Slow Down and Stick With It

The other day, my wife noticed some water leaking out from underneath our kitchen sink. I went to check it out, and noticed that one of the pipes underneath our sink (there were a few of them connected together) had come loose, so water was leaking out whenever we turned on our sink.

Struggling to Make Progress

I started trying to reconnect and tighten the loose pipe, but I was struggling to make any progress. It was tough to get the pipe into the right position where it could be tightened on to the other pipe. I would think I had it in position and would tighten it down, but then the pipe would still come out of place.

Frustrated

I started to get frustrated and angry. “Why can’t I get this stupid pipe reconnected?” I said to myself. I also got frustrated about my lack of handyman skills. “I can’t fix anything around here!” I muttered to myself.

Slow Down

My emotions started to get activated, which didn’t help me in my quest to fix the leaky pipe. Luckily, I noticed this about myself, and I was able to slow down and take a few deep breaths. I pressed the pause button and looked a little closer at how the pipes worked and fit together. After I slowed down a bit, I was able to get the pipe into a place where it connected with the other pipe. Finally, I tightened the pipes together and everything was connected back into place.

I don’t have a lot of experience fixing things around the house. For me to succeed at fixing anything, I have to remember to slow down. When I start getting frustrated, I tend to go faster, which doesn’t help me solve the problem. I need to slow down, observe what is going on, and try to think critically about what I need to do.

If you find yourself getting frustrated about a problem in your life, whether it is a leaky pipe or something else, try to slow yourself down. You won’t be able to solve the problem if your mind is spinning out of control. Take a few deep breaths, slow down, and focus all your attention on the problem at hand. This will give you the best chance for success.

And, if all else fails, it’s a good idea to have a plumber on speed-dial.