My Account

Search
Close this search box.

They Should Get in The Right Lane, Is That True?

There’s nothing more frustrating that a slow driver in the left-hand passing lane.

This Is A Time When You Know You’re Right

You can practically see the page of the driver’s manual that says, “The left lane is for passing. As soon as you’ve passed, return to the right lane.”

You may have even seen highway signs posting the same instructions.

This is a situation where it really is true. They really should get in the right lane if they are driving slowly. So is it worth doing The Work on it?

You betcha!

The Work is about finding peace in any situation. If it stresses me, I do The Work.

A Client and I Did This Work Together Recently

We found that there is a higher law even than the rules of the road while driving: the law of reality.

Yes, it is true that they should get in the right lane if they are not passing. That’s what the laws of the highway clearly state.

But no, it’s not absolutely true that they should get in the right lane. Reality trumps all, even the laws of the road. If there’s someone in the left lane driving slowly, that is law! The law of reality.

And if I don’t respect that law, no matter how right I am about the government highway laws, then I’m going to feel stress.

If You Fight With Reality You Lose Every Time

I may be right (they should get over). But I can’t make them get over. So it’s truer that they shouldn’t get over. It’s just reality. It’s out of my control.

But there is an area that I can control: my thinking about them. Without the thought that they should get over, I’m back in my peace again. No matter how they drive.

And The Turnarounds Show Me How To Solidify That Peace

The original statement was, “They should get in the right lane.” The turnaround to the opposite is, “They shouldn’t get in the right lane.” First of all, because they are not.

And there may be other reasons too: maybe they are passing someone (but passing them slowly so as not to go over the speed limit). Or maybe they just need lots of time to prepare for a left turn in order to avoid rash movements at the last minute.

Or maybe, they just forgot they were in the left lane. That has certainly happened to me. It’s understandable.

There’s A Living Turnaround Here Too

A living turnaround is something I can actually do, something I can live, that can bring me back to peace the next time I’m in a similar situation.

The living turnaround here is: “I should get in the right lane.”

It’s such a simple turnaround. But it can make all the difference in the world. Here’s how I used this living turnaround some years ago.

When we lived in Richmond, Virginia, my partner and I used to hate driving to Washington, D.C. on Interstate 95. It was six lanes of traffic with high-pressure driving on all sides. It was stressful.

Eventually, we came across this living turnaround. We got into the far right lane and set the cruise control for the speed limit.

Suddenly the whole experience shifted. We had plenty of room on the road ahead of us. The craziness of the road did not touch us. And we arrived home with very little stress from the drive. It was like being on a train.

The Work Always Shows Me How to Live Peacefully

No matter how many things other people are doing wrong, I can still remain peaceful. The only thing that needs to change is my thinking about the situation.

The Work provides a direct way to challenge my own thinking and to turn it around. And to find new directions for living that allow me to have a happy internal experience.

Have a great weekend,
Todd

“If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try to teach a cat to bark. You can try and try, and in the end the cat will look up at you and say, “Meow.” Wanting reality to be different than it is is hopeless. You can spend the rest of your life trying to teach a cat to bark.” Byron Katie, Loving What Is

Want to get these articles delivered to your inbox 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.