MAP YOUR ROUTE TO A HAPPY FUTURE

These steps will make your journey forward more encouraging

By ASHLEY GRAVANO, Mortgage Women Magazine, Contributing Writer

Do you remember before GPS we would follow a map (that paper thingy that has thousands of little lines) in hopes to find your location? Then we upgraded to Mapquest that was awesome! Until GPS came along and now none could ever imagine using that old map again. Getting from Point A to Point B without any issue, detour, or accident is important for many reasons. Mainly safety and sanity.

Sometimes I think how nice it would be to have a map to follow for life. One with no detours, accidents or unexpected events that can ruin your trip. But at the same time, isn’t life all about learning to reroute yourself as needed in your professional and personal environments? You have to learn to follow a different road, even when unexpected.

I think post-COVID many people have decided to take a different road: a road three years ago they would never take. Whether it be getting a job in a new industry or a different position with maybe less responsibility so they can “enjoy the ride” a bit more. We’ve seen massive changes in our industry, some by choice, some not so much.

So, when you’re finding yourself changing routes or maybe you’re lost and not sure where to go, what do you do? Slowww down. Pull over even and take some time to rest. Ask yourself what happened, how it happened, and what can you learn from it.

Call a friend. It’s always helpful to talk to your friends and get their thoughts on how to get back on track.

Read and research. So many books out there can help you with change of all sorts.

Talk to a career/life coach, someone who’s trained to help people find their way.

Listen to a podcast. There are so many great motivational ones out there. I love Gary V and Mel Robbins.

Find hobbies that bring you joy. The more you’re happy and satisfied, the easier that road will become.

Learn to say no! Yes I said it! Too often we just say yes to save someone else’s feelings or make someone else happy, but it’s OK to say no. If they don’t understand, then that’s on them!

Say yes to things that you hesitated on in the past that you really wanted to do but were maybe out of the way. The road of life is short although sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.

Don’t be afraid! I really believe in the cliché everything happens for a reason! We may not know that reason right away but trust that the reason makes sense.

Sit back and enjoy the ride! n