Almost on Empty - What Happens When We Ignore the Warning Signs!
I was driving to work one morning. The warning light shone on the dashboard. I needed fuel. I knew I should have stopped for fuel the night before. I watched with a bit of trepidation as the fuel gauge said I had 9 miles until I was on empty. Then suddenly it said 6 miles until I was on empty. I was sitting at a red light, "enjoying" the morning Atlanta traffic. While I knew I would make it to the gas station, I experienced a bit of anxiety since the fuel gauge suddenly dropped without warning.
Then this crazy thought came to mind.
What if I kept driving? What if I passed the gas station and just kept going?
I knew I could make it to the interstate, but there was no way I would make the 30+ mile drive to work. I would run out of fuel on the interstate and have to figure out how to refuel before I could continue my commute. I would have to call a family member. Or I would have to thumb a ride to the nearest station and buy a gas tank and fuel and then walk back to my car.
Good news. I stopped and got fuel. I filled up and made it to work without any issues. But as I continued my drive to work I began to wonder and asked myself this question:
How many times do we run out of fuel in our lives because we do not heed the warning signs?
We end up stranded on the side of the road of life because:
-
We ignored the low fuel gauge.
-
We think we can make it to the next gas station.
-
We are so busy with the thousand tasks in front of us that we do not even see the low fuel sign until the engine starts spitting and sputtering and eventually dying.
-
We think we are invincible and nothing can stop us from achieving our goal.
There are a multitude of reasons we run out of fuel.
You are probably thinking, if only there was a "low fuel" sign for life like there is an automobile!
However, the low fuel signs are all around, but we often miss them. Worse yet, we refuse to take heed when we see the warning signs.
Warning Signs
Here are a few examples of low fuel signs:
Your Body
Your body is always talking to you if you will listen. It could be a headache, a feeling in the gut of your stomach or a feeling of malaise. There are thousands of ways your body speaks to you. The key is to learn to listen.
Recently, my body was speaking to me and telling me my stress level was getting high. Things were pretty intense at work and I was reacting instead of responding to situations. I started having headaches, which I never do. My gut was telling me something was wrong. I ended up getting my blood pressure checked and realized it was somewhat high. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my physician and we came up with a plan to address the situation and get my blood pressure under control.
Listen to your body. It speaks to you. Make sure you do not ignore when your body tells you that you are running low on fuel.
Your Mental State
Evaluating your mental state is one of the best ways to determine if you are almost on empty. Your mental state, after your body, is one of the most powerful tools in determining your current status. Take a moment to answer the following questions:
-
Are you more on edge?
-
Are you reacting instead of responding to situations?
-
Are you snapping at others, especially those closest to you?
-
Are you having difficulty making a decision?
You will quickly know your current mental state by answering these questions. If you answer yes to these questions, then you are likely running on empty or very close to it.
Your Friends
Have you ever had a friend come up to you and tell you that you looked tired? Or maybe they said that you are not acting normal? While we cannot listen to everything our friends say, it is important to at least pause to consider what your friend group is saying to see if there is any truth. A comment such as these two examples, combined with what your body is saying, will help you determine if you are running low on fuel.
That Still Small Voice
Sit down for a minute. Turn off the music. Turn off the television. Place your phone on airplane mode. Take off your smartwatch. Place your smartphone and smartwatch together in another room. Get in a comfortable chair and sit up straight. Be still. Be quiet. Listen to what that still small voice is speaking to you. What is that voice saying to you?
That still small voice, the one we all have and so many times try to drown out, will let you know where you are and what you need. It will let you know if you are running on empty. It will let you know if you need a pit stop to refuel or if you have enough fuel in the tank to go further.
These are just a few ways we can determine if we are almost on empty. Use any or all of these tools to help you determine your current fuel level.
Unfortunately, sometimes we ignore the warning signs and we stall out.
Out of Fuel and on the Side of The Road
Too many times we ignore the warning signs. We blow past the gas station, thinking we can make it to the next stop, only to find ourselves stranded on the side of the road. We sit there and see the fuel tank registering empty and shocked we are in our current situation. Then we ask ourselves the all too obvious question, "what do I do now?" There are several things you can do to ensure you refuel and get back going as quickly as possible.
Make Sure You Are Safe
Many years ago I had a patient in the hospital who was involved in very bad car accident. She was on the interstate and got into a wreck with another driver. They got out of their cars and into the median to wait for help. They left their automobiles on the interstate. Unfortunately, the wreck was on a curve of the interstate and the eighteen wheeler that came around the bend did not see the automobiles until he was right up on them. He made a split decision and swerved into the median in order to avoid a collision, only to plow over both of them. One of the drivers was killed instantly. The other driver ended up in the ICU on a vent.
We must make sure we are safe even when we run out of fuel and find ourselves stranded on the side of the rode of life. Let's be honest. We all run out of fuel at one time. It is inevitable. When that happens, make sure you are safe. Do not get out of the proverbial car on the interstate! You may end up being hit by a Mack Truck!
Call For Help
When we run out of fuel and are stranded it is because we ignored all the signs we discussed earlier. That usually leads to a sense of embarrassment. The last thing we want to do is call for help. We fear our friends or family telling you those four words: I TOLD YOU SO!
However, if your friends or family truly care, they will answer your call for help. They will not judge you. They will support you, pick you up, build you up and help you refuel.
But to clarify, you ran out of fuel on the side of the road of life because you ignored all the signs we discussed above. So, while it is important that your friends are supportive, be sure to listen to them as they try to encourage you to avoid this in the future.
I remember very clearly when my life came to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, I got out of the "car" and got plowed by the proverbial Mack Truck. And just for good measure, the Mack Truck backed up and ran over me again. Life wanted to be sure I learned my lesson. I reached out to my family. My family was amazing and supportive and helped me through one of the most trying times of my life. However, I had ignored there warnings for several years. So, while the were amazingly supportive, loving and gentle, they also gave me some wise words to make sure I did not find myself in my current situation again. My pride did not want to hear it. But my soul needed to.
My point. Listen. Put your pride aside. Adopt a humble heart. If you do, you just might learn something.
Conclusion
Life is fast paced. We are all in a hurry to get somewhere. However, just list an automobile, we all need to stop from time to time and refuel. Unfortunately, too many times we ignore the warning signs and keep going. When that happens, we find ourselves stranded on the side of the road of life. However, if you heed the warning signs we discussed then you can avoid running out of fuel. If you do find yourself out of fuel, we also discussed a few ways to get yourself refueled.
Live your dream. Go for that big audacious goal. Just remember to stop and refuel regularly!
