Driving your Life
Remember when driving a car was a new experience? Navigating the road simultaneously controlling the car took laser concentration and focus. Feeling the power of the vehicle steering wheel in hand, foot working the gas and brake pedal was all within personal control ? At first the concentration required to keep everything synchronized and balanced felt overwhelming! Too much pressure on the gas pedal and the car would fly while pounding on the brake made for an extremely uncomfortable experience. Put all those details aside and factor in the unpredictable intentions of the other drivers in addition to the street signs and signals demanding attention and response. None of it was easy, however even the most unlikely of us have had success. I learned to drive on a manual 5 speed transmission which was even more involved and complicated and the process of getting the car to go forward without stalling was the source of such anxiety and stress. I truly didn’t think I would ever master it.
Clearly we know that learning a new task demands focus that we must harness whenever we want to expand our knowledge or experience. Whether in school, at work or just learning something new when we employ concentration, we find success. The same is true in our desire for growth, self appreciation and expansion. We must choose to focus on the parts of life that are pleasant, fulfilling and enriching and nurture them. It is a constant work to sculpt life, to be acutely aware of where we need to realign and adjust and when we need to rest, restore and be more loving to self and others. Life has taught me that just when I think I am close to figuring it out there is another greater and much larger lesson to learn, a broader view I haven't understood before and then I am forced by my desire to live in my power to readjust my focus and find my way out of the mess I’ve created. I cannot escape my path, at least not one minute before I choose to own it, good and bad. It is all my experience and I have created it. Just like I drive my car, so do I drive my life. I choose my path, I choose to care for my vehicle, and I choose whether I enjoy my journey or not. This is by no means easy, but my catalyst for action is the desire to live in a place of Power and Joy.
Learning to drive my 5 speed seemed a daunting and impossible task to learn, yet when the opportunity arises today, some 36 years later, it all comes right back. Clutch, gas, drive...it is something I can do with little to no thought now that I’ve trained my mind, nervous system and reflexes. Today I drive an automatic, I start the car and off I go. I arrive at my destination most easily. I effortlessly accomplish this once complicated task, so much so that it is now a thing of enjoyment and delight. I love my car. It is equipped with air conditioning, heat and all the comforts of home. I have my favorite listening station or playlist, mobile phone to engage in conversation and computers that guide me to my destination. I’ve truly become quite efficient at managing all aspects of traveling even though when I began all those years ago, success seemed a world away. Knowing this encourages me to continue my journey of self awareness, to find joy and happiness in all aspects of my life and to embrace this “learning life practice” with the confidence that I can do anything.
Empowering Tip of the Day: Drive your life like you drive your car and own your journey. Care for your personal vehicle, your body, with as much love and appreciation as you can. When you find yourself going down the wrong road ask for directions, seek the wisdom of others wiser than yourself. Find your focus and let it bring you to a bigger version of yourself that you did not even know existed. Be proud that you have come so far and are still willing to learn.
The decision is ultimately ours to live in Pity or Power... what will it be? We can only be in one.
Life is a journey, not a destination.
Feel free to post your questions and comments. I look forward to hearing from you. Remember we are all on this journey growing and learning as we go, so your input will bring enlightenment to many.
In Power, Peace & Love,
Mary Ann
Make Today Great..... .
Beautiful and so true. Thank you for bringing my perspective back into alignment. Love xo
ReplyDeleteYou are one special lady Miss Mary Ann. Always reminding me to take care of myself! It's funny how easily we forget; then we are so depleted and of little service to others xoxo
ReplyDeleteThis is a great analogy, Mary Ann. I would like to add that when we drive our cars (and our lives) we should be mindful of how we beep the horn. After all, we never really know what is going on in someone else's car, and why they made that wide turn or why they cut us off, or why they are driving so tremendously slowly in front of us that we will definitely be late for our appointment. We need to stop beeping at everyone around us, and instead just go with the flow of traffic and try to continue on our journey without cutting anyone off, crashing into anyone, or running anyone over. We need to remind ourselves that we have no idea what is going on in that other car that is annoying us or confusing us or getting in our way or slowing us down.
ReplyDeleteWe need to have empathy.
If we can accomplish empathy, if we can make an effort to understand what is actually going on in the other car before just slamming on the horn, we can create a more peaceful place for all to continue on their journeys.
I grew up as a city driver and my surroundings taught me to beep my horn. I am guilty of beeping my horn before I can even begin to process in my mind what might be going on in that other car. Is the driver sick, old, sad, confused, overwhelmed, lost? Would I want someone to beep the horn at my mother or my son just for being old or young or nervous or lost? Of course I wouldn't.
When I learned to drive, I was taught to beep back whenever someone beeped at me. I would try to beep louder and longer. Often when I beep back, the first beeper beeps back again. And then I beep yet again. What does this accomplish? Noise!!! Ugly noise. It provides no path to peace. And peace is all any of us are really driving towards anyway, no matter what we convince ourselves that our destination may be.
Instead of beeping the horn, we must wave people on. We must give others a break, and allow them to go ahead. Instead of blaming everyone else around us for making us late, or preventing us from reaching our destination, we should take responsibility and just leave the house earlier. We must anticipate and accept the fact that there will always be interruptions, distractions, and challenges on the road, and that we have the choice to make the journey peaceful as we wave others on, encouraging them to go ahead, or to make it noisy and ugly as we beep away at our horns.
When I remember, instead of beeping back at someone who beeps at me, I stick my hand out the window and offer the peace sign. I have done this a number of times, and each and every time, it gave me a sensation of happiness, hope, and even satisfaction. It made me forget why I was angry, and it made me just smile. Spreading peace feels good. Beeping the horn creates ugly noise.
Sometimes beeping the horn is necessary in our lives. It communicates a message. It gives a warning. It calls for attention. That is all OK. Sometimes we need to beep. But, we must be mindful and we must have empathy. Empathy, if we can truly practice it, will take us far on the road to peace and joy, because it will lead us to treat others as we would like to be treated. It will cause us to be considerate of others. Empathy can provide us with the power to decide whether it is really appropriate to beep the horn or if it might be more rewarding to simply spread peace.
Isn't it also amazing how the world changes to meet our needs. As we become more effective at driving our cars and lives things pop up in the world that make our journies even easier and more fun. I always think of our lives here like cars because of the Mahayana Buddhists. This life is a great vehicle to greater love and godliness.
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