Imagine Your A Car

Imagine you’re a car, just for a second. Any age, model and make. You don’t need to be a mechanic or an expert on the subject to do this as I want to keep things nice and basic.

So there you are in all your new found glory. Your only mission now is to get from A to B as smoothly and efficiently as possible, with as little damage to yourself as you can. 

What kind of things need to be in place for you to complete your task?

Well first off to even exist as a car you’ll need to have a body. Doors, windows, seats inside, a steering wheel and tyres on the road to make sure you can do the job required of you. If any part of this isn’t present or working properly you’re going to have problems.

Next thing all cars need, including you, is an engine. Without that your car body can’t move anywhere so you’d be a pretty pointless car, right? Your engine needs to be well maintained to make sure you don’t break down half way through your journey because replacing your engine is a difficult and expensive process!

Lastly, all cars need fuel. Without the fuel nothing will work and your goal of getting from A to B won’t even begin. Even if you have fuel, you need to ensure you have enough to at least get to the next petrol station and ideally enough to get you all the way to your destination. If not, you’ll break down. 

Now we know a little more about cars, sure. But what’s the point in this exercise?

Well if you haven’t guessed it yet, the car is a metaphor for YOU.

In order to complete your daily tasks, you need a body to do so. Your muscles need to work properly, your senses honed in and your joints need to be able to move where they should.

How does all this happen?

Well, you need an engine to communicate your intent. This part is your brain. Your brain will tell everything in your body what to do and it will drive you toward your next destination however it sees fit. Without maintenance, this process will become sluggish and inefficient leading to a less smooth journey and more damage to the body over time. 

And for all of this to keep working and working as much as you need, you’ll need fuel. How full your fuel tank is shown by how well your nervous system works. Does your nervous system have the capacity to carry you from A to B? If so, how much reserves have you got left to use while you’re there? And if no, what signs are you seeing that you’re breaking down?