My Account

Search
Close this search box.

Have You Written a Worksheet on Bad Drivers?

traffic in India
I snapped this photo in India just before my life flashed before my eyes.

You Might Think Driving Is too Trivial to Do The Work On?

But I’ve facilitated many clients on this subject. And have done The Work myself on traffic situations.

This may seem trivial but, if traffic is stressful for you in any way, it is a valid place to do The Work.

And it Can Show You You’re Whole Life

If you are impatient in traffic, chances are you are impatient in other areas of your life. Traffic is just a mirror. An innocent mirror of your mind.

Through her work, one client became aware of how she always leaves with “just” enough time to drive to her destination–and is always late because she leaves no buffer time for traffic.

Through her turnarounds, she discovered for herself that starting just 10 minutes earlier could make a huge difference in her experience. And this applied not just to traffic, but to every area of her day.

Another Client Put Things in Perspective

She realized that if she didn’t make it on time, and missed her appointment, it would not cost her much money. She could easily skip that appointment, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world. In fact, she didn’t really love that kind of doctor’s appointment anyway, so no need to kill herself getting there.

Another client found very practical living turnarounds when stuck behind someone slow: simply adjust to reality and slow down. This sounds like common sense, but he was open to this idea only after he went through the four questions and the turnarounds and found the example himself.

He reported a much more relaxed driving experience after doing that worksheet.

For me, The Turnaround Also Was to Slow Down

I couldn’t relax while driving until there was a nice open space ahead of me. I was trying to zip by everyone to get to that open space. But it never showed up for very long.

My turnaround invited me to slow down. And I found that by going slower, I could create that open space in front of me on my own.

Now I’m in control. I can relax because I know how to create a big open space ahead of me even in heavy traffic. I’m no longer dependent on others for my happiness in this regard.

I Encourage You to Do a Worksheet on Any Stressful Situation While Driving

If you’re looking for a worksheet to write, don’t overlook traffic. I bet that doing worksheets on traffic alone could be enough to take anyone to enlightenment!

In fact, I invite you to bring a traffic worksheet to the Two-Hour Taste of The Work on Saturday. See you there.

Have a great weekend,
Todd

“Write about the checker at the grocery store who was too slow or about the driver who cut you off on the freeway. Every story is a variation on a single theme: This shouldn’t be happening. I shouldn’t have to experience this. God is unjust. Life isn’t fair.” — Byron Katie, Loving What Is.

If you like this article, feel free to forward the link to friends, family or colleagues. Or share the link on Facebook or other social media. If you have thoughts you’d like to share about it, please leave your comments below.

Get a new article about The Work of Byron Katie every week. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Todd Smith has been doing The Work of Byron Katie on an almost daily basis since 2007. He is just as excited about this simple process of self-inquiry today as he was when he first came across it. He also enjoys writing about The Work, and training others in the subtleties of this meditative process. Join Todd for The Work 101 online course, private sessions, virtual retreats, and his ongoing Inquiry Circle group.