I have to confess, I didn’t get an opportunity to work on the motivator over the weekend as I usually do. Several ideas were rolling around inside this empty head as I was driving to work, but nothing seemed to spark my interest. As I wended my way down the back road I usually take, it surprised me that there was a long line of cars; so unusual for this time of day. In the darkness ahead of me were the glowing taillights of the vehicles that, to me, were invading my space.
The commute was, of course, slower than usual and it became irritating coping with the constant slow down, speed up cycle that is the hallmark of traffic congestion. I looked intently at the snake of lights ahead and then it dawned on me. There is a lesson here. There is motivation in this ribbon of red glowing in the pre-dawn. And that lesson is to be found in the brake lights.
I watched closely as the lights went on and off and there were essentially three different styles, if you want to call it that, of applying the brakes. One style is the person who follows so closely that his brake lights are almost always on as he literally rides the bake pedal and the bumper of the person in front of him. Another is the guy who accelerates to close the gap and then puts on the brakes when he gets too close and backs off. His brake lights go on and off, on and off, over and over again. The final one is the fellow that maintains a little space between his car and the one ahead. His steady, even pace makes it possible for him to move along and use his brakes sparingly. When his brake lights do go on, you know there is some serious congestion, no doubt caused by either of the first two guys.
The way we live our lives and the ways in which we approach our goals and tackle our problems can often be revealed in the glow of these brake lights.
We can go headstrong into a situation and find that we are constantly applying the brakes because we haven’t thought things out. We find ourselves spending more time slowing down and trying to make things work.
We can be impatient and get into that annoying cycle of false starts and stops. We are always changing our minds or trying something new without ever really completing what we have started.
Or, we can take a measured approach, making steady progress, keeping to the plan and rarely having to apply the brakes or rethink our course of action. We are constantly moving toward our goals, not by leaps and bounds, yet always and consistently moving. The obstacles that cause us to apply the brakes are usually things that are out of our control and when we have dealt with them, we continue to move on.
No one uses their brake lights consistently. I’ve been all three of those drivers at one time or another and my foot has visited that brake pedal in a variety of ways I can tell you this much. When I have taken the path of consistency and planning, I have reached my destination just as quickly and with a lot more enjoyment of the trip along the way.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Have a Great Week!
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__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Now worries. Stick isn't the issue. It's not using the brakes, that's the issue. When you downshift, it uses the engine to slow the car and the brake lights don't light up. The person behind you won't know you're slowing down.
Now worries. Stick isn't the issue. It's not using the brakes, that's the issue. When you downshift, it uses the engine to slow the car and the brake lights don't light up. The person behind you won't know you're slowing down.
Whew ok cause I like my stick shift.
Great MMMM John. Right now I'm in grid lock. Complete stand still. I think we can all find times in our lives that fit into all those modes. Thanks John.
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"My darling," she said at last, "are you sure you don't mind being a mouse for the rest of your life?"
"I don't mind at all," I said. "It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you."
Wow, John, your thoughts on the commute are much more profound than mine. I usually spend most of my time controlling my anger at the idiot talking so loudly on the cellphone that the entire train knows her/his personal business.
Good message to keep in mind. Slow and steady wins the race!
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"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
Here is a fascinating blog on the subject of traffic jams and breaks. He also discusses why it is in your benefit to let road hogs have their way. It even persuaded me. There's room for more of Mahler's philosophy. Good topic.
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Walk on
With hope in your heart
And You'll Never Walk Alone
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There's no free lunch, especially when it's served with special sauce (lostdog)
***************************** My Log - PC Plod
When I had a stick I rarely used the brakes (80k miles on the original set of breaks that are probably still on there). If it takes my lights flashing to alert someone that I'm slowing down then they were following too close and/or not paying attention. Downshifting just doesn't stop the car quickly enough to do that. Also, some older high end sports cars you have to downshift while slowing down b/c the way the stick transmission worked.
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"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T.S. Eliot
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."-- Aristotle
Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 144 – Brake Lights
I drive stick.
Linear Mode
