Stay in Your Lane
When I was fourteen years old, our family was making a move from Arizona to Utah. My dad was driving the big old moving truck and my mom drove our family van, which meant that my brother Eric, who had recently turned 16, needed to drive one of our cars.
He and his friend and our Collie, Trina, were in the car ahead of us on a two lane highway. I was sitting in the passenger seat of the van, and to our horror, we watched as my brother’s car drifted into the oncoming lane, barely missing a large semi truck, and then off the other side of the road and rolled several times.
I remember my mom screaming and honking the horn, but was powerless to help.
We pulled over as quickly as we could and then I remember running as fast as I could to get to the car… and then realizing that I might see something horrific, and slowing down, not sure what to do!
The car was resting on its roof, and miraculously, we watched as both of them crawled out of the broken windows. They were bruised and shaken, but no major injuries. Even the dog was okay! We had worked so hard with the move, he had fallen asleep at the wheel.
It was a terrifying experience that still haunts me a little today.
A LOT OF DAMAGE CAN BE DONE WHEN WE DON’T STAY IN OUR OWN LANE.
This is a great reminder, not only to keep us physically safe, but it’s also an important metaphor to help us to MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS.
Spending time worrying about, judging, assessing or evaluating someone else and they way that they live their lives, can derail the progress you want to make in your own.
Stay in your lane. Keep the focus on your goals and your own improvement. It will free you from a lot of drama and potential hazards on your road.
Byron Katie calls it the 3 Businesses – Our Business, Another’s Business and God’s Business.
We need to ask ourselves every day, – "Whose business are we in? Katie says, “Much of our suffering and stress comes from putting our mental energy, thoughts, projections, feelings into someone or something else’s business.”
Does this sound like you? Do you worry about how other people raise their children, spend their money, wear their clothes, style their hair or spend their time?
Do you think you need to offer much needed advice or feedback?… if so, you have wandered into their lane.
Do you worry about the weather, earthquakes, floods, wars?… That’s God’s lane and His business, and no amount of worrying will change it.
Reaching our desired destination requires us to stay on our path.
It’s easy to feel like we own the whole freeway, but imagine the chaos if everyone drove that way! It’s the same thing for our brains. We must focus on our own objectives, our own goals, our own progress and our own emotional health.
It’s the most freeing thing in the world and will provide you with the most peace.
Sending you so much love,- hope you make it a wonderful day!
