He Might Have a Gun!
I never thought that a simple trip home from a cruise would teach me such a valuable lesson. It was New Year’s Eve, and Terri and I were rushing to pick up our dogs from the kennel before it closed at 5:00.
Our flight had been delayed, and to make matters worse, the airline “misplaced” our luggage in the 50 yards from the plain to the terminal (sigh). It seemed like everything was working against us.
We finally got our luggage and headed for the kennel; I realized I only had 60 minutes to make it on time. But the holiday traffic was unbelievable, and frustration mounted with every passing mile.
People were driving like idiots…
Unfortunately, I was one of those idiots!
In a moment of impatience and anger, I made a reckless decision. I started speeding down Rte. 17, trying to weave in and out of the left lane to get around the slow drivers.
That’s when I cut off a red car, and the driver became furious. He pulled up beside me and flipped me off, and for a moment, I thought he might pull out a gun.
Terri was terrified, and it hit me — hard — my impatience had put us in a potentially VERY dangerous situation.
I knew that I had to stop.
I let the pissed off driver pass me, and I made a promise to myself and my wife that I would never let impatience cloud my judgment on the road again — EVER!
We made it to the kennel five minutes late, and I was so grateful that nothing serious had happened. My wife told me firmly (with her scary, I-used-to-be-a-911- dispatcher voice) that I had scared her, and in that moment, I knew that I had made a big mistake.
I apologized and promised her I would never put our safety at risk again.
We made it home safely, with our dogs in tow, and as we celebrated New Year’s Eve.
However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of how close we had come to a disaster. From this day forward, I will ALWAYS make sure to stay calm and collected behind the wheel, no matter how late I was or how bad the traffic is.
The safety of my loved ones was worth much more than a few minutes saved on the road.
I’ve learned that it’s never worth risking safety for the sake of saving time. Losing sight of safety, even for a minute, can change your life forever.
And I know that staying calm, cool, and collected, even when it feels like everything is unraveling, is the only way to stay in control.
I also realized that if I want to be a responsible adult, I must act like one — especially behind the wheel.
Now…
What does this have to do with The New Year?
Just like cutting off that driver was a NEGATIVE cause set in motion that could have had disastrous consequences for my entire family — physically, financially, and otherwise — we all need to be VERY careful of the causes we set in motion at this time of year (right now).
Which Causes Will You Set In Motion This Year?
Positive: Exercising daily.
Negative: Sitting on the couch and watching 4 hours of TV a day.
Positive: Eating a balanced diet in moderation.
Negative: Shoving the closest thing you can grab in your mouth while watching TV.
Positive: Creating a budget, savings, and investment plan.
Negative: Overspending and accumulating debt.
Positive: Engaging in daily meditation and mindfulness practices.
Negative: Engaging in self-talk that would shock people if you spoke it out loud.
Positive: Learning something new every day to expand knowledge and skills.
Negative: Sitting on the couch and watching 4 hours of TV a day.
Positive: Taking consistent, daily action toward your clearly defined goals.
Negative: Sitting on the couch and watching 4 hours of TV a day.
You laugh at the “4 hours of TV a day” (who does that?), but…
I can see 2 of the negative ones I need to work on myself. Nobody is immune! But just by consciously deciding which causes you will set in motion (positive or negative), you will create a cascade effect in your life (good or bad).
Also,
You usually can’t STOP doing something unless you REPLACE IT with something else.
If you need to stop sitting on the couch and watching 4 hours of TV a day, you better replace it with some other activity, or you’ll see your butt back on that couch on autopilot!
Nature abhors a vacuum… and an empty couch!
Go put some causes in motion this year that will benefit you!
One of the best is to write a book. If you want to do that, check this out. We’ve already helped hundreds of people use AI to do all the heavy lifting with writing a book, and we can help you too! It’s not too late to sign up… but time is running out!
