Are you looking for the closest exit?
Exit Stage Left
At this point, we are just a couple of weeks into a year of transformation. Since it is inevitable that you will not be the same person you currently are in twelve months, you might just be starting to accept the wobbliness of choosing to change. The actual need to start arrives just after the desire creeps into your peripheral vision. But change is certain. Try and think back twelve months to where you were and who you were and see how much change occurred without really attempting to become sparkly. Do you resemble the human you see in the bathroom mirror today? Some of the differences may have been self-guided and some were part of the ongoing play of your life. Look back for the exits you used. Were any of them marked with the giant red exit sign? You can tell exits used due to catastrophe because you end up running through those.
Exit this Way
There are giant signs on highways alerting drivers to upcoming exits. The GPS also likes to mention these turns over and over and over again in case you were doing something distracting like driving. How you approach your next exit says a lot about your personality. Are you the careful type who signals, waits for a clear lane and then gradually steers into the correct lane two miles out? Are you the cocky type who swerves last minute? Do you often miss exits because you are struggling with whether you need to turn off? There are a myriad of choices. You can confess now about how many times you have had to keep driving to the next exit and get back on the highway to backtrack to the correct turnoff. It happens to some more than others. You may be a reluctant exiter. FOMO.
Fear of Missing Out
Yes, it’s for real. There is a genuine fear of missing out by exiting off the current road. But when you think hard about it, missing your past is limited because you have your memories. If you really need to wander down that lane, you can adjust those memories any way you like. They are the past. They may be comfortable just because they are better known but they might also keep you from whatever excitement is around the next bend. You can adjust your thinking to fear of missing out on some spectacular future instead. Consider your exit strategy. Have you changed lanes before? Yes. Did you get to this spot? Yes. Has it been a straight shot? Probably not. You have taken detours, joined other drivers to narrow down to a limited lane, driven through potholes, honked your horn and been honked at in return. You have taken many exits previously. You have even navigated many entrances onto packed routes. White knuckles can demonstrate strength.
In and Out
Exits are an everyday event. Out the door almost always ensures a return. Now is the time to consider how you handle your exits in life. To transform, you must understand the importance of saying bye-bye and meaning it. You must be able to look for entrances that are newly paved. After a few successful glides through new doors, confidence increases and helps you access what is waiting for you. Your desires aren’t going to construct great big signs telling you which way to turn. But they will reward you when you have taken the brave act of searching them out. When you exit one way, you may not even be able to hear the applause that accompanies the act. But you can congratulate yourself. Take your fears with you along the way. When they get tired, they will exit on their own. Look around, which way are you heading right now?
Ponder this: What exit has been calling your name? Can you look around and see the red exit signs showing you where to go? If it’s easier, close your eyes the next time you push open a door. Is there someone there waiting for you?
