Stop, now look up

SO THERE I was on my recent overseas trip, absolutely lost in the main area of Tokyo.

I always set a task for myself when travelling to try to find a particular spot by instinct – by following my “nose”. It’s based on research conducted on London taxi drivers who, as part of their licensing test, are required to find a location by instinct or memory.

This has resulted in an enlarged hippocampus leading to increased memory and brain health.

I have succeeded this test in most cities I’ve visited – except for Shanghai. I defy any visitor to work out that city! But I have to say, Tokyo was testing me!

In desperation, I started to give up and was just about to revert to the map I was carrying for such instances when my inner voice clicked in and said, “Dennis, don’t worry about where you think you are, focus on where you actually are – look up”. At that point I stopped focusing on the streets and looked up, raised my eyes, saw the Tokyo tower and knew exactly where I was, where I was going and how to get there.

I realised this was a life lesson. How many of us get distracted and become so concerned about where we think we should be in life that we lose our way and find ourselves even more disoriented? This is particularly apparent in our world of social media – we are bombarded with posts of “happy” people with lovely possessions, doing amazing things.

Oh, if only their social media life reflected their actual life all the time!

The first step in our journey is to accept where we are – not where we think we are or should be.

I have learnt the value of “going hard – slowly” in my own journey and use it often. By this I mean – don’t lose the end target you seek; but learn to stop, breathe and look up.

When we think we have lost the way, so many of the people I work with go into action mode – work harder and faster to find the way.

This may work for them in the short term – but I have found that a far better way is to (1) stop, (2) breathe and (3) breathe again. It’s incredible how the universe will look after you as long as you let it and are open to its messages.

Listen to your inner voice as this is the universe talking to you. The skill of looking up is vital. Stop what you are doing right now and look up.

What do you see? Who do you see? What is it trying to tell you? Based on what you see, what actions can you take to get you where you initially intended to be?

Don’t compare yourself with others or where you think you should be in your life. Just be. Don’t over-think it. Trust the process of life and when you actually find that place you are looking for – celebrate. In my case, I had a saké – cheers!

❝ The first step in our journey is to accept where we are – not where we think we are or should be.