Comment & Analysis-
Executive Coaching/ Professional Development:
Andrew Thorn reveals that no matter what the dilemma is, ‘everything can be fixed’
Viewpoint by Andrew Thorn, PhD, WCW Columnist
Today, a new adventure begins. We bought a 1994 Volvo 850 on ebay about two years ago. It was a bad deal, and has been nothing but problems since we became its owner. When we got it home, it immediately started leaking oil. We took it to our local mechanic and he advised us that we needed to change the main seal. We agreed to do so, and $1,200 later, we had it home. The problem was that it continued to leak.
We took it back in and we were told that the top end needed to be rebuilt and that he did not think it would be worth doing. I took the car to a friend and he said he could do it for us.
He began the work on the car and informed us that the engine had never been removed. We found this odd since we had just paid the $1,200.00 to have the main seal replaced. This made for an interesting conversation with our local mechanic that is still in the process of being resolved.
We rebuilt the top end, but my friend did not have a way to pull the whole engine out so the leak remained. The car ran great, as long as we remembered to put oil in it. We forgot, and the engine ceased. Since the car was already here in Utah, we towed it down to Nephi and now it sits in the front yard as a symbol of the ultimate summer project.
We will begin to tear it down today. We have recruited some of our local neighbors to help us. They have the tools, and the “know how” that we lack. My 15 year-old son Joseph and I will be the primary mechanics. My automotive experience is limited to volkswagen engines and this looks quite a bit different than those models. Joseph has never worked on a car before, but he is very good at disassembling and reassembling mechanical devices. We can’t wait to get started.
We Have Nothing To Lose
We are excited about this adventure and our motto is “everything can be fixed.” To us, the car is already lost, so if we are unsuccessful we will be no worse off than we are right now.
Recognizing this reality, removes all of the fear of messing up. We can work on it at our leisure and we can learn as we go. We know we will run into a lot of great challenges, but that is what will make it fun. This is going to be a great a project for us to do together.
We began by reading the Haynes Engine Service Repair Manual for the Volvo 850. It is not as easy to understand as the Volkswagen “Idiot Manual” that we written by John Muir, but things are making sense to us and I am sure they will make even more sense as we begin to tear it apart.
Precautionary Measures
I am not as concerned about taking it apart as I am about putting it back together. We will use our Flip Video Camera to document our work. This will help us keep a record that we can see so that we at least will know what it should look like when we put it back together.
We will also keep a written record of what we are doing. One of our challenges will be finding a place to put the parts. We are pretty crowded here so we are thankful for a rather large trunk. It will most likely serve as our parts storage bin. We are excited to get started and Joseph is anxious for me to finish this post so that we can go at it.
The Car Is The Excuse
I am looking forward to to this opportunity to work with my son. I am sure my other sons will also be involved. There will be frustrating times. My goal is to remember that rebuilding this engine is not the purpose of this project. The purpose is to spend some quality time with my son while we solve a complex problem together. Neither one of us knows what we are doing, so we will need to exercise patience with each other. We are on equal footing.
Sometimes we get too busy to remember what is really important to us. What is important, is different for everyone of us, but generally, each of us spends too much time on the unimportant. The summer months are a good time to reevaluate how we are balancing our time. The longer days make it possible for us to do more after work is over.
Who do you need to spend more time with?
What it is that you enjoy doing, that you have not done for a while?
What can you eliminate from your schedule that will make it possible for you to enjoy doing what you enjoy most?
Go ahead and answer these questions. Everything is possible and if something is broken, just remember our motto, “Everything Can Be Fixed!”
Live Today! Love Today!
