Photo: © D. Paul Graham, “Gated”, Savannah 2024

“Monday 5 Things”™ ….. Shifting Gears …..

It’s been quite a start to the year for all things automotive for me.  January was The Roar Before 24, followed by the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the Daytona 500, and then the Hagerty Garage+Social. This week I head back to Florida to photograph some of the world’s most beautiful cars for Hagerty and the Broad Arrow Auctions along with the Amelia Concours d’Elegance. Cars are a wonderful metaphor for life. Whether you see yourself (or others see you) as a rare classic or a crazy-fast sports car, a model that needs some body work or a finely tuned machine, a luxury sedan or mini-van, an automatic or stick shift, or a hybrid or aspirated variety, today’s M5T shifts through gears in life.

1. First gear

We all need a first gear to get going, to make a start. First gear gets us out of neutral. It’s high torque and low speed that moves us from standing still to moving forward in the direction we want to go, in the direction where we want to be and what we are called to do.

2. Second gear

Second gear allow us to gain some speed. It keeps the momentum going from what we started. If we don’t shift up from first gear to second gear, we will make a lot of noise, but run the risk of over-revving our engine and allow others or life to pass us by. Second gear is all about pace and motion. It’s a gear best used to climb very steep hills, or to extricate ourselves from deep mud that we may encounter along our journey.

3. Third gear

Life starts to get interesting in third gear. It is acceleration and confirmation that we are headed to where we set out to go. It’s about putting some distance between where we are going and what is behind us. It requires more attention as our speed increases. Third gear is great to cruise around at lower speeds yet leaves enough opportunity for responsiveness that affords us the ability to make swift changes to our direction, to pass others, or to avoid potholes and bumps in life.

4. Fourth, fifth and higher gears

Fourth and higher gears get us to up to speed, getting us closer to where we want to be, to how we want to live. It’s beyond cruising; it’s a feeling that we have taken the right direction, that we can be excited about the journey and that we can expect more to happen along the way. Shifting into these gears are a conscious decision to press forward. These gears require us to be focused, to be alert for hazards, and yet allow us to embrace newfound freedom from moving faster with less effort.

5. Reverse

At certain points, we should gauge where we are in our journey, our chosen path. Roadblocks, perils, detours, missed turns or overlooked exits give us pause to take a break and to reflect on and consider where we have come from. Reverse is not about stopping. It’s about backing up, revising, and refreshing our plans, and regaining our sense of direction, resolve and purpose.

Here’s to a great week of shifting through your gears.

© 2024 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 12 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T.

You can reach Paul by email at dpg@imagegraham.com