The three levels of self-awareness that I will refer to as “showcase car capsule” are the level of attention on the road, the level of attention on the internet, and the level of attention on the street. Each one of these levels has its own set of behaviors and habits. It is at this level of awareness that we are able to apply the brakes when we need to, and it is at this level of awareness that we can be truly self-aware.
We all make decisions in life that we know will have a positive or negative impact on our lives. When this applies to something like buying a new car or going to the dentist, we are more aware of our decisions. We can feel the impact of our actions with a more accurate assessment of the impact. A decision that is made incorrectly can be catastrophic. On the other hand, a decision that is made correctly can have a positive impact on our lives.
The problem is that our decisions are often so complex and have such a long lifespan that we don’t tend to get it right every time. So the average person can only make an accurate general assessment of the impact of their decision when they’re under the proper level of self-awareness. This is why everyone should have a ‘list of things to do’ on a daily basis.
I have the perfect list: what to do when we have to take our car to get a service or go to a mechanic. The most important ones are: 1) get the gas and oil changed, 2) get the brake pads, rotors, and tires replaced, 3) inspect the suspension, 4) check the brakes, 5) check the shocks, and 6) go to the dealership to get a new transmission because it needs to be changed.
Your car is already under the right level of self-awareness because it has been a car since you were in your 20s. The problem only becomes more complicated when there are other cars in the mix with engines that run on gasoline and oil, or when you have a car that has a transmission that needs changed. In other words, there are a lot of cars that you do not need to know about, but it’s still important that you know what to do for each of them.
The more cars you have in your garage, the larger your garage will become. If you have a garage with more than a few cars, you may have to consider whether you need to change the transmission for each car in there. This is something that you should have done for your car the day it was new, but it requires more self-awareness to do. For example, you may have had it tested recently, but you may not have realized the transmission needed to be changed.
The problem with self-awareness is that there are times when we don’t realize how we are changing things for ourselves. We have some time to think about what we are doing to ourselves, but then, of course, we are back to doing it. While our autopilot behavior is probably fairly benign, our habits, routines, impulses, and reactions can quickly turn us into monsters who think they are invincible.
One way to reduce the chance of becoming a monster is by taking ownership of your own thoughts and actions. It is very easy to think, “Oh, but I’m not going to do that,” or, “I’m going to do that,” or “Oh, but I’m not going to do that,” but then doing the thing is something that everyone knows they have to do.
It’s like a really good friend that won’t let you drive because you always stop at red lights. He’ll even help you get the car back on the road with a few words of encouragement, but then you have to do it yourself. The same way it is easy to start believing that you can change your thoughts, it is easy to start believing that you can change your actions.
I just found out that the title of the trailer has changed. It’s been a long while since I’ve used the title, but the new trailer is so good it’s just giving me peace of mind.