“We’re not lost. We’re on an adventure.” It’s what I used to tell my Girl Scouts and friends when we were hiking, traveling, camping or were, well…lost. Lost is a state of mind, a temporary situation that occurs when you’re getting your bearings. There IS a way out of where you are, YOU just don’t know it yet. For instance, if I’m on my way to a new place I use my GPS so I don’t “get lost.” Getting lost simply means you don’t the way yet. Once a friend or stranger or GPS tells you the way you are STILL in the exact same place you were, only know you know how to get to where you want to go. THAT is all lost is. So why not tell yourself you are on an adventure instead? An adventure is, after all, the same thing. We’re going somewhere, doing something that we’re not sure of. We don’t know where we’ll go exactly, or what we’ll be doing or experiencing. Yet we think of that as exciting and fun!

To tell your already panicked and frightened mind that you’re “lost” meaning to our amygdala that we’re about to die, is not helpful. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know where you’re going (car, foot, travel etc) or you can’t decide what job or career to pursue, you’re not really lost. You’re getting your bearings, you’re on an adventure. It’s going to work out.

When I was in London England for the first time in 2009, I got on a city bus by myself, having no idea where it was going or how long it would take. It was late afternoon. I just rode along enjoying the scenery and having a grand time. The bus stopped and everyone was told to get off, it was the end of the line. The bus would not be returning or going anywhere else for the day. I had no map, no idea where I was or how to get back to the hotel or even an address. I was LOST! But I reminded myself, after that first burst of panic, that I was NOT lost. I was on an adventure. I spent the next two hours navigating the bowels of the subway system and wandering the streets of London, but I had a good time and eventually found my way back to the hotel. It was an adventure and I felt deliriously happy at my ability to navigate a foreign country by myself for the first time. I know. Thousands of people do it everyday. It’s not such a big deal really, but for me, then - it was.

I recently realized I have no idea where I’m going with my life, or my business. I’m going through the motions, but I’m going in six different directions and none of them feel like fun - except for maybe my October Abduction books. So I’m regrouping, thinking and reminding myself - I’m not lost. I’m on an adventure. Are you?