There’s Always the Other Way …

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I lend VCR tapes of movies to a friend; last night we met for supper and as we walked back to the subway one tape slipped out of the open-ended case in my hand, and crashed to the footpath, shattering the ˝ inch wide flap that opens when the tape is slid into the VCR.

Neither of us exclaimed the obvious “Oh dear! What a shame! That’s MY fault for not putting them in a bag”.

Friends.

Being a fixer, I scooped up the two pieces and dropped them in my coat pocket. Arriving home I put them on the desk and started at them. Super-glue, obviously, but a very careful gluing, because this flap will be in the hands of an automated machine process in my VCR player – and in any other VCR player that entertains “Casablanca” in color!

I’m glad I waited.

This morning “Ta-Da!” a brainwave. I will cannibalize one of the cassettes that holds a 60-minute promotional video (now erased and standing by for a use that hasn’t come in 5 years) and use that container for my tape.

No glue, no potential problems down the road.

Fast, easy, and I’m on my way.

The same is true in Windows. One of The Golden Rules of Windows is “ There Are At Least Four Ways of Doing it ”.

What is stalling you in your business venture TODAY?

Look for an alternate solution.

Once you have two solutions (more is better) in hand, you can evaluate them and pick the one that is best.

It will always be other than the one you’ve fixed in your mind these past few weeks.

Talk to Me !

Search