Lessons From the Auto Mechanic
It was a rainy evening the day before Christmas Eve. And instead of bustling around for last-minute gifts, I found myself leaning over the counter at my auto service shop reviewing the many things that were wrong with my car.
As the tech went over each one and my eyes widened at the estimate, he finally asked me, “Have you been taking your car somewhere else? You haven’t brought your car in for service since early 2019.”
I felt like a child being reprimanded. I stammered, “Um, yeah. I get oil changes at the place near my house.”
“No, not oil changes; I mean your regular service appointments. If you’d brought your car in earlier, a lot of this would have been covered under the warranty.”
My cheeks flushed. I felt irresponsible. And like I’d wasted money (or was about to!) unnecessarily on something that would have been covered if I had just brought the car in earlier.
He pressed again, “I mean, where were you?”
He was acting like I had stood him up for a date, his eyes staring at me through the plastic sneeze-guard between us. But the question rang in my ears.
“Where was I?”
The answer was simple. I had been busy. Very busy. Very, very, very busy.
For the past few years (before the pandemic), my business had been growing and thriving. We expanded. We stretched ourselves. And then we shut down in March 2020 and did the infamous pivot dance.
But the message (and lesson) from my mechanic was clear. I had been so busy and overwhelmed in my business, that I dropped the ball on getting my car serviced. For almost three years. There was more to this metaphor than just the leak in my coolant fluid.
So, it was there in the shop that I made my 2022 resolution. Work differently, work spaciously, add ease, allow more time.
Accompanied with a promise that I made to myself right there in the shop. Never again. Never again will I run and hustle and over-work to the point of ignoring the rest of my life. You see, it’s not about the car (although it was a pricey lesson). It was about the bigger picture. I was working like a dog all the time…mostly because I was so passionate about it, but still…too darn much. My mind had been so full with emails and numbers and plans and events that I didn’t even realize that three years had passed since I had last stood in that shop. It was as if life had been lived on fast-forward.
When the auto mechanic asked where I’d been, I felt as if I barely knew. Where had I been? I had been building something amazing and something I was so proud of. And then shifting to save it or change it or evolve with it. But, in the hustle, I had become very fatigued and more recently even burned out. It had all gotten so busy that I couldn’t take any more information in, big or small….auto-repair or otherwise.
I realized how important it is not just to create a business or work that aligns with your passion and values (yes, definitely), but also aligns with your whole life. And in that whole life, you need to get your car repaired. You need to say “yes, I can chat” when your friend calls and needs a listening ear. You need to have time for a nourishing breakfast. You need time to research that karate teacher for your kid. You need time to get your personal finances in order. You need time to meditate. You need time to clean off your desk. You need time to plan that trip. You need time for when it all falls apart. And, you need time for when you’re putting it all back together again.
So, this year my dear community, I invite us to build things differently, to work differently. With ease, spaciousness, and priorities. Delete that to-do item, drop that unnecessary standing meeting, replace it with a walk in the trees or a meditative moment. Connect with others who lift you up (take the naysayers off your calendar), ask for help. Paint, write, dance, and clean out your closet…maybe all at the same time. Oh, and get your car serviced. :)
Grace Kraaijvanger is the Founder of The Hivery, a former professional dancer, a mom to two teenagers, author of a book-in-progress, married to a Dutchman who brings her coffee in bed (there is pleading involved), and dog mom to Moxie (her quirky wire-haired dachshund who has the face of an old man). She tries to balance business and life without missing her Wednesday hikes, and has recurring car maintenance on her calendar. Grace believes you can build a viable and inspiring business, without the hustle and overwhelm, and she believes that spaciousness is the secret ingredient behind every happy entrepreneur.
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