Where are You Headed?

By Jan Wallen

Recently, my husband and I went on a trip to Florida. Prior to leaving, I consulted MapQuest and printed out the directions to get to the hotel where we were planning to stay. If you have ever used MapQuest or a similar service, you know how precise the directions are. You will go on a certain highway for precisely 32.7 mi. then take exit 42, go .4 mi. turn right onto maple Street. And so on.

The first 5 hours of the trip were totally uneventful. We followed the instructions and made steady progress toward our final destination. However, the next-to-the-last turn that we made had incomplete directions. We did not realize this until we were on that next-to-the last road and were unable to find our last turn and the hotel where we had reservations.

After several stops to ask directions, we discovered that the printed directions we had were incomplete. (Yes, my husband actually stopped to let me ask directions. He very wisely remained in the car.)

After several attempts, we eventually found someone who knew the location of the hotel and gave us the directions we needed to complete our trip.

What is the point of this story? Without a correct map, we became lost and were unable to achieve our objective of going to the hotel where we had reservations. Only when we had complete and correct directions were we able to reach our final destination.

So it is also with life. Do you have a road map for where you are going?

This road map might be better called your life purpose. It is contained in your vision for your life.

Without a plan, how will you know when you arrive? How do you go about formulating a vision for your life if you have not already done so?

Think about these questions:

1.) What do I want to be remembered for?
2.) What are my strengths and weaknesses?
3.) How do I maximize my strengths?
4.) What are the three things I most enjoy doing?
5.) Who do I most admire and why?

These questions will help you get started on mapping out the plan you need for success in your life, no matter how you define success.

King Solomon, is considered to be one of the wisest, if not THE wisest man who ever lived. He put it this way, "Without a vision, the people will perish."

He was saying that if you don't have purpose in you life, you will likely wander aimlessly day-to-day and never know the satisfaction of being the best you can possibly be.

If you know what your vision is, this is a good time to take stock and look at how you are living each day. Are you doing the things you need to do to achieve that vision? If you don't know what your life vision is, today is THE best day to begin to formulate your vision for how you will live the rest of your life.

Your vision gives purpose to your life.

See Also:

Conquer thy Enemy
A thought provoking list you want to read often.

You Can Choose: Is Today Going to be a Good Day or Bad Day?
Every day you have a choice: Will it be a good day or a bad one? It really IS up to you. You can't control the external circumstances of your life but you can control your response to them.

Optimism: How to Avoid Negative Thinking
Have you ever wondered why some people feel down and defeated when faced with difficult situations, while others feel challenged and hopeful? Or why some people get all worked up and angry over small inconveniences and disagreements, while others respond more positively?

What Fills Inner Emptiness?
When we don’t take on the responsibility of our own well-being, we will automatically pull on others energetically to fill the hole within us. An empty place within is like a vacuum that sucks energy from others when we are not bringing love to ourselves. Others may try to give to us, but it’s a bottomless pit when we are not filling ourselves by taking loving care of our own feelings and needs.

It Never Rains On A Right Attitude!
The decision to win in life belongs to you, not to anyone else. No one else can make that decision for you. No one else can open up the top of your head and pour a can of luck down inside of you. The victory is available to you, so is the defeat.