In my early youth, I witnessed something that stayed with me for a long time – right up until today in fact. One day, a man who drove a truck for my father broke down (the truck, not him) and needed towing to a workshop (lets call him Jim). The guy towing him, (lets call him Bill), hooked up the towrope and after a brief discussion they set off. I rode shotgun with Bill. We hadn’t gone far when Bill started to show signs of strain; on himself and the vehicle he was driving. There were a lot of expletives and cursing, (the lingua franca of the building trade back then), especially when driving up even the mildest of inclines.

The Journey – not the Destination.

When we (finally) arrived at our destination, Bill grumpily got out and declared that Jim’s vehicle must be made of lead or gold or some other previously undiscovered material that had the same atomic weight of a small planet. In other words, it was f*****g heavy! This brought a smile to Jim’s pipe-laden lips (Jim liked a pipe).

“Ah, that’s an old trick I learned many years ago”, says Jim in his best Donegal twang. Bill was visibly shocked and had to ask, “What dya mean, an old trick?”

Keeping it Tight.

“Now, the trick to towing” declared Jim, “is keeping the towrope tight”, adding a sideways nod, and throwing in an ill-timed dose of undisguised pride at his advanced knowledge of such matters.  Bill started to glow like the truck’s wheel hubs that now resembled a nuclear reactor going into meltdown. Lets cut to the chase here. Yes, Jim had intentionally applied the handbrake for the whole journey, and indeed, it DID keep the towrope tight! But at what cost?

Holding Back the Years.

Memories of this incident made me reflect on the various ways we end up driving with the handbrake on in our lives. I recognise its something I’ve often (and still do) do in my own life. The effects on the truck are obvious, immediate and expensive – damage and danger! But perhaps the effects on us aren’t so immediately visible or apparent, not at first anyway. How long before the next breakdown? What happens when the brakes go completely?

Braking the Mold.

For Jim, it was all about control, there was no engagement with his own powers of discernment, this was more “hold on tight” rather than a subtle engagement with his resources, no sensing of when to apply control, when to glide and flow – the time to hold on, the time to let go? This was more “command and control” (with all its illusions of power) rather than being in the moment, wisely reacting and responding to the demands of the situation. And yes, it did give him a temporary degree of control and sense of security. Luckily, it was a short journey, for this sense of “control and security”, according to physics (and I like physics) would only last as long as the brake linings on the truck…how long would that be?

So I Ask You.

How are you driving with the handbrake on?

Is it by playing small?

Is it by denying your talents?

Is it because the world just wouldn’t understand you if you “let go a bit”?

It’s Time.

As a dear friend once said to me “the time is now”.

The time for what I hear you ask?

The time to stop playing small?

The time to drop the self-limiting beliefs?

The time to stop looking for certainty in an uncertain world?

The time to let the handbrake off and see where your talents will take you?

Ask yourself these questions.

How does the handbrake show up in your life?

What is it protecting you from?

What is it stopping you from doing?

What might happen if you released your own handbrake?

Where might it take you?

Don’t Go Braking My Heart.

For the curious? Bill and Jim lived happily ever after…after taking a short “brake”!