What a Car Mechanic Taught me About Success
Everywhere I look, I seem to find lessons to share with you on this blog about success. Yesterday I was talking with a friend, a car mechanic, about life in general. He mentioned that he enjoys reading my blog. He requested that I share a few lessons with you that he applies in his life. So here we go…
Life has plenty of systems
Did you know that a car is a collection of systems? Lighting System, Braking System, Lubrication System, Cooling System, Fuel System, Ignition System, Suspension System and many more. All these systems have to work together for the car to function properly.
A car without a braking system is a disaster waiting to happen. Do you have brakes in your life or are you hurtling down towards self destruction? Do you have self control or a moral code that determines how far or how fast you can go?
The success of a car is determined by more than one system working together. Success is not about one thing that you do. It is combination of habits and actions that you take. What good is a well paying job when you cannot get along with your family or your health is in ruins?
The trick is to understand what each part of life brings to the table. Determine how each of your activity impacts the others. Just as a car mechanic will not spend all his day inspecting the cooling system and ignore the fuel system, do not ignore parts of your life. Apportion the right amount of time for different people and activities in your life. In other words, find balance.
Are you well serviced?
A regularly serviced car runs smoothly and proves more useful to the owner over the long term. Some people try and save money by not taking their cars for service. This is short term thinking that costs more over the long term.
You can service yourself by constantly improving your skills, your thoughts and your relationships. Do not forget to spend time thinking about your life, checking your progress towards your goals, or performance.
There are different types of services that a car needs. A car may need a routine check up or tune up that helps it runs more efficiently. It also needs a log book service. A log book service is pre-determined by manufacturers based on the kilometers accumulated. This type of service helps the car runs efficiently over the long haul.
You can determine periodic periods for servicing yourself too. This can range from dental checks to annual personal goals setting sessions. Avoiding this type of service will cost you more over the long term.
Your car may be involved in an accident or work erratically. This will call for repair service. The older the car, the more the repairs required. Repairs left too long may cause a danger to the driver and to the car. If you have unresolved issues, or an area of life that needs correcting, take time to sort that out before it starts affecting other areas.
Are you insured?
Car mechanics do not always come cheap. If you want the best care, be insured. Have someone else foot the bill of repairs especially for unexpected repairs. You can self insure your car through regular servicing (against routine problems). Read more about this topic on my earlier article about insurance for the upwardly mobile.
Where do you want to go?
You are the master of the car. Likewise you are the master of your destiny. Determine where you want to go. Be in control of your own life.
Before you embark on your journey, make sure you have enough supplies for your journey. You would not want to go from Perth, Western Australia, to Adelaide, South Australia without having packed right or adequately serviced your vehicle.
What do people think about you?
Do you have a powerful personal brand? Does your reputation precede you? What kind of first impression do you make? Do you have a consistent brand image that gets the results you desire? Do you project an image of success or hardship?
Some cars are more equal than others. A Lamborghini and a Toyota Corolla are not cut from the same cloth. How you position yourself will determine what value people place on you. Today is your lucky day, I have prepared a personal branding salad bar for you.
Other articles you may enjoy:
- Mastering Self Confidence for Success My self confidence has always swung like a pendulum. Sometimes it is giant sized, other...
- Set up Systems to Serve You We only have 24 hours in a day. We are limited in time, resources, abilities,...
- Who Is Your Customer? There is a customer born every minute, said P.T. Barnum. Wherever I go, I see...
- Do you have a Blueprint for Success? Success does not just happen. You must first purpose it in your mind, resolve to...
- Duplicate Your Success Learning how to duplicate your success is like getting a license to print money. Many...
- Chasing the Wind of Success Ok my friends, let us change gears today. We are still in the “get ahead...
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leaving a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader or via email.
Never thought I would learn from a mechanic. tell him the lesson on Life having many parts is awesome…
I love it!!!
[Reply]