What Simple Life Lessons Can You Learn From Coffee?

I know you’re probably thinking what life lessons can I possibly learn from a cup of coffee?

 

But, before I dive into that, I just want you to think for a minute about all the things you’ve done in life. 

 

All the adventures you’ve had. 

 

The struggles. 

 

All the highs and lows. 

 

They have shaped you and made you who you are today. 

 

All those books you’ve read, those movies and tv shows you’ve watched, that speeding ticket, that test you failed, that paper you aced, that boy that broke your heart, that job you landed, the house you bought, the child (or children) you had. 

 

Everything that’s happened in your life has helped shape you and made you unique. 

 

I could go on and on about life lessons, but I think one of the best ways to explain some important lessons I’ve learned in life is through coffee. 

 

Yes, you read that right, coffee.

 

There have been many changes in my life, but one thing that has remained the same is coffee. 

 

Well, maybe not exactly the same because back in college I drank pretty crappy dining hall coffee and thought it was good. 

 

But, through all those bad cups of coffee, I discovered the good ones and what you can learn from everything in between. 

 

Despite everything I’ve been through coffee has always found me and helped me along the way, teaching me life lessons all the while.

 

 

Plan ahead and never run out.

 

The last thing you want to do is open a cupboard and be out of coffee (or whatever else you drink in the morning). 

 

I’ve done that a few times in the past and it’s just awful. It’s a recipe for the start of a bad day. 

 

So, although I don’t usually drink cheap coffee anymore, I will always have a bag of something like Dunkin’ or Caribou Coffee on hand as a backup to my usual blends.

 

We also have a Keurig so I always make sure we have some k-cups too. The Keurig doesn’t get used every day as I prefer to brew a full or half pot, but if I’ve got some extra k-cups then I know I’ve got coffee. 

 

And that’s what coffee has taught me is to always plan ahead. 

 

You can’t predict the future, but you can make sure you never run out of things that you need and use every day with some simple planning.

 

Like coffee.

 

So, I try to take the same principles and feelings I have about my morning coffee and carry that into other things in my life. 

 

 

 

I make sure I always have things like toothpaste or contact solution stocked up. Things I use every day without fail. 

 

I try to get my monthly prescriptions well ahead of the time I actually need them (usually 5-7 days before I actually need to use them). That way if there are ever any issues with my pharmacy filling them I’ve given myself enough time to look elsewhere. 

 

That simple act of making sure I always have coffee on hand has carried over into other areas of my life too.

 

There’s a time and place for cheap coffee.

 

Carrying into always having coffee on hand, there is definitely a time and a place for cheap coffee. And that is the second life lesson from coffee.

 

Like so many other things in life, you don’t always need the best and brightest new thing. 

 

Sure fancy coffee is nice, but sometimes just a plain old cup of black coffee is all you need. 

 

But figuring out when that applies is the real life-lesson regarding the time and place for cheap coffee. 

 

And that applies to everything in life. Sometimes you have to splurge on something, but other times you don’t need the latest and greatest. 

 

So next time you are stuck on whether or not you need to splurge on something think of it in the context of a cup of coffee. 

 

Do you need that fancy caramel macchiato from Starbucks? Or, can you get by with a cup of black coffee and maybe some cream from the local gas station?

 

It sounds silly, but you’d be surprised at how much more you enjoy that black coffee over that fancy drink. 

 

You don’t always need that second or third cup (or fourth…).

 

I actually drank more coffee before I was a mom than I do now. (I know shocker! LOL.)

 

After I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to stop drinking coffee.

 

I had a decaf cup here and there during pregnancy when I needed a pick me up, but nothing more than that. 

 

And, after I gave birth, I decided I wouldn’t drink coffee again until I was done breastfeeding. 

 

I thought that I would breastfeed for maybe 6 months (that was my goal anyway), but I ended up breastfeeding until my daughter was about a year old (I was an exclusive pumper after about 5 or 6 months). 

 

So, I gave up coffee for almost two years. 

 

And I actually thought about not drinking coffee again. But one morning I had that first sip from a fresh pot while sitting at my desk working and it was just heaven. 

 

I knew coffee and me were a thing again from then on. 

 

But, through that experience, I learned that you probably don’t need as much coffee as you think you do. 

 

I used to drink two cups in the morning and then another in the afternoon, sometimes more. But before I became a mom I was having at least three cups a day. 

 

Nowadays I have two cups in the morning and that’s it. I don’t drink coffee after lunchtime and I don’t even miss that afternoon cup. 

 

Like many things in life, we often think we need something that we actually don’t. Maybe it’s because it’s been our routine for so long or we’ve never done it any other way. 

 

But sometimes once you stop drinking that afternoon cup of coffee you realize you never really needed it in the first place. 

 

And the same goes for various things in life that you think you need or have to have. 

 

Maybe it’s a raise at work that you think you need. That diet soda from the vending machine. Maybe you think you need a glass of wine at the end of the day. Or those lottery tickets from the gas station. 

 

The point is, just pause and think about what you really “need.” You might find you don’t need that second or third (or fourth) cup after all.

 

And, probably one of the most important life lessons is sometimes you have to let your coffee cool down.

 

And by coffee, I mean you (or your partner or whoever you’re in an argument with). 

 

When you first pour yourself a cup in the morning you often can’t drink it right away. It’s too hot. You have to let it cool down or maybe add some cream/milk to it. 

 

The same goes for an argument with your spouse; sometimes you just have to walk away and let things cool down. 

 

Even if you just wait 5 or 10 minutes that can help.

 

So next time you’re frustrated with someone or something, just take a break and cool down. 

 

Maybe pour yourself a cup of coffee while you wait or take some deep breaths. Something to calm you down and ground you.

 

And just know that you might need to let things cool down for a while, maybe you need to let that hot coffee transform into a cold brew by sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. 

 

But, no matter what, eventually you will be able to drink that cup of coffee just like you will be able to resolve that fight.

 

 

So next time you are drinking a cup of coffee think about what life lessons that cup has taught you lately. Because for me it’s: 

• Plan ahead
• Cheap isn’t bad
• Pause before you have (or buy!) another cup
• Let things cool down

 

What has coffee taught you lately? Share your life lessons from coffee in the comments!

 

 

And, if you are on the hunt for new coffee to try, check out these small business roasters that I’ve recently reviewed on the blog!

• Roadmap CoffeeWorks
• Surviving Motherhood Coffee
• Oak & Bond Coffee Co.