Perspective

Talking to my younger brother yesterday (an activity I avoid for my own sanity) ended up being a lecture more than a conversation. He went into his diatribe about what he wanted to "do to his car" and I went into my diatribe about how he needed to change his thinking. Now my disclaimer is that I have absolutely no issues with "suped up cars." If you want to 757 wings on the side of your geo metro and then finish it off with some shiny 6" shoes then so be it. Just make sure that you have everything else in your life in order. I will never understand parking your 7 series BMW outside of an efficiency apartment.

Also, my other issue is that you should stay in your lane. Do not spend money on an M45, paint it Barney purple, put giant rims on it and then have the names of your children written on the back window. Why not just buy a chevy and do that mess?

My brother has an accord...sedan (4cylinder)....*face*...if your car allows for the easy insertion of a car seat, let your dreams of having a racing wagon go...please...


So I asked him what exactly he wanted to do to his car, the cost of it, the time for the labor, who would do it, what would that do to the overall value of the car etc. To each question he had very prompt and calculated answers.


Then I asked him what his plans were in May once he finished his AA. I asked if he was going to continue at the CC or if he was transferring. If he was transferring where did he want to go? What would be the difference in tuition rates? What would his major be? Where would he live?


His response? (Crickets)


I stepped back and explained to him that while I was not trying to crush his plan it was obvious to me that his thinking was the motivating factor for his actions. He thought about his car, pined over it, enjoyed the process of ruining his hearing permanently by listening to an artist that won't have another hit, ever, at an octave that was ridiculous. I told him that where he focused his mental attention inevitably determined what manifested in his life. Don't think about continuing school and plan for it, then you won't get there. Point Blank.

We can apply that to our daily lives as well. Are you wasting time thinking about things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things...instead of focusing that attention on something that will ultimately benefit you? I am....time to change that thinking and change the subsequent actions.