Life in the Diamond Lane

It’s the end of the workday and I’m leaving the city headed home for a peaceful evening.  Traffic is moving at a good pace.  It looks like I may have left just in time to make good time.  The ipod is cued, playing my favorite tunes, the sun is shining, and I am moving steady.  My thoughts shift from the road to what lies ahead at my destination.  I’ve got a couple of things to get done before I meet my favorite person for a set-aside time and meal.  It will be an enjoyable evening celebrated with peace and laughter.

Brake lights signal the flow of cars slowing down like sludge in a drain.  Cars begin to jockey between lanes hoping to find forward movement but only end up bringing delays to themselves and others.  What was moving steady is now staggered and stopped.  The results; incremental movement, windows rolling down and cars shifting back and forth within their lane trying to see what is the hold up.

In my peripheral vision, a passing car captures my attention.  For a fraction of a second I question, ‘where did they come from and why aren’t they stuck in this sludge?’

It’s the diamond lane, the commuter lane that is set-aside for those who choose to NOT to go-it-alone.  It is reserved for automobiles that have two or more persons riding in the car.  It allows the driver to travel in the lane furthest from the merging traffic and lane changes that cause gridlock at peak hours.  It’s the lane where a small percentage of drivers invite someone to ride along as they journey to their destination.

As another car whizzes by, I notice the conversation and enjoyment that is taking place in the car.  They look out onto this chaos and are not moved by it, but move steadily past, onward and forward.   Their perspective and movement is much different than my own.  I find myself thinking, “They will be home in time for their evening plans.”

I’m startled by the sound of a horn blowing as another car attempts to maneuver across two lanes.  Traffic that began to move again is halted by the lack of planning and last minute decision of this driver.  There is now a competition between the drivers of these cars.  No one is willing to help each other out.  I am surrounded by bumper-to-bumper horn blowing vehicles, noise, confusion, anger and disappointment as delays fog the hopes of my evening.

That is how many of us live our lives.  Bogged down in the grind of life.  We spend our efforts trying to get ahead or make our own way, and we, often times, “do-it-alone”.

The diamond lane is a picture of what could be if we did life with a coach; a coaching partnership we invite into our life journey.

Having a life coach is like having that additional passenger in our car.  The benefits of the coaching relationship are many.  The coach is not a councilor, therapist, teacher or mentor.  The coach facilitates the client’s agenda, helps the client obtain the goals and outcomes the client desires.

The coach isn’t driving the vehicle or determining the destination, but helps in our navigation of the journey, by reading signs or pointing out changes to keep us in route.  The coach is sharing our journey, listening, celebrating, recognizing and holding us accountable on our course; keeping us aware of who we are and where we are going.  They help to strengthen us in our journey so we arrive at our desired destination.  Having a coach, choosing not to go-it-alone, actually allows the driver to use the diamond lane.  Access to the lane enables the driver to get where they are going in less time and with a faster, smoother ride.

Just as the diamond lane moves the driver forward to the destination, inviting a coach to journey with us is a valuable resource that results in getting us where we want to go, faster, and smoother; a more rewarding and fulfilling journey.  Our time is not wasted by being entwined in the bumper-to-bumper mentality of life or the diversions of exiting and merging traffic of the competitive, comparative, crab-pot perspective that others choose.

Living life with purpose and on purpose is a much more enjoyable journey.