Tap the Brakes

I tapped the brakes. I paused just enough, and that made all the difference. As I was riding through this busy intersection on the way to work yesterday, I noticed a Coke truck barreling down the ramp. I had the green light, and he had the red light, but my instinct told me he wasn't going to stop. So I tapped the brake, and he flew right through that light and missed me by inches. I was pretty ticked off, because I almost spent my last morning on earth smooshed like a possum in the road. As I rode on to work, I thought it would be an ironic thing to discuss at my funeral about those old ads stating "Coke adds life," but not when you park a few tons of it on top of a Harley.

Later I came to a four way stop, and a car was sitting there to my right not moving. I waited about 30 seconds, then as I took off they suddenly took off and almost hit me! This had all the makings of a bad day. But it wasn't, it was a great day. I had lunch with a great friend named Lannell. He took me to Chick-Fil-A, which is a sure way to make my day better. I met a man named Jason, who started a bank from scratch and rocketed to the top of several key categories in his market, which was pretty inspiring. I had a thought-provoking call from someone doing leadership training.

Then after work I met an amazing guy named Jeff Hutsell. Jeff has tons of leadership experience in some great companies, and he translated that into a career in leadership coaching. He meets with, and learns from, hundreds of executives and entrepreneurs from a wide range of industries. The "rule of threes" often shows up in my life, so after my truck incident and narrow miss at the stop sign, it was not surprising that Jeff had written a book called "I Really Meant to Tell You..." Jeff's experiences had taught him that it is very difficult for us to tell people at work, at home, at church, school, or in the community how much the really mean to us, how much they inspire us or make our lives better, or how much we respect or need them. We assume they know. We feel awkward. We deflect with a joke or balance a compliment with criticism. And then one day... it is too late.  

And so I almost missed my chance. But I paused, I tapped the brake, and I gave myself today. I can't blow it; there are things I need to say and things I need to do. You probably do as well. As Jeff points out, it isn't always easy. But you've got to do it! Be strong, be courageous. Tap the brakes today and give yourself one more chance!

Jeff's book is on Amazon. Search for Jeff Hutsell under books, or for "I Really Meant to Tell You."