Is your car like you, or are you like your car?
My family is weird about cars. Every single car we’ve ever owned. I can’t really explain it, but each car has a story and is filled with memories of that time in our lives. Actually…maybe I just explained it.
I doubt that we’re the only family like this, so maybe I’m not all that weird about it, but the relationship someone has with their car can tell you a lot about that person. That relationship gets blurry and it can be hard to know if the car takes on the personality of the owner, or the owner takes on the personality of the car. Maybe it’s both.
All I can say is that I strive to be more like my car.
I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee…
…and have since 2005. Considered old by today’s car standards, I guess, but that girl celebrated her 152,000 mile birthday recently so she deserves her own blog post. It’s my blog and I do what I want. Shut up.
She’s naturally taken on some of my personality traits: a little messy but can clean up halfway nice, dents and dings proudly tell a story and aren’t hidden, and there’s usually always at least one thing that needs servicing (this week it’s tire pressure and my left wrist, respectively, FYI.)
But, still, I strive to be like my car and here are 3 reasons why:
1. It’s anything and everything I ask it to be.
It’s been a band tour bus full of gear, and a school bus that gets kids to school on time (ish). Years ago, we picked up a girl for a blind date (she’s my wife now — because of me or the car? The world will never know.), and it brought home our two oldest sons from the hospital in their first days of life.
My car has always known how to stay relevant and roll with how the phases of life come and go.
2. My car never let shortcomings get in the way of doing what it needed to do.
There are few out there that know that when you’re a passenger in my car and it’s raining…like really, raining hard…you’re going to get a little wet. Deal with it. The seal around the sun roof isn’t what it used to be and yeah, she leaks. But it’s not like she can’t drive in weather. Driving in storms isn’t ideal, but my car knows that it has to perform if it wants to get out of it.
If you can look past a few small imperfections, we’re all going to get along just fine.
3. Have the courage to be counted on, but also to count on someone else.
It’s great to be able to say that someone, or many someones, count on you for something. But it’s just as great to say that you’re badass enough to be able to count on someone else. My car relies on my to keep her serviced, clean, oiled, and gassed. I do my best (and have learned my lesson about keeping her gassed from a previous car).
Being trustworthy is badass. Being able to trust is just as badass.
(BONUS) 4. Reality > Perception.
We all know that someone who uses their car to exude a personality — to shape their perception. That neighbor down the block or that kid from high school who won’t shut up on Instagram or those parents in the carpool line. They want their car to shape your perception of them, as if to say, “I’m in this car, so therefore I am this car.”
Maybe it’s true. Maybe they are indeed that amazing machine they drive around. It’s very possible. It’s also possible that they’re trying to be someone that they’re not.
She’s dinged up and has some hail damage. There’s some paint issues. She leaks and there’s always a light on on the dashboard. But my car is everything I strive to be because this lady gets it done. Not just in spite of all that, but because of all that.
Whether you’re talking about parenting, entrepreneurship, self-improvement, or relationships, there are personality traits of our cars that we should pay attention to and learn.
Ugh. Ok, fine, maybe I am a little weird about it.
#bewhatyoumake
