When I think of staying in one’s lane, multiple thoughts come to mind. Of course, the most obvious use of the saying is “Safe and conscientious driving.” But over the past few years, staying in your lane has taken on the meaning of knowing one’s place and minding one’s business. Most times, it’s safe and smart to stay in one’s lane. It can be uncomfortable to challenge the status quo of things.
However, I think about the great innovators, creators, and activists who didn’t “stay in their lanes” but instead decided to push the envelope. They envisioned something greater for the life they were living. They went above and beyond what they were programmed to believe was in their power to do. They dared to challenge the “norm,” and in some cases, they made strides to change the systematic way of doing things.
Here’s the thing about staying in one’s lane: You have to be comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable. When people challenge the normal way of doing things, other people’s opinions and thoughts ultimately don’t matter. It’s okay to have differing views because then you find out who your allies are and those who may not support your efforts. But if you just stay where you’re told and expected to stay, in your lane, you’ll never know the impact you can make on someone else’s life, let alone your own. One may never find their purpose in life if they just stay in their lane.
I think about all the times I was expected to stay in my lane, and looking back, I’m glad I ultimately decided to change lanes. I know myself better because I choose to change lanes. I’ve gotten lost along the way a few times, but eventually I found my way back to the main road to continue my journey. If I had just kept doing what was expected of me to do, I would be miserable and living my life by other people’s definition of me instead of finding myself and learning which direction in life I should be heading.
At one point or another, we have all had to stay in our lanes, and at another point when had to learn to change lanes when things no longer made sense. At least I hope that at some point we have all learned to change lanes when it’s warranted, or we would just be driving aimlessly throughout life. I understand it, though. Changing lanes can be a little unnerving, especially when people don’t want you to change lanes. Turning signal on or not, people don’t want you to change lanes because it makes them reflect on their own paths and driving abilities in life.
I guess there is a time and place when you have to stay in your lane and when you have to change lanes in order to make it to your destination. If you never change lanes or go beyond other people’s expectations of you or who you are “supposed” to be, you may never enjoy driving in life at all, in which case you’ll have to rely on public transportation and let someone else take the wheel.