You Probably Haven’t Tried Everything

“But I’ve tried everything! And I can’t do it!”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely thought this a time or two. Whether it’s trying to find time to exercise, time to read, clean better, make the dog listen, be more productive/focused at work, or stay in touch with family and friends, I have to be completely honest with myself that I probably haven’t tried everything. Chances are, there’s still something else I could try. I just haven’t done it yet.

But I’ve really tried everything!

Many of us want to improve in the same ways and yet we still struggle to do them:

Lose weight
Spend more time with family
Read more
Be more productive
Have a cleaner house
Cook more/better
Exercise

If you have tried a few ways to do any of the above but can’t quite get it, you probably think, “But I’ve tried everything! And nothing works!” And then you probably start thinking about how you can’t do anything, how you will never be able to do this, and/or that this particular thing isn’t for you. Truth is though, that you probably haven’t really tried everything. Everything is a lot! And, it becomes easier to be hard on ourselves than it is to keep trying.

Programming a Thermostat

Here’s a quick example of not giving up. A small problem I had recently was that our thermostat broke. Okay, that was a problem, but that isn’t the actual problem. We ordered a new thermostat that was the same make and model as our old one so we could plug it into the old wiring and be on our merry way to a cooler house. Unfortunately, the thermostat needed to be programmed and I couldn’t figure out if our AC unit has a one or two compressors. My husband wasn’t home and I was convinced that I could figure this out. So, I first tried to find the manual for our AC unit, thinking the information would be there. Couldn’t find the manual. Then, I went out and looked up the model number. Couldn’t find a manual online because the unit is too old. Then, I tried to find the information on Google. 45 minutes of Google later, still couldn’t find the answer. Then, I read through the thermostat manual several times and couldn’t find the answer. At this point, it felt like I had tried just about everything short of asking my husband. So, I texted my husband to see if he knew. No luck, but he suggested watching videos on YouTube. So, I spent time on Youtube. No luck. Now, I really felt like I had tried everything. I’d spent over 1.5 hours trying to figure this thing out and was hot, sweaty, and tired (mainly hot and sweaty because it was 90 degrees outside and we had no AC). But, I really hadn’t tried everything. Then, it occurred to me to look at the old wiring. Success! According to the wiring panel, we have a one compressor unit. While I felt a little silly that it hadn’t occurred to me earlier, I was mainly relieved that it finally worked. I was able to program it correctly and put the new thermostat on the wall!

It’s like that saying when you lose something – you always find what you lost in the last place you look. It’s the same with solving a problem – you solve it with the last way you try. I could have easily given up after spending so much time searching the internet, but I didn’t. I kept going and managed to find a solution.

Phone a Friend

You don’t have to solve problems on your own. Many times, we should rely on other people for help. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t try doing it yourself first. Do what you can and when you run out of ideas (or time), ask a friend for help. If a friend can’t help, then you can try a professional. Whether it’s how to fix the thermostat, how to lose weight, get yourself out of a funk, learn to cook, learn how to set up a business, chances are that you have a friend who can help and that there are professionals out there whose job it is to help you.