I was having breakfast with some friends this morning, and after 2 hours of catching up, we realized we needed to part ways. Before we did, my buddy Steve said something that gave me pause and I’ve been thinking about it since it hit me smack in the face:
Life requires maintenance. If you don’t do the maintenance, your life is going to fall apart, or you’ll have to burn the place down.
Wow!
I don’t like maintenance. Maintenance is hard work. I often put it off and procrastinate my maintenance. I don’t do it on purpose, I just DO.
Can you relate?
So I thought about the various aspects of my life, and I thought about how I could maintain them. Maybe they’ll be helpful for you too?
Relationships need maintenance. You have to care and feed the folks in your family and in your network, or they will forget about you or find ways to live without you.
Spirituality needs maintenance. You have to keep refreshing it by plugging into it every day or you’ll lose it.
Health needs maintenance. If you don’t eat right, or exercise regularly, your health will soon detiorate, and if you wait too long, it will be too late.
Skills need maintenance to stay useful. You have to sharpen your saw or you will become dull.
What in your life needs maintenance? Whatever it is, make sure you give it some attention today!
Photo credit: Kiwi NZ
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Phil,
Great message in this era of “do more with less,” multitasking, 24×7, etc, etc. We can get so focused on the here and now that we forget about the future.
Bill
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Thanks Bill. The RIGHT NOW isn’t always all that and a bucket of chips. The future matters too, and we must prepare for it NOW or it will be lost.
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This is a great sentiment. It’s also important to remember that maintenance isn’t always as time consuming or as draining as we may believe. If you do it right, maintenance can be meaningful and maybe even more satisfying than the big, grandiose gestures we often think we need to do.
Ellen – I think you’re right. Maintenance, if done at regular intervals, can recharge our batteries. I’m working to get to a point where it is on a schedule and thus, a habit. A good habit, but a habit nonetheless.
Thanks for the nudge!
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Great post Phil. I love the paradigm of maintenance. It’s a good reminder that life requires work and focus.
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Rick – it is quite a paradigm, and quite a shift for me to think about. Appreciate you stopping by!
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Thanks for nudging me. I simply have to get going on doing my taxes! Papers are piled up on my desk and I keep saying, “tomorrow.”
The IRS will not tolerate my lack of maintenance!
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I like the way you listed out the different aspects – life, health, spirituality, skills – It’s too easy to focus on one or just a couple and figure you’ll eventually get to the other areas. But they are all important, energy free flowing from one to the other.
Blessings!
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