Living off-road!

Bored of the hectic lifestyle? Feel that you need a change? Can’t tolerate certain people in your life? Consistently feeling that you are under pressure and can’t get out of it? .. You need to learn how to live off-road ..

Here are some off-road basics:

1. Adjust your tire pressure.
2. Check your engine.
3. Ensure you have enough supply for your trip.
4. Ensure you have recovery / emergency kit.

Let’s reflect on those four principals for off-roading, and learn how we can all benefit from those skills in life ….

1. Adjusting your pressure

While the majority of of normal people think that deflating the tires (removing pressure out of the tires) is recommended when off-roading, it is a fact that in many cases off-roaders will need to actually increase the pressure of the tires more than normal, especially in rocky mountains and in sharp edged-terrain conditions, this is to decrease the points of impact with tires and ensure you don’t get a tire puncture.

Now reflect this to our lives .. how many times (if any) do we decrease pressure? Are we living a high-pressure life? similar to rocky mountain off-roading? How far can we sustain under that sort of pressure?

Have you ever wondered why do we decrease pressure of the tires when we go to deep sand? The majority of people will say “So you don’t get stuck” right? Well .. that’s one reason, but the actual fact is that a powerful 4×4 would go into the desert without deflating the tires; however, this will exhaust the engine and it will soon over heat, then eventually burn out.. Got the point? Drive in today’s complicated life without removing pressure and you will make it for few days / months / years, depending on how powerful you are, then you will eventually burn out ..

Morale: Schedule time for pressure relief, and keep pressure down.. Learn when to put yourself under pressure and when to decrease that .. The gauge is under your control!

2. Check your engine

Going off-road without a properly maintained engine is too much risk, especially if you have to drive alone .. No one will be there to help you if your engine breaks down, and no mechanic will reach out to you easily ..

Do you remember the last time you were unable to work, physically or emotionally? Do you remember someone you know who lost / quit their job ? How many people will do your work? How many people will cover your absence willingly? How many will support and help? ……… One of the ugly facts of life today is that the majority of people today are either busy, or don’t bother .. We are surrounded by people everywhere who have lost the value of compassion .. We still have rare great people around us .. just don’t depend on anyone else .. take care of your own engine, and keep yourself in best shape ..

Morale: Covey, in his book “The 7 habits of highly effective people” has identified the 4 dimensions of keeping in best shape .. The Soul, The Body, The Mind, and The Heart.. Schedule them in your weekly diary.

3. The life supply

The worst feeling an off-roader will have is when they find out that they haven’t got enough supply .. simply because off-road, there are no places to shop from, and it is too far to ask for help ..

Probably once people cross the 40 years old, the majority of them will notice that they haven’t prepared enough supply for their journey, or they have consumed more than what they should .. Let’s reflect a little bit …

How many people will start thinking, it is time to join a gym and do some sports? How many will think “I should have spent my money somewhere else? How many will debate “I made wrong friends”? .. And all those backwards reflections that the majority of people will think about .. Sometimes we reach a state of thinking that what is left is probably not more than what has passed, and making use of the remaining resources, and trying to get more whenever is possible, is the best option at this stage ..

Morale: No matter what stage of your life you are, think wisely of what you have today and how you can make best use of it .. The definite information is that today you are one day less in your age clock, and tomorrow one more day goes as well .. Consume your resources wisely and ensure you keep some for the unknown tomorrow.

4. The recovery kit

Even the strongest machines, the highest trained drivers, the extreme-trained people will all need recovery one day … Why? Simply because you can’t beat nature .. Nature will beat you every single time you try to challenge it .. It is tough, it is wild and it is unexpected ..

That’s exactly how life is .. tough, wild and unexpected .. One day you have amazing time, laughs, and joy, then the next day it is sadness, madness, and grief ..

How do you get out of it? How do you SOS? Who will help? Who will understand your feelings? ……. Probably few, if any ..

Off-roaders will always carry a recovery gear to recover themselves, … by themselves! It would be great to have a team, or someone to help you, but you need to be prepared to help yourself if no one is available or interested to help you ..

Life is great, life is enjoyable, life is tough, and life is surprising.. Get out of the “today” seat, get out and feel the heat, feel the wind, look at the sky .. Have a feeling for tomorrow .. get prepared to what is coming  .. get yourself off-road!

Written by:

Engagement Expert, International Speaker & Pragmatic researcher