Ice-Cream Can’t Choose Not to Melt

When ice cream is taken out of the fridge, it changes its state. It usually takes a couple of minutes to go from “so rock hard that you’re going to bend the spoon” to “the spoon slips in so nicely that it would be rude not to have another.” However, if you leave it too long out of the fridge, it becomes a warm, gloopy mess. Don’t blame the ice cream. It can’t choose not to melt when it isn’t cold anymore.

Put yourself in the ice cream’s place for one minute. You live your life in that fridge, waiting for someone to open the door, scoop you into a bowl and enjoy yourself. However, there is always that niggling feeling that you hope they will remember to put the rest of you back. You’ll melt quickly if you are left out and no one likes melted (and re-frozen) ice cream.

You wish that you could choose not to melt.

We are pretty lucky to be human. The ability to choose our behaviours (and even going against our instincts) sets us apart. The rabbit freezes in the road because centuries of instinct have told him that the fox won’t see him that way…. Nine times out of ten, he is doomed to a painful demise because he cannot adapt.

Can you choose not to melt?

The flexibility of thought and action sets apart the truly successful among us, but it is far easier to contemplate for us mere mortals than it is to do. We tell ourselves that we will behave differently the next time some “trigger” situation comes along, but, sure enough, we revert to type, and the same destructive behaviours show up.

Choosing NOT to do something that goes against our inner nature is an arduous undertaking, but even though we might fail the first few times, it gets easier with every effort. When we feel that we have moved the needle in terms of the outcome, even to the slightest extent, choosing not to melt will be that little bit more possible next time.

For me, one of the main “not melting” scenarios means curbing my natural impatience. This has a detrimental impact both at home and at work, but I gradually realise the benefits of giving that new client a little more time to think about things or letting my son take his time over the next chess move. People live their lives at different speeds, and we have to tolerate it. I choose not to melt like this several times a day!

What are your melting moments? What are the things you would like to change but are unsure whether you can? Next time you raid the fridge for a couple of scoops of ice cream, feel some pity for it.

It can’t change how it reacts to life outside of the fridge. We are lucky that we can.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).