“But we can at least appreciate that we don’t know everything and make an active effort to deconstruct what we think we do know.”

This is a sentence from a book I’m just about finished reading. The book is “The Four Workarounds” by Paulo Savaget and is about tackling complex problems in uncommon and unexpected ways. The part of the book that this sentence is from is about how to find workarounds. Challenging our way of observing things is one of the author’s suggestions.

During the recent ice storm, I was interested in observing how different people responded. First, I noticed my own response. I solved problems as they arose. It was cold in my house; I piled on blankets. It got even colder; I slept at friends’ homes who had heat. I warmed my own house during the day with propane heaters so I could get some work done. My internet wasn’t accessible, so I used my phone’s hotspot. My freezer food started to thaw, so I took it to a house that had power until my neighbors loaned me a generator that kept the refrigerator going.

I tend to believe that every problem has a solution that I can achieve.

I watched other responses. They ranged from people who were prepared in advance and didn’t even seem to experience problems because they were already set up to avoid them, to people who were paralyzed with inaction. There was a whole range of responses in between those two extremes.

Human behavior fascinates me.

Along with the different levels of action people took, there was also a difference in attitude people had about the situation.

Thankfully, there were many who took things in stride, asked for help as needed, helped others as they could, accepted that the power outage was temporary, and adopted an overall positive attitude. Even some people who still do not have power, as I finish writing this, still understand it is only temporary and just a blip in the big picture of their lives.

Then there were those (thankfully few and far between) who chose to take a more negative approach. These people leaned toward complaining, blaming, and suggesting they knew better than others. I am certain that other than maybe helping them feel better because they got to vent, their complaints and blame were not helpful in overall recovery efforts (which are still ongoing and will be for some time).

Reading that part of the book while the ice storm recovery efforts were happening gave me a real-life and real-time illustration of just what the author was talking about. Specifically, when it came to those who were whining (yes, I am firmly standing behind my use of that word to describe what they were doing) about the order in which utility companies chose to approach power restoration.

Anyone who complained about the order in which the power was being restored could have benefitted from reading and reflecting on that line in the book. But they would also have to be open to personal growth and a mindset shift.

We must be careful not to jump to conclusions before understanding the whole story. If those who were frustrated that their power was still out and the homes across the street had power restored (which was exactly my personal experience) and were making suggestions that the person coordinating the restoration efforts should be fired for not doing his or her job, then exploring the reasons they felt that way would have been helpful. Learning the reasons behind the process (which were clearly explained and were quite logical) might not change the situation, but could change your understanding of it, which can lead to an improved mindset and easier time handling the circumstances.

Admitting that we don’t know everything and then seeking to learn more is a vital ability for happiness, success, and healthy relationships.

It isn’t just the ice storm. There are examples of this everywhere.

Start by admitting you don’t know everything about anything, and then start to seek additional information from a variety of sources to fill in the gaps. It won’t hurt you and can only help.

I’ll end with a huge shout out to the many people who helped, and are still helping, during the storm recovery efforts. That list is long, and even though there were those who complained (there always will be), there are many more who absolutely appreciate all the efforts. Thank you.

Jackie Krawczak is president of Jackie Krawczak LLC. Her column runs every three weeks on Thursdays. Follow Jackie on X @jkrawczak.