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A crazy thing happened a couple weeks ago. My SUV decided, periodically, to randomly blow its horn.

Yes, you heard me correctly. The SUV decided, on its own. Not me…I promise, I never touched it. Now, I’m not the most mechanically inclined person, nor have I spent a lot of time under the hood of a car, but I’m quite sure the horn’s not supposed to randomly start blowing the way it did that week.

The first time it happened was during rush hour outside our studios, at the light, with hundreds of cars waiting as I made the
turn. And watching.

I was sitting at a red light at a crowded intersection, with a car in front of me. Off went the horn, for no apparent reason other
than to draw humilating attention to me. The next day, at another intersection two miles away, as I was driving through, the horn starts blowing again. Imagine the looks I got (and a few gestures!).

Over a period of two weeks, this continued to happen over a dozen random, unpredictable times. It seemed as if the SUV had a mind of its own, and chose the busiest intersections, sounding off just long enough for people to let me know their feelings toward me in their own delightful way, as if I was intentionally blowing the horn to let them know I was coming through and they should let me through.

Here’s the irony—my car’s a critical part of me functioning throughout my day, to fulfill both personal and professional responsibilities. However, I began feeling a hesitation to even want to drive the very thing designed to help me accomplish my goals.

Finally, I stopped my hectic week and pulled into the dealership’s service department.

As is with most auto repairs, the conversation went a little like this: “Blah blah blah, we need a day to look into it, hundreds of dollars to explore the problem before we even fix it.

“Or…the other option, for now, Mr. Wasserman…see this fuse?

I can disconnect it for free until you have a full day to bring it in.”

Yep, you guessed it. Problem solved. Ten minutes, zero dollars. Opportunity to temporarily disconnect from a noise that had begun
to tear at the very fiber of my soul…priceless.

I didn’t drive the car off a cliff (although the thought crossed my mind!)…I didn’t stop driving. I didn’t stop staying focused and running full speed ahead, and I didn’t let it shut my life down or rob my joy…but I did temporarily unhook the minor that had become a major.

I love driving again. No random, disturbing noise. No hesitation to drive for fear of the noise. No anxiety. No people staring at me judging me by the noise they randomly heard as I passed by them. Sure,

I can’t honk reactively at people who cut me off to express my concern. A small price to pay for peace.

That got me thinking…for anyone, but especially for leaders: What disruptive “minor” has mushroomed into a major noise, anxiety creator in your life that’s become a disruptive force in the middle of your purpose, relationships, and vision?

Maybe temporarily unhooking from it…not permanently, but long enough to remember the peace you had prior to it…can give you a new perspective, and renew your passion for what you’re doing.