HOW’S YOUR DRIVING?

It’s a typical morning. You have 25 minutes to drop the kids at school and get to the office.  Working to get everyone up, out of bed, dressed, and fed, rushing seems to be the normal speed.  You made sure all the kids’ homework had been signed, book bags are packed, and everyone has their lunch.  But that’s just the preparation.  The morning journey has yet to begin…

The kids are now packed in the car and you’re off!  Navigating the hustle and bustle of the day comes as second nature to most.  We all deal with life in a different ways, and nowhere is that more evident than when we are driving in traffic.  You switch lanes in hopes of passing the driver in front of you, only to get stuck behind another driver in the left lane who clearly has no understanding of the term, “passing lane.”  They sit in front of you,seemingly oblivious to the fact that you are behind them attempting to move at a somewhat faster pace.  You finally pass them, only to get behind another driver, who’s left turn signal has been blinking through several intersections.  You were patient at first, when you thought they were going to turn, but now they’re trying every last ounce of patience you have left (and it’s only a little past 8:00 in the morning).  Often our driving habits reflect how we navigate through life, even when we are off the road.  Maybe you have been working on a project and you need some important information from a coworker so get it to the final stage, but it’s not their project, so they don’t have the same level of urgency that you do.

Have you ever encountered a driver who positioned their car in two lanes at the same time, to prevent anyone from passing them so they could be first?  They’re driving as if their time would be eaten up by the speedy travel of others and the only way to get to their destination on time is by holding everyone else back from getting to theirs.  Or what about the driver who is searching for a street and, instead of pulling over, slows down the 8 cars behind them.  Have you been around other’s who believe their priorities come before everyone else’s priorities?

Today, I decided to try a quick test while driving through the mall parking lot.  I was headed down the switchback of ramps to the exit and noticed the line of cars in front of me all cutting the corner through some empty parking spaces.  Each car behind them followed suit.  I wondered, “if I decide to break the mold and not cut it short, would the cars behind me would follow me?”  I was curious, because they were all so close together and they could clearly see all the cars ahead of me.  We as humans, after all, are followers by nature.  We wish to have a sense that we belong to something greater than us.  We want to be like everyone else and liked by everyone else.  We are followers.  We want to be led.  My assumption was correct.  Every car behind me followed my path and didn’t cut through the empty parking spaces.  The fact is, I liked that the cars in front of me cut the corner.  They took the short cut.  They found a better way.  Somewhere ahead of all the cars was the leader, who decided to take the shorter path and lead the others, until another leader (in this case, me) lead the remainder of cars down a different path.

So, how’s your driving?  Do you believe there isn’t enough room at the top and block other’s path by taking up two lanes at the same time?  Maybe you are oblivious to everyone else, working alone and not in tandem with the masses?  Or perhaps, you are the follower who needs someone else to show you the way?

If you aren’t getting the results you want or expect, check you driving, it may tell you a lot about yourself.

Believe you can improve your navigation habits.  Decide to make the necessary changes.  Don’t allow the Actions of others to slow you down!

Click HERE to find out how to eliminate the impact NAYSAYERS have on your success.

Make the most of your 2015!

Bearj Jehanian is a Maximum Potential Speaker and Trainer.  Through a combination of inspiration and online tools, Bearj inspires his audiences to build a foundation of belief, to support a decision to act on any idea and bring it to completion. Believe, Decide, Act.  You can find out more about Bearj here.