D . I . COLUMNIST The Real Deal with Tommy D ' Aprile
Recently , we had a vehicle towed to the shop for a repair . I asked my service manager what the car had come in for , and his response was , “ I am not sure .” I then called the owner of the vehicle and asked what seemed to be the issue . The owner of the vehicle responded with the same phrase , “ I ’ m not sure .”
Well , this boggled my mind a little , so I asked about the symptoms of the vehicle . The owner explained that when he parked the car it was fine , but when he went to move the vehicle , it would not crank or do anything . This was a beautiful car that was in showroom condition . The gentleman always kept it in an air-conditioned garage , and it was covered as well .
I again went out to his vehicle . It was then I noticed the date code on the battery . The date read 2001 . I called the customer again , and not until I questioned him a little more did he tell me that the last time he used the vehicle was around 15 years earlier .
Let me tell you this car looked perfect in every way , yet it was needing a bunch of attention , not due to wear and tear , but to the fact that it just sat and did nothing . You would think just sitting there the car would be fine . We see it in the movies where a car is found after years of storage , and as soon as the actor jumps in it starts right up . Yeah right . That ’ s Hollywood magic at its best right there .
This brings me to the point of this column . Vehicles are not much different from us in some ways . If we get complacent and sit around doing nothing , we deteriorate as well . “ All hard work brings a profit .” This is a verse straight out of the Bible , and boy , is that the truth . Many people sit around waiting for something to happen , while others work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor .
That car sat for years and was thought to be in great shape until the owner went to start it . The same can be said for us . We don ’ t get out of shape in a day or two , but after years of neglect we realize we are definitely out of shape .
But here is the good thing . Just like that old car that was sitting around for a while that we got back to tip-top running shape , you also can get back to the top of your game . Some of you have been sitting around for a while . Not that resting isn ’ t important , but years of neglect is a totally different story . I urge you to shake the dust off yourself and start getting back to a healthier running condition .
That old car will never be new again , but it runs great . You will never be younger tomorrow than you are today , but you can still get back into great running condition as well . Just like this guy finally took the cover off of his car and got it to the shop , you can take the cover off yourself and get to the gym , or just going out for a walk can make a huge difference in your day .
We drained all of the old fuel out of that car and put fresh fuel in it . The same for you . Get rid of all the junk you pour into your body and start replacing that with clean fuel food . If you are drinking energy drinks and coffee only , please limit those and add a healthy amount of water to your daily consumption . Our bodies are 60 percent water , not 60 percent crappy energy drink .
The internet is full of ways to make lifestyle changes for a healthier you . This guy ’ s car now runs fantastic , and he enjoys it daily , but he also knows that letting it sit for a long period of time again will put it right back into the awful shape it was in before .
Same for you . When you reach your goals , don ’ t stop and just put yourself back into storage . Keep yourself moving and make adjustments daily to keep yourself out of storage . As always , the choice is yours to make . DI
Email Tommy at tommyd @ dragillustrated . com
May / June 2022
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