Lessons From A Father: Lesson 3

5 Lessons from a Father

By Hope A. Bevilhymer

LESSON NUMBER 3: Don't be so DUMB!

  Sorry bloggers it has been sometime since I have posted here.

 If you have meet any of us Bevilhymers you will automatically see we are bigger in stature.  People joke all the time that I have a big German head.  Which is true most of the baseball hats will not fit me.  With us being bigger in stature we are able to use our physical strength to our advantage.  My Father was also a larger man.  The thing about my Father though is he was solid and strong.  You need something moved have one of us or a couple of us come move it for you it will be no problem.
  
Recently I was working on my spouses car with my brother.  There was a bolt that just would not budge. I tried different wrenches, sockets and angles to see how I could get this bolt off.  I thought that if I used sheer force and muscle this bolt would loosen.  No instead I nicely started to strip the bolt and cut my fingers open trying to pry it with all my might.  My brother stopped me and he said did you not learn anything from our Father.  I responded in saying, "What do you mean?"  My brother then reminded me of the saying "Don't work harder, work smarter."  My brother then grabbed a breaker bar and the bolt just came off with ease.  My brother then reminded me that I did not need to use strength but use my smarts.

   My Father was constantly reminding me to work smarter.  I would try to lift heavy things and he would stop me and say step out of the box and see if this is the only way you can move this item.  I would then think of different alternates to pick up the item.  Most the time I would find something that would carry the weight of the item so I would not need to do all the heavy lifting.  Over time of him reminding me to use as he called it "The thing between my ears" and figure out the smartest way to tackle anything. I did not just use this lesson in just manual or physical ways.  I was also able to apply it in other aspects of my life. With relationships, employment and other daily activities.  I often forget too use this lesson in life sometimes.  This can get me into trouble because I will just dive in and go for it before actually taking the time to use my brain and take care of it the easy way.  If we take the time to just work smarter not harder then things might just go a little smoother. Why make a task more difficult then it needs to be. Use your brain!