Don’t Just Be a Hammer, Be Like Dora

There’s a quote I love that always stops me in my tracks:

“It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”

-Abraham Maslow

Oof. That one lands.

Because let’s be real-most of us have our go-to “hammer.”

For some, it’s overworking. For others, it’s avoidance. Or being the strong one, the fixer, the overachiever. We start to lean so heavily on what we know that we use it even when it’s not what the moment calls for.

But life isn’t one giant nail. It’s more like… an adventure. And here’s where Dora the Explorer fans will get me.

You remember Dora, right? She never heads out on a journey without her Backpack. Why? Because she knows each situation needs a different tool. A map? Got it. A rope? In there. Sticky tape? Let’s go. She asks, “What do we need?”-and then chooses the right tool for the moment.

That’s wisdom. That’s adaptability. That’s evolution.

So many of us have been taught to pick up one tool early in life,usually survival-based, and we just keep swinging it, even when life is asking us to pause, reassess, and pull something else out of the bag.

Your life will keep expanding the more tools you’re willing to learn, carry, and use with intention.

You’re not just a hammer. You’re a Backpack.

Filled with strategy, softness, strength, boundaries, rest, risk, and soul.

Let’s stop banging on things hoping they’ll change and instead ask ourselves,

“What tool does this moment actually need?”

¡Vámonos!