Jerk or Genius?

​This week I found the sweet spot between being a jerk and being efficient.  Every day this summer during my one-hour commute home from work, I’ve dealt with construction on the dual lane, split highway I drive (aka the bypass.)  The construction moves a little bit every day so I never know exactly where it’s going to be.  The westbound lanes are restricted down to one lane for just a few hundred feet, BUT since you don’t know exactly where it’s at, cars who drive the same route every day, start getting into the right lane in expectation WAY before the actual lane closure.  I typically sit in a long line of traffic in the right-hand lane for 10 solid minutes before the left lane is actually closed off.  There are a high percentage of semis, so you can’t see very far ahead to know if the left lane is closed just ahead or a mile away.  Since the left lane isn’t actually closed, there are these few, what I used to call “jerk cars,” that speed by on the left (they were probably going like 27 mph which seemed like speeding to my 4 mph)  Daily, I’d grumble, “Oh you jerk cars are going to speed past all of us who are doing what we’re supposed to be doing -patiently waiting in the correct lane.”  

​Well, one day this week, I was kind of in a hurry and didn’t have that extra 10 minutes to spend in a line of traffic inching forward waiting for the construction to appear, so I thought, “I think I’m gonna try being a jerk car…”  I started rationalizing – they’re not really breaking the law - the road isn’t actually closed, and it’s probably wise to use BOTH lanes while they are available to make things more efficient, right?”  So, even though there was a long line of traffic stacked up in the right-hand lane, the left lane looked clear. I turned on my signal and went for it and became a “jerk car!”  I drove and drove and drove at a speedy 27 mph and was amazed how many cars I passed in the right lane waiting patiently (probably cursing me under their breath.)  As soon as I saw the orange sign that tells you to merge, there was this heaven-sent opening that I easily moved into.  Then almost immediately, the blinking sign and the construction barrels appeared that officially closed the left lane.  There I was in the correct lane, breezing through the short actual construction zone.  In no time, I was back to cruising toward home, and I was so proud of myself! This was efficient!!  So you tell me, was it a jerk move or a genius one?

​I started wondering why I’d been wasting so much of my time waiting in traffic this summer and wondering if there are other things in my life that I think of as “jerk moves” that would really just be more assertive and efficient?  I asked myself why I was in that right lane.  The answer was easy - because everyone else was there.  I seemed like what I was “supposed” to do –like I was following the rules and being a good citizen and a good driver.  Really, the people who I thought were being jerks, well, they were the ones that were doing what was actually much smarter and much more efficient.  Are there practices I’m following or things that I’m doing just because others are doing them?  Maybe what I should be doing is paying attention to the people who are doing something different– what is it and is it working for them?  What would happen if I did that and put myself first – would I become more efficient and successful?  What if I said, “I know that there’s going to be a roadblock up ahead, but I might as well make up some ground while I can.”  WOW is that a metaphor or what???  I realized that I apparently learn a lot from traffic metaphors since this is my second post about them - I learned a lot from left turns in a previous post! 

"Are there practices I'm following or things that I'm doing just because others are doing them?  Maybe what I should be doing is paying attention to the people who are doing something different - what is it and is it working for them?"

​Make forward progress while you can, don’t just sit there and waste time. I think that applies in so many ways – if you are unhappy in your life, you can sit in line behind all those other unhappy people, or you can do something about it, take a chance, and get in that left lane and move forward. There are always going to be roadblocks ahead as well as things you don’t even know are coming.  Do you want to get behind a line of people who are waiting for bad things with the mindset, “I know that construction is ahead, I’ve gotta prepare, move slow, and be cautious.”?  With that school of thought you are already in the right spot, and though you’re prepared, it’s going to take you FOREVER to get anything accomplished.  Instead, you could take a chance, get out in that left lane, speed past a bunch of people, get some stuff done.  Realize it may be a little tricky or take a little time to get back in the correct lane to get through the actual construction zone, but be forward thinking enough to realize that by getting out from behind that traffic allows you to see what’s coming and know when to shift back to seamlessly move through a challenging spot.  If you start preparing for disaster or roadblocks far in advance or are scared to take a chance, you’ll just be stuck in traffic.  

As I was thinking about this, I realized this is something I deal with often – similar to analysis paralysis!  I know there’s going to be a problem, and I start thinking about it and don’t know what to do, so I just get in line behind everyone else in the “safe” lane and sit and barely move forward.  I do this so often – even though I know the path and the potential outcomes, I’m scared to get in that other lane and make forward progress, because what if I make the wrong decision and I take the wrong path and then it takes me time later to get back into the right lane?  But you know what – that is rare.  When I, the safe, rule-following patient driver, get to the part of the road that narrows to one lane and see some of the “jerk cars” who passed me along the way waiting to get back into my lane I think “haha jerk cars, I’m already in the right lane and now you have to wait!”  But you know what, it took me 10 minutes to get there, and even if the “jerk car” had to wait for a couple minutes to merge, they STILL spent much less time on that same stretch of road because they took a chance and now they get to do more with that time they saved!  Why am I not taking more chances and getting in a position that I can see further ahead?  Fear is the answer, but I don't want it to be!  Once I'd been a "jerk car," I wasn't as scared to try again.  I want to continue practicing what's different, what's assertive, what's efficient, while still remaining kind and considerate - I don't really want to be a jerk!

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Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash