I think I’ve come the the end of the road from the recent electrical storm. Most of the systems have been repaired, metal objects have been removed from the roof and work is in progress to fix the outstanding issues in the office. In a nutshell, this has been a journey full of lessons for consideration. Let me share with you my top five lessons from this experience.
Lesson #1 – Invest in a Surge Protection for your Electrical Panel
Electricity is electricity. It is important to invest the right combination of surge protection and battery back up systems for your place of work. If you work in your home, do talk your local electrician for the best combination of protection for your equipment. You will be surprised at the equipment you can buy in order to protect your equipment and yourself.
Lesson #2 – If it’s on your roof, get it grounded.
Take a look on the roof of your home or office. If you have metal things on the roof, are they grounded to ensure you and your office are safe. For example, if you have a Satellite Disk on your roof, is it properly grounded? If not, talk with company that owns the equipment and ask them to take the necessary steps to ensure it is safe.
Lesson #3 – Insist on Safe Work by Service Companies
I get really concerned when Bell Canada strings “wires” through the trees as a temporary solution to fix a phone line. While I understand it is a temporary solution, temporary should take days, not multiple months. Keep after Bell if you have “temporary wring” hanging the trees. It is a unnecessary risk that can cause problems for your phone, Internet and property.
Lesson #4 – Prepare for the Worst
Even with the best protection in place, things can happen in a blink of an eye. I think it is important to keep in mind that with the best plans, things can go wrong. Equipment can stop work, things get destroyed and work can be interrupted. The key is to plan for the worst, hope for the best and keep moving forward. Which leads me to the last point.
Lesson #5 – Always be Thankful
Yes, be thankful. In my case, its “stuff”. It’s a pain to fix, replace or repair. However, its just stuff. The good news is that no one got hurt and I’m here writing about it today. And for that, I am thankful!
Life is challenge where the lessons are provided well in advance of the class. The key is to keep learning, whether one finds they are in class or life.
After all, sometimes, life is the class.
Be well,
Jerry