You Might Be Going the Wrong Direction

I was in Bay City, Michigan, where I had the privilege of serving as the keynote speaker for a District Rotary event. After the event, a woman was talking with me and shared something interesting.

She said, “We’re so close to the Canadian border that if you get off Highway 75, you could end up in Canada when you’re trying to go to Detroit.” We laughed. It felt like one of those random, passing comments, but it stuck with me.

Later, as I was driving from Bay City back to the Detroit airport, I noticed something. My GPS was taking me a different way. And I remembered what she said: “You take Highway 75 to Detroit.” So, I checked my location, and sure enough, I was going the wrong direciton.

Here’s what hit me: If I hadn’t fully listened in that moment, I would not have caught it. I would have kept driving, confidently, in the wrong direction. That’s not just a driving story; that’s a life story. A lot of us are moving quickly, but not paying attention.

We live in a world competing for our attention:

• constant notifications

• multitasking

• divided focus

Research shows that when our attention is fragmented:

• our accuracy decreases

• our decision-making suffers

• our ability to process important information drops

In fact, our brains are not wired to truly multitask—only to switch rapidly between tasks, which weakens focus and awareness.

And when that happens? We miss things. We mishear things. Important things, subtle things, directional things; it all matters.

Attention is more than focus, it’s awareness, and awareness is what allows us to:

• recognize when we’re off track

• hear what actually matters

• respond instead of react

That moment in the car wasn’t about directions. Scary for a moment, but like life, it was about being present enough to notice.

We often think our most valuable resource is time, but it’s not, it is our attention. You can have the time, and still miss everything that matters.

Attention, however, is how we:

• build connection

• make better decisions

• stay aligned with where we’re trying to go

And when we’re not paying attention? We don’t just miss moments. We drift.

If you want to be more aligned, more present, and more effective:

• 1. Slow down long enough to actually listen
  Not to respond—but to understand.

• 2. Reduce one distraction during important moments
  Put the phone down. Close the tab.

• 3. Check your direction regularly
  Ask: “Am I still headed where I intended to go?”

• 4. Treat attention like a gift
  Because it is.

These aren’t big shifts, but they change everything.

If you’ve been feeling pulled in too many directions lately, I created a simple tool to help you reset your focus and reconnect with what matters most. This kindness checklist is a way to for you to be kind to yourself, and to other people, because sometimes the most important thing we can do is pause long enough to notice where we are.

I almost missed a critical turn not because I didn’t have direction, but because I could have missed them, and it reminded me: the difference between being lost and being aligned often comes down to one thing: are you paying attention?

If your organization is exploring ways to strengthen belonging, connection, and sustainable performance, you can learn more about bringing The Science Of Kindness to your team through workshops, trainings, keynotes, and more!