We think that we don’t have time for self-awareness. We think that we are too busy. We think we are too stressed. We think that we are too tired. We think that we don’t have time to think. But that’s the point. We do have time to think. We have time to stop and think. We have time to stop and think.
Routine traffic stops are about as routine as people who are stopped at the light. That is all. And to those that are the light, you just move on.
You are a routine traffic stop. You stop when you think that you should. You stop when you think that you should stop. And you move on.
So with all these traffic stops happening, your car is being checked out. Like it’s being cleaned for the next one. As you’re pulling over and the cop is questioning you, you just say, “Yeah, I know what you’re checking me for. You’re checking me out.” You don’t even think about it. You just say, “I know what I’m doing.” It’s a bit like the “Routine Traffic Stop” video we showed last year.
Although we do think its cool that the cop is checking out your vehicle for traffic violations, this is actually a very common and easy mistake to make. When a cop checks your car out he’s doing so because he knows exactly what kind of car you drive. Of course, even if you say you know what youre doing, he’s going to still question you because your car may not be the car he expected.
So here is the thing, when you say you know what Im doing, its not actually what you do. The whole point is that you are doing it in exactly the wrong way. You are always doing something wrong, and this is part of the reason you should never do it. The important thing is to learn to recognize the difference between what you do and what you say you do.
The best way to identify an issue is by asking yourself, “What is it I’m doing that isn’t working?” For example, if you’re driving and you say you know what youre doing but your car still doesn’t turn out right, then you’re not doing it the best way.
What is your problem? Do you want to fix it? Do you want to continue on the way you are right now? Do you want to do something better? If you want to do something better, make a list of some of your problems and then start to solve them one at a time.
The best way to fix an issue is to address it and stop doing the same thing over and over. This is why it’s helpful to break your focus into smaller, more manageable steps. If you have to go four separate steps to fix a problem, then you’re not addressing the issue so you’re not fixing it. For example, if youre going to go to the grocery store, you should go only three steps at a time.
Don’t just look at traffic stops, look at how other drivers behave when they get pulled over. There are countless statistics and studies that show that most people are more likely to pull someone over if they are the only one of their carpool of three who is not distracted. This is because their car is the one that is most likely to be in the way, and thus, more likely to be stopped by the police.
