Going in the Right Direction

Before GPS, you pulled over and asked. Now we just punch in an address and hope for the best — even when we know, deep down, it’s taking us the long way.

Back before there was internet and GPS, if you got lost you’d pull over and ask someone for directions. Either that or you’d try to read a four-foot map while driving in whatever direction you assumed was right, until you could actually decipher it. A lot of the time you’d end up somewhere out of your way, and you’d have to backtrack to find a main road again — miles out of your way, way more time added to the trip. And if it was a guy driving, pride would show up right on cue. Stopping to ask for directions was out of the question.

Then we got GPS units, and things weren’t automatically better — you’d punch in an address and who knows what direction it would send you. Mine has taken me into some pretty sketchy areas, places I wouldn’t normally go. If the settings weren’t right, you’d end up on a toll road with no cash on you. Sometimes it would take the longest way possible because you forgot to tell it to stick to highways and skip the tolls. Not having the right information set can set you back, delay you, or land you somewhere you never meant to be.

We put our trust in things that are flawed

A lot of us fall into this same kind of misdirection in life. We put our trust in things that are flawed, and they lead us in a direction, just not necessarily the right one. We stay in a failing relationship because we think it’ll eventually get us to the destination we want. And it can — any relationship is salvageable, if the right information is being put in. But instead we take advice from friends and colleagues we never actually verify. We make decisions off emotion instead of fact.

If you want to be rich, you don’t take financial advice from someone who’s in debt. If you want to be healthy, you don’t take health advice from someone who isn’t. You go to the right source — someone who can actually put the correct information in. And here’s the part that stings: a lot of the time we know the direction. We know there’s a shorter way. We just follow the GPS anyway. We know we’re not headed the best direction, but we go along for the ride regardless.

If you see yourself going in the wrong direction, stop and get your bearings.

The pride that keeps us from stopping to ask

As anyone can tell you, most of us have too much pride to ask for advice. So we dwell right where we are, hoping one day we’ll stumble onto the right direction on our own — that someday we’ll overcome the issue and be free of the vice. A lot of people spend a lifetime stuck in that struggle, because they’ve got too much pride to pull over and ask for directions.

Don’t let pride, or the fear of looking weak, keep you from getting the input that would actually speed up your journey to a freer life. If what you’re doing isn’t working, stop doing it. Pull over, get new directions, and start fresh on the right track.

Before you punch in the next address, check:

• Is the advice I’m following coming from someone who’s actually where I want to be?
• Am I making this call off facts, or off how I feel right now?
• Do I already know the shorter way, and I’m just too proud to take it?
• Am I staying on this road because it’s right, or because stopping feels like losing?