One morning you are running late to work and decide to drive-thru your local Coffee Hut to get your morning caffeine fix. Traffic is so bad, however, that you don't even get a chance to drink it until you get to your office. As you finally settle into your desk and take the first sip of your beloved Vanilla Latte, you suddenly realize that they must have mixed up your order and given you something that tastes vaguely like hot pumpkin pie.



What do you do?

A. Immediately call up the Coffee Hut manager and explain how his company has single-handedly ruined your morning and demand an apology as well as a full refund. Or better yet, you decide to get back into your car to give the manager a piece of your mind in person.

B. Understand that everyone makes mistakes and try to make the best of it by drinking the hot syrupy pumpkin beverage and moving on with your day.

C. Get the spare sugar and creamer packets from your desk drawer and try to somehow make the steaming hot pumpkin swill at least drinkable

D. Toss the steaming pumpkin pie beverage in the garbage and resign yourself to drinking the bland watered down office coffee.

Please choose one of the above options before reading any further.

As individuals, we all tend to play certain defined “roles” in our various relationships. Much like an actor, most of us have subconsciously assigned ourselves a part to play that is defined to some extent by our own personality and partly by the personalities of those around us (i.e. our friends, our family, our co-workers, etc…) and the roles they have chosen for themselves to play.

For example, are you a usually the leader and decision maker within your group of friends, or are you more comfortable having others take the lead? Are you willing to compromise your own ideals for the good of the group, or do you insist on standing up for what you believe is right even if it means that you may alienate some of your friends in the process? These types of subconscious behaviors and what they say about your personality, is a subject that I discuss throughout my new Mind Doodles course.

It is believed that the way a person chooses to react to unexpected (and often unpleasant) events in their lives can indicate the “role” that they generally play within their group of friends.

So what exactly does your reaction to the coffee mix-up indicate about your personality?

A. If you decided to call up the Coffee Hut manager to complain or visit him in person, you are probably known in your group to be its emotional leader. You are not necessarily the true decision maker of the group, but you generally see yourself as the “voice” and advisor of the group. You are the first to speak up when your advice is taken and things go right, but you are also the first one to complain and place blame when things completely fall apart. In other words, no matter what happens, you are usually the first person to step up to the plate with an opinion.

B. If you decided to make the best of the situation and drink the pumpkin coffee anyway, you are probably the type of person who doesn't usually let things get to you. Within your group, you are most likely seen as the one who is generally willing to go with the flow. You don't necessarily have to be the one making all of the decisions. Your easy-going nature allows you to make the best out of a situation no matter what happens. This also means, however, that you are often the one who is taken for granted simply because you aren't the person who is making all of the group's decisions or the one who freaks out when things go wrong. Among your friends, you are probably seen as the glue that keeps the group together and functioning.

C. If you decided to get out your “tools” and try to fix the problem, you are most likely seen as a creative spirit who is always thinking outside the box. You pride yourself on your ability to see things from every angle and then coming up with the best solution to any given problem. You tend to see any mishap as an opportunity and a challenge to your considerable intellect. At the same time, however, you sometimes want to fix a problem even if one doesn't actually exist.

D. If you decided to simply toss the pumpkin coffee into the garbage and move on with your day, you are probably known for your ability to make quick decisions even though you realize that you'll be wrong as often as you are right. This sense of confidence is seen as a natural sign of leadership and your friends tend to look towards you in times of crises or indecision. You pride yourself on listening to other people's opinions, however when a decision is needed, you tend to rely more upon your own experience and intuition.

If you have found this exercise to be enlightening or simply entertaining, please share it with someone you think might appreciate its unique message and insight into the subconscious mind. I wish you all the best.