Problems That Resemble a Nail

Have you ever seen the cartoon where an object looks like a piece of literal meat? I remember the classic Tom & Jerry cartoons where there were scenes like that, where Jerry, the mouse, would have scenes when he looked like food, not just a menace, to Tom, the cat.

Along the same lines, if you've ever made the mistake of going grocery shopping when you are hungry, so many things start to seem appetizing. Everywhere you look, that item looks good, and that item looks good. Before long your cart is more full than you intended.

The same effect can take place when you look at problems in your life. That inspired this week's quote...

When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail.
~Abraham Maslow

When you have problems, especially those that tend to pile up on each other, the can have the same effect as shopping for food when you are hungry. You see that one item in your tool box is a hammer and you want to use it to solve all the situations you're entangled in.

The big problem can be to see that every problem doesn't resemble a nail. Not every problem needs to be hammered. Some may need to be glued with care. Some may need to be squeezed with pliers. Some may need to be tied with some rope. Problems don't all look like nails.

If you've got some problems lingering around (or when you do), don't go picking up hammers and swinging them around. Look for other tools in your toolbox to use. Or if you only have a hammer, go out and buy some new "tools" so that you do not have to use a hammer for every problem.

Utilizing my toolbox full of tools...