Lessons from painting...

As a yearly chore and to keep everything protected for another twelve month, I re-seal our driveway and entry path each summer. Over the years, the quality of my job improves, simply because I spend more time on preparation, including a good organization and a thorough cleaning process. As those of us who have done any house painting know, the process involves 80% preparation (if not more) and 20% execution.

We tend to loath the entire process as it always conjures a lot of work, but if we take it down into separate pieces and as if we were preparing for military battle, it can turn into a game of sharp skills that unfolds like clockwork. When the task is a repetitive one, like the one I just did yesterday, we have the opportunity to incorporate all the teachings we've learned from past mistakes as well as all the cool tricks we've picked up over time to create a well-orchestrated operation. This year, what was normally a dreadful assignment finally turned into a fun operation!