We took one of our cars into the shop a few weeks ago. There were some minor, nagging maintenance issues that we had put off for too long. There had been a slow oil leak which leaked onto the manifold, sending a nasty burnt oil smell through the vents when the heater was on. There was also a hissing noise coming from the brakes, which also affected their performance. So we finally bit the bullet and took it in. Three days and over $800 later, it was fixed and returned to us.
My wife and I were both amazed by how different the driving experience was after it was fixed. The hissing was gone, as was the nasty oil smell (not to mention the accompanying guilt of putting off needed repairs!). It was also much safer, since the brakes worked as designed.
It struck me that we tend to do this same thing with our lives - we put up with one minor annoyance, then another, and another, and before you know it, the life we’re living is uncomfortable and inefficient, if not dangerous. It can be so deceptive, since changes seldom happen all at once. Are there things that you are tolerating in your life that you could easily correct? Are there things that only you can do for yourself that you have been putting off for too long? What advice would you give to someone who came to you and said they had been tolerating what you are currently tolerating? What’s one thing you can do to change this today? And tomorrow? How do you prevent them from recurring?
