I was driving to the airport very early last week and the fog was so heavy I couldn’t see ten feet in front of me. There were cars slowing down. Others were putting on their flashers with caution. And some, like me, were charging through it. I couldn’t help but think about what a metaphor for life this was as it also gave birth to a new approach for the new year.

We can’t always see what’s in front of us or where the road is going to lead. No one can predict the future nor do we have a magic ball to tell us how to go about arriving into our future. But we forge ahead anyways because life requires us to keep moving.

Some of us slow down in times of uncertainty. Some completely come to a halt paralyzed by the unknowing. And some of us throw on our flashers and proceed with so much caution that we end up putting walls up. Then there are some, like me in this case, who bulldoze through the fog of life and the road ahead with only the destination in mind.

I’ve been all of these types of people in my life. Learning to slow down, use caution, be still and move forward with confidence all take so much practice. No method of travel is wrong. It’s different for everyone depending on where we are at in our journey.

As we move into an unknown new year, I encourage you to take some time to ask yourself where you are at. What kind of person are you in the above scenario? Is it working for you?

I’ve never been a huge fan of resolutions because let’s be honest, we typically never follow through on them. What I am an advocate for is personal growth in general. This comes from retrospection and understanding where you are on your path of life, that you never truly know what is going to happen next and that life is not always easy or clear.

What matters most is how you suit up and show up for the ride. What matters is how you treat life, yourself and others when you can’t see ten feet in front of you. It comes down to learning what you’re made of and being able to know when to put the pedal to the medal or to hit the brakes.

Having a strong faith, intuition and acting on both has been the cornerstone of all my successes. And trust me failing to do so has led to my failures too. But then again, failures also set us up for success in what we learn from them.

So, instead of making resolutions we may not keep this year, perhaps we can look inward to ask ourself the questions that really uncover who we are, where we are and where we want to be. Once we know this, resolutions and goals become secondary because our resolve to be our best version is what carries us.

I am also reminded that we always end up right where we are supposed to be. That morning I was worried I might be late, the flight might be delayed, maybe I shouldn’t be traveling, it’s going to be cold and many other fear based thoughts. Yes, I’m guilty of this too. But at the end of the day, I was right where I was supposed to be, going through exactly what I need to, to get through that patch of fog in life.

Remember that no one knows how things are going to go so it’s ok to take the pressure off of ourselves. Stay the course and move at the speed that is best for you. In this new year I encourage you take a new approach for the new year by being mindful of your method of travel and understanding there are times to barrel through the fog,  times to coast along with your foot on the brake and times to slow down to reevaluate. The new year is an open road and sometimes driving into the unknown reminds us that the element of surprise is also where miracles happen.