A few months ago, I drove the car into the garage door (accidentally) and knocked the car’s side mirror.  As a result, it got cracked.  There’s a long crack that goes through the middle which makes it difficult to see because it distorts the images.  However, I decided not to get it fixed right away.

Over the weeks, I’ve adjusted and learned how to navigate around it by looking just above the crack or just below it.  The other day, my husband was driving the car and commented we needed to get the mirror fixed.  Because I have been driving it for so long, I’ve gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother me anymore.  I even caught myself asking him why we needed to fix it because surely he could get used to seeing out of it.

This experience made me think about living with dysfunction.  We were never made to drive a car with a broken or cracked side mirror because that mirror serves an important function.  Without its full service, it messes up other things–like the ability to see at a quick glance what’s beside me.  Many of us have learned to live with things in our lives that we were never supposed to live with.  We have gotten used to the issue so we rarely even notice it any more.  We have adjusted our lives to a “new normal” that is not the most effective.

Hopefully, today you will give thought to those issues that shouldn’t be there.  How can you change it and get back to how it should be?  Do you even know what’s normal and how things should be?  If not, you may have to take a step back and ask some difficult questions. You may need a mentor or model to show you what’s normal.

Think about how much easier and fulfilling your life will be when you’ve given yourself a chance to confront the dysfunction and are taking steps to overcome it.  It’s much easier to drive a car with a fixed side mirror.  Take a moment and fix your side mirror.

~Coletta Jones Patterson

 *If you need help getting rid of dysfunction and issues in your life that are preventing you from moving forward, connect with me at info@moveu4ward.com and we’ll develop a realistic and motivating plan to action. I’ll gladly take the journey with you as your certified personal development and executive coach!