The title of this post is a philosophy I have. People often disagree siting financial hardship, opportunity, income, age… you name it. They can argue all they like but it is true. People who look after themselves, have pride and a solid work ethic have nice cars. Not necessarily expensive cars, but cars which are washed regularly, are tidy inside, and don’t have any obvious dings or fractures which are to be fixed.
Keeping a clean car doesn’t really cost any money, just a little bit of time and effort. In fact it usually saves people money, just like servicing a car does. Sure, cars get smashed, need repairs and are generally a necessary expense and not an asset. But like all things, delays in making it right will have a compound effect. Dints which aren’t fixed get rusty. Unserviced cars break down more often. Trying to save money letting your car go, just costs money in the long run. People with unbroken lives know this. It also has an important impact on your own self worth and psyche. Not to mention other peoples opinions of you, rightly or wrongly.
Show me an adult with a broken car, and I’ll show you a person with a broken life. (students are the exception)
Below is a classic example. Both cars of similar style and age. The first is owned by a person with a broken life, the other with by a person with a great attitude.
Do the test for a week or two. Assess the people you know and the state of their vehicle. It tells a very clear story.
Startup blog says take pride in all you do and all you own and your life will be better.
I notice the cleanliness of my car reflects how on top of things I am personally and financially.
M.
I agree with Mark. It’s more about the condition than type of car you have. It’s a great attitude reflector.LisaT.
🙂 interesting.. never really thought about it this way before, but once u said it just seems like one of those why-didnt-i-think-of-this-one things.. True indeed..
Especially if you are in a trade or a sales profession like real estate. It says so much about you, and the perception about the output of your work.
Steve.
“Startup blog says take pride in all you do and all you own and your life will be better.” This is the essence of the post and I agree with the importance of maintaining cars, just as the airlines maintain the superficial cleanliness as well as the workings of aircraft. However, in general I’m not averse to reveling in imperfections as opposed to neglect and some wear and tear adds character while the quest for perfection can be never ending and to the detriment of actually getting stuff done.
So as an environmentalist without a car, does that mean I have no life? Perhaps. 🙂
Seriously, though, what fascinates me is that the influence goes both ways: the way we treat our surroundings (cars, houses, etc) *teaches* other people how to treat us.
Countless sociological studies have shown that fixing broken windows and physically cleaning up bad streets will reduce crime and vandalism dramatically. On the flip side, breaking a window of a parked car is very likely to attract even more willful damage.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixing_Broken_Windows)
I think it’s the same with people and their possessions. How much easier is it to (rudely) ignore a request from a bum in rags than a passer-by wearing a suit?