“Pay careful attention to the road signs of your life”, says Andrew J Sherman, author of Road Rules: Be the Truck. Not the Squirrel. Learn the 12 Essential Rules for Navigating the Road of Life.
This book presents a very interesting analogy on the road rules and signs and how the author compares to our daily lives and career. There are signs all around us (much like the road signs) prompting us to walk on certain paths; it all depends on how we decipher these signs and pave our paths to a successful and satisfying life.
Some inspiring points and quotes that we have come across now and then are put together with simple wittiness in this interesting read. The ideas may not be new but the concept is novel and I will for sure look at the road signs along the way on my next trip and smile as I put together the analogy of life and the road signs as the author puts them beautifully together. Sherman says: “Most road signs have basic insights to guide you along the highway of life“.
An excerpt from the book:
YIELD
We all need to yield to others more often – to other’s actions, to others thoughts and to other’s beliefs. Be open to their suggestions and alternative pathways.
LANE ENDS MERGE LEFT
Pay careful attention to changes in your roadway of life that are truly inevitable. You may be cruising along in your lane of choice, only to learn that you will be out of the runway sooner than you expected.
SLOW: Children At Play
Is an important message to slow down and watch out for young children, but it is also an important reminder to take your foot off the accelerator long enough to spend time with your children and your family.
It is seldom that we get to reflect on what is going on around us because most of the time we are busy driving to and back from work and the only time we ‘live’ our lives is on the weekends . We keep doing what we are doing because it is so much integral to our routine; take time off from the routine and see how different the world can look and feel when just pausing and evaluating the path before us can make all the difference to our perspectives. “Some intersections in life require a full stop, an examination of the situation before moving forward. Others are more of a yield. They remind you to slow down a bit and take notice of what is around you before you proceed at full speed, but it’s usually okay to glide through with caution.”
Living a life dedicated to attaining one’s goals means developing the speed, attitude, skills, and ability to take action when life’s challenges arise. Sherman’s insights prove that every person is in control of shaping his or her destiny, that everyone can influence life-defining variables on the highway of life
Be the truck, not the squirrel. Sherman explains that forty-one million squirrels get run over every year because they scamper back and forth across the road, dodging traffic, with no strategy or plan – the sole mission being to find nuts. A truck, on the other hand, is big and powerful. Trucks, or more precisely, truck drivers, carry valuable cargo. They need to have a plan, a destination, a road map, and an understanding of basic rules and laws so as not to cause accidents, or get lost. Sherman identifies the eight critical concepts that are essential to being the truck, from knowing where the road leads (the clarity of one’s path) to having a full tank of gas (energy, passion, and enthusiasm). Sherman’s insights will help readers understand how to define their life goals. Being the truck and not the squirrel is a wise choice.