This is not a post about the impact of bad gas upon the workings of an engine, but for a moment, let’s talk about how bad gasoline can impact your vehicle engine performance. For those of you who made New Years resolutions, or desire to make significant changes in 2025, we’re 4 days into the new year… possibly a good time to consider how some of the principles around bad gas can impact us in a negative manner. Perhaps by considering this metaphor, we can ensure we are creating a gameplan that helps us avoid bad gas so we can get where we want to go this year.
Footnote: I got my information about the “symptoms” below easily by googling “bad gas”. The website AAA.com is a trustworthy name to me so use the link to read for yourself if so inclined.
SYMPTOMS OF BAD GAS
- Your car isn’t starting
- The ignition is hesitant or sputtering
- You have issues accelerating
- The check engine light is on
- Your drive isn’t smooth
- There’s a delay when shifting
Additionally, I read on some different sites that in severe cases, bad gasoline can cause long-term damage to engine components. Bad gas can gum up your fuel system and clog the fuel filter. Not good!
Lead by my curiosity, I read from a link where people shared their personal experiences. Most comments seemed to cover the symptoms I listed above, but one struck close to home, likely because of my blog being centered around “climbing mountains.” The commenter talked about the difficulty their vehicle had in climbing hills due to the lack of power… sounds logical, but it seemed to connect the dots in where I wanted to go with this post.
So, let’s switch gears from a car engine and talk about this concept in a different way… and as I switch gears here, this isn’t even where I eventually want to go with this post… it’s just another example of how bad gas impacts us…
JUNK FOOD
I’m likely not telling you anything new here… but amuse me for a moment while I go down this path:
Physical symptoms of eating junk food:
- Weight gain
- Increased stress
- Fatigue
- Decreased energy level
- Difficulty sleeping
- Impacts blood sugar and blood pressure
- Increases inflammation
But wait! There can also be an impact on our mental health:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Shame
- Stress
I can’t see anything in these lists that would make poor eating a desirable thing… but for some reason, many of us (me included) are inclined to pull up to the gas station and put bad gas into our body…
I’ve touched on a couple examples of how bad gas can impact us. Now… I want to talk directly to the example that birthed this metaphor earlier this morning.
THINKING PATTERNS… MINDSET… MOTIVES…
I was up and at the coffee shop by a bit after 6:00 this morning to meet with a buddy and talk more about our personal goals for writing and pursuing better health… they are tied together in a powerful way for both of us.
As the conversation progressed, we talked about the motivations we had for writing and we each shared how earlier in our lives we pursued various challenges for the wrong reasons. My friend talked of the importance of writing to himself… meaning that it was a priority for him to seek his own approval verses seeking the approval of other readers. I can’t remember where we were in the conversation, but as he spoke of motives from earlier challenges he experienced in his life, I could relate… and I said, “Bad gas!”
Those motivations we carried within for why we wanted to accomplish various challenges was faulty… it was bad gas that propelled us forward.
The bad gas in our motivations:
- Lacked the ability to provide the horsepower needed to climb hills of opposition along our journey
- Failed to ignite on those mornings we were required to get going
- Lacked acceleration when we needed it most
And in the end… the check engine light went on and eventually we found ourselves on the side of the road with the engine hood raised, waiting for some tow truck to come and pick us up.
FRESH STARTS IN 2025
As we begin this new year, many of you may have made resolutions. Many of you may simply want to see different outcomes for 2025 and you’re mapping out how you want to get there. Can I encourage you to address the motivations that fuel your drive? Can I encourage you to be mindful of the fuel you plan on using to propel you forward?
Whatever your quest may be… make sure you are putting good fuel into your engine. Make sure the motivations you carry; the ones that fuel your fire, make sure they are motivations you can control. We cannot control how many “Likes” we get, we cannot control whether we increase our “followers”, we cannot always control whether our pursuits gain us acceptance or validation, but what we can do is control how our pursuits impact our own internal satisfaction gauge.
Go for it with all you have and be completely satisfied in your journey regardless of what those around have to offer you. I wish much success for you in your personal journey in 2025.