Work through it.

Jack decided to take on another 8+ year old kiddo project (he’s 6 years old). This time it was a wooden assembly project with 38 two-dimensional pieces to create a Jeep. He started confidently, but within five minutes I heard frustrated whining. Jack was certain he had a broken kit. I sat next to him, pointed out a major mistake he made in the early stage of assembly, and gave him a tip to get on track. In that moment of realization, his demeanor changed and his confidence snapped back. 

Jack got back on track and on a roll. After working through that first hurdle, he confidently approached new challenges to building his wooden jeep. He proudly announced to me his progress as he moved from step one all the way through step five to finish.

Jack’s early Jeep build snafu got me thinking how easy it is to get bogged down when things go wrong, shift blame to something outside of us, and feel like things just aren’t going our way. But as my little interaction with Jack reminded me, sometimes we just need a little help getting back on track. From there, we can build momentum.

Whether it’s a wooden jeep, your work, or your relationships - remember that it’s ok to get frustrated or feel like things just aren’t working. But remember, the problems you are facing are likely more surmountable than you think. And it’s ok to ask for help getting back on track. 

Work through it. And just watch what you can build.