In basically everything we do, school, business or life in general, we encounter bumpy roads all the time.
Unexpected challenges creates character & patience. Built courage, strength and maybe even weaknesses.
Most importantly it helps us to grow and learn.
Take this picture to the left for example.
When we first bought this cottage, the bathroom was the best looking room in the entire structure. At least we thought it was.
The bathroom was an addition to the building in the past. We had calculated to rebuild the roof in order to have a one piece stand up shower/tub.
This meant, the demolish of the back wall and the removal of the roof/ceiling.
When we start to rip off the ceiling, to our surprise, water was literally dripping down on us, even when it didn’t’ rain for a week.
Start by accepting the problem, its all a state of mind. It’s not always easy, but try to calm down and realizing that the problem exist.
Don’t forget your goal and take it one step at a time.
3 steps of problem solving
When we encounter unexpected challenges, making a fuss, yelling or screaming will not solve the issue.
Instead, sit back and start the 3 steps to problem solving.
- Identifying, analyzing, and finding cause
- Develop alternate solution and find best one.
- Take action
(There’s 7 steps in solving a problem, but I like to keep is simple and I’ve cut them down to 3)
https://crestcom.com/blog/2016/09/01/7-steps-to-effective-problem-solving/
Identifying, analyzing, and finding the cause
Ask the following questions.
- Why is this problem here?
- Why did it happen?
- Where did it come from?
- How can we avoid it?
- Was it avoidable?
This is where the knowledge of learning new things come in play.
Identifying the issue will help to understand why it happened, or why the issue is there.
In our molded roof and wall issue, the metal roof wasn’t screwed in properly.
Further more there was no vapor barrier in the exterior wall behind the shower. we completed cleaning the area before proceeding to the next step.
Develop alternate solution and find the best one.
Finding alternate solutions will determine on how well you are dealing with bumpy roads. If your welling to do the job right or cover a broken arm with a band-aide.
We’re always tempted in taken the shortest and easiest roots, and that is to ignore the problem, cover it up and pretend its not there. But lets face it, it doesn’t solve the problem.
Build patience and strengthen your ability by imagining the pro’s and con’s of all the alternate solutions you can find.
Solving the problem temporary can be a solution if resources (like finance or the skills) are not available right away.
The best solution for these unexpected challenges, would be to solve the problem correctly and affectively in order to avoid or prevent the issue to happen again.
I thought of burning the place down.
Not the best one of course, but an alternative solution!
In all seriousness, demolition the wall and roof to rebuilt is the smartest and proper way to go.
Take action
Courage might be required to take action into something you’ve never done yourself. If you don’t, you’ll never learn and grow.
You’ll never know what your strength or weakness is.
You’ll never built character and pride in your own work.
Just like speeding through potholes or jumping over a speedbumps can only make matters worst in these bumpy roads. Take your time. Focus on the end result. Even if your on a tight schedule, it is best to do it right the first time than to do it twice. You might need to do it twice, but it want be because you didn’t try.
Fail = First Attempt In Learning.
I’ve personally have never built a roof. I know a few roofers among my friends and family that have been given me pointers, I’ve watched a few YouTube video’s, and I asked questions and advise to the representative at my local hardware store when buying my materials.
For more inspiring tips on our business check out these links below.
05 – 6 ways to keep a good attitude in your business
07 – 5 things to avoid to be successful in your small business