Life's Detours

"See any detour as an opportunity to experience new things." - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Have you ever been driving somewhere on a trip, and you find the usual road you take to get there is closed? You're forced to take an unexpected detour. Go a different way to get to your destination. 

Often, at first, we are a little put off by the detour. But how often, as a result, have you realized you had seen something new, beautiful, or interesting that you've never seen before. Or stopped to eat at a great restaurant that you never existed. What started off as an inconvenience turned into a pleasant surprise.

This also happens with our plans. We have things mapped out the way we want. Maybe it's the vacation destination itself. Or a career choice. A college major. A significant relationship. Or an expectation of your life journey. Whatever it may be, it's all planned out. And when things don't go as planned, we get annoyed. We become hurt, sad, or angry with the feeling of loss. When in reality, it may have never been "ours," having never achieved it in the first place. But sometimes, we end up achieving something different, unexpected, or often even bigger or better than what we were initially hoping for. 

It's our choice to respond to the detour the way that we do. We can choose to feel let down when plans take a different route or are happy with where we are and what we have right now. We have to navigate ourselves down a new road. Maybe we'll get back on the original road. Maybe we won't. But if you make the correct choice and choose to stay optimistic, motivated, focused, curious, and continuously looking for new opportunities, you will be happier. 

The happiest people are the ones who realize the opportunities and lessons that come disguised as detours, dead-ends, or roadblocks along our journey and learn to enjoy the trip and the scenery anyway. Who knows, it may end up being the most extraordinary unexpected trip you ever took.

Make today great!

Curtis

"With every roadblock, a detour is built. With every ending, a new beginning is defined. Embracing a challenge makes life interesting, but overcoming it makes life meaningful." - Matthew E. Fryer