I wasted two hours today!

Well, they were not totally wasted. I did enjoy the time I spent working with one of our excellent tech guys. Nonetheless, the goal we were attempting to attain was not reached. All I wanted to do was combine the various calendars on my computer into one and sync "that" calendar with my phone (if you know how to do this, please don't explain the process to me—the pain would be too great).

"I know computers and phone sync stuff!" I thought to myself (this is where the wasted time began).

I decided to tinker along and see if I could find a solution to my problem. I downloaded this and combined that until I was convinced I had solved my problem.

Wrong! I ended up deleting my current calendar (with a year's worth of appointments) and the sync I attempted between my phone and computer (I thought this would help—my settings were wrong) resulted in a calendar loss from my phone. In short, I lost everything. Oopsie!

I am proud to say that I did not panic and/or throw a pity party. After a few moments, I found a copy hiding in a deleted items file. Yeah! I still don't know how to sync with my phone, but I have somewhat restored my calendar to its original setting. I was fortunate.

The thing that kills me is the time I wasted because I got into something I had little or no business getting into in the first place.

Have you ever finished (or survived) something and thought to yourself, "I have just wasted ______ hours of my life!" I have found this statement surfacing in my own life when experiencing the consequences (like a lost calendar) brought about by my own impatience or stepping into something beyond my expertise. Like today, a step back would have served me well. Such action would have allowed me time to gather advice from other "experts" and avoid the pain of calendar loss (being a little dramatic concerning the calendar but I am making a point).

In life, we could all use a little more step back time. Step Back time is that moment in which we pause to catch a breath and regroup before pressing forward.

When your spouse says something argumentative and you begin to feel the tension rise--it's step back time!

When your teenager smarts off at you (for the third time today)--it's step back time!

When your parent begins the lecture phase of a conversation without listening to your point of view--it's step back time!

When tempted by (fill in the blank)—it's step back time!

When facing a tough decision--it's step back time!

You get the picture. So, the next time you feel the blood pressure rising, take a step back. It could help you save much more than time.