How Do You Drive Your Life?

I worked in mental health a lot of my working life. Throughout a lot of that time, I worked with high school students. During one period, a buddy and I led groups with some of these young men. I remember asking them, “Would you ride with someone driving who is constantly looking back?”

Obviously not, right.

Why do we so often live our lives that way? Think about it. We all have pasts. We all have things we’ve been through that were painful. Rather than focus on the present moment or look ahead to the future, we often get stuck in the past.

When we drive a vehicle or ride a motorcycle or bike, we want to look ahead—just ahead a little bit and even further ahead. We want to scan the sides. We definitely want to look in the back on occasion, too. We do not, however, want to drive forward with our eyes looking back. What happens?

Crash!

Life is very similar sometimes. We spend our time on things that aren’t currently important. Sure, the past is important, even the most painful parts. The truth is we can learn from any of it.

If a person has mistreated you, you could do everything in your power not to treat others the way you were hurt. Certainly, you could work through painful things and grow from them. You could possibly help others who have gone through something similar. Think about it—it could be your gift. I guarantee you’ll get something out of any of those things.

Perhaps now more than ever, I think it’s helpful to focus on the here and now with our eyes on the future. This is a great time of the year for such. 2020 has been devastating in many regards, and a new year does not necessarily bring about needed changes or even hope by itself. (Thank God I know where I place my hope!)

While this year has brought about challenges, I encourage you to really look ahead. Think about how you drive your life. If you don’t like it, do something about it. You have the ability to change your thoughts, your feelings, and/or your behavior. If you change just one of those areas, you will very likely make in impact the others. Make some changes that are good for you. No, I’m not talking about resolutions; those rarely work. I’m talking about life-changing habits. Duhigg indicates in The Power of Habit that habits live on even when our brains may be dying or not working properly. Goals may very well lead to new habits. Those new habits may lead to changes you desire.

Write down your goals. Tell someone your plans. Put them out there. Get some encouragement and accountability. Make your goals SMART. Keep a journal to track things you do (I love bullet journals personally). Consider a word for the year as a focal point. Pray about it if you do so. Seek prayer or positive vibes from others.

Whatever it is, do it with your eyes on your future. If you don’t like how you’re driving your life now (because you are actually in the driver’s seat of your life), change it. Now is the best time ever to do something different.

#change #goals #resolutions #life #pandemic #newyear #holidays #hope #Jesus