As small business owners, husbands, wives, parents, sons, daughters, best friends, organization members and more we all have our share of difficult problems, set-backs and struggles. Let’s call them dents. Many times these dents we cause ourselves (stupid mistakes, anyone?) and other times they happen to us – powerless to do anything about it.
The sage wisdom of Pixar
One of the great things about owning your own business is having the ability to take time off as needed. Each Wednesday, I take the day to hang with my kids. During the school year, it’s only the youngest (Beale, who is 3) that I’m with. During the summer, it’s all 4 kids I’m spending time with.
Some days we hang around the house, other days we figure out something a little more fun. Last week, we saw Cars 2. I’ll spare you a full-blown review of the movie, but it’s a much different plot than the original Cars movie
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This edition sees Mater, a beat-up, old tow-truck from the little town of Radiator Springs, pulled into service as a spy. Think James Bond (or Get Smart) within the format of Cars.
Don’t touch the dents
At one point, Mater’s spy friends attempt to use a special cloaking device to disguise him as a newer, nicer truck. They run into a small snag though; his dents are too difficult for the technology to cover up.
The solution is easy – fix the dents. Mater, though, was having none of it. He said something to the effect of, “These dents are much to valuable to fix. They are the memories of time spent with my friends.” He refuses to fix his dents. Mater was proud of his appearance.
Back to you and me…
The key question is this – How do you view your dents?
Are they embarrassing? Are they a hinderance? Are they worth celebrating? Mater embraced his dents – easier for a cartoon character, right?
I’ve come to a conclusion in my life – I can’t hide my dents. I can attempt to cover up my mistakes and struggles, but the result is more work than what it’s worth. People see our scars – not the cause but the effect. We can’t hide them.
Talking, writing, sharing about my struggles, worries and concerns empowers me. I own who I am, what I look like, and where I’ve been.
Mater is a lot smarter than I ever gave him credit for. I’m going to start embracing my dents.
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