Dear Friend,
It’s one thing to lose focus when engaged in work that requires keen attention to detail; it’s a very different thing to lose heart! The combined effects of fatigue, distractions, and impatience began to take a toll on my confidence. At times, I was tempted to believe I would never complete the remodel project. In today’s segment, see how my struggles with mistakes and discouragement affected my progress. Blessings,
Verdun Woods
The Thriving Marriage Coach
Haste Makes Waste
Rushing things out of a sense of urgency or impatience to finish a task often leads to mistakes or poor results. The expression “haste makes waste” is a shortened version of the following quote, first recorded in the 16th century:
“Haste makes waste, and waste makes want, and want makes strife between the goodman and his wife.”
Although I usually take time to thoroughly read the instructions before beginning a task, I must confess that sometimes I don’t. In some cases, I rely on prior experience. At other times, I only partially read the instructions. And in some situations, I simply lack patience and just want to get moving.
One major example of “haste” that led to “waste” and resulted in “want” involved mixing the mortar used to install tiles on the bathroom walls and flooring. The demolition and rebuild of the walls took much longer than expected. In my zeal to get on with the “fun” part of the project (installing the decorative tile), I unwisely poured more mortar in the bucket than the instructions called for. The drill I used to mix the mortar and water lacked enough torque to reach the bottom of the bucket, resulting in 2-3 inches of caked-up mortar.
Even if I had used a powerful enough mixing tool, there wouldn’t have been enough time to install the tiles before the mixture began to dry in the bucket. I wasted nearly a third of the expensive bag of mortar, ruined a new bucket, and expended far more physical energy trying to mix the excessive batch without the proper tool. While I learned a valuable lesson, there were other batches of mortar that I correctly mixed but failed to allot enough time to use, resulting in further waste.
Costly Mistakes
By far, the biggest mistake I made during the project, which almost caused me to lose heart and give up, was when I hastily applied grout to an 8-foot long section of accent tile made of costly natural stone. The grout dried prematurely, obscuring the intricate floral design. Had I read the instructions, I would have only applied the compound to a maximum of two feet at a time, allowing me to wipe the excess grout and reveal the design pattern. Once I realized my error, I was devasted! Frustrated nearly to the point of tears, I informed my wife of the situation, seeking comfort like a hurt puppy.
Despite her encouragement and assurance that things would be okay, I was rapidly losing the will to go on. I knew quitting was not an option, but that didn’t stop the feelings of hopelessness from flooding my soul. My emotions ranged from guilt, to shame, to blame – of myself and others – for rushing to complete a section of the bathroom earlier than planned.
Desperation
I tried desperately to fix the problem. My YouTube virtual “bishops” offered a variety of solutions, ranging from nylon brushes for my drill to acid-based chemical applications. After days of waiting on the nylon brushes from Amazon, speaking with the product support technician about non-acidic cleaning solutions, and even using the acid-based product my wife begged me not to try, nothing worked! The only thing that prevented my emotional nose dive from completely crashing my hope was the encouragement of my wife and a friend, who convinced me that my only option was to remove the entire section of the accent tile and start all over again. Though my self-inflicted wounds cost me time and money, I regained focus and resolved to move on.
Many times, I’ve coached couples who encounter times of desperation and are tempted to give up in their “home” improvement efforts. But through prayer, sound counsel, and perseverance, they regain their footing. If you need help to avoid costly mistakes or recover from self-inflicted wounds in your relationship, CLICK HERE to schedule your FREE 30-minute preview (a $75.00 value) and discover how you can build a thriving marriage that leaves a lasting legacy.
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