How many of you out there have a GPS in your car?

You know the one I’m talking about.
That nifty little gadget that gives you directions when you program in an address or a major landmark you want to drive to.

There’s nothing quite like the comfort of knowing that you have a little computerized navigator (or nag-ivator as I call it 🙂 ) to get you to your destination using the best route possible…or does it?

The other morning I had an early morning appointment and I was running just a tad bit behind (morning meetings are usually something I try and avoid, but this one was necessary)

I programmed the address into Miss Garmin (that’s what we call her, Miss Garmin) and set off on my way. Problem was, the route she was giving me was nothing but 11 miles of traffic lights in rush hour traffic. What was she? Nuts?

Once I realized what she was up to, I hopped on the 215 beltway and flew (legally, of course) to my destination. Recalculate this, Miss Garmin!

I got there a little late, but not as late as I would have been if I’d have listened to my computerized companion.

The purpose of this story?

We all have our own inner GPS. It’s that little voice inside that
instinctively knows how to get where we’re going, but do we listen to it?
How many times have we set a goal for ourselves and in trying to take the
shortest route possible(quick fixes, get rich quick schemes, the magic
program that will make all of our business headaches disappear) only to find
that we’re hitting a red light on every corner?

The surest way to reach your goal is not necessarily taking the shortest route, but the most effective one.

In miles, Miss Garmin’s way was shorter, but riddled with lots of stops and
starts (all those magic fairy dust programs the gurus promote, or chasing
another shiny object). In the end, my time on the road would have been
doubled.

When I chose the slightly longer, but much more effective route I got to my
appointment in much less time.

My lesson for today, grasshopper? Trust yourself and your instincts. Map out
the road to your goal in the most effective way for you. If something doesn’t
feel quite right to you, most times it isn’t. You instinctively know what’s
right for you, your business and your life.

Do yourself a huge favor. Listen to your own intuition, your own inner voice.
If you need help, ask. If you need more training, get it. If you need to hire
a coach, by all means hire one. It’s the best investment you’ll ever make.

There are times when we’re so close to a situation we can’t see the solution
and we need someone on the outside looking in.

Do you trust your inner GPS? What results do you get when you do? What about
when you don’t? 🙂 Leave your comments, I’d love to hear them…