Did you know that one of the biggest opportunities for passing judgment occurs on the streets and roads of the world? Think about it. No one drives like you – of course. You may chuckle at this or you may cringe with admission. But judgment is a key factor in self-sabotage when you’re aiming at success. Let’s talk about this.

Essentially it boils down to the fact that judgment is essentially negative. So every time you’re commenting (to use a nice word) on other people’s driving, you’re making a judgment. Since you want to remain positive (or at least neutral) all the time, this judgment is negating much of the progress you’ve already made. And since it’s unlikely that simply saying “I won’t drive near anyone that irritates me today” will change your circumstances, what you need to change is your attitude, thoughts, and maybe even your behavior when you do drive.

When you criticize others even if you don’t know who they are, you’re sending out negative vibrations and this negativity counteracts the energy that you’re focusing on changing your life and bringing you success. Perhaps you’ve just expressed your gratitude to the universe by volunteering and now you’re on the way home. But it’s rush hour and so the traffic is at a crawl. All of a sudden a motorcyclist comes zooming past you between the lanes. Your blood pressure goes up, you’re angry and think “what a jerk, I’d love to open my door as he’s coming by and let him have it – so there.” Of course, you’re still sitting there in traffic. Did that thought make you feel better? What do you think it did to your positive actions of volunteering? It may actually have wiped out much of the positive energy and focus you put out.

Let’s say you’re in that same situation and because you’re stopped or at a crawl you’ve started saying your denials and affirmations and the motorcyclist passes. That thought you just had will wipe out all the good of your denials and affirmations. Do you want someone you don’t even know to affect your success? I know I don’t.

You can do a couple of things to prevent this from happening. You may not be able to change the driving and behavior of others but you sure can change your reaction to them. You can also use these circumstances to help identify characteristics within yourself that you need to change. The most obvious of these characteristics is being judgmental. Judging others is the same as condemning them. You don’t know what’s going on in them. Perhaps that motorcyclist is on the way to the hospital because a relative was rushed there in an emergency? What would you feel like if you found that out?

The other thing you can do with these experiences is learn how what they are saying about your behavior. I used to become upset when I was walking in “my” neighborhood and cars would speed by. It took me awhile to realize I was trying to be responsible for the whole area even though I couched those thoughts with the indignant “you might hurt someone and if you’re late, you should leave earlier” or something like that. Who am I to condemn others..and then I looked at how I was driving in my own neighborhood. I was speeding when I went to work. The speed limit is 30 mph and because it was dark and early, I justified it (when I even thought about it) that there was no one on the road at that hour. Well, first of all, that was a false thought because there are always people walking or running at any hour. Besides, the signs don’t say “you only need to go 30 mph WHEN there are people out on the road”. The speed limit is the speed limit. So, instead of continuing to criticize others, I turned the events inside and changed my behavior for the good. By doing this I also eliminated the anger and indignation that I would feel that others were doing something “wrong”. Often times, this just equates to envy that you’re not “able” to do the same thing you’re condemning. You’re probably afraid you’d get caught so you’re mad that someone else can do it and not get caught. Stop focusing on others and go within.

It’s so vital that we clear ourselves and deal with what’s inside of our minds and souls. There’s no need to think outside your own box. You have enough to do with your inner work without having to worry about what other people do with their lives.

Try this for a week and see what happens to your experiences on the road. Things will change. And so will you.

If you want to know more about the ways to change your life and become a success in any area of your life, you might want to check out The Art of Making Things Happen.

Terrie