That's one of two memorable life lessons I learned from my racecar driving instructor. I learned many lessons that made me a better (and safer) driver, but this is one of two lessons I've applied to life. The instructor told my small class of eight drivers to stop looking at the pavement immediately in front of our cars, to lift our eyes and look into the turns, because where your eyes lead, your car will follow.
In life, what we focus our attention on expands. Maybe it manifests or maybe we just become more aware of it, as when every third car on the road became a silver Toyota RAV4 the day I drove mine home from the dealer. In that situation, nothing changed but my awareness. When we focus on the future we want, that future expands. Practically speaking, when we plan our future and focus on our plan, we achieve the results we seek. We might not achieve everything we want in our future, but we'll achieve more than we would if we didn't plan and focus.
Any time is a good time to plan, but the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to plan. Include initiatives and goals in your plan and, where appropriate, timelines and deadlines. Then follow through and refer to your plan often, so you stay on track. Plans aren't cast in stone. Don't be too rigid to dream big or to make changes, but do so consciously.
Are you wondering about the second memorable lesson I learned from my racecar driving instructor that applies to life? Here it is: When you get in trouble, it's not the brake pedal that will get you out of trouble. It's the gas pedal. Sure, we sometimes need to tap on the brakes in life, slow down and reassess. Then we need to step on the gas pedal again to continue living fully and well.