05/12/25
In one year, he put over 50,000 miles on the car.
His commutes to the office, client visits, and family trips put a strain on the vehicle.
When he drove on the highway, he often exceeded 100 mph.
Other times, he’d be in heavy traffic.
Stopping…
Accelerating…
Stopping again.
One day, as he was switching lanes to get to the exit ramp, the engine started to smoke.
He pulled over, and the car shut down completely.
The tow truck came and took the car away.
Days later, a mechanic told him that the car needed a new engine, a new transmission, and he’d be better off buying a new one.
Then the mechanic asked…
“When was the last time you got an oil change?”
The man was embarrassed because he’d been putting off getting an oil change for months.
His new car, with only 50,000 miles on it, broke down because he didn’t take care of it.
The fact that he drove the car 50,000 miles in one year was not the problem.
The car didn’t break down because he exceeded 100 mph on multiple occasions.
The engine didn’t go because he was frequently in traffic.
The car broke down because he didn’t take care of it.
With proper maintenance, the car would’ve been just fine.
The point?
We do not burn out because of the amount of work we have.
It’s not that the demand is too much…
It’s not that we’re moving too fast…
It’s not that we have too much on our plate…
We burn out when we forget to take care of ourselves and commit to the activities that give us the energy we need to keep going.
Just like how a car can be driven 300,000 miles and be perfectly fine with proper maintenance…
You can achieve incredible feats as long as you’re effectively managing your energy.
So care less about trying to “get stuff off your plate”…
And care more about committing to activities that give you the energy you need to put more on your plate.
Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to commit to regular maintenance)
