ROAD TRIP
"Always focus on the front windshield and not the review mirror." - Colin Powell
Driving a car looking in the rearview mirror is a recipe for disaster.
Likewise, driving backward or reversing is dangerous.
It is important to work on changing the directions of the front wheels and the back wheels will follow.
Imagine you are about to go on a road trip from Western Australia to Sydney. You have packed the car and filled it with petrol and you and your passengers are ready to head off.
You have chosen to start this trip in the evening so that there will be less traffic on the road.
You have many decisions to make regarding your trip.
The first thing you need to think about is what setting you to have your headlights:
1) Sometimes we have our headlights turned off and we can’t see the road or we get off course or hit a roadblock.
2) Sometimes we have our lights on low beam, so we can see a little way ahead, but it is a slow journey and we don’t see all the signs or the best path for us.
3) Then sometimes we have our high beams on. Here we can see clearly ahead so that we have time to change with the conditions.
If we consider that our headlights represent perspective and focus, then many things including stress, capacity, and attitude can affect it.
Along the way of our trip, there will be many signs letting us know many things, such as which towns are coming up and the distance to them, road conditions, sites to see on the way, and many other things.
It is important to read the signs. Signs tell us how far we have to go, and which road (or path) we should take if there are any detours and hazards to watch out for.
If we consider that signs represent choices, directions, and where we are at, then it is important to make sure that we are actually taking notice of what the ‘signs’ are telling us. Our body gives us ‘signs’ all the time. Sometimes other people’s observations might be the signs or past experiences may give us signs as well. Are we tuned in enough to ourselves and our environment to listen and watch out for the signs?
The third thing to know would be that in the dark, even with our high beams on, we can only ever see 200m ahead. This should come as a relief to us. It is ok that we can’t see all the answers. It is about taking notice of what we can see and taking a step forward. At the next step, we re-evaluate, and then based on what we observe at that point, we take another step. This is forward motion leading us forward to our outcome, and taking us on our very own special adventure.
Make sure you are firmly in your driver’s seat, You have the wheel pointed in the direction you want to take and then put it into gear and start the journey, taking notice of what setting your lights are at, the signs along the way and keeping an eye out for the sites along the way, making sure you utilise rest stops to evaluate and reset your course.
Most of all, know that life is an adventure. One to be explored and enjoyed…Don’t forget their roses to smell along the journey.