What do you need to figure out?

In this column a few weeks ago, I used the acronym FIO, which stands for Figure It Out. To further illustrate that concept, we are currently renovating another house, which has become a theme in my life since I’m married to someone creative who can see a house transformed, when I can only see a lot of work. No pain, no gain, right? But since every house we’ve flipped has been gain worth the pain, I have developed great trust in my wife’s vision.

The house we bought came with a fridge we did not want, so we sold it quickly online. I met the buyer at the house and we discovered the fridge would not fit through any doorway without damage or modifications. The buyer nor I brought a toolbox, so he said he would run and get his and be back in a jiffy. Upon his return, he first tried to remove the refrigerator handles, but did not have the required tool. Next was the refrigerator doors, but when he had them off, we discovered the water line going to the door for the ice-maker was problematic.

We decided to remove the front door of the house, first attempt by removing the pins in the door hinges. They wouldn’t budge, so we finally removed the hinges, unscrewing them from the door frame, 4 screws in 3 hinges, but we finally “figured it out” and got the fridge out of the house. Quite the ordeal, don’t you know.

A wasted hour of frustration? No way. Actually, it turned out to be great conversation between the two of us and we learned we are both consultants. He is a restaurant consultant, a new career to me, but he works with failing or struggling eateries and helps them return to profitability. His current client is Mr. Hamburger, which I shared is one of my favorites. Which led to a nice surprise of 4 gift cards to Mr. Hamburger. In my mind, that’s YAHTZEE!

In this day and age of instant gratification, consider trying some FIO. When you simply need to take more time to develop patience, persistence and perseverance, perhaps some grit, try to Figure It Out on your own, even if you have to recruit some help. And along the way there may be benefits of getting to know someone, making a new friend, and maybe even a bonus of gift cards. However, you will also be blessed with the satisfaction of completing a project or task yourself.

Let’s look for more ways to FIO. It can be rewarding, if we allow it. Make it happen.