Reconditioning vs. Redecorating - Grasshopper

Redecorating is an outside adventure. Reconditioning works from the inside out.

When something appears old and drab, we may decide to spruce it up. We redecorate. We create a new facade for all to see. But it goes no deeper than a new layer of paint.

Reconditioning goes behind the scenes and works on the supporting beams that allow our walls to stand.

Reminds me of a story  . . .

A high school friend bought a vintage car that didn’t run. It was a 1949 Plymouth. He didn’t even have a drivers license yet, but he loved cars. He decided to take the engine apart piece by piece. He did, and laid the scads of parts in his parent’s driveway. He bought a manual that detailed each part and replaced some that looked broken, worn, or rusted out. He put the engine back together as best as he knew how, but there were still a few parts on the driveway. But he tested what he had assembled and voila! the engine started. He worked from the inside out and reconditioned his engine.

He later had the car painted.

You can paint over termite infested wood to give it a glossy appearance but underneath it’s still rotting.

How often do we attempt to give ourselves outward appeal rather than being real and go beneath the surface and work on our conditioning?

An athlete with the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger may look spectacular, but if he hasn’t conditioned his boxing skills and steps into the ring, he’s primed for a knockout.

What habit or routine do you run that needs reconditioning? You don’t have to look far to find one. We all have them but some get in the way more than others and they bring our aliveness to a halt. That recognition is a choice point. Do we repaint the car or do we raise the bar and get under the hood?

Reconditioning is incremental; it’s not a quick fix. Ask anyone who’s been in physical rehab. There’s work to be done to get your car to run.

All the best,
John