Where Are You?

I live in a very rural community and giving directions to my house is much like sending somebody on a scavenger hunt. Turn left when you see the little white sign, take the first right after the water tower, go straight until you see the tree in the middle of the road, then turn into the next driveway after you see the group of sheet metal buildings on the left.

Even people that are familiar with the area have no idea where I live if I start spouting off the names of county roads and directions. I have learned over the past few years that the best way to explain my location is to ask people if they know where the tree grows in the middle of the road. The truth is, you just can't miss a tree growing in the middle of the road, it's something distinctive, unusual and memorable.

It occurred to me recently that many people are just like directions with no landmarks. They seem to know where they're going but if you decide to follow them you end up lost. I don't think it's their fault for the most part. Most of us know where we want to GO in life, the problem is we haven't identified where we ARE in life. As simple as that philosophy may sound there is absolutely no way of getting anywhere if you don't know where you are.

So my question is, where are you right now? If you are completely honest with yourself about where you are, the path into the future becomes much clearer. Where are you physically? Where are you emotionally? Where are you educationally? Where are you financially? Where are you spiritually? These are just some beginning questions for you to ask yourself. Once you get started figuring out where you are in life, you find yourself noticing more and more landmarks around you that identify who you truly are.

Once you have established your basic self-map, start analyzing the structure. Are you an easily over-looked sign covered by weeds or are you a tree in the middle of the road? Once you know where you are it is up to you to make sure that people see your landmarks clearly. Don't be the kind of person that looks like they know who they are and where they're going, but end up lost on the side of the road. Point out what is distinctive in you, be proud of your uniqueness, be a landmark that people don't want to forget and couldn't even if they tried. What are you waiting for?