Are You Stalling Out?
In the last post I talked about taking the next logical step from Getting Ready and Getting Set, which pressing down on the gas to GO! But anyone who has operated any sort of gas-powered engine from lawnmowers to motorcycles to automobiles knows that if you pump on the gas too much you will flood the engine and it will end up stalling out.
When you “flood the engine” it means an excessively rich air-fuel mixture has exceeded the upper explosive limit for that specific fuel and the starter will not fire the spark into the internal combustion engine to start the pistons moving until the rich fuel mixture clears. Usually this means waiting a short while and then trying to start the engine again.
When you’re in Get Ready / Get Set mode and psyching yourself up to get started, you might be pumping yourself up too much with a rich fuel mix of stress, anxiety, excitement, fear, and anticipation. These strong emotions might keep you from firing reliably on all cylinders and could cause you to stall out.
Stalling out might take the form of procrastination or manifest as a bad attitude or turn you into a nit-picking perfectionist finding invisible excuses to keep from taking that next step and trying to start your engine.
Just like the internal combustion engine, you just need a little time for that rich mix of emotions to level out.
- Take a break.
- Go for a walk.
- Go to the gym.
- Read a book.
- Watch funny or inspiring videos on YouTube.
- Play with your pet.
- Hug your kids or significant other.
Go do something that makes you feel good and will relieve/burn-off some of that excessive emotional fuel and then get back in the driver’s seat and turn. the. key.
Once that engine turns over, your attitude and anxiety will turn over as well. And when you hear the powerful potential of that engine rumbling, you’re going to stop all your grumbling and head out for the open road because success is on the horizon!
