I barely toast my bread. I like it a little golden and a tiny bit crisp, just warm enough for the peanut butter, Nutella, or whatever other spread I use to melt.
If it is burnt, it is gross, and I won't eat it.
But that is not the kind of burnt toast I am talking about. I am talking about the theory.
The Burnt Toast Theory is the idea that minor setbacks may prevent worse situations from happening. Burning your toast and having to make it again sets you back five minutes. Those five minutes can change a lot.
If you use this mindset, you go through life a little calmer.
When my car doors freeze shut, when I wake up late, or when I wait a whole class period only to learn the class was canceled, I get less mad. I ask myself: If I had left on time that day, would something bad have happened?
Don't get angry at the burnt toast that might have saved you.
I might be rushed and late, but a few minutes or hours could make a big difference in where I end up at a certain time.
A few weeks ago, while I was scrolling through social media, I saw another phrase that has stuck with me even more than the Burnt Toast Theory. It was something like this: "It didn't work out because you would have hated it."
A job that passed me by, a relationship that broke apart, or a trip that never made it out of the group chat is upsetting. But maybe it simply was not right for me.
The idea is so simple but so settling. Instead of stressing about the things that didn't succeed, you look forward to what the future will bring.
These small changes in thinking can really change your outlook on life.
You will still face stress and disappointments. Yet thinking about these ideas can help you turn those disappointments into appreciation.
What is meant for you will stay.