Are you a Thermometer or a Thermostat?

This week I was reminded about the choice we all have in controlling our “temperatures.” Although the incident happened a few years ago, its message still rings true, especially now that football season has launched in all its mercurial glory!

Several months into the NFL season, I’d been watching a pre-game interview. I can’t recall the team or the player, but I’ll never forget the man’s words.

“This week we’re going to be the thermostat, not the thermometer,” he hollered back to the reporter as his teammates drowned out the next question with their cheers.

I missed the rest of the interview because my mind was stuck processing his words.

Be a thermostat? Not a thermometer? What did that mean? — Becky Galli, Morning Fuel

Some quick research brought up mixed origins and wide-ranging uses:

• Locker room hype, boardroom mantras, and demands for peaceful protests and transformational leadership

• Anger management, de-escalation techniques, gentle parenting, and home-schooling tips

• Quotes from Martin Luther King, Seth Godin, Roger Ailes, and more. . .

That phrase had wheels! It certainly made me think.

As we know, a thermostat regulates the temperature of its environment. It is set to a certain temperature. If its surrounding area gets to hot or too cold, it kicks in and gets the temperature back to the desired level.

A thermometer, however, reacts to the temperature of its environment. If the environment changes, so does the thermometer. A thermometer merely states what is, with no capacity to change it.

The difference is striking:

“A thermometer reflects its environment. A thermostat affects its environment.” – Becky Galli, Morning Fuel

When you think about it, every day we choose how we will respond to the ups and downs of the temperatures in our environment—the people and situations we encounter. With each interaction, we decide what temperament we’ll adopt.

We can choose to reflect what we experience or affect what we experience.

That’s one powerful message that goes far beyond the football field.

And I wonder, what kind of temperature control will I use today? Will I be a thermostat or a thermometer?

How about you?

📖 Note: For those of you following along in Morning Fuel, this story is referenced on September 28. And thanks to Morning Fuel readers who reach out and comment. (Suz, Darlene, Wanda, and Barb this week 😊). Keep them coming. You make my day!