Clumsy

Do you sometimes wonder why you are always breaking, spilling, or dropping something?

Here are four steps to help you break the cycle.

1. The start of the problem

Everyone goes through stages of being clumsy. When you were a baby you were clumsy because you still had to learn that:

• Some objects break if you don't hold them properly.
• Liquids spill if you don't keep them upright in containers.
• You trip if you don't look where you are going.
• You bump into stuff, or someone may knock you down, if you don't take notice of what's around you.

2. The teen repeat

As you get older you start to understand danger. But when you get to your teens, this clumsiness often comes back. That's because teens often think about only results instead of what they are doing. They forget that getting to the result still holds the same dangers as when they were kids.

• Some objects still break if you don't hold them properly.
• Liquids still spill if you don't keep them upright in containers.
• You still trip if you don't look where you are going.
• You still bump into stuff, or someone may knock you down, if you don't take notice of what's around you.

3. The solution: Think ahead

The way to stop making yourself a victim of clumsiness is to think ahead. Think careful!

When you pick up a cup, glass, plate, or anything else that could break, think “Careful …!”won't fall. The way to stop breakables from falling is to hold them carefully enough that they

If you are at a restaurant, before you order, think “Careful …!” It's not a good idea to order something that will stain your clothes embarrassingly if you spill it. Spaghetti bolognese will spatter you with sauce. Beetroot will have you marked red all night. Crumbs may stick around your mouth. Seeds may stick between your teeth. Dark chocolate cake may crumble all over you. If you don't get close to your bowl of soup, and you fill every spoonful to the brim, you may quickly get soup stains on your clothes.

If you eat a dribbly hotdog, pie, or burger in your hand instead of eating it from a plate with a knife and fork, you may hit trouble. Any spilled sauce, mayonnaise, or whatever are going to go down your arm and on your clothes. If you are holding a drink other than water, make sure your attention is not on something else. Otherwise, the color of your drink had better match your clothes, because someone is sure to knock your drink or you'll spill it yourself.

4. Apply it

Being clumsy will not be a major problem if you just think “Careful …” whenever there is a likelihood that clumsiness can take over. Try to think ahead so you can avoid any problem. Anything that involves breakables, or fire, liquids, sharp objects, dangerous people, snakes, spiders and other dangerous animals, walking, driving, eating, drinking, and sport, is a paradise for potential clumsiness.

Get into the habit of thinking “Careful!” whenever there's a chance of clumsiness, then watch your clumsy ways quickly disappear.