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10 Life Lessons From The Highway (Part 6 of 10)

LIFE LESSON # 6

Every now and then you have to change lane, take a detour, or abort the journey and go back home.

One of the most annoying experiences for me on the road is to be stuck behind someone for whom it seems to be their life’s goal to always be going ‘easy like Sunday morning.’ Especially when in my effort to be efficient and not waste time on the roads, I have not allowed myself any buffer for such eventualities. Ok it might just be that I am tardy but I won’t ever suggest that’s a valid explanation.

The reality is that for some, they have so carefully planned their journey that what seems to be a case of them ‘holding up traffic’ might just be a case of 1) going at the speed at which they are comfortable; 2) have no reason to go faster as they have ample time to get to their destination; 3) are just on the road to try to clear their minds of other stressors; or possibly they have some apprehension about where they are heading, or the purpose for heading there.

Whatever the reason, since I have my own agenda pursuing and know what’s at stake, in order for me to get ahead I need to change lanes.

In life we often set out on our journey towards a career that we feel is exactly what we want, only to find out that we do not qualify. Or perhaps our circumstances change in such a material way that renders pursuit of that preferred career futile in which case we would likely stop and count our losses.

Is there something that is trying to tell you that a change is necessary? Perhaps you need to learn to ‘take a hint?’

Another situation that we sometimes face is having started out heading to a specified destination and along a specified route. We become aware of something happening along the way such as road construction, an accident, or something significant enough which then forces us to take an entirely different route.

Similarly in life perhaps we have found that our passion is actually in something else, or maybe due to changes in circumstances or in general around us we decide to pursue something else which requires that we change course. As we go along we assess our progress and make adjustments as needed.

For many people their journeys have been dynamic. They have recognized that flexibility is important, and have a willingness to let go of the past in their push towards their future. It is not beneficial to stay committed to a sinking ship. Neither is it smart to seek to rationalize and stick to plans that currently have no bearing on reality, even if they once did.

While it is important to be resilient and determined, we need to continually assess our plans, our circumstances, and the environment around us and know when we should change lanes, or make a detour, or even to turn around and go back to the drawing board in order to determine our next steps.

That is a necessary part of our journey.

Be prepared to change direction in your journey through life.