Devastating Car Noises and False Assumptions: Taking the time to know and not assume
It was a normal nice afternoon drive, but there was a persistent subtle noise coming from the front end of my car. A few years ago, I found a great deal on 2012 Audi with 26,000 miles on it. Now the car has 80,000 miles. If you have ever shopped for an Audi, you know that they have a reputation for breaking and being expensive to fix. Up to this point all has been smooth, but this noise was starting to make me nervous!
I turned off the A/C, rolled up the windows, turned off the air-conditioned seat and muted the radio. The noise persisted …
This one small noise was driving me crazy! I started car shopping, looking at trade-in value, and dreading the loss of my all-time favorite car.
Have you ever been there?
When is the last time you saw a small issue at work? When did you notice a “red flag”? When did you start to replay a conversation with a team member over and over again?
It’s wild how we can let our minds run with assumptions based on our experiences, data, and intuition. We can quickly ruin our day, jeopardize a project, and burn a relational bridge by assuming the worst and making decisions because of it.
After a day or so of my car running nice and smooth, I finally realized what was happening … a LEAF!! All the perspiration, car shopping, nervousness … and for what?
It was a crusty leaf with a good-sized root stuck under the hood right by the windshield, and it made plenty of noise! As the car accelerated the little root made a strong tapping noise reminiscent of an expensive car fix!
You’ve already judged me a bit, I’m sure! “Why didn’t you check?!” I never popped the hood for three reasons.
My wife doesn’t need to pretend I know what I’m looking at under the hood of a car.
If I looked under the hood, I wouldn’t know what I was looking at.
I was in a constant rush and didn’t take the time to do a full assessment of what was going on.
So much wasted time for something that was meaningless.
What if we took the time to actually assess the situation before jumping to conclusions?
What if we took the time to have a candid conversation before ruining our day and someone else’s?
What if we validated actual data and not our “emotional” assumptions based on insecurities and fears?
My guess is that we would have more enjoyable afternoon drives without worrying about little meaningless noises.
