Where is your speedometer?

I am not much of a petrol head but I do have an affinity for cars and often when people talk of engine capacity I hear them talk about a 2 litre or 3 litre engine. What they are talking about is cubic centimeters (often mentioned as CC) which define the volume of the area where pistons operate within an engine. Thus a 2000cc vehicle is a 2 litre engine and this determines power and speed. In the United States on average vehicles are 2500cc. A Bugatti Veyron has a 7993cc engine capacity Now that is awesome power, because engine size is proportional to power generation that comes out of the engine. Without being too technical and maybe lose interest from some of the not so auto-technically inclined readers, a car can operationally have such massive capacity but it cannot be driven for a grocery store trip at that maximum speed, well it can but there are various restrictions that make it not feasible. So basically most cars on the streets have excess unrealised capacity because the makers have made them to do more than is practically, legally and economically possible and safe. Now think about yourself for a moment. How much capacity would you think you have in you? Would you place yourself at 800cc,2000cc or maybe 7993cc (just have a car in mind now). In other words, are you a small car, like a Chevy Spark Lite at 995cc and 96mph top speed type car or a Bugatti Veyron at 7993cc and 267mph top speed? Where is the speedometer of your life currently as you read this? Are you at 0 mph, somewhere in between maybe 70 mph, or somewhere over 100 mph? I was just thinking about how we have an in-built capacity just like a vehicle, but we do not always push ourselves to do what we can achieve. A quote by Napoleon Hill says 'Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve'. This is because there is always unused capacity inside us of which, we ourselves may not even be aware. Some of us are 8 litre engines doing 20 mph on the freeway and you know what reaction you get from other drivers. The opposite is true for those who push themselves beyond limits of capacity. The issue is not about being a sports car or not, but about whether you are maximizing the capacity you possess. Contrary to the popular myth about brain use, humans in fact are capable of using 100% of their brain, although not all faculties are always engaged at levels they can perform optimally. At any point in time at least 45% of the brain is active, however not everyone maximises on their mind. Would it not be sad to waste such untapped capacity within us? And for us capacity is so vast, it is not necessarily related to speed, although it can be if you are an athlete. There is so much more that our capacity represents. Creativity, business acumen, philanthropy, exploration, science, sport and all sorts of innovations. However, we have so many forms of restrictions that pull us back and get our feet off the pedal and on brakes most of the time. Brakes are good for introspection, but why not start pushing your speedometer up a bit and see where you can get to in a short space of time. Enjoy your ride this week as you push yourself on the "life drive" and please have your seat belt on.

Image here