We can't be the Handyman in every situation.

Stephen and I were reminded of a very good life lesson recently. While we were in LA one of our sprinklers went a little wild. It was spewing out water and most likely the culprit behind that big jump in our water bill recently. What looked like a simple fix to us, turned into a greater dilemma. This problem truly remind us to practice what we preach...

My dad is an amazing handyman. He was in construction for most of his life before switching careers when I was in elementary school. He is extremely resourceful and hard working. Growing up, my family didn't outsource any manual labor or housework projects. Partially because my dad enjoyed doing those tasks, and partially because my family didn't feel like hiring someone was worth it. Because of my history, my gut instinct is to always try and do things myself. 

When the sprinkler issue arose, my first reaction was to ask Stephen to look at it. Stephen is super handy and resourceful and thought he could easily handle this leaky sprinkler no problem. Being an entrepreneur Stephen doesn't take much time for personal projects like this. Long story short, the sprinkler issue turned into something bigger. After about an hour messing with it, there was a giant hole, another broken pipe and he ended up just turning off the sprinklers and giving up.

He came inside sweaty and frustrated...but with a revelation and reminder for our lives. He said, "we need to continue to practice what we preach. Not only in business but in life". This is key...

Focus on your strengths, outsource your weaknesses. 

Stephen is not a handyman like my dad, and I’m 100% okay with that. A job that would take a handyman one hour will take him three and he might break something along the way.

We had realize this too, it’s just not worth it to spend hours learning about sprinkler systems on YouTube then trying to DIY it. It comes down to time, and that’s our most valuable resource in life.

Why would he waste three hours doing something wrong when he could spend one hour and use the skills he is gifted at instead. If Stephen focuses his time on what he is gifted in, it pays 10x what it would take to hire an expert to dig around in the dirt and fix our sprinklers.

As Stephen's wife, I need to be okay that Stephen doesn't love being the handyman that my dad is. I need to not put pressure on him to do so. In releasing him to focus on his other creative entrepreneurship instead, it has enabled him to in turn earn us more money to buy back our time in these other areas. We ended up calling a plumber to come out and do finish the job, and Stephen was able to hop on his laptop and do what he does best. Plus, when we outsource and hired this handyman, we're blessing another entrepreneur's own family and business! 

If you’re a DIY’er like my Dad...that’s okay, this isn’t for everyone or every task. We love DIY, sometimes it's relaxing to have a personal project or goal. But here’s the essential factor. If you're going to take the time to DIY something, it needs to be a life-giving activity, something that you value or something gives you pleasure. If the DIY activity is soul-sucking or draining...it's time to outsource and find someone else to do that thing. Free yourself up to focus on your strengths and hire people to cover your weaknesses. You'll be better for it!