Have you ever lost your way?  Have you come to a crossroads and not known which way to turn?  You are standing on a corner and don’t know if you should turn left or right.  I have found myself in that situation both literally and figuratively throughout life. 

Story of Getting Lost

Recently, we were in Colorado on our way to hike in the mountains for a week.  We stayed in Denver over-night so we could visit friends on Saturday morning.  My plan was to run 5 miles then shower in Alice before our 8:30 visit.  I love to run in new places, and I was looking forward to heading to the nearest neighborhood to log my miles. 

In my mind I marked the main crossroads for my return trip and headed off to discover new territory.  I noticed several other runners out in the glorious Colorado morning sunshine.  When it was time to head back, I turned around and headed to the main road.  My mistake was that I literally turned left instead of right on my designated road.

After I turned, I began to notice a few things that were not right.  The sun in the sky was on the wrong side of the street, my instincts told me something was not right, and I was headed downhill when I thought I should be running uphill.  I stopped and looked at my GPS.  Sure enough, I had turned in the wrong direction.   So, I headed back the other way.  When I got back to Alice, I had run 7 miles instead of 5 and had to hurry to get ready for our visit.

Concepts to Remember

As I think back on being lost figuratively throughout life, I recall the three concepts that helped me on my run.

• Look for and pay attention to tale tell signs that you are on the wrong path.  Is the sun on the wrong side of your road?
• Go with your gut feelings or instincts.  When something does not feel right, do not ignore those feeling.  Trust in yourself. 
• Instead of heading downhill (which might seem like the easier way to go at the time), find the strength to head uphill.   And remember, you don’t have to fight that uphill battle on your own.

When you feel you have lost your way, stop, get centered and remember the three concepts to help you get back on the right road.