My good friend, Kirk Weisler, shared this thought this week. A man was suffering a persistent problem with his house. The floor squeaked. No matter what he tried, nothing worked. Finally, he called a carpenter who friends said was a true craftsmen. The craftsmen walked into the room, and heard the squeak. He set down his toolbox, pulled out a hammer and nail, and pounded the nail into the floor with three blows.
The squeak was gone forever. The carpenter pulled out an invoice, on which he wrote the total of $45. Above the total were two line items:
Hammering , $2
Knowing where to hammer, $43
Don’t short sell your expertise and knowledge. Charge for knowing where to hammer!
The purpose of our lives is to give birth to the best which is within us. – Marianne WilliamsonThe touch of the master’s hand makes all the difference – take a moment to enjoy this video!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoBueoUnrIY]
Thanks! This thought and video helped me today.
It’s funny for me, because I may the son of that carpenter. If so, the story has changed a little over the years. Rather than a nail, he used some glue and sometimes a screw. The patented glue injection process was invented by some friends, but sometimes it required much more than glue and a screw.
We would jump around like silly people dancing to the squeaky floor, but carefully listing to where the squeak was coming from. There were many different causes. Sometimes a nail that had to be removed, or one through the floor into the wall which had to be broken.
Having the right tools and knowing the right people was a plus, but that personal expertise through experience brought the knowledge of where to place the screw.
And always, a willingness to look silly and have fun was sometimes the most important part of removing those annoying squeaks that wouldn’t go away through the norm.
Whether you’re working on removing your own annoying squeaks, or hired to help another in removing theirs… Keeping a positive attitude, maintaining a sense of humor, and even being willing to look silly for a while will often be most important.
Thanks again!
Jonathan 😀