Leadership Coaching: Life Is Like Driving A Car

"Control" In Moderation

"Being in control", "being out of control" and "being controlling". The difference between these three is that being in control is a good thing, while you wouldn't want to be out of control or be controlling. "Control " is not a bad thing, except if you overdo it. Keep that word in moderation.

Freud's classic model of the mind is that of the id- ego- superego. Our psychological task, according to him, is to take control of our impulses which are out of control. It's like taming a horse to ride it. The id is like a stallion, the out of control part of our personality- our wild impulses that run in every

direction. The superego, on the other hand is like a bridle, the controlling part of our personality. 

We need to learn how to use the superego well to tame the id so that we become more effective in our lives. Finally, the ego is that part of our personality that's in control, the rider in the driver's seat directing our lives to be capable.

Life Is Like Driving A Car

Bringing Freud's metaphor in the 21th century, we can suppose that life is like driving a car. We would want to learn how to drive our car safely, not recklessly like a teenager zooming down a mountain road in the dead of night. 

Likewise, we wouldn't want to be overcautious when we drive too, like an old lady dawdly putt putting on the freeway at 30 mph. Getting somewhere in life means having the discipline to drive at speed limit, staying on our lane, driving mindfully and following the rules of the road.

Our psychological journey is about us getting in the driver's seat and taking control of our own lives. This is the quintessence of being in control. We make choices and we take ownership and responsibility for them. We embrace the choices we made in our lives and take them to as far as they can go.

Follow The Rules Of The Road

Then again, we also have to mind some cautionary tales. We drive our own car, not someone else's. People tend to get so focused on what other people are doing, especially those that are wrong, when they should give full focus on themselves and what they do. We influence the most the things that we are doing, so they therefore deserve our utmost attention.

We drive our own car and we can't let somebody else do the job for us. A person will never grow up if he has the habit of passing his personal responsibilities. 

One of the most valuable things in life is peace of mind and the path to peace of mind needs us to get into the driver's seat and take charge of our lives. The life we build then belongs to us. 

We learn and grow from failures and disappointments and enjoy and feel satisfaction from our own triumphs and achievements.

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If so, download your FREE ebook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com