Broke It Into Steps

Sometimes it’s hard wrapping my head around a new project, especially something I haven’t done before.  There are different ways to start, one of the best being watching someone else do it first.  Someone explaining how to start is nearly as good.  One great thing about maturity is that it gets easier to start new projects and maintain them because I have experience to draw on.  I might not know exactly how to do something, but chances are I’ve done something similar at some point.

I spend a lot of my time at work training and mentoring staff.  They’re so young and so green!  They’re eager to learn, but don’t know how to get started or do the work they’ve been assigned to do.  Breaking it down for them can make a difference in a project being successful and my staff gaining confidence and experience.

My daughter also has this in her personal life.  Her Dad has worked one-on-one with her showing her how to do basic home repairs, from light switches to toilets to replacing shower heads.  She’s adept at repairing and maintaining her own home, and when she gets stuck, her Dad gets a call.  As she’s gained experience and confidence, his verbal assistance is often all she needs.

My daughter has admired my herb garden for the last few years, so for her birthday this year, I offered to plant one for her.  She worked with me as I did it, and I think it helped her to see how I broke it into steps.  I used an Earth Box self-watering planter, ordered from Amazon (mine were bought locally several years ago).  We couldn’t find mint to buy, so we planted some of the cuttings that I’d brought for her.  They wilted in 24 hours, but several weeks later, tiny green sprouts came up and I believe my daughter has mint growing.

Word for tomorrow – SHAPED.  If you prefer to work ahead, see the list for the week under “A Word A Day”.

To see how others might interpret today’s randomly selected word, check out other challenge participants in the box at the right.  For more information on participating in the challenge, click  the tab marked “challenge invitation”.