Remember last September when you did some culling in the back 40 and you talked yourself into buying that little forklift to make moving the timber easier? Do you also remember the buyer’s remorse when that job was done and you couldn’t find another project to make it worthwhile?
It’s time to rethink the potential of the purchase. What possible other uses can you get from it, or is there a little accessory you can buy that will expand its potential threefold?
While chatting with some friends, your buddy mentions he has some old trailers he needs to haul off to the dump, but can’t get to them with his truck.
A little light bulb goes off, and suddenly, a big regret has potential again!
Unlocking the Hidden Potential
You overheard your sister talking to your partner the other day, and she mentioned that the manufacturer had finally come out with a food cross-chopper for her food processor, and it had changed her life.
She could do so much more now that this new accessory existed.
A little light went off in your head as you recalled your buddy’s conundrum about moving trailers, and you remember an ad in the newsletter from your forklift manufacturer to say they had a new accessory: forklift trailer movers!
Suddenly, a ton of ideas pop into your head as you read the information about this new, diverse product:
This little accessory also has the versatility to move different kinds of trailers!
- Flatbeds
- Tractor trailers
- Grain trailers
- 5th Wheels
- Gooseneck hinges
You could move those trailers out of the tight spots they are in for your buddy so he can take them to the dump.
You can reclaim the fishing shack you left over by the lake after the freak thaw last spring.
Ohhh, and that friend of a friend who needs to move a bunch of flatbed trucks to his garage for repairs, you can even help him!
Vindication!
A Life Lesson About Maximizing Your Investments
Not everyone has a forklift gathering dust in the garage, but at some point and time, something must have brought up the same feelings, leading to life lessons you never intentionally wanted.
Look at my sister and her food processor; the manufacturer releases a simple cross-chopper attachment, and the world opens up. Suddenly, she can chop vegetables for salsa or slaw in seconds and make hashbrowns without grating her knuckles.
It added function; it changed how she used the machine, and it saved time and frustration in her daily life. Win-win-win!
It’s not about having more gadgets, it’s a philosophy about getting more out of life… maybe that is a bit of a reach… oh heck, let’s go with it anyway.
Finding The Ultimate Attachment for Everything In Your Life
What have you purchased that you thought was a good idea? Exercise equipment? How many of those became clothing rails?
All the jewellery-making paraphernalia? Where is it now?
Change your perspective and look for the potential instead! How could you creatively change the purpose of that object? It may be time to move it onto someone who does use it for what it is.
Thrifters do this all the time. They go into a thrift store, see a collection of crystal vases, and come home and make a fancy ornamental lamp or upside-down pedestal for some treasured item their Mom left them.
Maybe your bread machine now has a dough hook that can make awesome pizza dough, and you don’t need to bake 100 loaves of bread no one likes.
How about taking an online course and learning how to use that fancy camera, or maybe there are creative lenses to open the scope of use for you?
Remember that gym membership you never seek to use? Check if they have a sauna or hot tub you can use as a member, or maybe there are sister gyms that have a pool or chair yoga classes you can take.
Don’t limit yourself to what this is for questions, broaden your horizons and think, what else could that do if I bought that?
Conclusion
If you open your mind, it will get the creativity juices flowing.
Go about your business, always thinking about that time you bought the forklift? Never mind, mistakes can turn out wonderfully, and you and your partner are treasure hunters now (small value items), and you are creating so many different uses for old products.
There’s potential for a business venture there.
Look how trendy you’ll be, reusing, recycling, and reducing the waste in landfills. Look into he shed groups who love to do things like this, and you will find a whole new group of like-minded friends who have all been where you were once, buying a one-purpose tool, then had to get creative to make it worth the investment.
Live and learn, that IS what life is about.
