It’s important to know the rules of the road

The following is a summary of Andy Stanley’s lecture on building a Road Map For Life. 

In his discussion, Andy provides four ‘rules of the road’ AKA, guiding Christian principles to successfully navigate life. He explains that by applying these four ‘rules of the road,’ we can get the most out of life, avoid misery and self-doubt, and achieve a level of sustainable success through the many ‘seasons of our lives.’

Rule 1: don’t travel alone/don’t isolate yourself when things aren’t well

According to Andy, it’s essential to be selective with the friends we choose and the people with whom we share our life. ‘Pick’ others who share your values because the people with who we choose to surround ourselves ultimately determine the direction in which our life heads. 

The second part of rule one: choose to surround yourself with people who take care of themselves

Andy tells us that people who take care of themselves are more inclined to take care of us in return. Contrariwise, those who do not take care of themselves are less inclined to take care of others. The latter is a person who is not someone with whom we can trust to have our back or provide support when needed, and, therefore, we should actively avoid those who fail to care for themselves whenever possible. 

Rule 2: Don’t pick up strangers

Andy further expounds on his road analogy as he tells us “to avoid picking up strangers on the highway.” He explains this analogy is not about avoiding meeting new people, per se. Rather, much like a sketchy hitchhiker on the highway, we shouldn’t ‘pick up’ those who will most likely have an unhealthy influence on our lives. 

The key takeaway is that we shouldn’t let sketchy or dubious people into our inner circle. Basically, anyone who is bringing us down should be proverbially let out of the car. 

Andy gives us an example of how a woman who’s in a toxic relationship should, in effect, “drop off their dubious hitchhiker of a boyfriend on the side of the road.” He explains that there are awkward, painful, and uncomfortable times when we need to extradite people from our inner circle. Failure to do so can impede our road map to success. 

“There are times where you have to uninvite people from your life. Maybe down the road, you can be there for them but in a different capacity.”