You know the difference between dunno and donut, right? Sure, you do! You know what a dunno is. You’ve had it loads of times! And you also know what a d0nut is. (We spell it ‘doughnut’. However, I’m using the US version in my post title because it’s shorter for my url). A doughnut is a hole in the middle with sweet-stuff round the edges. A dunno is a hole in the middle with no-stuff around it.
My 11-year old daughter asked me yesterday what I wanted for Christmas. I said, ‘Dunno’.
‘A doughnut!’ she said. ‘Why do you want a doughnut?’
‘No,’ I replied. ‘Not a doughnut. I don’t know‘
‘Well, if you don’t know,’ she said, ‘You won’t get anything. At least a doughnut is something.’
Out of the mouths of babes….
Today’s post is going to be a short exhortation about self-confidence, but first I want to show you two pictures:
Image 1. Here’s a picture of a dunno
Image 2: And here’s a picture of a donut
Please share Difference between dunno and donut if you found it useful. Please also leave your comment below, if you can think of one way we can all take that first step towards achieving our dreams.
That’s a nice comparison Anne!
Making excuses for simple things and keep saying “I dunno” is the easiest thing to do – and we all are guilty of having done that sometime or the other. But to turn those negatives into positives and say that “I will do it” is what takes courage and will- power. 🙂
I liked the way you bring out inspiration from within your family and children to write your posts. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Harleena Singh recently posted..4 Tips to Setting Healthy Boundaries For Teenagers
Thanks, Harleena. I don’t think you’ve ever visited this blog before, so welcome!
Turning negatives into positives will work to help us move towards our goals. Like you said, it takes courage, but starting is simple – we just have to take one step at a time.
I find that personal stories work best to teach confidence and self-esteem. We know we can do it, if someone else has.
Anne recently posted..DIY Money-Saving Heating Tips
I like your interpretation of the dunno. I actually thought you omitted the picture :-).
It’s always easier to say “dunno” than to give “yes” or “no” as an answer. Being that most people naturally find it easy to shove responsibility, saying, “I dunno” is an easy escape route.
It simply means that you’re saying, “I have no definite answer, so think of one for me. If the consequence of your answer is bad, then it’s your fault, not mine”.
As you said, saying dunno is one reason why many of us don’t get to live our desired lives. We don’t know what we want and so, we settle for anything.
Your post is a real eye-opener Anne. And thumbs up to your daughter ;-).
Lanre recently posted..5 Uncommon Lessons My Dog Taught Me About Taking Action
You’re right, Lanre. It is the easier route. No committing means I don’t have to think or put in any effort. I’m saving myself the ‘work’ of having to think for myself.
This is only going to come back to re-visit me in the future – then what? We have to take time to invest in our plans and decisions.
Hi Anne,
When I find myself saying I dunno, it is like a signal to me that I’m pushing away something. Signaling to me that I have too many other things on my mind – which obviously won’t get done in that mindset!
I like the graphic because it is a big blank hole! I don’t like living my life in the blank hole! So, my friend, this has inspired me to be more aware of my many many goals.
I thank you,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..Living Gratitude
Thank you, Donna. I thought the blank hole would clearly express what I wanted to say. There’s nothing there and this is exactly my point 🙂
Not making the effort to do or think results in exactly what we deserve (what we planned) – nothing.
I’m glad you found the post inspiring. You’ve also inspired me a great deal.
Ah such wise words from one so young!
I think I use dunno when I want to buy some more time to think about something, and not because I’m not sure of something. I need to find a better phrase.
Thanks for sharing this 🙂
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Hi Sarah, welcome to the blog.
My point was mainly that if we don’t plan for what we want, we’ll get no where. We have to think it through and have at least a rough plan.
Not wanting to put in any effort to invest in ourselves today, will bring a big, empty hole tomorrow.
Out of the mouths of babes, Indeed! Few people seem to understand the difference (a BIG one) between, “I want” and “I plan to”. The “I plan to” is the ‘something’ that your daughter spoke about.
Nice metaphor.
Your daughter sounds adorable Anne 🙂
For some reason, this article reminded me of the the quote about impossible. For negative reenforcement, it’s seen as written: “impossible” But on a positive side, one may see it as ‘I’m Possible’. I guess it’s all about how you see thing, I dunno. 😉
On a side note, this post really made me hungry for some donuts now…
Hi Dennis, she is adorable. She’s always been very sweet. I like your example and will remember it. It’s the half full-half empty scenario, isn’t it?
How creative Anne! And such an important point – we need to put a name to what we want. And after reading your article, I can now think of nothing more that I want than a donut!
marquita herald recently posted..The Risky Business of Living Life to the Fullest
You have a very artistic and creative mind Anne. From the simple situation you can turn it out into a very valuable concept. Thanks for sharing those links, will definitely read all of those. By the way I am a donut! heheh