“I don’t know what’s wrong, but I keep crying…”

This refrain always reminds me of an experience I had early in my career. I attended a work conference on Mindfulness Practice, to reduce anxiety, and increase access to full and present living, hosted by a world-renown psychologist and authority on the subject. He opened the lecture by saying, “my mind is like that part of town that nobody wants to drive through, let alone break down in.” At the time, I was surrounded by a few hundred other individuals, and I remember shrinking in my seat, thinking, “whoa, is he talking to me?” While I can now recognize how self absorbed that thought was, in my defense, at the time, I truly thought he was reading my mind!

Since then, I now wonder if there is anyone who CAN’T relate to his analogy. Many people have felt metaphorically lost in life, and this experience has been described in many ways. For example:

Living life in a shaken snowglobe. While it’s relaxing to watch the snow drift back down to earth, there is a lot of unexpected and sharp jostling that causes things to break apart before the pieces settle. We don’t know if we should look up, down or sideways for solid footing.

Having an undeveloped moral compass. The seeds of morality and conscience are planted when we are children, by our families and community with the influences of religion and culture. Sometimes those seeds aren’t nurtured and do not fully develop as we grow into adulthood. This could leave us feeling unsure, fearful or overly cautious.

An extinguished North Star. Sometimes the environment is simply so cluttered and dark it’s hard to see the light.

A car without a map. Driving down unfamiliar streets, in an unfamiliar town, the car is out of gas, you’re stuck and just waiting for something to change, or someone to rescue you.

Is there an analogy you’d add to this list? How did you get yourself directed and move in the direction that was best for you? What might you tell a friend about feeling unmoored or lost?