One of the smartest men I’ve ever known is my step-father. He taught me a great many things, but recently I’ve been thinking about a few small but important lessons he tried to teach me when, of all things, I was learning to drive. I’ve realized that I remember, vividly, two instructions that he gave me and that they’ve become instructions in the operating manual of my life.
The first and most important thing he ever told me was, “Always be on the look out for a place to ditch.”
Of course, he meant that as it applied to driving, but it obviously took on a different dimension for me. When driving, and when living, I’m always on the lookout for a place that I can pull off if I’m having trouble. I’m always on the lookout for those places that I can stop and catch my breath, or get out of harm’s way. And, if things go really bad, I’m always looking for the best place that I can ditch everything, crash and burn, and cause the least amount of damage in the process.
It makes starting up and getting back out there just a little bit easier later.
We very seldom stop to consider when it’s time to pull off the road instead of make a decision about our life. Most commonly, we do so with our emotions and what little information we have at the time, and that seldom makes for good choices.
The second thing he told me was when we were in traffic. He told me that I shouldn’t be watching only for brake lights from the car in front of me, but instead, I should be watching the two or three cars ahead of that. He said, “That way you don’t have to be reactionary. You have time to make your next move.”
Of course, that can apply to life as well, and it ties in nicely to the first lesson. Sometimes it’s a good idea to hang back, slow down, and watch things three or four steps ahead and see where things are taking you. Don’t like it? Maybe it’s time to ditch and start over again when you’ve caught your breath.