Wow, what would we do without all the song lyrics and cliché sayings that we all know and love? You can always count on them for an opening sentence or a conversation starter. However, sometimes they’re not precisely accurate. Even though it’s summertime, living isn’t very easy right now for many people in our country so we may all just have to work a little harder to let the summer sun shine into our lives.

Often when something doesn’t work correctly in a software application the technical support rep will suggest that you use a workaround. This means quite simply that at that particular time there isn’t a real solution to the specific problem or issue that you are calling about but there is a way to get around the problem by approaching what you are trying to accomplish in a different way. Perhaps a different sequence of keystrokes is suggested or maybe the task you are trying to accomplish can be eliminated completely by using another area of the program.

Can we use similar workarounds to help make the living easy this summertime and all the time? I think we absolutely must try. Now coming up with a workaround to any problem is not usually a simple task but I think that perhaps the way to tackle each problem would be the same.

1. First, identify the problem.
2. Second, consider the ultimate goal you are trying to reach.
3. Brainstorm ways to reach that goal.
4. Determine which alternate ideas have merit and potential possibility of
success.
5. Last, try your workaround.

Positive results not guaranteed but are of course the desired outcome :)

Now what if that doesn’t work? You still have a problem. It still isn’t resolved. Well, then I guess I’d have to say maybe we have to refer to that old adage, “if at first you don’t succeed, you have to try, try again”.

It all sounds like really hard work. All this brainstorming, and working around problems and issues and it’s all so time consuming to keep trying to accomplish something over and over again but then I’ll again pull another oldie but goodie out of my arsenal of motivating clichés, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

But then you say to yourself, but I don’t want to build Rome or anything else, I just want to get a job or find that special someone, it’s just a little bit of something that I’m trying to accomplish and I’m stuck and don’t know what to do. Well the one thing that probably won’t work is to DO NOTHING. So here’s my suggestion if you find yourself in just that particular kind of a tight spot:

1. First, identify the problem.
2. Second, consider the ultimate goal you are trying to reach.
3. Brainstorm ways to reach that goal.
4. Determine which alternate ideas have merit and potential possibility of
success.
5. Last, try your workaround.

Once again, positive results are not guaranteed but are of course the desired outcome :)

Now some problems are just too difficult to solve alone and your workaround effort may fail and you may need to seek assistance. But even if your workaround effort doesn’t work, even if you don’t get the desired outcome you will get something from this exercise. You will know the satisfaction of knowing that you can motivate yourself if you really want to motivate yourself; and the more often you try to accomplish something the better the odds are that you will sometimes do just that! And then you can say to yourself, “self, you are truly awesome, you actually did accomplish something; you took the initiative to try to do something for yourself.” Be proud of that effort!

It’s summertime and perhaps the living isn’t easy, but who ever said that living would be easy? In conclusion, I’ll turn to a favorite summer camp song for inspiration, because no matter how tuff living gets you can still try to “let the sun shine in and face it with a grin, because smilers never lose and frowners never win…” :)


Of course, information presented on this site or found online in articles or forums should never be relied on in lieu of professional consultation for problem resolution.