Get Lost!
Even with Google Maps, even with transit apps, even with many, many people able to help us in English, we still got lost on our trip to Japan a number of times!
It was GREAT!
I LOVE being lost because:
I tune into my surroundings. I see things I might have missed had I known where I was going and went straight there. I realized where things connected and found different pathways. I interacted with people I might never have spoken to…
Now, there were a few times when being lost wasn’t so great and that’s because:
I was judging myself for messing up, I didn’t have confidence that I could figure it out, and I struggled on my own without asking for help.
Luckily, that didn’t happen too much on this trip, but it has happened a lot in life. It has happened as I try a new initiative or dive into a new creation. It happens with partnerships and roles…
And I wonder: What helps us to embrace being lost as an adventure versus a failure? A few thoughts…
Expect it. When you plan for it, you tend to leave more time to get places and you aren’t stressed out in the process of finding your way again.
Stop comparing. Being a tourist makes it obvious how detrimental comparison can be. Locals of course know where they are! When you are doing something new, it’s like being a tourist. Don’t look to the locals, the ones who have done it a million times, to gage how you are doing with it.
Get present. Look around you. Really look. Notice new things. Be in the experience! This is it. This is all there really is. Being truly present can be calming in and of itself.
Take one small step. We don’t have to know the whole route to get to there. We just need to move in a direction which will give us more information that we can use to determine our next steps.
Be willing to change the plan. Being lost means you might see something you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. And it might be something good or fun or interesting!
Ask for help. People generally love to help. And when we receive help or give help, we get to connect in new and meaningful ways with others.
If you really stop to think about it, life is one big experience of being lost and finding our way.
With practice, we can enjoy that process more and still be incredibly productive in realizing our goals. Which, of course, take us to something new we want to explore…
★ Creative Challenge ★ Identify one place in life where you feel lost. Take a few moments to really notice where you are in this present moment and doodle it out. What can that doodle teach you about being lost?