Whether you’ve been just getting into Formula One or binging Drive to Survive I’m sure you’ve heard of a crumple zone before.
“Crumple zones, crush zones,[1] or crash zones are a structural safety feature used in vehicles, mainly in automobiles, to increase the time over which a change in velocity (and consequently momentum) occurs from the impact during a collision by a controlled deformation“.
In the context of life, I would describe crumple zones as “the safety nets that we keep in our lives to help keep us safe.” An example of this in the financial perspective would be an emergency or rainy day fund. It’s always prudent to keep a portion of one’s financial assets liquid and readily available for deployment in times of crisis. I would put comfort meals in the same category as emergency funds. I often turn to comfort foods when life becomes a little too intense.
Crumple zones, rainy day funds and comfort meals are designed to help us cope with the challenges and struggles of everyday life. I would argue that the placement and design of our own personal crumple zones are essential to our long term success when trying to achieve our goals. Whether we are setting physical, financial or professional goals, it’s important to place boundaries or barriers in your life to help you brace for impact in the unfortunate but statistically possible circumstance of a crash. Just like professional drivers in Formula One, nobody crashes on purpose – but when they do, they rely on the safety devices engineered into their vehicles to ensure they remain safe.
At the first Early Birds Breakfast of 2022, we talked about our Post Pandemic Resolutions and how we would maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle as we emerge from the Pandemic. At this breakfast I was happy to outline my physical, mental and professional goals and boundaries. It’s been about 90 days since and I think it’s only fair to offer a mini update as to how those goals and boundaries have faired the ebbs and flows of post pandemic life. At this breakfast I’d like to discuss the following questions:
- What types of crumple zones do you keep in your life?
- How have you designed these safeguards to keep you on track to meet your goals?
- Would you classify your crumple zones as healthy or unhealthy?
- How do you get back on track?
Early Birds > Late Worms 