Tip: Train yourself to take a closer look.
Stories and learning opportunities are everywhere, if we will just take the time to learn and grow.
It has been a couple of years since I had the battery replaced in my watch, so I was not surprised when it recently quit ticking. The last time I had replaced it, I took the watch to a repair shop and it cost me $10.00. I watched the repairman change the battery so I would know how to do it in the future. I am always trying to learn something new, and, since the battery itself only costs about $2.00, I thought I should at least try to learn how to do it myself.
I took the back off of my watch and unscrewed the small screw that was holding the battery in place. I found the replacement battery number and went to the store for a new one. When I got back, I replaced the battery in the watch. I was so proud of myself. The only problem was, the watch did not work! I thought, “What could be wrong? How hard is it to put a battery in a watch?” To top it off, I couldn’t get the back of the watch to snap back in place no matter how hard I tried.
I realize that I am not a watch repairman. I also know that when it comes to the intricate details of jewelry repair, I am no expert. However, I thought that simply replacing a watch battery would certainly be something that I should be able to do.
After working on it for about half an hour, I was ready to give up. Then I had an idea. I got a magnifying glass that would allow me to see some things that I had not previously seen. I realized that the screw I had originally removed had not been replaced tightly enough. When I tightened it up until it was more secure, presto, the watch began to work perfectly! But, then I had another problem. I still couldn’t get the back to snap on the watch. Again, using my magnifying glass, I noticed there were two very small grooves in the back plate that had to be in the exact position in order for it to snap back into place. I had noticed the grooves but I thought they were for the stem. As it turns out, there were two devices on the other side of the watch that needed to be lined up correctly. When I looked at it carefully with the magnifying glass, I lined it all up and again, presto, the back of the watch snapped right into place.
I know that you have better things to do than to hear my story about the watch. However, I learned a very important lesson by going through this process. I really thought that replacing my watch battery would be a simple matter. And, it was, when I took the time to look very closely at the process with a magnifying glass. When I did exactly what I was supposed to do, the watch responded by working perfectly.
Recently, I was checking out at the grocery store and had given the girl at the counter a coupon that would have given me $2.00 off of each of four different items I had purchased. I was so proud of myself that I was able to keep up with the coupon and I was using it before it expired! She processed the coupon and thanked me for coming to the store. I looked at my receipt and realized that I had not received the $8.00 credit for the coupon. When I asked about it, the girl said, “That’s strange, it is supposed to ring up automatically. I guess if you had not caught it, I would never have noticed.” I thought, “It really is important that I pay attention to the little things that take place in my life. After all, it is no one else’s responsibility but mine to pay attention regarding what is going on in my own life.”
As I reflected on those two simple occurrences, I realized that many times in life I just do not take the time to pay attention to little situations closely enough. A whole lot of little situations can quickly turn into a big situation!
I hope this week that you will have at least one or two situations where things take a turn in the right direction in your life because you took the time to look at situations more closely. Whether it is changing your watch battery or making sure you get credit for the coupon at the grocery store, life has a way of turning in your favor when you pay attention to small details and do things correctly.
Train your eyes to become more like an eagle and pay attention to what is going on in your life! Do not assume that someone else is watching out for the details of your life. The more you pay attention to what is going on all around you, the better off you will be. That includes watch batteries and grocery store coupons, too!
Tip: Train yourself to take a closer look.
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
