You might have seen my tweet (@TraciBild) or Facebook post (Get Your Girl Back the Book) on my very expense fill up last week. When I say expensive, I’m talking $2,500 worth of gas- and I don’t fly a plane, I drive a Mercedes GL.
While this tank of gas was crazy expensive, the lesson was incredibly valuable. Remember- things happen for a reason- it’s not what occurs on any given day, it’s how you respond to it. So last week I was on the phone as I pulled in to get gas. Normally I would get off the phone but something was happening in the company that I was totally pulled into and rather than get off, I stayed on. My Mercedes takes diesel fuel so I waited for the pump to open up, pulled in, swiped my credit card and in truth, I don’t remember anything else.
What I do know is I pulled out of the station and about 100 yards down the road my car started shaking. With just 35K miles on it, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I pulled over and then it shut down and wouldn’t turn back on. As I sat there trying to figure out what happened, it hit me. “Oh shit, I put regular gas in the car!” I took a deep breath, called my husband to come get me and decided that there wasn’t a thing I could do about it; the deed had been done. Don’t get me wrong, I was stressed, but I immediately searched for perspective to help calm my nerves. It worked. I wasn’t in an accident, I had all my limbs, my kids were safe, and my husband was simply glad I wasn’t hurt. I had made a mistake. While a very stupid mistake, that is exactly what it was.
$2,500 worth of car repairs later and lots of thinking about what I was supposed to learn, it hit me. My lesson that day was twofold. One- slow down and two; trust my instincts. That week and even the week prior I had many moments where my gut told me to do something and I didn’t listen. As I noticed this happening I really was trying to pay more attention to my intuition but at times it just seemed like I was crazy, ha! I had told a few people about these experiences but still, I wasn’t fully paying attention. Life was trying to speak to me- yet I was on my phone, running around and too busy; so I got a wake-up call- an expensive, eye-opening one.
What you don’t know is that very morning as I was walking down the stairs to get in the car something said to me, clear as day, “Take Dave’s car.” I heard it, even thought about it but was too lazy to go back up and get his keys so I rationalized it was just a fluke and jumped in my Mercedes. Not ten minutes later, I was filling up with the wrong gas. As soon as I realized what had happened, I got the lesson and understood that life was trying to teach me something- to trust my instinct!
I now am aware and know that something big is coming my way and it’s going to challenge me and I am going to have to trust my gut. In preparation for this I’ve been given lots of small test and I’ve passed a few but failed most.
When we don’t learn from the test, the lesson gets harder and harder- that is exactly what happened to me. So I’m listening. I want to hear what my primal instincts are saying to me because when that moment comes, I want to make the right choice.
What about you? How many times have you heard your instinct speak to you yet failed to listen? Join me, and together, let’s commit to shut out the noise more often, tune in and listen to that person who knows us best- our own self. Sign up for my popular Notes from Your Girl are- a daily dose of inspiration, based on your own intuition about what is best for your life. They come in YOUR personal name and strike you in the heart to get your attention. If you’re not signed up yet, do so now. We have only had two people ever cancel their notes- they are life changing. http://gygb.com/ and will help better prepare you for the journey ahead.
Written by Traci Bild, Speaker, Author and Entrepreneur