8 Practical Life Tips From A Toilet Roll

You’d be surprised what you can learn from these guys

I remember a time when sitting on the toilet didn’t involve phones. You’d either read the back of the shampoo bottle for the 57th time or count the number of shower tiles again.

I recently took the liberty of sitting down for ‘business-as-usual’ without any handheld distractions and naturally began to examine the toilet roll next to me.

After a few minutes of careful reflection, I came across 8 lessons to be learned from its seemingly sad life, that could be applied to my own. Maybe yours too.

Let’s roll.

Flexibility

Each piece of tissue from a roll comes out flat but is easily foldable into whatever shape you’d like. This flexibility comes in handy for a range of situations and means tissue can be used for a variety of purposes.

As the world changes faster, we need to be able to keep up and be able to adapt to whatever comes our way. No point being fixed in our ways. To survive we need to move in whatever way we are required.

Consistency is essential

What’s one of the key ingredients to success? Consistency. Every sheet in the toilet roll is the same length. They are consistent.

In life, people want to trust you. They want to know what they are going to get with you. They want to know you can be relied on. If each tear in the roll had a different length, I’d likely feel uncomfortable. I appreciate the consistency.

To be giving is to be useful

A toilet roll’s purpose is to give. When someone needs tissue, it supplies. It is valuable to you because it provides something you need.

Our purpose in life is to serve others. Not ‘to be used’ but to add value to others and benefit their lives. Tissue that is never used has not achieved its purpose in life. Whatever it is we want to do, we need to be giving and be of service to others. That’s the core of our existence.

Don’t be a 1-ply snowflake

Life can be tough. Many things won’t go your way and how you deal with that will determine your success and happiness. If you let the small things get to you, you will be like a thin 1-ply tissue that breaks easily.

Instead, build mental fortitude and a positive attitude. These will allow you to withstand harsher conditions and overcome obstacles. Everyone likes the 4-ply tissue which is tougher to get through and more durable. Do your best to be more like those.

Get used to taking trash

The life of tissue is not glamorous. Its main purpose is to clean up a variety of ‘messes’. That’s not what we should do. But from this, we can learn to take all the trash that comes our way.

People will say mean things. We will encounter bullies, doubters, judges, and straight-up mean people. But we should be able to take all the negativity in our stride and just continue to focus on our true purpose.

Have a strong core

The sheets of tissue may be flimsy but they are wrapped around a strong core. When you take the cylinder core out of a roll, it flattens and starts to look pathetic.

We should have a strong core too in order to remain strong and convicted throughout our lives. Not just a 6-pack and tough glutes, but mental fortitude and self-belief to keep our hopes alive and our purpose at the forefront of our mind.

Just roll with things.

When you throw a toilet roll on the floor it just rolls as far as it can. Likewise, when life throws something at you, sometimes it’s just better to just roll with it. You never know what opportunities could open up.

Taking life too seriously could hamper your chances of growth and discovery. It’s good to be spontaneous every once in a while and just go with the flow

Smelling good is a bonus

This one is kinda self-explanatory, but when you take the time to be clean and smell good, you tend to be more attractive to people. Scented toilet paper may not be for everyone, but it’s an extra touch that makes people feel better about it. Smell nice and you become pleasant to be around.

The above 8 tips won’t change your life but serve as a good reminder of some of the most basic traits and habits we should have to live a good life.

Toilet rolls aren’t meant to be roll models. They aren’t even meant to inspire you. But the next time you forget your phone and are sitting on the pot contemplating life, maybe take a second to remember what these guys can teach you. Or look for life-lessons from the bathroom sink. Whatever works.