Going for an easy Sunday drive with your spouse should be a simple, fun endeavor but I should remember that I need to pay attention to my own intuition when I hear my significant other say “Don’t worry about the directions – we’ve been there before and we just turn off the freeway a bit up the road”. Yeah right! This is my irrepressible, fun loving, best mate whose cheery statements usually reflect his view of “why read the map? It takes the fun out of getting lost and finding your way out again”. Fine if you don’t have to meet a timeframe. Fortunately, we had a level of flexibility but adding an extra 45 minutes to a journey because we didn’t remember which exit we should have taken was not in my “let’s go for lunch first” plan.
This sort of process of how a simple Sunday drive can get out of hand reminds me of how all of us are different in choosing how to define and conduct our life. While I have an excellent visual memory, I prefer a map, a set of directions or a plan to give me something to work towards. This is not that I am inflexible or unspontaneous, but my big picture view has all the steps planned well ahead and I prefer to anticipate or intuit any pitfalls, to be pre-warned and have Plan B in the back of my mind just in case…
Many people struggle with having or finding a map to follow in their entire life and struggle to make sense of what to do, how to move forward and how to choose the right options. This can be very stressful when people feel unsure about where or how they are travelling and journeying along the way. Cross roads, major decisions to be made and insecurity about the choices available can end up putting people into “if in doubt, do nothing” mode which, in itself, becomes even more stressful when decisions need to be made and time has run out.
A simple problem solving strategy I suggest for people who struggle with identifying a map to guide them or even simple steps to take to resolve life’s challenges is to:
- Get all the problems out of your head and written down on a piece of paper –problems seem more enormous if they keep going round and around in your head.
- For each of your problems, write any options you can think of that may help resolve each of them.
- For each of the options you have written down, determine the consequences, pros and cons, the good and not so good outcomes if you took that option.
- For each of the consequences that each option may produce, determine if could you live with that consequence or not.
- Once you have all the consequences of your options, sleep on it.
- Next day, pick up your problem solving activity and it is usually much clearer to determine which are your best options to take and which is the easiest and quickest route to get you there.
For the big things and the more important things in life, not just the Sunday drive, take the easiest way still. Consult a map, define your process and take easier steps along the way that don’t waste time. If you are still needing some help to get a sense of what to do, there are many things I can help you with. I can help you to reveal the simplest process and even consult your own Spiritual Guides who will know what your Soul is needing to do on its Journey.