MECHANICS: PROACTIVE OR REACTIVE?

Have you ever found yourself in love with your car?

I have a confession, I really do love my car. It isn’t the “newest” model, it has a few dings and scrapes from mailboxes that jump out and attack me while I back out. There are times it smells like a dog on the inside. But I really love my car.

I take her to only the best mechanic EVER. Why would I trust her to anyone else?!?!! She gets regular oil changes and tune ups, I expect a lot from my car…we go everywhere together. One of things I love about my mechanic is that when I take her in for an oil change I get this list. It is kind of a to-do or be prepared list.

He outlines everything he sees that I will need within the next year, he lists them in the order of priority and gives me a “guesstimate” so I can prepare my budget. This year I need to give her a new serpentine belt (have NO idea what that is or what it does but she needs it to keep me safe and running all over the state). Next month, she gets her serpentine belt.

We make decisions every day, place money into what we feel important. For me, I make sure my car gets the regular maintenance she needs. If I didn’t, I know she would not have made it to the 234,000 mile mark..and without any major repairs. Can you imagine what it would cost if I would have waited to replace the “fins” on my air conditioning unit?? Again, I have NO idea what fins are or what they do but I know I love my air conditioning.

For you it may be a car or even your home, maybe it is your pet or children. But what ever it is, we make choices everyday to put our time, effort, and hard earned money into maintaining it. We all know that regular maintenance will keep a furnace running more efficiently and prolong its life. Everything seems to do better when we take the time and commitment to maintenance.

I see clients, typically, when they are in extreme pain or they aren’t able to do the simple things they once took for granted. We take the time and energy to work on their pain and dysfunction. They are diligent with their “homework” and keeping their appointments. Then, when they are feeling better…poof…gone. I won’t see them until they are hurting again or they aren’t hitting that golf ball quite as far as last month. Why don’t we do for ourselves what we do for our car or home??

I’m imperfect, I make all these plans for my car, I budget for her, I pick only the best mechanic to work on her but I fail to do that for the body that carries and propels me through life. Why do we do that? Do we feel that we are not worthy of feeling better and moving better? We have the time and money when we are in pain, why can’t we do “preventative” maintenance on ourselves??
My plan is to live and move and experience life to its fullest until I die. Statistically, women live an average of 81 years, men 76 years. That is a long time!! For me, that is almost an additional 37 years! I think I need to be better about the “regular maintenance” of my body than I have been.
This is my promise and pledge to you, my clients…I will practice what I preach…I will schedule my regular maintenance to keep me fully functioning to help you and enjoy my life without pain and dysfunction…I will budget for my needs…I will recognize how simply lucky I am to have a body that can mend, heal, grow stronger, and propel me…I will not take for granted what I have been given. No matter how many “dings” this body may take on, it is still a work of art and deserves to be treated as if it was priceless (because it is!!)
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Take what you want from my mindful wanderings….because, ultimately….no matter what you choose, I will be here, helping you through your pain and helping you reach your goals….I will continue to be your “body mechanic”…but the choice is yours…be reactive or proactive…
Be passionate…take action…..

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