Where am I Going? How Do I Get There?
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Last weekend, in far-off Tennessee, I experienced GPS. Two relatives had cars with the "Lady in a Box," an electronic voice who told us how to reach our destination. I especially liked her response when we missed a turn or chose an alternate route: "Re-calculating..."
On reflection, I see that the Lady in a Box speaks to more than finding our motel in a strange town. She reminds me of the greater journey of searching for the person I want to be--and the choice-by-choice guidance that is needed to lead me there.
In coach training, I learned to begin with a vision. Where do I want to be a year from now? Five years? Twenty? What does optimal wellness mean to me? We often begin with the basics: physical health, fitness, appearance. Rarely do we stop there. Optimal well-being grows out of alignment with our deepest values. It includes relationships with other people. It calls for confidence that we can meet our needs, reach our goals, and find inner peace.
Developing a vision starts us on the journey. If we stop there, it is a good intention and nothing more. Realizing the vision entails choices that take us in the direction we want to go. Most choices lead toward or lead away from our ultimate destination; our inner voice of wisdom knows the difference.
I sometimes wish I had a louder and more insistent inner voice, like the Lady in a Box. I wish she would say, "in 0.3 miles turn left." It isn't quite that clear. My personal life has a lot of "recalculating." I eat the third piece of pizza and an ice cream chaser (it tastes so good... and makes it hard to snap my jeans). I go for a run (knowing my knee needs a day of rest). I react with sarcasm (escalating a conflict that would fade with silence). I jump into the to-do list (instead of honoring the sunrise with meditation). "Re-calculating..."
As we mature on the journey, we become more attuned to the inner voice. We make fewer mistaken turns and recover more quickly. I know that voice in my soul as the Holy Spirit--the One Who knows what to say and what to do. The more often I ask for guidance and listen for the answer, the less often must I retrace my steps and find the path anew. |
