We recently read a blog that defined bucket dipping as intentionally being mean to others. We disagree for three reasons: 1) Bucket dipping is not always intentional. 2) It is not always mean-spirited. 3) It does not always involve others.
In Chapter Three of our book, Growing Up with a Bucket Full of Happiness, we define many types of bucket dipping. There is accidental dipping (when you accidentally hurt a person or break something that belongs to someone else), thoughtless dipping (when you speak before you think and say something you regret), and dipping by neglect (when you forget to do something you promised to do). These all dip buckets and can hurt others, but they are not necessarily done in meanness or on purpose.
Bucket dipping is also not always about others. You dip into your own bucket whenever you think or say negative things about yourself, expect perfection, or compare yourself to others. This low-road "stinking thinking" can become a habit and a major cause of unhappiness and a self-induced empty bucket.
A more inclusive definition of bucket dipping would be to cause physical, social, mental or emotional harm to another person or one's self, with or without intent.
The proven remedy to reduce bucket dipping? Watch yourself like a hawk. Take control of your self-talk. Consider others and the consequences of your words and actions before you speak or act. Make these a habit and, slowly but surely, your bucket will be full.
May your bucket be full,
Carol McCloud
