The Drift – Not A Great Friend in Life

You have a choice in life. You can either live on-purpose, according to a plan you’ve set. Or you can live by accident, reacting to the demands of others. The first approach is proactive; the second reactive.es

Michael Hyatt

For the past eight years, The Drift has been my enemy.  My life plan serves to combat this enemy each and every day.  In the book  Living Forward, A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and get the Life you Want,  authors Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy introduce the villain:  The Drift.

They begin by giving examples of how The Drift led them into this whole life planning thing.  I will leave you to read the book to discover these stories. but essentially, The Drift comes in two basic forms:

  • Not paying attention or being aware. Going with the flow; letting all the forces around you determine your path and destination, rather than taking responsibility and DECIDING.
  • Heading in the wrong direction.  For whatever reason you have never thought about and DECIDED, “Am I headed where I am put on this earth to be?”
I have always had a sense of purpose and direction.  Instilled in me by my faith and my father, he would say, “You can do anything you put your mind to”.  I believed him.

Drifts Discussed

Let’s talk about these two forms of drift.   As a retired air traffic controller and current private pilot, I find aviation, specifically a trip by plane, a good illustration.  Let’s go behind the scenes of said trip to see how this applies.
When a pilot begins to plan a flight, they:
  • first, decide their destination.
  • check weather, incl

    drift

    uding the route and altitude they want in light of the most favorable winds as well as the capabilities of the particular plane they will be flying.

  • file a flight plan with air traffic control and request the route and altitude they want to take.
  • Air traffic control approves or amends the requested route and altitude in light of the other flights headed in that same direction.
When the pilot requests clearance they may get a “cleared as filed” or “I have an amended clearance, are you ready to copy?”.  Occasionally, even the requested destination may not be available due to weather or other factors.  Sounds like living life, right?

Planning

Would you hop on a flight that you paid good money for, to a destination called “we have no idea”?  No planning for fuel, weather, aircraft safety, or other life-critical factors?  So why do we do this for the life we are living?  This is at best a waste and irresponsible.  At worst, it is just plain dangerous, for you, and those you are connected to on this earth.

The other reality is, that few if any, plan their life intentionally, it just never occurs to them.  Most of us simply don’t know any better. The reasons are varied, but if not taught otherwise, we simply exist.

Back to the aviation analogy

Although rare, there are occasions in planning a flight when the pilot might intend to go to one destination but get the wrong destination code.  Air traffic control gives clearance to the requested destination even though it is not the destination the pilot intended to go to.  You have heard of those occasions when a flight lands at the wrong airport?  How did it happen?  Not paying attention.

Then there are the external forces on a flight:
  • Wind will, unless the pilot and air traffic are aware, simply push the flight off course.
  • Severe weather may require taking a longer route or even require waiting to depart.
  • Mechanical issues with the aircraft or the air traffic system may cause a delay.
These all represent life events, that without a clear plan could prevent one from reaching the desired destination.

The Drift Anti-Dote

So how does this relate to a life plan?  In the case of finding oneself headed in the wrong direction, or even arriving at the wrong destination, just like on a flight, there is a solution: get a plan that will get you to the desired destination.  Although a bit embarrassing and sometimes rather expensive, it is fixable.  If you have breath, there is time – today.
In the case of external forces. a life plan, like a flight plan, when given intentional thought and periodic review will keep you headed in the right direction,  Even if there are some re-routes or delays along the way.
We all have our Journey, our story.  This is why I started and continue this BLOG to:
  • challenge you to think about where you are today
  • look at the resources you have at hand and,
  • look at the direction you are currently headed.
  • write it down!
I still recommend the book Living Forward, A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, as a guide.  It’s time to stop the drift. 

I am a former air traffic controller, pilot, Aircoupe owner, married 42 years to a great guy. We live in a 125+ year old historic Victorian, enjoy cats, vintage anything, precious friends. My passion is Giving Lost Stories A Voice – Giving Found Materials Fresh Form and Purpose!

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