Years ago, on a frigid evening in Cleveland Ohio, I suffered the unthinkable. After hours of visiting with friends at a local mall, we said our goodbyes and hustled to our cars. One by one, my friends drove off. Suddenly, I realized I was in serious trouble. I turned my ignition key several times only hear a slight “click.” Turn after turn of the ignition yielded nothing but the same faint sound. Trust me, I’m not a mechanic, but even I knew what was wrong. I had jumped out of my car in such a rush and forgot to turn off the lights. As a result, my battery was dead.
This has happened to many of us, and we all testify it is never convenient. That night, I was stuck in a refrigerator of a car for hours waiting for someone to come over and give me a jump. Once connected to a battery with life, my battery received a charge, and I was able to make it safely to my destination. A battery is the lifeline of our automobile and has the power to generate electricity throughout the engine. One small act of negligence can render it powerless and drained. At times, our lives can feel the same way. The daily grind of work, family, money issues, and even health can pull and pull on us until we feel there is nothing left. At those times, we feel like a dead battery needing to be recharged.
Here are some tips to make sure we aren’t “stuck” in the parking lot of life:
- Although a battery is strong, it is not an indefinite source of power. Neither are you: Our first mistake in life is thinking we have no limits. We push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion daily and wonder why we contract sicknesses. We need periodic downtime in our lives. Without it, we are walking into disaster.
- Check yourself for anything that can “drain” you: Batteries die because things are left on to pull on their power. Check the people you associate with and the content of your conversations. Often we can avoid the “drainers” and hold onto our power. You don’t have to answer everyone who is asking for your time.
- When you perform routine maintenance on yourself, you lower the chance of battery failure: When you look at the owner’s manual of your car, it tells you when it is best to have the car serviced. Major repairs are sometimes avoidable with proper attention. Our lives can truly thrive if we connect with people we trust to give a service check with our attitudes, motives and integrity.
- When in trouble, always have someone reliable to call: Accidents happen. In life, we can hurry along and leave a door ajar or our lights on for too long. When this happens, we will be stuck with a dead battery. In these times of need, it is vital to have someone on speed dial that will come and give us the jump we need. They are the faithful friends who have the power to recharge us.
Although my ordeal was only a couple of hours in a cold car, it felt like days. It’s definitely no fun to be stuck. You feel like everyone around you is passing by you. They seem to be on their merry ways while you sit stranded. You may be feeling like this at work or in your love life. Don’t worry. There is always someone you can count on to show up with the resources to get your life’s motor running and keep you recharged.
© 2012 – 2013, Cherese L. Jackson. All rights reserved.
Cherese L. Jackson is co-founder of New Direction Coaching Associates, an organization dedicated to developing individuals, groups and companies to the core beliefs and visions that make them profitable in all they endeavor.
