There are many experiences in life when we experience an 'ah-ha' moment. For some, it is after a breakup. For others, it could be after reading a book, watching a movie, during a dream. For me, one of those moments occurred today while on the way to the doctor for my youngest son. The doctor's office is about twenty minutes away from our house, so I had a decent drive. And since my son wasn't feeling well, he fell asleep on the way and I was stuck with my own company. Sometimes, that can be downright scary! I mean, can you imagine the craziness going on in my head? Yikes! Anyway, I decided to turn the music off and relax some because I knew the visit was going to be a long one. I watched the vehicles and the patterns made me think of different lessons in life. Slow down. One way. Clusters and cliques. Passing friends. You get where I am going? Take, for instance, the bumper-rider. You know this person, or ARE this person. This person is the one who thinks they can force the vehicle in front of them to get out of their way simply by driving as close to them as possible. This oftentimes scares the driver in front and, sometimes they move over, other times, they slow down. This person, in my opinion, is a person who likes to be in charge. They are a leader. They don't enjoy being in someone else's shadow if they can help it. And there is nothing wrong with that... as long as you ARE doing that in life. If you aren't, if you are riding the bumper, so to speak, you will NEVER reach your goal when you want to. You are following someone else's path. YOU should move over and PASS the person in front. BE the person you were meant to be, the person you want to be, and stop "riding the bumper" of the person in front of you. Now, we will move to the follower. The person who would rather stay behind someone. Sometimes, they ride behind the semi-trucks. They want to be invisible. They take their time and don't mind having someone in front of them. These people make great teammates. They are supportive and encouraging (in my opinion). They will move out of the way when someone else is coming up fast. They feel their best when following someone. They don't ride the bumper, they live on the fumes (just a figure of speech). We all need someone like this in our life. Whether you are the leader or not, you do NEED support. One thing they both have in common: they are on the SAME road. They are just using different methods to reach their final destination. Do they both, eventually, arrive? Yes (almost always). Late or not, they get where they need/want to be. They just took a different approach. I realized, when on the road, I am a bit in between. I HATE when someone is in the "fast" lane and going the EXACT speed limit, or under it, when they could easily move over to allow others to "go with the flow" of traffic behind them. I also know my limit. I know I will NOT be doing 10 over. No. I will go 5 over. And when I see a car speeding up behind me, riding my bumper, I will move over, if it is safe to do so. I don't stay there, though. I eventually get back into the lane I feel the most comfortable in. That being said, we each need to recognize which of these people we are. Are we the bumper-rider, or the follower? Because, once you recognize your "type", it will be easier for you to take the steps you need to take to get you to your destination. 1) If you are a follower, begin moving over so you aren't holding anyone up. 2) If you are a bumper-rider, and the person holding you back isn't moving over, then YOU move over. It is safer for ALL when/if you do. Don't hold anyone back. Don't allow anyone else to hold you back. Recognize who you are. And take the actions you need to take to get where you NEED to be. NO MORE EXCUSES! This world is filled with enough people who will make them, don't be one of those people.
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Ashlee Shades
Ashlee loves sharing a piece of her mind - and her heart - in her blog posts. She hopes you enjoy the musing. Archives
February 2020
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