I’ve never been good with directions, so I made sure this year to get “My husband” a new GPS for Christmas and quickly asked to borrow it. I was amazed at the ability of this device to take me from point A, onto multiple freeways, then winding and weaving through side-streets causing me to reach my point B with such ease. I couldn’t help wishing for such a device for other areas of my life where I sometimes feel just as lost. How easy it would be if I could plop down 189.00 and get turn-by-turn directions to my weight-loss goal, or my dream career, or healthier relationships.

The more I thought about the GPS, the more I realized, all of us come equipped with an internal GPS at birth; some are more sensitive to it than others it seems.

I recently lost 40 pounds. I can’t help thinking how the weight-loss journey was alot like the trip I took using the GPS, however, this strategy can apply to any area of your life, career, relationships, etc. Let me show you what I mean:

GPS: When you get into your car, the first thing you need to do with the GPS is to program a specific destination into the system. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you’ve arrived.

Diet: When you diet (successfully) the first thing you need to do is be very specific about how much weight you need to lose and when you plan to reach your target-weight. Write it down. If you are specific, your mind will begin right away mapping out a plan to reach the goal you have written down.

GPS: You can’t have your radio blarring and expect to hear the directions properly, you must be tuned in to the voice of the GPS in order to hear it.

Diet: If you are serious about your goals (diet, career, relationships) you will hear your own inner-voice guiding you toward your destination. You may be at a donut shop with friends enjoying the aroma of the gooey delights, when your inner-voice says, “You should order a low-fat bran muffin”. It is at this point that you either tune that voice out, or follow through on it’s direction. The choice is yours to make. You chose to tune out your inner GPS and order two chocolate covered cream puffs and a large coffee. That was a wrong turn, what are you going to do about it?

GPS: When you make a wrong turn while driving, your GPS will say something like this, “At the next opportunity you find, make a turn-around” You don’t pull over to the side of the road and cry over your wrong turn, you proceed to the next exit and loop back around and continue on toward your original destination.

Diet: When you eat a wrong food, or too much of the right food, what are you going to do? How often do we think, “I’ve already blown it for today, I’ll start again tomorrow, or better yet, Monday”, or how about this one, “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do this, I am doomed to be fat; my mother was fat, my grandmother was fat and who am I kidding, thinking I am gonna be able to beat this beast?” Just as with the GPS, if you proceed down the wrong road you are only getting further and further away from your intended destination. Realize you’ve blown it, make an immediate U-Turn and get right back on the right road without delay. Every mile you continue in the wrong direction is another mile you will one day have to back-track in order to reach your goal.

GPS: When you run into a road-block in your car, you can press the “Find Alternate Rout” button on the GPS, which will provide a way around the road-block that will ultimately get you to your destination.

Diet: Sometimes you find yourself in a place you hadn’t planned on being. Perhaps the group out-voted you and you ended up at a restaurant with very few low-fat options on their menu. You may choose to order a salad with dressing on the side so you can dip just your fork into the dressing with each bite instead of drenching the lettuce with a pool of calories. You can request your chicken be grilled instead of fried or soaked in sauce. Cottage cheese instead of mashed potatoes and gravy is a good choice. There are ways to “Navigate” around road-blocks if we are willing to take the time to look for them.

Life is all about the choices we make. The life you are living right now is the direct result of all of the choices you’ve made up to this point. The job you have, is the result of the education you applied yourself to, the weight you weigh is the result of the amount of calories you’ve taken in and the amount of calories you’ve burned, your example of self-respect or the lack thereof, has taught others how to treat you; all choices. You may not be happy with where you are in your life today, if not, here is the good news; you can change every bit of it beginning right here, right now.

It is time to, once again, tune in to your inner GPS. It may have been so long since you’ve tuned your ear into the voice of success and direction that you hardly rememberwhat it sounds like, but it’s there.

Now, at the first safe place you see, turn around whatever it is in your life that is going in the wrong direction. Do not settle for the same-old-same-old in your life anymore. Teaching others how to treat you begins with how you treat yourself. Most of us would never put up with another person treating us the way we have treated ourselves. No one else could get away with telling us as many lies as we have told ourselves or breaking the promises we have made to ourselves and failed over and over to keep.

It’s time to expect more of YOU and trust me, you will get it. Hold yourself accountable to the goals you set long ago for yourself, for your career, for your relationships, for your health.

This truly is the first day of the rest of your life, make the next half of your life the best half! Start keeping all the promises you’ve made to yourself. Begin living out your dreams. Research your dream-job, walk away from abusive relationships that tear you down, get healthy this year instead of just talking about it. This is your time, seize the moment! Make it count! Don’t just Do It, but Keep on Doing it! Tune in to your inner GPS and little by little you will see yourself changing and transforming into the YOU you have always dreamed you could be. Then you can say,” I may not have arrived, but at least I’ve left! You came equipped with everything you will ever need to be whoever you really want to be…now GET THERE!!!

I am Vickie Jordan. Author of the soon to be released fantasy novel, The Chronicles of Cambrlon,. I am a wife, and mother of 2 beatuiful daughters. I love writing and reading what others have to say. I am an avid reader, ever learning and love sharing what I learn with others.