GPS

This past weekend, I had to drive from my home in Fort Collins, to a hotel in south Denver. It wasn’t a long drive. It only took an hour and a half. I feel like I know Denver pretty well, but I don’t know every street, and even though I used to have to work down there, it’s grown a great deal since I was down in that area, and so trying to find a specific address can be tedious. Thank goodness we have GPS systems!

I rented a car as I was going to be running down there over a period of three different days. I was filming a pageant for the contestants and their families. When I rented the car, I made sure to rent a GPS so that I could find my way to the hotel. I got the car all packed up, started it and plugged in the GPS. I typed in the address and received a message that, “maps are not available”. I really had to wonder about this, since that, as far as I knew, was the only thing a GPS did. It displayed a map and showed you how to get from here to there. Undaunted, I continued to try. After struggling with the device for a short time, I saw another sign appear. This time the sign read, “Low battery. Connect to external power source.” I looked at the back of the device and verified that it was plugged in, following the cord down to the 12v plug in the car. Yup. It was hooked up. I wriggled the cord at both ends, just to make sure that they were secure. Yup. They were.

Maybe a reset would help. So, I turned the GPS off and back on again. This time, before anything else, it told me that it had a low battery and to connect it to an outside power source. What the heck!  I thought. This was not going to be easy. Then, the GPS shut down and refused to turn back on. Dang it!

Okay, realizing that there was a USB port in the car, I took my cheap little Android phone, plugged it in, pulled up maps and asked for directions. It worked amazingly well and got me to my destination without any issues. It even helped me find my way home that evening.

The weekend went well, and it turns out that I didn’t even need the GPS because of my phone. Sadly, I still paid for it even though it was useless to me. That, however, is another blog for another time! The point is that I knew where I wanted to go, knew generally how to get there, but also knew that for the last mile or so, I would have been clueless. I realized that this same scenario applies to life. Many times we set goals. We know where we want to go and how to get there for the most part, but when we get down to that last little bit, we get lost and off track. Ever wish that there was a GPS for life? Well, there might be a device that will show us where to go all the way to our goals, but we have two things that will help. Knowledge and persistence. Whether it’s knowledge by learning for ourselves, or knowledge that we gain from asking others, it’s that knowledge that will see us safely through to the very end and help us avoid getting lost that last little bit. Persistence is essential in reaching your goal. You might get lost, but keeping at it will always keep you moving forward. You might hit road blocks, but keeping the rewards at the end, in mind, can keep you on track. Don’t let a little hiccup in the plan stop you from getting to where you need to go. Keep moving and find another way if necessary!

Always research the trip from where you are now to the goal you wish to reach. Ask for help and direction, and don’t let anything stand in your way and before you know it, you’ll have successfully arrived and be ready to plan the next trip to a great new goal!

Drew