Have you ever had a sliver stuck in your skin? A sliver is a tiny little speck of wood – often from unsanded or unfinished wood – that gets embedded deep into your skin. Often, you don’t even realize you have one until hours and even days after you get it. But those tiny little slivers can pose a real danger. The same goes for your “tiny little” problems in life.
You may not realize it’s there at first
The annoying part about slivers is that you might not notice one until you are doing something that puts just the right amount of pressure on the sliver itself – sometimes sending a sharp sting into your finger (or wherever). Of course, by then, it’s too late to avoid: the sliver is there, and it’s a problem.
Your spending habits may be out of whack – you’re spending a little more than you’re making, but you don’t realize it. You put on a couple pounds, but it doesn’t catch your attention. Your boss is watching you a little more closely at work, but you have no idea. These “slivers” are gearing up to cause you a lot of pain, and by the time you realize that they’re there, it could be too late to avoid, which leads to…
A little problem turning into a bigger problem
A sliver may look small, but it can cause some serious pain. After all, if your skin is broken, you’ve just sent an open invitation to a large variety of bacteria and germs to come on in and start a party in your body. Your tiny wound can get more sensitive and puffy as a result, and now you have a real problem on your hands.
Those extra couple of bucks that you spent may have been put on a credit card with an astronomical interest rate. Those extra pounds can start to slow you down, causing more extra pounds. Your boss may be gradually reducing your promotion potential. See how a little problem turns into a bigger one really quickly? That’s why you have to…
Endure some pain to fix the problem
There are two ways to pull out a sliver, and neither are particularly pleasant. One way, if possible, is to get a tweezers and grab the end of the sliver that’s sticking out and yank it out. The more drastic way, however, may be necessary if the end of the sliver is beneath the skin. Then you need to sterilize a needle and dig the sliver out. Depending on where the sliver is, this method can be quite painful. But either way, it gets the sliver out, which is absolutely necessary for your health and comfort.
Need to get out of debt? Then you have two options: scale back your lifestyle or earn more money. Or both, honestly. Neither are very pleasant, because this means you are sacrificing things you like to do. If you like to spend money and buy nice things, you need to stop for a while. If you like to just sit around the house after work, you may need to pick up an extra job or start a side business to generate some income. If you want to lose those extra pounds, you need to get up off your butt and exercise, and also start eating healthier. If you want to win back your boss’s good graces, you need to stop slacking off at work and get your nose to the grindstone. Work extra hours and get more done than the next guy to prove yourself all over again. These things are all fairly unpleasant, but you don’t have a choice – they are unavoidable if you want to fix the problem. And, then, finally, after you have fixed the problem and removed the “sliver”…
Ensure that you don’t get any more slivers
If you know where you got the sliver, this part is easy – don’t do that thing anymore. But often, slivers come from seemingly nowhere (just like life’s problems). So now you need to pay attention to what you are doing: avoid working with unfinished wood without protective gear, or watch out where you are running your bare hands or feet.
Keep a budget and closer tabs on your spending. Pay attention to what you are eating and how often you are getting your blood moving. Make sure you know what your boss is noticing. All of these things will ensure that those “slivers” never come back.
Do you have any “slivers” in your life? How do you dig them out?
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
