Course Correctors

We get stuck as Drifters when we stop acting in our own best interest. Life’s twists, turns, and demands can weaken our resolve, and in those moments we convince ourselves that things shouldn’t be so challenging. At least that’s our reasoning for taking the path of least resistance. Before we know it, the easy way becomes a habit. So instead of directing our lives according our own wishes and hopes, we just borrow someone else’s. Or we reject the idea of wishing and hoping at all.

However you got derailed — there are at least four main ways — the path that directed you there will also provide your ticket out.

1. Backseat Drifter
You’re everyone’s favorite passenger. You let others take the driver’s seat, and trust them to get the show on the road. Why call the shots when it’s so much easier to go with the flow? This way, if stuff goes wrong, no one can stick the blame on you. Yours is a backseat view of the journey of your own life: As you watch it pass, others decide your direction. After a while, you may not even know what you want anymore.
You’ve accepted that someone in your life will always know better. You need to figure out why you don’t speak up for yourself — which means taking a good look at moments when you’ve given up the wheel. Course-correct by reflecting on two recent stuck moments.

2. Bulletproof Drifter
You’re a realist, and people appreciate your lack of drama — but your equilibrium has been hard-won. Things started with so much promise, but then the leaps you made fell short of where you’d hoped to go. And that was a blow to your confidence. So now you keep your armor up and expectations down, wherever you’re heading. Or, worse, you go nowhere at all.
You need to believe in the possibility of success. Imagining a bigger future starts with changing your attitude toward mistakes of the past. To be successful, we need to develop our ability to dust ourselves off after a fall and try again. Consider some of history’s greatest failures to show you how. Course-correct by imagining a world in which quitting is the norm.

3. Backstage Drifter
You have a special ability to help others find their star. Many would say that you’re selfless for the way you shy away from the spotlight as you work tirelessly behind the scenes — but, deep down, you suspect you don’t deserve first choice anyway. So, while you’re busy helping others stage their scenes, your own dreams gather dust.
You need to believe in your own importance. Think of it this way: If you don’t put yourself first now, when will you? Potential may be endless, but time is finite. Course-correct by looking at how much time is in your hourglass to devote to yourself.

D. Drifter-Without-a-Cause
You’re fighting for your identity in a world that tries to fit you in a mold. You want no part of the “norm.” After all, how could you innovate if your individuality is being crushed in the daily grind? So you reject the usual signposts of success…but aren’t quite sure what to substitute for them. And that leaves you without a goal in sight.
You need to believe that you do have a role to play in the world. A single-minded rejection of convention cuts you off from possibility. Practice appreciating both the world and yourself for what you are — and you’ll find there’s a place for your own unique contribution. Course-correct by discovering the art of seeing from different perspectives.

INCLUDES:
PDF worksheet (1 page)