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First, a story:
Let me tell you the story about a guy who wanted to fix the electrical outlet in his garage. He saw it. It was loose. He’d heard that you had to turn off the circuit, but before that it would provide electricity like any other. Still, it was loose. So, here he was, trying to figure out how to get the faceplate tight against the wall. There were several items around him, but he couldn’t put his finger on how to proceed.
He looked at his nearby workbench. There were dusty and rusty tools all over the place. He didn’t even know what half of them were. He picked up a metal stick with a small, blade-like end and used it to scratch his head as he thought. He knew for a fact that he did have the right tool, because he had done this once before. He had opened the “fix-it” guidebook, and carefully followed the procedures step by step until he had corrected the problem in the electrical socket. Good thing he remembered as much as he did, or he might have had a shocking experience after failing to turn off the circuit!
He paused for a moment, and looked at the metal stick in his hand. It seemed to bring up a half-forgotten memory… Hey, maybe he’s supposed to pry it off! Hmm. After some gentle prying he decided not to push his luck. He didn’t want to break the thing an then be in a worse situation. Wait a minute….Pry it off? The thing’s too loose in the first place! But, how could that be? He was sure that he held a stick like this last time.
Wait! The faceplate is anchored in place by those little screws! A screwdriver! That’s what he’s holding! But wait….He’s not holding the right kind. Quickly he puts down the flat screwdriver and hunts around for the right one. There it is!
Ok. Now we have the tool. Put the pointy end into the head of the screw and turn……hmm…..it’s getting looser. Oh! Need to turn the other way. Turn turn turn turn turn….There we go. Nice and tight. What a huge hassle! The man tosses the tools onto the bench without paying attention and leaves. Turning on the switch in the circuit breaker, he hopes never to have to do this again.
The end.
How do you use your tools?
When it comes to the tools we use to live our lives (meditation, practicing calm, finding the drive to move forward, letting go of the past, and so on), a lot of us are like the man in the garage. Unless you pay attention to your tools, you might as well not have them, so here are a few tips:
- Get practiced in their use. Using a method or technique once or twice, or even for a week or two isn’t going to yield the experience to make good use. The man in the story didn’t even remember how to tighten the faceplate. Get comfortable using your tools.
- Know what tools you have. If you have a tool that will solve a problem, but you can’t call it to mind when you need it, then you don’t really have it after all. Learn your tools, and what they can be used for.
- Look at the task, not just the tool. If you’re so wrapped up in your tools, you won’t have a clear idea of what is going on. The man in the story tried to pry off the faceplate using the screwdriver because he believed it was the tool he needed. This was going in the opposite direction. Focus on what needs to be done and work from there.
- Use the right tool for the right job. Don’t use a blade-headed screwdriver for a philips-head. Don’t use a technique to forge ahead when calm and reflection is what is needed, or vice-versa.
- Don’t let your tools get rusty. This goes back to the first point. If you can’t remember how your technique works, then take some time and dust off your skills. You’ll be glad when you can rely on them in a crunch.
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(Thanks to Capgros for the image.)
