Many years ago, in the middle of my corporate design career I was wooed away, and for a brief time I sold Mercedes-Benz cars. As part of  training, went to the Lime Rock racetrack in Connecticut. There’s a driving school there, and Paul Neuman used to race his cars there as well.

We compared various Mercedes-Benz cars to competitor’s cars; then also drove the performance Mercedes-Benz cars around the racetrack.

I can hold my own on the daily driving olympics (aka as Sprain and Taconic Parkways), but powering into these turns on the track frightened me to my core. My brain, eyes, and hands weren’t calibrated. I felt out of control, that any second I’d make a mistake that’d send the car flying into the woods to crash and burn.

“Keep your eys on the road” is logical advice, but its unnatural and counterintuitive when what you’re experiencing is frightening. You want to keep looking all around you to stay safe. If you’ve ever taken a professional driving course you know what comes next.

The pro driver with me explained, “the car goes where you are looking”.  Simple and profound then, applicable to so many things since.

These days, it’s easy to be distracted, lose focus, and feel out of control. There’s no shortage of things to take your time and energy, to bring you to a place you don’t want to be. And since stress can gut your immune system, its really really important to be in charge, and as top of your game as possible

So-be mindful. You have the power to choose, choose well. Keep your eyes on the road, because where you’re looking is where you’ll end up.