A Job Worth Doing

I had an employer once tell me, "A job worth doing is worth doing right." I remind myself of that once in a while when my motivation is struggling for doing some task that I don't want to put my whole effort into. However, I had a situation recently which will help me live by the advice much more diligently.

The builders of our house only insulated about half of the walls in our garage: only the parts with living space on the other side of the wall (there was no insulation or drywall on the other parts of the walls). Of course, it's not a crime to leave it like that, but what's the point of having a garage if it's going to be just as cold as outdoors? So I had to insulate it myself. Wow, that was a much bigger job than I thought. I had to:
Purchase the drywall, insulation, and other supplies
Rent a truck
Staple up the insulation
Measure the walls
Cut the drywall
Attach the panels to the wall
Fill in the cracks with drywall mud and tape

Now, I'm not necessarily opposed to home improvement. It's just kind of frustrating when the builders could have just completed the garage insulation much easier and faster than I could. They have all the tools and experience, plus probably getting a discount on materials.

There are two things to gain from this experience. First, I know a lot more about drywall and insulation than I did a few days ago, and I have more confidence in my home improvement skills. But second, I have experienced what it's like for someone to only half-complete a project and I have to come in and finish it without previously having the resources or experience. Next time I'm tempted to half-complete a project, I can recall what it's like for the person on the other end and go ahead and finish the project so that they don't have to.

Looking Ahead

Today I celebrate my 25th birthday! I am very excited about it because it seems to be a signficant number. Now, I am old enough to do anything (even renting a car without the young driver fee)!

At a time like this, it's only natural to think through issues like how I want to be a better person in the future. As I was thining about this today, I recall many times in the past when I made a resolution to be perfect in some area of life. I recall being able to stick to those resolutions for a day or two, before things started to get tough and I realized that it was foolish to expect perfection.

However, the desire for improvement is still there. So here's the goal that I now strive for: When I make mistakes, I will do my best to fix them and learn from them. Wow, that's a huge jump from my previous resolutions! It acknowledges that I will be making mistakes (lots of them actually), and yet also acknowledges that making mistakes is not the end, depending on what I do after the mistakes. This is a resolution that I feel very comfortable embracing because I am not setting myself up to fail--in fact, failure is the first stage of meeting the goal!

Are you in or out--of the "box"?

There is a lot of talk these days about thinking "outside the box", which I interpret to mean, "Thinking of a new idea that may go against some unspoken social norm". People who think outside the box are normally praised for their creativity--after the idea is implemented and proven successful. Before then, their ideas are often criticized or ignored.

So what is this box, really? It's a guideline based on what has already been done within an organization or certain type of activity. Is it inherently good or bad to stay within these parameters? It's hard to say. As we've often heard, "You don't need to reinvent the wheel," or "If it's not broken, don't fix it." Others would say that it's okay to reinvent the wheel if it results in making a better wheel. the wheels on our cars today are superior to the ones on horse-drawn carriages 100 years ago!

So is it better to invest time thinking of new things or rely on the "tried and true" methods of the past? In reality, we need a balance. When I am involved in some activity, I think (consciously or unconsciously) which elements I like and which ones could stand some improvement. I keep the good ones (thinking inside the box) and I look for ways to improve the others (thinking outside the box). A friend of mine in college once told me, "Ben, some people think inside the box and some people think outside the box. But with you, I get the impression that there really is no box." I couldn't agree more. I don't care whether an idea is new or old. If it's a good one, let's use it.

There are two worlds that I am talking about here: the world of realities and the world of possibilities. Some people are stuck in the real world and never venture outside that box into the world of possibility. Over and over in my life I have enjoyed seeing a possibility begin in a person's mind, then take a written form, and ultimately materialize. This kind of thing excites me. It bridges the gap between the real and possible world and reminds me that just about anything is possible.