I want to share with you something that happened to me in the office the other day. An elderly woman went in the bathroom, and when she left the bathroom, she locked the door. When another patient wanted to use the bathroom, she couldn’t get in.
My receptionist said, “Dr. Bragg, the door is locked and we can’t get in. We are going to have to call a locksmith.” Well, she checked, and a locksmith was going to cost $150 to $200 to come and spend two minutes to unlock that door. Have you ever had a time in your life where you just didn’t want to spend $150 or $200 for a one minute job? It was that kind of day for me.
I tried to use the credit card, but the credit card didn’t work. I thought to myself, “What are we going do now?” I reflected upon when this happened to me when I was a teenager at home. My dad took something flat like a screwdriver, and he was able to open the door, but I couldn’t remember exactly what. All of a sudden it dawned on me the penny trick. We took a penny and put it in the slot, and the door opened.
Remember the following three tips whenever you have to solve problems.
1. Don’t make the problem bigger than it has to be.
2. Always draw from your past experiences.
Think back, like I had to think back over time that this had happened when I was a teenager, and how the penny saved us and what you did then.
3. Don’t blame others.
If you do those three things, you can better focus on solving problems.
I hope this funny story helps you to understand that you have the power to solve problems if you just remain calm and maybe keep a penny with you.