Sometimes life throws an unexpected event our way. It takes us by surprise and suddenly, the pressures of life are magnified and things can quickly get overwhelming. It can be a normal day and the next moment you walk face-first into a catastrophe.

That happened to me this morning. I was walking up to my car after getting off of a 24-hour shift, and I saw fluid around one of my tires. Here we go, I thought. I squatted down and inspected the fluid and attempted to determine its source. Unfortunately, all signs pointed to it being brake fluid.

Sure enough, I tested my brake and there was no pressure behind the pedal and the brake light was on. The thing that was even more discouraging was that I had gotten new brakes installed about a year ago and now I was having a problem with them again.

So, I took my car to the shop and was told that the work wouldn’t begin today, that they could keep it overnight and start the very next morning. I had a place to be in the morning for work and none of the scheduling was working out. I wouldn’t be able to get a shop-provided rental car until after I was supposed to be at that place for work.

I was hearing and experiencing all the things I would rather not have to, but the stress of the situation wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been because I’ve been taking care of my own business. I haven’t been waiting until things get hard to do the right things.

I’ve been trying to get married and so I’ve been spending a lot of money arranging things, but I didn’t wait until there was a crisis to start saving money and making good investments. Sure, it hurts to have spent money on wedding things only to be hit with a car bill right afterwards, but I saved and managed my money correctly and I can handle all the expenses.

I didn’t wait until my car was in the shop to be like, Oh, I should start saving money now, and because of that foresight I’m not nearly as stress out about my finances as I could’ve been if I was spending my money without regard for the future.

Sure, some people at work might be upset if I miss that event, but I have been handling my business at work and I don’t think anyone will hold it against me. If I was constantly making mistakes at work and slacking off, then my unfortunate car situation wouldn’t be received as well, and I would be significantly more stressed about the ordeal.

It’s not like I’m the guy who is a constant problem at work and then can’t make it to an event because of car problems. My work reputation is solid and I don’t have any lingering stress from work that would only compound the situation. I didn’t wait until things got hard or until I got in trouble to handle business correctly. This car issue isn’t going to affect my work reputation because I didn’t wait until it got hard to handle my responsibilities.

I don’t have any health issues that are contributing to my current stress levels, and that’s because I exercise regularly, and I do my best to eat clean and sleep as much as I can. I’ve been taking care of myself now and not waiting to be concerned with my health when a doctor tells me there’s a problem.

I do my best to live by the Virtue of Health because I know that when the body or mind is sick that life is generally miserable and that illness of body or mind forces you to play life on hard mode unnecessarily, especially when that issue is of your own doing or negligence.

When you’re already experiencing health issues and life throws an unexpected problem your way, you’re already at a disadvantage to handle it and your condition reduces the likelihood of you responding to that event in a constructive way because of the stress already on the mind and body. Take care of yourself now because when shit hits the fan, you want to be ready to respond with everything you have.

I’ve been taking care of my relationships and living by my virtues. I can only imagine how much more stressed I would be if I had to tell my fiancee about my situation if we were already fighting or if I was in the dog-house for being a crappy significant other.

I would be stressed out at the mechanic shop only to come home and be stressed out again because I wasn’t being a good man to my woman. She took the news well because I take care of our relationship and she can trust me to handle my own problems.

If I was constantly doing things that went against my virtues and not living right, then I would be incredibly stressed out because I would be afraid that my car situation might expose that I haven’t been living right. All those bad decisions might come to the surface when an unexpected problem forces them out.

Doing things that go against your values builds stress, the emotional conflict builds up, and the last thing you want is for an event to bring all of your dirt bubbling to the surface. I’m not perfect. I still use nicotine too much, but that is the largest of my crimes, so my personal choices bring me relatively little stress.

One of the worst things that can severely determine the outcome of unexpected stressful situations like this is to have lingering or self-imposed issues that have compounded into an overall high stress level, and then all it takes is one more event to drive you over the edge. It is for that reason that you shouldn’t wait until things get hard to get your shit together.

Think of every good decision and correct action as an investment in your future that will act like armor when things get hard. Be a long-term thinker, not a short-sighted individual. Delay gratification instead of self-indulging because you never know when life might throw something your way. Be on the side of gratitude and not on the side of regret when you think about your past and how it is affecting your present situation.

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Don’t Wait Until It Gets Hard