It started with the toaster.

My wife and I get up one weekend morning, plug in our humble little toasting machine, drop in a few slices of bread, then sit back and wait for toast. One minute goes by, then another, then another, and then still another. By now we should have made charcoal let alone toast so we go take a look...

Now, operating a toaster is not complicated. There are just a few "necessities" involved in the process of making toast. We'd done all of those things (plugged it in, put in bread, pushed the lever down) but nothing happened. The heating coils weren't hot and definitely weren't heating.

Our toaster was toast.

A few weeks later, we bought a new barbeque grill. In the process of putting it together -- or rather, the process of trying to put it together -- my electric screw gun seized up and stop working. Just like that. Kaput.

A few days later, I went to shave with my infrequently-used electric razor. I plugged it in, hit the "on" button and nada. Nothing. I have a four-day stubble and it's getting worse...

And last but not least, my PDA, which I use to stay organized, has seen fit to be unfit and is leaving me completely disorganized as I track down why it magically stopped interfacing with my computer.

I'll admit that I'm no genius, but even I can figure out that somebody's trying to tell me something. Stuff breaks for a reason. It's a sign. It means something. It means a couple of things, actually:

1. FIX WHAT AIN'T WORKING

Maybe it's simply a broken toaster. Maybe it's the failing plan you have to do X,Y, & Z. Regardless, you have to do something about it. That is, if you want to get back to eating toast.

If you can't fix it, get rid of it.

(And remember: if the same stuff keeps breaking, you haven't fixed it yet. Not really.)

2. TAKE CARE OF WHAT AIN'T BROKE BEFORE IT GETS THAT WAY

I'm not gonna tell you that you can beat science. After all, whether it's a razor or a screw-gun or an ecosystem, entropy's at work, constantly breaking stuff down. It's chaos, but hey, that's life!

The smart thing to do is to plan for that in the beginning. Expect that things will go wrong, will wear down.

Things, peoples, plans, ideas all benefit from regular upkeep and maintenance. And you'll benefit from them for much longer by it, too. Regular care, preventive care, is always easier, more enjoyable and less expensive than REPAIRS.

By keeping these two things in mind and staying attuned to the signals you're getting from the people (and things) in your life, you can break the cycle of breakdowns and start living a happier, less stressful life. A clean break to a life free from costly and annoying breakdowns.

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Jim M. Allen, The Big Idea Coach, is a professional life, business & guerrilla marketing coach and the editor of MyNewAttitude.com. For more great ideas, read his Big Idea blog or subscribe to his free bi-weekly ezine.