Years ago I learned that most of the problems in my life are caused by me. I guess you will need an example, so here is one: When we owned our 38 foot sailboat, Cross Roads, we traveled down the east coast of the U.S. on the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). It was a glorious adventure for Joanna and I, but right before we left I got the idea to redo our fuel system and add a second diesel fuel filter. I designed the whole new system myself and I was quite proud of the finished product that allowed me to switch filters on my diesel in just a few seconds should we get a clogged filter.
We were ready to go and all went well for the first 3 days. Then suddenly we started to have engine problems. My diesel was starved for fuel and we were cutting our daily trips short to deal with an engine that was struggling. To make a long story short, it turned out that I had used the wrong sealant on my fittings and they were leaking air. A no-no for a diesel! A day to redo all the fittings properly and we were finally good to go. The "Steve Factor" had been overcome. Time and again I have learned to look for the factor in any mechanical/electrical/technical problem. About 90% of the time any situation can be solved by taking the factor into consideration.
So yesterday afternoon the refrigerator quit working in the RV. I just happened to be working on it at the time. I have a tech unit that protects my fridge from damage when we are on the road. Basically it keeps the fridge from overheating when we go up and down hills. It's called an APR and it has worked well. That is until I decided to run diagnostics on it when the cooling fan ran overtime last week.
I was in touch with the company for tech support but somehow the system crashed. No fridge...dead and not running...food no longer being cooled...very stressful. I spent hours testing and reading manuals and watching videos. I was miserable and stressed out because I knew the "Steve Factor' was somehow responsible. We went to bed with a dead fridge and it was a restless night. This morning I called a pro and he said he would try to make it later in the day. A $125 bucks just to show and $125 bucks an hour. Yikes! The Steve factor was about to get costly!!!
I finally got a response from tech support and they pointed out that I had made a programming mistake. In minutes I corrected it and the fridge was back online! Once again, the Steve factor had been overcome. The good news is that all the searching and reading about my problem has helped me understand my system much more clearly. So in the end knowledge is power and it is a win.
The lesson is clear. As my wife says, "When things are not going your way in any situation, don't blame others." Look to yourself first. It's good advice for us all! This doesn't apply only to mechanical, electrical, or technical problems, but rather in all areas of life and especially personal relationships. In any conflict situation, learn to identify the fact that in most cases, over 50% of the problem is you!!!!!!! I know it is true for me!
Tonight I am a happy boy! I have ice!!!!
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