Ice covered the windshield, giving it a frosted glass appearance. It was thick, and I started the car with the defrost on high to begin the thawing process. However, the warm air only pushed forward through the dash vents, leaving the windshield untouched. No matter how long I ran the car, the ice stubbornly refused to melt. Frustrated, I grabbed a scraper and began chiseling away. My heart rate elevated, my face flushed, and , over the course of an hour–working in 15 minute intervals–I finally cleared the windshield.
Breaking Through
Apparently, my actuator was weak and not switching the airflow to defrost, leaving it stuck blowing air into the cabin. Until this ordeal, I didn’t even know what an actuator was, let alone how vital it could be. A quick Google search revealed that an actuator converts energy into motion, allowing a machine to move, allowing a machine to perform a specific function. In this case, it was supposed to redirect the air to defrost the windshield. Without it, achieving the desired result was nearly impossible–a lesson I learned the hard way.
This experience reminded me of another struggle: starting a new year. The urge to get on track, set a resolution, achieve a new goal, or finally accomplish that long-desired outcome often feels as heavy and immovable as that thick layer of ice on my windshield. This year particularly, I hesitated to start something that I wasn’t sure I could continue. I am weary from past attempts to chisel away at my tendency to quit after a few weeks or months. Certain habits seem to elude me that others seem to take on seamlessly.
Turning Intention into Small Steps
What I need is an actuator in life–something that takes the energy from my good intentions, hopes, and resolutions and converts it into the motion required to achieve real, tangible outcomes. Motivation and resolve, I’ve learned, are like the warm air blowing into my car’s cabin: they provide comfort but don’t necessarily produce the change needed to break through. The real transformation comes from converting that energy through commitment, determination, and focus. Things are going to come up in life that get in the way, but that’s when my actuator needs to be strong and reliable.
For those of you hitting the end of January and, like me, wondering how long you can keep this up, I encourage you to strengthen your actuator. Practice getting up when you don’t feel like it. Take a short walk even if you can’t manage a full workout. Choose nourishing foods even when cravings pull you in another direction. You only have to choose the next right thing to get back on track. Progress, not perfection, melts the ice of resistance. With each small step, that frosty, unclear view of your goals becomes clearer, like a windshield slowly revealing the road ahead.