It’s hard to imagine the days before GPS sometimes. My old navigation system consisted of using MapQuest to get directions, and then copying down the directions onto a post-it note, which I then semi-successfully attached to my steering wheel in order to ensure I reached my destination.
But now we all carry little navigational devices in our pockets. What a lovely invention! A soft voice gently guides you to where you need to be — with no need to read directions that are now upside-down on a crumpled post-it note!
Lest you think that kind lady is just there to get you from A to B, take a moment to ponder these deeper lessons from your GPS:
1. Speak kindly to yourself.
GPS lady never yells at me. She never tells me I did something wrong, even if I actually did something wrong. She keeps speaking with that calm, soothing voice, gently redirecting me to my intended path.
Is the voice in your head as kind to you as your GPS? When you make a mistake, do you call yourself stupid or clumsy or incompetent? GPS lady doesn’t. You shouldn’t either. There’s always a way to get back on track.
Becoming aware of our self-talk is something we cultivate through practicing mindfulness. When our mind wanders away from the breath, as it will do {just as we will make wrong turns from time to time}, we simply notice it. With kindness, we observe where the mind has wandered to, and then return to the breath.
And that’s what GPS lady does — she notices where you wandered off to, and then kindly brings you back to where you intended to be. No judging, no shaming.
Can you be as nice to yourself today as your GPS is?
2. There are lots of ways to get there.
As soon as I enter my intended destination into the app, I get lots of options for possible routes to take. There are options I didn’t even know existed! I can avoid highways, I can avoid tolls…. I could even walk! Sometimes I discover that the path I would have chosen to take would actually take 3 minutes longer!
Sometimes we get so trapped in our habitual patterns that we don’t realize that other, often better, alternatives exist.
Take some guidance from your GPS and try to see something from a new perspective. Is there a better way to do this? What options haven’t I considered? Is there another way to get there?
3. There are no wrong turns
I love that GPS lady never tells me, “OH MY GOD! YOU JUST MADE A WRONG TURN! GO BACK! QUICK!” She never freaks out.
When I do make a wrong turn, she quickly recalculates my route. In the meantime, I discover a street or a park or a beautiful tree I had never seen before.
We make mistakes. But there’s always a way to recover. And always something to discover.
4. Know your destination
Though we don’t need to rigidly attach ourselves to specific outcomes, it helps to have a destination in mind, whether you’re driving your car or your life.
Our life goals don’t have to be the “SMART” goals that are so popular right now — they can simply be visions or intentions. How do you want to feel each day? What do you want to bring to the world? What do you want to accomplish for yourself?
There’s no rule that resolutions or intentions can only be set in January. Any month, any day, any moment is a perfect one for checking in to see if you are living in alignment with your intentions, and if you are on the right path. If you need some inspiration, you can check out my posts about New Year’s Resolutions here, about my vision boards here, and about choosing a “word of the year” here.
5. You have arrived
This is my favorite part of using my GPS.
After surviving traffic jams and red lights and construction zones and potholes, GPS-lady triumphantly announces, “YOU HAVE ARRIVED.”
“Indeed, I HAVE,” I tell myself, smiling.
And you know what? Even when you’re still in route, you have arrived.
So matter where you are, BE there.
Arrive.
- A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions - January 13, 2020
- Just This Next Step - December 16, 2019
- WAIT: A Mindfulness Practice for Waiting in Line - December 9, 2019
