John and Sara were neighbours. They heard that the lady down the street was giving every child pieces of cake on Christmas day. Deciding to drop by at the kind lady’s place, they went home to take containers with which to collect the pieces of cake.
Sara brought back a small container with enough space for a piece of cake while John took a massive container with him.
At the kind lady’s place, they were both given two pieces of cake. Sara’s container was now full and could barely be closed while John’s, of course, was very empty.
As they walked back, John complained about the insufficient quantity while Sara was extremely happy.
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Now, let’s think about this story for a minute. John and Sara were given the same information i.e. that the lady down the street was giving kids pieces of cake. They were also given the same number of pieces.
But, one walked away extremely happy while the other walked away disappointed and bitter.
The difference maker here was the measuring cup. And, therein lies the crux of the ‘Measuring Cup Principle.’ As time passes by, our measuring cups inflate in size. This results in a lessening of gratitude and happiness..
How big are our measuring cups?
A Learning a Day 