Re-direction- your life in the next lane.

If you were driving from Accra to Kumasi and after a couple of hours into the journey, you came across a sign post that read “25 km to Ho”, what would be your immediate reaction? Almost everyone will say, stop, admit you took the wrong road and get out of the car to assess your exact location.  You would then examine the information you have on the road and why you got lost, admit you might not know the road as much as you thought you did, ask for directions, turn the car around immediately and get on the right road, right? Simple and smart execution! When it comes to such basic life activities, people are very effective in dealing with redirection. However, many people are lost on the road of life towards success but are still cruising along, some even accelerating, yet complaining about how they seem to never reach their destinations. For some others, they keep seeing road signs that indicate they are getting closer to totally different destinations than they desire, and in spite if these signs, they keep complaining and keep going. It is almost as if they believe that, as long as they keep going, they will eventually reach where they want to be. That is as ridiculous as it sounds, yet even very smart people are caught in this fantasy. Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is to keep doing exactly the same thing and expect different results”.  If you are not getting where you want to go, it is perhaps time to try a little redirection. Here are six ideas for you;

1. Acknowledge that you might be wrong

Are you seeing all the signs that indicate you are moving faster towards the wrong destination? If not, look harder. Chances are you are not seeing them because you still believe you are not lost. Reality is not an abstract neutral interface. It is a subjective malleable system that responds to your own mind. What you believe eventually will manifest for you. If you are not getting closer to your goals, dreams and aspirations, then you are definitely getter further from them. It is time to stop and admit you are lost.

2. Get out of the picture and see it dispassionately

The more passionate you are about the wrong things, the harder it is to see or even admit they are wrong. If you do not get out of the car and examine your surroundings with a neutral eye, chances are that you will never see where you went wrong. Seek the opinions of people you respect and will not handle you with kid gloves. Listen carefully and objectively. Swallow your pride and strangle your ego and review your current position.

3. Review and question your assumptions

Your assumptions about certain pieces of information you acquired have led you to where you are. It is time to re-examine those assumptions. Whip out that life map and manual of instruction you have and put them to critical scrutiny. Go over every life rule you have bought into and re-evaluate them. Are they true and factual? Are they relevant to your original goal? Are there better and easier ways to achieve what you intended to achieve? Just as a driver will examine the map and directions and even the knowledge he thinks he has of the road, so must you review and evaluate your assumptions.

4. Get the real facts and replace the old

Now that you have re-examined your assumptions and identified the wrong ones, get the real facts and replace the old mental blueprint. Interestingly most people get new and better information and go right back to doing the same old things. They revert back to default mode. Getting the truth is not enough, it must be specifically applied over and over again until it replaces the wrong default mode. It took time to get a wrong mental blueprint, it must also take time and persistent effort to replace the old image with the new and better blueprint.

5. Get right on and start on the new path

Now that you have access to the new and better information, do not waste any time. Do not be caught in the paralysis of hesitations or the marsh of procrastination. You have already lost enough time. Momentum is easier to maintain in motion, than at rest. Get up and get into action.

6. Slow down after a while, review your location and re-focus your vision

He who is unafraid to ask for directions will never get lost. Do not be egoistical. When you are not sure, get the right answers from the right sources and keep re-focusing on your goal.

The bottom line is everyone can perform this procedure on their career, spiritual life, financial life or even relationships. If you are lost, going faster will not get you there. So stop, review and re-direct your life.

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