We move or take a new job because we have to. In those moments, it helps to be near people who can steady you through the transition. We all grow on our own timelines, but we don’t have to grow alone.

In fact, if you’re in the business of creating or you’re cooking up a fresh idea, that’s exactly the kind of energy we love inside The Nexus at JHD. The Nexus is a collaborative working space for thinkers and doers, a place to workshop and gain some momentum. You might feel like the last kernel in the pot, but you’re probably just preheating for a well-buttered breakthrough. So, come in! Join us. Pop responsibly.

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The Nexus – 461 Sandy Creek Rd, Suite 4109, Fayetteville, GA
Catch us Monday through Friday starting at 9:00 AM! 

Learn more: thenexus.community