Remove. Replace Oh, CAP!

One night this week, my wife informed me that her car has the “check oil level” light on.? To those of you who may not know, this is not a lack of maintenance light, it is an awareness and an acknowledgement from the manufacturer that the vehicle uses almost a quart of oil per oil change.? It does not leak; it used the quart.? That is a whole ‘nother message for a later date.? Before I went to work, I went out, popped the hood, and put about a half of a quart of oil in it. That is typically the amount of oil I put in it when the light comes on.? You see, I have done this a few times, because it happens from time to time. Obviously, more frequently depending on the miles she drives.? I put up my funnel, wiped down the cover, closed the oil back up, and closed the hood.? All this was just like before.? I started the car up to make sure the light went off and there was enough oil, and it coughed and sputtered and eventually filled the dash up with light and cut off.? As I back tracked my steps, I realized that I left the oil filler CAP off.? Once I replaced it, all the lights went off and all is well.? Whew!!

Complacency?????????????????

Complacency is a root of failure.? When you have done something many times, it can become easy to overlook a step.? Especially if you are confident in your skills.? Unfortunately, this can lead to missing a step.? If you add in a little rush or busyness in your life, we have to be careful to not get complacent.? What step or CAP have you missed recently due to complacency?? What did you learn from it?? Did it give you a new perspective or new approach to doing what you do?? It does not challenge your skills or abilities, however complacency can lead to process failures.? This can lead to frustration and other results.? It depends on what you miss, the results can impact you for the rest of your life.? Hopefully it impacts you by helping you learn not to rush and focus on your task.

Acknowledge??????????????????

Acknowledge and accept that if you missed a step, that you can fix it and move on.? My mind was racing when the engine sputtered and coughed.? I thought of the mileage, warranty, tow truck, cost of repairs, etc. I started to question myself.? Did I put too much oil in?? How long had the light been on?? I even called my son to see how it ran, because he drove my wife’s car last.? I had to stop and pop the hood again, because I was going not check the oil level.? It was only after I stopped my mind from racing that I was able to pop the hood for review.? Then, I noticed the oil filler CAP had not been put on?? What is your mind racing towards?? What questions are you asking yourself?? Who are you calling to help or to ask questions?? STOP!? Breath.? What do you need to check to see where you or things went wrong?? Don’t hesitate to stop and regroup.? When you face struggles or challenges, clear your mind and review your process.? You never know, you might have missed a step that you “thought” you did.? If you missed a step, acknowledge it , accept it, and address it!?

Proces????????????????????????????????

Process is important!? In my mind, I had the process to add the oil simplified.? It is not a difficult task.? Even if you have never put oil in a vehicle, a quick call to Uncle Google and you can see a video on how to do it.? In every video, I am sure that it tells you to remove the oil filler CAP before you start (it is kind of hard to put oil in a vehicle if you don’t remove the CAP), and then after you get done, you need to put the CAP back on.? In my confidence and knowledge, I missed that step in the process.? Thankfully it did not blow oil back out into the engine compartment, however it did teach me a lesson.? The process is the process, and if you lose sight of the process, it can have consequences. What process are you working on or mapping put right now?? Are you trying to rush it?? Are you sure you have all the steps lined out for you to follow?? If you aren’t sure if you have a process, you need one.? Take some time to refresh and reset your mind to allow a clean slate to navigate through your process.? Don’t rush it, focus on what you need to get done, then start your journey or your project.

Rush creates risk.? So does over-confidence.? It is easy in life to allow all the things going on around you impact what you do.? We want to help, and we want to do our best, however we have to be careful to not allow all our wants and desires to allow us to chase after those desires and miss steps.? Understanding that complacency is a root of failure. We can understand that we have to be intentional about following our plan.? If we miss a step, we have to acknowledge it and accept it.? It is a good thing to learn from it too!? Review your process to make sure you have all the steps lined out and each one helps you achieve your goals.? Thins happen, and if they do, accept it, and go back to your process.? Stay focused and avoid rushing. ?Hopefully you won’t miss a step to cause you to say, ‘Oh CAP!”

C – Complacency is a root of failure

A – Acknowledge and accept it if you miss a step

P – Process is important

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Stay safe and stay well!