The day I wrote step one, I wondered how I was going to explain step two of the process. I wondered most the morning how I would write it out.

Then by the end of the day, I ended up with a real world experience as a prime example of it.

Normally I wouldn’t share so much about the person side of my life. But there was real world learning in that day. I feel it is needed to share the example. This can shed some light on how to “handle” step two of the “understanding” process.

To start off, my husband and I took a trip about an hour away from our home town. To do some back to school shopping for our babies. Before we even began this trip, we planned and budgeted everything, so we did not over do it and so we would have a little money left over by the time we got back. We even went as far as setting a limit at each store so this would be an “accomplish-able task.

Each store we went to, we found a few little things and a good amount of the items on the list. In each store we went over the set limit by just a little each time. Even with re-figuring the numbers after each store we were still good. Until the last store happened. We had a basket with some items in it, I went to make sure the numbers added up correctly. Come to find out we totally blew the budget and had to put a few things back before we could pay and head home.

Needless to say, I was a little upset. I was also very confused as to how this all happened.

We planned and planned, and checked our numbers over and over. So where did we go wrong. I found myself in a wonderment. From there I decided to try to “Understand what had happened. For that I needed to use my “newly found process.” Step-By-Step…

1. Identify the situation & Figure out if it is worth the time in understanding.- Messed up our very carefully planned budget; & yes, very much to learn in the pursuit of understanding.
2. Lay out the item/situation “bit-by-bit”, then look for inconsistencies, or things that do not look right/add up.- Where did we go wrong? Looking at the list/budget. We added a store not on the list, or in the budget. It was not figured into the total numbers. Also, at each store we went to we spent more then the “budgeted amount” at each one. Then before the final store the numbers that were added up did not account for some of those inconsistencies. Like the extra store, and one of the budgeted stores were both missed in the math as well.

So how do I understand this. It is easy to just wrap it up with being irresponsible and a mess up. Not thinking things through and being frugal. But I did not accept those answers because of how hard we budgeted and planned.

But that’s just it, it does not matter what I want to accept. What mattered to me was an answer that did not include “We JUST messed up”. To me and for me that was not an except-able explanation for what had happened. I wanted to understand why. Why did we go over? Why did things get messed up?

Plain and simple; How I found to Understand this situation. Making a plan and budgeting things out was a fantastic idea. Had we followed the list, and stayed within our budget at each store separately, we would have had money left over and everything we needed. BUT, we did not stick to the list. We strayed from the budget. All the little “extra” things we got added up. I understand now what happened in this situation. We messed up. We did not follow the plan we set in front of us. For that reason, we failed in our efforts.

Even though I did not want to accept that answer. Even though it made me feel bad about myself. It was the truth. We made a mistake. Well a few on that same day. But we needed to understand that we messed up, so we are able to move on. I would explain more on the next step and where we went from there but that is for next time.

We needed to understand that we messed up; So we could move forward.

 

Unique Advice Today:  Two fold…. 1. Lay out the item/situation “bit-by-bit”, then look for inconsistencies, or things that do not look right/add up. To be able to move on to the next part of the process you need to lay things out piece by piece so you can plainly see, or search for, the area where understanding may lie.  2. When you make a list or a budget, stick with it. All those little extra things will add up. If you know you are prone to “extending” the budget. Make sure to add cushion room in to keep things under a control point. 

 

Well there ya go. Step two. I am looking forward to explaining the next few steps of this process. Recently though, I have learned this is a general process and it will not work with every situation. Or on everything worth understanding. Some things need prayed about. Some things need a slight amount of acceptance before you will be able to understand them.

Have a Nice Weekend!!

~CaveBaby~

 

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;”  Proverbs 2:6 NKJV

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”   Proverbs 1:7 NKJV

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Ephesians 5:17 NKJV