I absolutely love this perspective from a friend of mine! And have felt it benefit my attitude and motivation, I hope it can help y’all.
“I had a good conversation with David this evening about how I tend to want to push myself to the breaking point because I feel like that’s how I show that I’m doing all that I can. And I had the image of a fuel gauge come into my head. And with it was this analogy:
In life, I for some reason have this notion in my head that I need to use up every last drop of fuel in my tank before I can stop to refill it. Yet in reality that’s not the smart or even a responsible thing to do. I have this part of me that says I have to push myself as far as I can go to prove that I tried my hardest.
But what I need to to when the low fuel light comes on is to pull over at the next gas station so I don’t end up running on fumes and risk getting stranded on the side of a road. I need to learn what my warning signs are and heed them instead of pushing through them. Or better yet fill up earlier, before the red light turns on, and save the time it would take later in getting a tow truck, or the stress of wondering if I can make it to a gas station in time.
Also if you think about it in terms of distance, or growth, who will move the farthest the quickest; the person who always stops ahead of time to get fuel or the person who drives on fumes and had to get a tow truck all the time because they end up stranded in the middle of nowhere?
In my future home I want to put a sign on the wall that says something like “how is your fuel level today?” And have a fuel gauge below it. That way I can be reminded everyday to take some time to recharge. As David said, he likes to fill up his gas tank when it’s 1/2 full on our long trips because we never know how long it will be until we find another gas station. In life we never know when an unknown challenge will hit like a child getting sick or a friend needing help. We need to be ready and have enough fuel to make it through a trial. Like the parable of the ten virgins we need to have oil in our lamps and gas in our tanks.”
What sort of things do you do to “fuel up?” Do you STOP when those warning signs appear? Do you know those warning signs?
A HUGE part of coping is KNOWING where you are emotionally so that you can plan your life accordingly.
