My Lexus is 3 years old, and I have loved this SUV more than any other vehicle I've ever driven. It became my primary focus to buy a 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive that was a little higher off the ground than my previous car. The sedan I'd had previously was pretty, it was girly, it was easy to park; it was all the things. ALL of 'em. But one day I was on the island showing waterfront homes to out of state buyers and the sand was slightly damp from an early morning summer shower. My beautiful white (and sort of sparkly) car, with her beautiful leather seats and whatnot had the audacity to get stuck. I was mortified but, hey, I'm not trying to have a bad day so I let my clients know that it would be fine, and I would get help. The client-husband was having none of that; he wanted to save the day! So, there he was. A middle-aged gentleman from Arkansas, lying on his belly next to my car at the beach, digging wet sand away from my tires with his bare hands. It started to rain again . . . GOD HELP ME. I finally convinced my new friend that help was on the way, and it did indeed arrive about 4 minutes later. That jarring experience is what sent me into a full-on mission to buy a new car 3 years ago. (Don't worry! My client bought 2 homes on the island that week and we're still friends! #winning) Needless to say, on the drive home, my husband, John, got an earful. We've been married a very long time, and he knows the drill; now he had to be on mission, and he's never failed when it comes to that kind of support. Very shortly after that day, he found my lovely black (and still a little sparkly) vehicle and I became the happy owner of this beloved SUV and, of course, I have never been stuck in the sand again.

Fast forward to Monday of this week and my sweet ride was in the service department at Lexus for routine maintenance. The dealership has incredible customer service and always provides a loaner so that my workday is minimally interrupted. Before I arrived that day, I was already wondering if it might be time to think about a new one. On this visit, the loaner was brand new. DJ, my service adviser, proceeded to give me all the details of this model. With gorgeous interior and shiny new features, this SUV had every bell and whistle and that new car smell. As I drove away from the dealership, I was already thinking, "This vehicle doesn't know me, and I have no idea how to work any of the things…I don't love that…" In MY car, my seat settings are always right. My AC is set to the temperature I like. My radio stations are tuned. I know how to use every feature. In this brand-new car, the gear shift was weird. Even the "door handles" were some kind of odd new thing that needed "pressing" instead of "pulling". I was seriously "miffed" by the time I got back to my office, a short 20-minute drive away. When I returned to pick up my SUV from service, DJ asked, "What did you think? Ready for a new one?" NOPE. Absolutely NOT. I like my older model. I don't have to think about how to have a super great, comfortable day while I'm riding around all over creation. The lights start to glow when I get near it. I feel so understood and, dare I say, loved by my Lexus!

It's so easy to look at brand new things with critical eyes and evaluate based on what we've known and even loved in the past. It's easy to feel annoyed and underestimate our ability to learn new things. We can become so comfortable that we don't want to flex, change or grow. If I allow myself the indulgence of those kinds of thoughts and emotions, eventually, I will become irrelevant, outdated and out of touch. That's not my goal. Is it yours? If you started to answer that question, "No but…" let me stop you right there. Think more deeply. Turn the difficult, negative things you're thinking and feeling into positive statements of affirmation and watch your heart and life begin to change. Perhaps our greatest strength is in our ability to choose our thoughts and thereby, to choose our lives. How to do it? Start with this:

• Write positive statements about the changes you need to embrace. Literally, write them with pen and ink on physical paper or cards.
• Practice saying them aloud. Many people are auditory learners, needing to hear themselves say something to process and remember but most of us are kinesthetic learners. We need to do something to create new learning pathways.
• Place your positive statements where you can see them every day until they become your internal dialogue and the words you're speaking when in conversations.
• Spend time positively engaged with everything new (and sometimes annoying) in your life and decide to be happy about it!
• Actively look for what's good about it and what's right.
• Become the positive thought leader that's already inside you. #youcandoit

So, MAYBE I do want a new car? #possibilities

(John and I need to talk. )