Ron Tustin – Is It Your Car or You?

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"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't." – Erica Jong

I am often curious as to why we are more prepared to take care and attention of our cars than we are of ourselves. We don’t hesitate to spend large sums of money on repairs to our cars but also on preventive care such as changing oil or checking tyres. Also our local motor mechanic may send out a reminder notice that a mechanical check is due. But do we get or give ourselves that same attention?

So with this comparison in mind I thought I would talk about some of the parallels we have with our own lives when looking after our car tyres. The metaphor seems particularly appropriate if we think of our lives as being a car and our tyres as where we want to be in our lives.

Each of the tyres has an important role:

1: The 'Know Yourself' Tyre

This tyre consists of our purpose, our values and our vision. Take the time to answer the following questions:

• Why am I here (my purpose)?

• Where am I going (my vision)?

• What's most important to me (my values)?

2: The 'Love Yourself' Tyre

This tyre is about the ways we affirm ourselves, talk to and about ourselves and the balance we have or are seeking.

So:

• What good things do I say to myself every day?

• How do I celebrate me every day?

• How do I love myself every day?

• How do I keep myself healthy every day?

3: The 'Believe in Yourself' Tyre

This tyre consists of our self-confidence, our communication capabilities and our ability to get the most from life.

So:

• How do I build my confidence?

• How do I improve and expand my communication skills?

• How can I play bigger to get the most from my life?

4: The 'Guide Yourself' Tyre

This tyre consists of our boundaries, priority management and stress management skills.

• How do I evaluate my boundaries?

• How do I prioritize what is most important in my life?

• How do I manage stress?

So if you can go through this exercise with yourself so that your four  tyres are properly aligned, balanced and inflated, you will be less likely to have a breakdown on your own highway. If it’s good enough to care for that piece of metal that gets you from place to place I am sure it is good enough for you.  Happy driving!

In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.

Please tell me what you think or if you would like more information on this topic please contact me here.

Ron Tustin
Revive and Thrive Coaching, Professional Coach, member of International Coach Federation.

Read Ron's Blog
www.reviveandthrivecoaching.com
info@rtc.org.nz
Ph 0800 003679

Motivating baby boomers to see the world with fresh eyes.